October 24th, 2023
Stay Tuned For Upcoming Warsaw Audio Show Coverage! coverage since 2011....By: Michael Fremer
The Warsaw Audio Show, this year October 27-29th, is an outstanding annual event drawing large crowds of audio/video and music fans. It's an especially family-friendly affair producing throngs of people all three days—sometimes too many people, which makes it difficult to get into some of the rooms. That's the problem all show organizers would be happy to have.150 exhibitors will be demonstrating audio and video gear in 160 rooms located at two hotels and... Read More
October 2nd, 2023
The Capital and Pacific AudioFest Team Announce Southwest Audio Fest! Dallas, Texas show debuts March 15-17th 2024By: Tracking Angle
Capital and Pacific AudioFest show producers Gary Gill and Lou Hinkley today announced the SouthWest Audio Fest, a new Dallas, Texas based audio festival, set to debut March 15-17th, 2024 at the famous Hilton/Anatole Hotel. The promoting pair say the hotel is booked, the weather is perfect, and the venue has plenty of room to expand. There are thousands of parking spaces, easy load in (for the presenters), great bars and restaurants, more than fifty meeting rooms and... Read More
July 4th, 2023
Pacific Audio Fest 2023 Day Three Coverage our final PAF 2023 reportBy: Michael Johnson
Michael Johnson's third and final video report from Pacific Audio Festival 2023 in Seattle, WA June 23-25th. Read More
June 28th, 2023
At Pacific Audio Fest 2023 Ari Crane, Heritage Auctions Director of Vinyl Acquisitions Interviewed Charles Kirmuss restores a super-valuable record for CraneBy: Tracking Angle
At the Pacific Audio Festival, Michael Trochalakis gets a video scoop for Tracking Angle at the Kirmuss Audio booth. First Michael describes his experience getting a prized record restored by Charles Kirmuss and then Kirmuss turns the microphone over to Ari Crane, Heritage Auctions' Director of Vinyl Acquisitions. If you'd like to contact Mr. Crane, here's his email address: AriC@HA.com. You'll want to watch this video for sure! Read More
June 28th, 2023
Pacific Audio Fest 2023 Day Two Coverage Michael Johnson covers PAF day twoBy: Tracking Angle
Michael Johnson returns with Pacific Audio Fest day two coverage. Lead photo is J. Sikora Reference turntable. YouTube "thumbnail" image is of Origin Live Sovereign. Read More
June 25th, 2023
Pacific Audio Fest 2023 Day One Coverage Tracking Angle contributing writer Michael Johnson covers the showBy: Michael Fremer
Regrettably I had to skip this year's Pacific Audio Fest though I'd originally intended to go. I had too much work to do and I was too far behind. Fortunately contributing writer Michael "Poetry in Plastic" Johnson volunteered to shoot video coverage for us. This video is his day one coverage.Johnson hasn't contributed much lately because he was busy with his doctorate, which he now has. It's in music, which is not surprising since... Read More
June 19th, 2023
Nagra's "Meet the Experts" at High End Munich 2023 I was one of a group of experts who presented music in the Nagra roomBy: Michael Fremer
At High End Munich 2023 Nagra once again produced a "Meet the Experts" feature and invited a group of industry experts, including Matthias Bode, editor the German magazine STEREO, Impex Records founder Abey Fonn, Wilson Audio Specialties' Direct or Sales (and award-winning recording engineer) Peter McGrath, and me to spin records throughout the show for an hour long slot.The system, featuring Nagra's 70th Anniversary Reference turntable and... Read More
June 1st, 2023
Munich High End 2023 Wrap Up and Alternative View TrackingAngle hired a local to cover some of the showBy: Carlos Martin Schwab
For High End Munich 2023 I brought onboard Carlos Martin Schwab, a Munich area-based writer who in previous years has done no-nonsense show coverage for other sites. I asked him to cover some brands and non-analog related products. You'll note he covered OMA. I asked him to do that because pre-show I decided against entering the OMA room. Why? I was disinvited from a factory visit by OMA's founder. I was supposed to go there for The Absolute Sound, which is reviewing the K3 turntable I reviewed for my previous endeavor and they wanted video factory coverage and an owner profile. Ultimately, I decided it was best to cover the room, which I did in a video posted on YouTube. The encounter left one consumer-observer to comment under the video "I foresee Fremer unloading his OMA TT soon… the tension between him and Weiss was palpable". Martin Schwab also covered a few rooms i didn't assign but I'm glad he did, especially IO Design, an amazing sounding loudspeaker covered last year that I didn't have time to hear this, though I've heard it's been further improved. Martin Schwab encountered my friend Rick Rubin with Al DiMeola. His comment further elucidates his distaste for the industry, which I find amusing. He didn't think I'd run his comment you'll read below that ends with "...ego is counted by the ton." That's because he doesn't know me well. The show was a great success attracting 22,137 visitors from approximately 100 countries who came to see products from 550 exhibitors representing 54 nations. More than 1000 brands were on display. While 22,137 visited the show in person, to date, more than 34,000 people have viewed TrackingAngle.com's first day video coverage on YouTube. Such is the power of the Internet.
