Joel Bennett's Audio Video Advice

08/06/2025

01/08/2024

Audiophile cliches

01/08/2024

Ten
Seconds
On
Three top speaker brands

01/08/2024

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1u6XA5S3up/?igsh=MWFmMDEzMTdiNg==

10/18/2023

Last night, a beautiful show of solidarity.

03/05/2022

So wonderful to hear these two, again. Yes- the Moonshine Daredevils are joyously covering some of their gifts to the music world.

From the Sound Emporium control room in Nashville, two heavyweights join forces behind a makeshift desk for NPR’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert. Although the duo doesn’t perform at NPR staffer Bob Boilen’s actual tiny desk, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant certainly do rekindle the spirit of Raise th...

05/23/2021

I am going back to vinyl soon.
It’s Carole’s idea, and I am wary. If it weren’t for recklessness and lazines.... it would be dandy.

03/09/2021

Bucket List Audio System at 6k

Tube integrated Amp:
PrimaLuna EVO 100- do not let the 40 watt rating dissuade you, as this weighs 40 pounds. At 2399, this will open wide the gates of Audio Heaven. Tube Glory, Presence, Air, Textures, and 3D Soundstaging must all appear at your command, in your listening room... and wait patiently for you to lose yourself in the studio or concert venue.

A Pair of TANNOY AUTOGRAPH Minis. The BEST Midrange- that means ALL Vocals, and virtually every instrument that can gently, or firmly touch your heart. These MUST have a good sub, as the low end rolls off abruptly around 70Hz.
There is nothing that can touch these for under 5k, in my seasoned experience. 2k for the pair, add 200 for a 24 or 28” pair of Pangea Audio DS400 stands. Add six more bucks for a bag of playground sand to fill the legs. Believe it or not, sand filling the legal sharpens the sonic experience an additional 5-10%!

REL t/7i at 999. It is the fastest and most musical subwoofer near that price. If your room is larger than 400 sq. Feet, or if you prize bass and slam as much as astonishing midrange, spend another 300 for the larger t/9i.

Bluesound Node 2i Streamer/DAC at 549. Forget CDs... TIDAL and Qobuz have 150 million songs at CD Quality or BETTER, at the touch of a smart phone or tablet.

Add 3-400 for a good pair of interconnects from the streamer/DAC to the Integrated Amp, and a pair of good speaker cables.

This will delight you straight out of the box, but after a 200 hour break in... you will need to be dragged away from your Music.

https://upscaleaudio.com/collections/tannoy/products/tannoy-autograph-mini-loudspeaker

PrimaLuna EVO 100 Tube Integrated Amp “Despite the EVO100's modest relative power of 40 W at 8 ohms, the subjectively perceived value is much higher. And the quality of the device's power supply makes it difficult for it to be intimidated. This little guy knows how to talk about music without ever...

08/23/2020

If you have a decent stereo system, add a fast and musical powered sub. Get a REL.
A REL can absolutely disappear after a 5-20 minute twiddling of the Level k**b- ya just have to get that close in volume to the other speakers,
and the Crossover k**b- the REL crossovers are sooooo shallow and subtle that I must insist you turn it up too far in order to know where to back it off.
I was stunned that I could set the crossover WELL above the midpoint.
Depending on room size, 599 to 1399 can give you a soundstage that is 360 degree holographic AND completely real from ceiling to floor.
They will fully flesh out the last audible bottom tones and pressurize your room so that you “feel” you are sitting in the exact acoustic moment captured in the studio, or the concert event.
All the above with only two regular speakers and a REL.
The t/7i is what we use with speakers up to 10k in medium and small rooms. It is astonishing. RELS are always on “Sale” if you call me at 909 552-6793 Tuesday through Saturday 9-5pm Pacific Time.
No kidding.

REL T/7i RELs are designed for speed and articulation as well as deep bass response. The T/7i uses a lightweight alloy driver more bracing, and even faster input stages to keep up with the best speakers on the market Why REL?1) REL subs are designed to be fast and articulate above all. This allows t...