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About Oliver A.Masciarotte

Oliver A. Masciarotte has spent more than 40 years immersed in the tech space, working on manufacturing, marketing, and product development for many pro and CE audio manufacturers including dbx, a/d/s, Lexicon, Sonic Solutions, and Minnetonka Audio. His client roster is as diverse as Apple, Harper Collins, NASA Johnson, NPR, and Universal. His writings include a book covering file-based music for the home and more than 100 articles for sundry trade publications. A member of the Audio Engineering Society (AES), Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), Project Management Institute (PMI), and Digital Cinema Society (DCS), he is currently co-founder and CMO of MAAT Inc., a digital audio software manufacturer.

All items written by Oliver A.Masciarotte

Fresh From the Bench: WiiM Amp Integrated Amplifier and Multiroom Audio Streamer

September 18, 2024 by Oliver A.Masciarotte

Fresh From the Bench: WiiM Amp Integrated Amplifier and Multiroom Audio Streamer

In 2023, audioXpress had the chance to review the "low cost and feature packed" WiiM Pro music streamer and was positively impressed. Never one to sit on their hands, this year the folks at Linkplay have gone one step further with an integrated power amplifier. Expanding its series of best-selling audio streamers, the WiiM Amp is a still-affordable design that combines a TI 3255 Class-D audio amplifier and ESS Sabre premium 32-bit DAC and simplifies the whole audio system setup.

Fresh From the Bench: WiiM Pro Smart Network Music Streaming System

August 23, 2023 by Oliver A.Masciarotte

Fresh From the Bench: WiiM Pro Smart Network Music Streaming System

Linkplay Technology is recognized for its widely adopted wireless audio streaming modules, smart home, and connected AI products. The new WiiM Pro is a versatile music streamer that combines all the latest technologies and protocols, making it the ultimate (and most affordable) home audio hub available. audioxpress received a pre-launch unit to review subjectively and objectively. This article was originally published in audioXpress, July 2023.

AXPONA 2022 Show Report: Back to Listening in Person

August 10, 2022 by Oliver A.Masciarotte

AXPONA 2022 Show Report: Back to Listening in Person

As the audio industry gradually resumed its trade show calendar in result of the global pandemic, Oliver A. Masciarotte offers a report from the 2022 edition of Audio Expo North America, better known as AXPONA - the most important annual hi-fi and high-end audio show in the US. As audio enthusiasts and audiophiles returned once again to listening in person at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, there was a lot to explore in very little time. This article was originally published in audioXpress, July 2022.

Fresh From the Bench: KEF KC62 Subwoofer with Uni-Core Driver Technology

May 17, 2022 by Oliver A.Masciarotte

Fresh From the Bench: KEF KC62 Subwoofer with Uni-Core Driver Technology

Following the review of the KEF LS50 Meta speakers for audioXpress, this article offers a detailed review of the KC62 compact subwoofer, which combines KEF's force-canceling and Uni-Core technologies in a new approach to allow maximizing bass in a minimum space. Masciarotte did the listening and spoke with Jack Sharkey, Senior Technical Engineer at GP Acoustics, about this fascinating design. The subwoofer was also measured by Peterson at Warkwyn’s facility using the Klippel measurement system.

MUTEC Offers REF10 Upgrade to Ultimate 10 MHz Reference Master Clock REF10 SE120

November 23, 2021 by Oliver A.Masciarotte

MUTEC Offers REF10 Upgrade to Ultimate 10 MHz Reference Master Clock REF10 SE120

MUTEC GmbH, the Berlin-based manufacturer of audio equipment for studio professionals and the most demanding audio enthusiasts, announced an attractive upgrade option for users of its proven MUTEC REF10 reference master clock to evolve to the evolved level of the company's latest REF10 SE120. The decision by MUTEC to offer the upgrade was taken in the interest of general sustainability and improving the lasting value of its products.

Fresh From the Bench: Parasound Halo JC 5 Stereo Power Amplifier - Traditional Goodness

October 27, 2021 by Oliver A.Masciarotte

Fresh From the Bench: Parasound Halo JC 5 Stereo Power Amplifier - Traditional Goodness

Oliver Masciarotte was looking for an amplifier that he could respect without emptying his bank account. Richard Schram offered to send the Parasound JC 5, his company’s largest stereo power amplifier for evaluation. Anticipating the fun of enjoying the pleasures of this John Curl design, Oliver accepted the challenge, and Stuart Yaniger tested the JC 5 to confirm the amplifier’s merits with actual measurements. This article was originally published in audioXpress, September 2021.

Fresh From the Bench: KEF LS50 Meta Loudspeaker. A Material Improvement

June 30, 2021 by Oliver A.Masciarotte

Fresh From the Bench: KEF LS50 Meta Loudspeaker. A Material Improvement

In September 2020, British brand KEF updated its extremely popular LS50 speaker design and introduced the LS50 Meta, an improved version of the original LS50 passive design, now featuring a new Uni-Q driver that is coupled to an interesting new metamaterial absorber in the back. audioXpress requested a pair of the loudspeakers for review. Oliver Masciarotte did the listening, and Kent Peterson confirmed their impressions with extensive measurements. This article was originally published in audioXpress, June 2021.

THX Onyx Portable DAC/Amplifier Features Advanced THX AAA Implementation for High-Quality Music Over Headphones

April 7, 2021 by Oliver A.Masciarotte

THX Onyx Portable DAC/Amplifier Features Advanced THX AAA Implementation for High-Quality Music Over Headphones

THX announced the global launch of its first consumer electronics device, THX Onyx. A best-in-class portable USB-C DAC/Amp designed for headphone music enjoyment everywhere, the THX Onyx ($199.99 USD / $209.99 EUR) improves over traditional DAC amplifiers by combining the company's THX AAA amplifier technology with ESS Pro DAC chips, as well as MQA support. audioXpress received an advanced unit for review and we are now able to share our first impressions.

Fresh From the Bench: The Magnepan LRS, Back to the Future

October 15, 2020 by Oliver A.Masciarotte

Fresh From the Bench: The Magnepan LRS, Back to the Future

Forced to shelter at home, Oliver Masciarotte looked around his home base in the Twin Cities, and decided it was time to have a serious look at the Magnepan LRS (Little Ribbon Speaker) the company's latest affordable, full-range quasi-ribbon speaker. For this review, Masciarotte writes about what he heard, while Kent Peterson (Warkwyn) measures its performance in the lab. If you are curious to see how does a ribbon speaker measures on a Klippel Near-Field Scanning (NFS) system you definitely want to check out this article, originally published in audioXpress, September 2020.

Fresh From the Bench: Sennheiser AMBEO Immersive Soundbar Raising the Bar

August 12, 2020 by Oliver A.Masciarotte

Fresh From the Bench: Sennheiser AMBEO Immersive Soundbar Raising the Bar

The Sennheiser AMBEO soundbar is a sophisticated multi-speaker integrated home cinema sound system, created in collaboration with Fraunhofer IIS to be one of the world’s best soundbars. It is a single all-in-one device that is able to generate a convincing immersive soundfield from home entertainment sources that are able to render object-based audio formats such as Dolby Atmos or MPEG-H, from movies, games, music, or TV content. And this is because the large size soundbar offers 13 high-end drivers, a frequency response down to 30 Hz, and even ships with a measurement microphone for room calibration. This article was originally published in audioXpress, June 2020.

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