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High end audio equipment |
Last updated on May 20, 2008 |
What is high end audio?
The term "high end audio" is misused and misunderstood. The high end of the scale implies that which is the least
compromised, providing the closest approach to the ideal without mundane things like practical limitations
spoiling the fun. The High End of the automotive world would be well represented by a
Top Fuel dragster, a
Land Speed Record car, or a
Formula One car.
The audio industry, or "community", as many of us think of it as, has no single company or member that is clearly
ahead of everyone else to the extent that they are widely accepted as the leaders. Extremely diverse in nature,
the audio industry is made up of people who don't all agree on the ideal way to design a piece of
equipment.
The purpose of a high end audio system is to create a convincing illusion of a live musical event. We're closer
than we've ever been. Some think already we're close enough. They're the lucky ones.
I became an audio nut in the late 1960s. I was pretty serious about
playing drums, and was having trouble hearing what
other drummers were doing with their
cymbals and bass drums when I listened to
records.
Moving-coil cartridges scraped more information out of the grooves, better preamps and power amps helped a lot,
and accurate, efficient speakers with real woofers instead of pretend ones allowed me to finally hear what they
were doing.
In 1980 I founded the Vancouver Audio Society, and was President and Newsletter Editor for several years. I got
started writing by doing articles for the
newsletter, and also arranged and ran the meetings. As my interest in audio continued to grow, so did my
appreciation for classic audio equipment, especially vacuum tube amplifiers and tape recorders. These were the
elements that provided some of the finest recordings ever made with their warm, musical sound.
I add more links to this page whenever I discover them. If you're not able to find what you're looking for here,
the most comprehensive compilation of audio-related links I know of is on the Stereophile site, at
http://www.stereophile.com/, while a huge,
alphabetical list of them, compiled by Steve Ekblad, can be found at
http://www.audiogrid.com/arsl.html
There are some very high-voltage links here, so remember to click with one hand behind your back.
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Recording studio equipment
Turntables, cartridges and CD players
Interconnect cables
Solid state power amplifiers
Vacuum tube power amplifiers
High end car audio
Vacuum tube resources
Audio equipment storage systems
Audio societies
Audio publications
High end audio dealers
Acoustic Image — in Los Angeles, CA
http://www.acousticimage.com/
The Audible Difference — in Simsbury, CT
http://www.highendaudio.com/
Audio Advisor — in Kentwood, MI
http://www.audioadvisor.com/
Audio Classics — in Walton, NY
http://www.audioclassics.com/
Audio Nexus — in Summit, New Jersey
http://www.audionexus.com/
Audio Odyssey — in Highland Park, NJ
http://www.audioodyssey.com/
Audio T — in the United Kingdom
http://www.audio-t.co.uk/
Audiogon — used high end audio equipment
http://www.audiogon.com/
Avalon Audio Video — in Medford, NJ
http://www.avalonav.com/
CSA Audio Design — in Upper Montclair, New Jersey
http://www.csaaudiodesign.com/
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Galen Carol Audio — in San Antonio, Texas
http://www.gcaudio.com/
HHB Communications, Ltd. — in the U.K.
http://www.hhb.co.uk/
Hi-Fi Farm — in Virginia
http://www.hififarm.com/
Just Hi-Fi — in Ontario, Canada
http://www.justhifi.com/
Magic Sound USA — in New Jersey
http://www.magicsoundusa.com/
Nightlines — in Connecticut
http://www.nightlines.com/
Red Rose Music — in Manhattan, New York
http://www.redrosemusic.com/
Soundex — in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania
http://www.soundexonline.com/
Sweetwater Sound, Inc. — in Fort Wayne, IN
http://www.sweetwater.com/
Uptown Audio — in Roanoke, VA
http://www.uptownaudio.com/
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More audio sites
All text and images on Roadsters.com are Copyright 1996-2008 Dave Mann
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