Tag Archives: HiFi

Audio-Technica Intro New Open Ear Audiophile Headphones

October 26, 2024 The Silo Leave a comment

STOW, OH, October, 2024 — Our friends at Audio-Technica are at it again and have just announced the introduction of their ATH-ADX3000 Open-Air Dynamic Headphones, designed to bring true high-end sound quality to the under-$1,000 usd headphones category. Celebrating 50 years of headphone design and production, the new ATH-ADX3000 features Audio-Technica’s most advanced driver technology to deliver natural, spacious audio.

A Few Takeaways (more below)

Light and comfortable, weighing less than 10 ounces and with velour earpads, the ATH-ADX3000 headphones are comfortable, to say the least. If you are a home recordist know that they’re ideal for long mix sessions, and not just due to comfort or their open-back design.

58-millimeter integrated driver units house tungsten-coated diaphragms (which produce excellent transient response), voice coils, baffles, and pure iron magnetic circuits. Coupled with Audio-Technica’s proprietary Core Mount Technology that optimally places the driver units, this results in full-range audio reproduction across an astonishing 5Hz–45kHz frequency response that needs to be heard to be believed.

These near-flagship headphones come with a specially designed aluminum carrying case.

Uses the A2DC proprietary coaxial connector which reduces connector rotation and glitchy connections.

The Nitty Gritty

The ATH-ADX3000’s open-back design allows unrestricted airflow of the diaphragm, for extremely pure audio quality with realistic soundstaging and imaging, with nearly no use of dampening material or acoustic aids. The ATH-ADX3000 features a full-range driver that is designed entirely by the engineers at Audio-Technica and manufactured and hand-assembled in Audio-Technica’s Machida, Japan factory. The driver utilizes the same technology as the company’s acclaimed flagship ATH-ADX5000 headphones.

Japanese Craftmanship

As a leading innovator in transducer technology for over 60 years, Audio-Technica places special emphasis on driver design to achieve the optimal sound from each pair of headphones. Did we mention that the ATH-ADX3000’s integrated driver units are handmade in our Machida, Tokyo, facility to ensure the highest quality? Sure did- but it is worth repeating.

Audio-Technica’s exclusive Core Mount Technology positions the driver’s voice coil in the middle of its housing, so that the acoustic space is balanced in both the front and the back of the driver. Audio-Technica lead engineer Hiromichi Ozawa noted, “Our engineers worked hard to achieve a frequency response that is not easy to obtain by using only natural air flow. Our expertise in driver technology influenced our approach to open-back headphones, and enabled us to ensure that the driver diaphragm moves with the purest motion possible.”

The ATH-ADX3000 employs a 58 mm tungsten-coated diaphragm, pure iron magnetic circuit, voice coil, and aluminum housing, which are all combined in a single integrated driver unit. The diaphragm is extremely lightweight and responsive, and the pure iron magnet enables exceptional dynamic range and high efficiency. Together, this approach creates an optimum structure that offers superb clarity and stereo imaging, with articulate bass, a smooth midrange, and detailed, extended high frequencies.

The ATH-ADX3000 is designed for long-wearing comfort, thanks to its light weight of only 280 grams. It’s supplied with a detachable 3.0m (9.8-foot) cable with A2DC connectors and comes with a robust aluminum storage case.

A2DC Connector

The Audio-Technica ATH-ADX3000 Open-Air Dynamic Headphones is available starting October 24, 2024, at a suggested retail price of $999 usd/ $1,387 cad.

Audio-Technica was founded in 1962 with the mission of producing high-quality audio for everyone. As we have grown to design critically acclaimed headphones, turntables and microphones, we have retained the belief that great audio should not be enjoyed only by the select few, but accessible to all. Building upon our analog heritage, we work to expand the limits of audio technology, pursuing an ever-changing purity of sound that creates connections and enriches lives. For the Silo, Frank Doris.

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New Flagship Turntable From Audio-Technica Delivers

September 30, 2024 The Silo Leave a comment

STOW, OH, September 30, 2024 — Our friends at Audio-Technica are pleased to announce the introduction and availability of its AT-LP8X Semi-Automatic Direct Drive Turntable.

The AT-LP8X is Audio-Technica’s new flagship turntable and its first-ever semi-automatic model.

It is designed to deliver exceptional vinyl record playback, with features including a VM95 Series cartridge (included), adjustable VTA (vertical tracking angle), a newly-designed motor, and additional refinements.