Read MoreMay 26th, 2023
Munich High End 2023 Show Coverage Day Four More important and fascinating productsBy: Michael Fremer
Some important products are in this video shot Sunday, the show's final day. Especially interesting was the Supatrac arm made in Chelsea, London, England as well as the Takumi turntable, made in The Netherlands, though the name sounds Japanese. High End 2023 was a fantastic show in every way. Details upcoming in the final show post. When it was over and I'd returned to my hotel room to edit video, by around 8 PM I got really hungry but there were no... Read More
May 25th, 2023
No Sanctuary Here - a Deep Dive Into Music at the Munich High End Show played-to-death audiophilia and mind-expanding esoterica in Munich’s listening roomsBy: Jan Omdahl
At audio shows, music can all too easily be reduced to just signal – a tool by which to evaluate equipment, or the success or failure of a gear maker to get decent room sound. All the more reason to celebrate the people bringing great, eclectic and surprising music – and great sound. Jan Omdahl spoke to some music-loving audio mavericks at Munich’s High End.
May 24th, 2023
Munich High End 2023 Day Three Coverage CH Precision P10 phono preamp demo was among the day's highlightsBy: Michael Fremer
Saturday was the first of two consumer days at High End Munich 2023 and the MOC was packed from 10:00 AM opening time until just about the 6 PM close. Among Saturday's highlights was a special demo of CH Precision's new P10 two chassis phono preamp—a step up from the already outstanding P1/X1 combo that's my solid state reference. A direct comparison made clear that the P10 is even better than the P1/X1, but of course there will be a full upcoming... Read More
May 21st, 2023
Munich High End 2023 Show Coverage Day Two specialized turntable, phono preamp and cartridge coverageBy: Michael Fremer
High End 2023 day two for me began as a panel discussion participant in an event titled "Future-Fi" hosted by Olaf Adam, Chief Editor of the German hi-fi website hifi.de. The other panelists were Ljubiša Miodragović from Serbia, who writes for "Hi-Files Audio Video Magazin", and from Great Britain, Hi-Fi Pig's editor in chief, Stuart Smith from Great Britain. We were there to predict the future of audio.We had a full house for a lively... Read More
May 19th, 2023
Munich High End 2023 Show Coverage Day One a whole lot of analog (and more) to see and hearBy: Michael Fremer
Miracles are made of this: i flew into Germany a few days early to attend Clearaudio's 45th anniversary party. A factory tour video of that will post following High End show coverage. I flew to Zurich Sunday evening the 14th and got on a short Swiss Air flight from there to Nuremberg. The plane was hit by lightening half way there so had to turn around and return to Zurich. Upon landing we were told to quickly exit and head down to the gate where the airline had... Read More
May 14th, 2023
Munich High End is This Coming Weekend—Pacific Audio Fest is June 23-25 2023 trackingangle will cover both showsBy: Michael Fremer
I leave for Germany this evening, first attending Clearaudio's 45th anniversary celebration outside of Nuremberg, then motoring to Munich for High End 2023. A lot planned there, then taking a train to Switzerland to visit CH Precision in advance of a review of the company's new P10 phono preamplifier. Trip planning for that began in February. Now's the time to plan your trip to Seattle for Pacific Audio Fest Last year's debut show was a big... Read More
April 28th, 2023
At AXPONA 2023 Wilson Audio, ARC, HANA, Clearaudio and dCS Swing For The Fences appropriately named the "Perfection Room", this may have been the best sound at the show.By: Dean Cacioppo
An ultra high-end system consisting of Audio Research electronics, Wilson Audio speakers, dCS digital, a Clearaudio vinyl rig sporting a new HANA cartridge may have been the best sound at AXPONA 2023.
Read MoreAs AXPONA has grown, it has now become simply impossible to cover everything in two and a half days. Rooms get missed, time spent in each room is less than you would like to devote, and I always feel rushed. Exhibitors worldwide come to get exposure and to be heard here, along with the introduction of new products. In the next few years, AXPONA may have to expand to three and a half days, much like the Munich Show.Several distributor friends at the show mentioned how... Read More