An Audio Blog by Walden

Ideas & Insights on Audio & Good Sound

JD 22/09/2026 JD 22/09/2026

LUXMAN L-100 CENTENNIAL: A Century of Japanese Audio Heritage

If you like beautifully made Japanese audio equipment, it is difficult to ignore LUXMAN. The company traces the beginning of its business to 1925. This makes LUXMAN one of Japan’s longest-established names in audio.

JD 25/08/2026 JD 25/08/2026

Aurorasound’s New HFSA-02. An Amplifier Outside the Ordinary

When I was looking for a new phono amplifier some years ago, before Walden High-End Audio, I came across Aurorasound. I had never heard of the brand, but when listening to the VIDA MKII phono amplifier, I discovered a sound that immediately drew me in: the expressiveness and fluidity one associates with a good tube amplifier, combined with a sense of scale and energy.

JD 12/03/2026 JD 12/03/2026

Tube Soul, Transistor Muscle: The Appeal of Hybrid Amplifiers

Among audiophiles, the question of amplification often leads to a familiar debate: tube or solid-state? Both technologies have shaped high-fidelity audio for decades, each with its own strengths. Yet a third category has attracted increasing attention... hybrid amplifiers, designs that combine elements of both approaches.

Jan Dhont 14/02/2026 Jan Dhont 14/02/2026

The EL84. Gracious Sound from a Small Tube.

Very often, it can be difficult to predict how an amplifier will sound. We assume that by reading enough reviews and analyzing technical specifications, we understand how a piece of audio equipment will perform. Given how significant the investment can be, the risk of a wrong choice is considerable. Yet somehow, that risk feels smaller when it comes to an EL84 amplifier.