In addition to delivering outstanding sound from 33-1/3, 45 and 78-RPM records, the Audio-Technica AT-LP8X offers the convenience of semi-automatic operation, where the tonearm raises itself off the record and the motor stops at the end of a side. The AT-LP8X comes with a pre-mounted high-performance AT-VM95E Dual Magnet phono cartridge with an elliptical stylus, for superior resolution, stereo imaging, and tracking. The cartridge is pre-mounted on Audio-Technica’s new AT-L10 removeable headshell (also available separately) for easy installation. The AT-VM95E is compatible with any VM95 Series replacement stylus.

Adjustable Vertical Tracking Angle VTA

The J-shaped aluminum tonearm is inspired by classic Audio-Technica designs and has adjustable VTA, enabling it to be optimized for virtually any phono cartridge. In addition, the AT-LP8X provides adjustments for anti-skating and tracking force, and comes with a sub-counterweight that enables the use of cartridges with a weight range from 14 to 23.5 grams.

The AT-LP8X incorporates a new low-torque direct drive DC motor, with a speed sensor system that ensures accurate speed stability. It features a 1-inch-thick (25 mm) rubber-damped, anti-resonance, die-cast aluminum platter and a rubber mat, the most substantial platter ever offered on an Audio-Technica turntable, for reduced resonance and more accurate and uncolored vinyl playback. It also features a new internal switching power supply that is optimized for audio use, ensuring minimum noise in the signal chain. The AT-LP8X comes with a detachable RCA cable, removeable hinged dust cover, and 45-RPM adapter.

The Audio-Technica AT-LP8X Semi-Automatic Direct Drive Turntable is now available, at a suggested U.S. retail price of $999 / CAD $1,348. For the Silo, Frank Doris.

— For further information regarding product availability and pricing in Europe, contact Tanya Williams (TWilliams@audio-technica.eu) please mention The Silo when contacting.

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New Volume Of Guitar Music Extravaganza From Octave Records

September 26, 2024 The Silo Leave a comment

The Art of Hi-Fi, Volume 6: Guitars from Octave Records Features an Extravaganza of Playing Styles and Sounds – Octave’s latest offers a wide selection of guitar styles and genres, from solo acoustic to all-out rock on overdrive –
September, 2024 – What’s not to love about guitar music? Especially when it’s as well-recorded and soulfully played as the selections on The Art of Hi-Fi Volume 06: Guitars, the latest release from Octave Records. The album features a wide range of artists, styles, and instruments, from the solo acoustic 12-string guitar of Bill Kopper on “Hungry Heart” to Americana, jazz, pop, well-loved covers, and Connor Terrones tearing it up on Jimi Hendrix’s “Manic Depression.” It’s all here, captured in Octave Records’ stunning Pure DSD high-resolution recording quality.

Paul McGowan, Octave Records’ CEO pointed out: “Guitars are part of the soundtrack of our lives, from sweet acoustic and warm jazz tones to the powerful electric guitar sounds that have galvanized generations of listeners. Yet it’s extremely challenging to capture these many and varied musical and sonic flavors on a recording. We are thrilled with the sound and performances of our Octave artists on The Art of Hi-Fi Volume 06: Guitars, who did a fantastic job of showcasing the almost limitless potential of the instrument.”

The Art of Hi-Fi Volume 06: Guitars was recorded with Octave’s Pyramix-based Pure DSD 256 recording system, using a variety of microphones to capture the wide variety of guitars on the album: steel-string and nylon-string, 12-string guitar, electric, pedal steel, resonator, and even baritone guitar. Everything from the crystalline overtones of a steel-string guitar to the roar of a guitar amp speaker pushed beyond its limit is here to enjoy. The album was recorded, mixed and produced by Paul McGowan, with Terri McGowan and Jessica Carson assisting in the recording and production duties. It was mastered by Gus Skinas.

The album begins with Julian Peterson’s soulful Americana-tinged “Am I Wrong” by Keb’ Mo’, singing and playing a resonator guitar using a slide, a deep, elemental sound. The bossa-nova-tinged “Amor Prohibido” features Bill Kopper on nylon-string, accompanied by bass and percussion. It’s a lively musical dialogue, beautifully recorded. Kopper and the trio also contribute “Sweet Lorraine,” played gypsy jazz style with a snappy, cutting guitar tone, and he goes solo with the gorgeous 12-string sound and complex fingerpicked voicings of “Hungry Heart.”

The wailing sound of the pedal steel guitar is featured on Greg Schochet’s country original, “Broken Down Chair,” with Schochet’s plaintive singing and sparse acoustic guitar playing carrying a wry tune about likening his life to the well-worn piece of furniture. Khabu Young contributes a dazzling instrumental version of the Beatles’ “Come Together” on solo baritone guitar, and the amount of sound he gets out of just the one instrument is remarkable.

The Seth Lewis Trio offers intimate versions of the Bacharach/David classics, “The Look of Love” and “Close to You,” featuring the warm, rich tones of Lewis’ acoustic and electric basses, along with piano, organ, and drums. Wyn Walke digs into the 1930s American classic “Deep Elem Blues,” made popular by the Grateful Dead in the 1960s, performed here in a stately version with vocals, lap steel guitar, bass, percussion, and piano. The Art of Hi-Fi Volume 06: Guitars closes with a dramatic musical shift: Connor Terrones’ incendiary instrumental version of “Manic Depression,” with multiple guitars, bass, and drums blasting away to bring the album to a roaring no-holds-barred conclusion. Turn it up!

The Art of Hi-Fi Volume 06: Guitars features Octave’s premium gold disc formulation, and the disc is playable on any SACD, CD, DVD, or Blu-ray player. It also has a high-resolution DSD layer that is accessible by using any SACD player or a PS Audio SACD transport. In addition, the master DSD and PCM files are available for purchase and download, including DSD 512, DSD 256, DSD 128, DSD 64, and DSDDirect Mastered 352.8 kHz/24-bit, 176.2 kHz/24-bit, 88.2 kHz/24-bit, and 44.1 kHz/24-bit PCM. (SRP: $29usd / $39 cad.)

For The Silo, Frank Doris.

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$7500 Phono Cartridge Supercharges Record Players

June 14, 2024 The Silo Leave a comment

STOW, OHIO, June, 2024 — Audio-Technica today announced the introduction of its new top-of-the-line phono cartridge, the AT-ART1000X Direct Power Stereo Moving Coil Cartridge. Hand built in Tokyo, Japan, the AT-ART1000X builds upon the engineering excellence of the previous rave-reviewed AT-ART1000 with improvements in design and materials, and threaded mounting holes for easier installation.

Innovative New Design

Unlike conventional moving coil cartridges, the AT-ART1000X’s Direct Power System places its dual moving coils on top of the stylus tip rather than at the base of the cantilever, enabling the cartridge to deliver extraordinary fidelity with greater musical detail. The AT-ART1000X’s coils are now rectangular rather than round, which positions more of their surface area in the magnetic field. This provides improved reproduction of record groove modulations, along with a higher output voltage for better signal-to-noise ratio and an expanded low-frequency range.

“By placing the moving coils, which convert the motion of the stylus and cantilever into electrical signals, directly on top of the stylus, the effects of the cantilever’s length and material type are minimized,” noted Yosuke Koizumi, Audio-Technica Cartridge Engineer. “This design and the additional refinements we’ve made to the AT-ART1000X achieve a new level of sonic realism, with remarkable resolution, tonal and spatial accuracy, and dynamic impact.”

Pure Copper Coils Make A Difference

Each of the AT-ART1000X’s two moving coils is made of 20 µm diameter PCOCC (Pure Copper by Ohno Continuous Casting) wire, hand-wound in eight turns to create a 1.1 mm x 0.6 mm (0.043 in x 0.024-inch) rectangle. The coils are contained in an ultra-thin 25 µm (0.98 mil) special film and housed in an 0.5 mm (0.020-inch) gap of the powerful magnetic circuit (smaller than the previous 0.6 mm gap), enabling each coil to generate a higher 0.22 millivolt output with a 3.5-ohm coil impedance, despite having a non-magnetic core.

The AT-ART1000X employs a special line-contact stylus and solid boron cantilever for superb accuracy in tracking the record groove.

The support base for the magnetic circuit, stylus and cantilever is made from titanium. The base, and the cartridge’s aluminum housing and hard plastic cover all operate together to disperse any internal resonances that would otherwise affect sound quality. In addition, a special coating protects the magnetic circuit from corrosion. The musical result is rich, natural full-bodied reproduction of vocals and instruments, with weight, presence, and depth, presented on an expansive soundstage.