GLOW News

 

  

 

  Above:  A peek at the GLOW speaker stand, designed specifically for the GLOW Voice One speaker and hand made from bamboo in the USA, available in July.

-:-

All 2010 GLOW Audio Music Reviews can be read HERE.

 

-:-     -:-     -:-

June 2010 -  Yes, you really can nab a Demo or Open Box pair of the hand crafted and award winning GLOW Voice One loudspeakers or the phenomenal GLOW Voice One subwoofer for as little as $288. Check our GLOW Sale page for availability and details.

 

-:-     -:-     -:-

 

May 2010 -  The beat goes on.  Seems more and more folks are hearing about our minimalist GLOW system. While it may seem strange to intentionally eschew high power, large speakers and digital based audio for a small, tube based analog system, the proof is in the pudding.  Folks who hear a GLOW system have a hard time hiding their amazement at what a low power tube amp can do.  When designed properly and when matched to well designed, efficient louspeakers, the depth and clarity can be astounding.

-:-

 

This month's Recommended Recording: Tan Dun's "Bitter Love."

Tan Dun, Composer; Ying Huang, Soprano.

 

 

-:-     -:-     -:-

 

April 2010 - We are often asked whether we sell out-of-box and demo GLOW products.  In response we have placed a link on our site in order to make available various sale items. These items are discounted from our regular price to reflect their open box or demo status.  Especially noteworthy are the several GLOW Amp One units found to be incompatible with low impedance headphones. These units are perfectly operational otherwise, and are a great deal for Glowbies who intend to use the amplifier with loudspeakers only.

All sale items are shipped free in the continental USA. These items are warranted for 90 days from date of purchase, and provide great value for audiophiles on a budget. Click on our GLOW Sale Items link on the menu bar to see what we have and how to purchase; the list will vary as items are sold and new items become available, so check back often for substantial savings.

-:-

This Month's Recommended Recording:  The C-Nuts: Blitzkrieg Bop and Other Jazz Mutations. A Mapleshade Recording.

 

 

-:-     -:-     -:-

March 2010 - At AXPONA in Jacksonville March 5-7, the GLOW dual sub system left a BIG impression on listeners.

 

 

Who knew that a system driven by a 5 watt amp and featuring 3" full range drivers could perform so well?  Even at higher volumes playing music with a lot of dynamic content, the GLOW speaker system sounded superb.  It certainly had a lot of folks re-thinking their notions of what a small loudspeaker can deliver. 

Bob Hesson, in his AXPONA review posted at Audioasylum, chose a pair of $54,000 speakers as "best in show." The only other speakers that impressed him were the $348 GLOW Voice One: 

"The other speakers I heard that I really liked were far at the other end of the price spectrum. A company called GLOW Audio had a pair of small, single driver spheres sitting atop two small subs with shapely, cool-looking stands in between. The sound was superbly natural, unforced and very faithful to the sound of acoustic instruments." Read Mr. Hesson's full AXPONA review HERE

 

A. Colin Flood, reviewing for EnjoytheMusic.com, had this to say about GLOW at the AXPONA show:

“In the Audiowood room, the original version of the GLOW Amp One featuring EL84 output tubes was driving GLOW Voice One single driver loudspeakers, mounted on custom bamboo stands made by Audiowood, and connected to GLOW Sub One subwoofers. The loudspeakers are globe shapes … made of recycled scrap wood with a patented "facet" interior to minimize standing waves. The combination sounded quite spacious for the money… the midrange was compellingly smooth and uncongested; never fatiguing and very easy listening."  Click HERE for Mr. Flood's full show review.

 

There are lots of small speaker systems out there, but few of them actually deliver impressive sound quality. Ultrahigh-End Audio, noting the small 3" diameter of our speakers, stated succinctly what AXPONA listeners all seemed to conclude; that the GLOW speaker system "sounds considerably better than you would expect from something of their size."  Below, see photos of the system shown with designer Joel Scilley's Audiowood custom turntables.

 

 

GLOW also exhibited in a separate room, powering up Randy Bankert's phenomenal SONIST loudspeakers. Here is what Nels Ferre, reviewer for EnjoytheMusic.com, had to say about the GLOW/Sonist system:

 

"GLOW Audio had two of their diminutive amplifiers connected to the exquisitely built Sonist Loudspeakers. I was especially interested to hear the 5 watt per channel GLOW Audio Amp One ($648), which was the recipient of a coveted Enjoy the Music.com Blue Note Award. It is always interesting to hear what another reviewer deems the "cream of the crop."  And get it I did … both the Sonist Recital 3 as well as the Concerto 3 sounded fantastic mated to the GLOW Audio units."

 

GLOW's two giant killer systems at AXPONA were also the subject of a flattering review on AUDIOGON. Here is an excerpt of the review:

"While one system cost as much as a house (the Scaena/TheLars/dCs/Silversmith exhibit room, running about a quarter mil and thankfully offering superb sound), much of the excitement at Axpona was at the lower end of the price scale ... some of today's lower-priced audio products offer honestly good sound and honestly great value.

..... Randy Bankert's $4,195 Sonist Concerto 3s sounded terrific powered by GLOW Audio's $648 Glow Audio Amp One, a 5 watt-per-channel single-ended integrated amp with EL84 output tubes. The sound had the punchiness and dimensionality associated with the best SETs, with none of the noise or "thinness" often found in cheap tube amps. A win-win situation, and a winner of a system.

 A complete GLOW Audio system was playing in a room shared with Audiowood, Joel Scilley's backwoods Florida company which custom-builds turntables from (surprise!) wood. The GLOW system was another eye- and ear-opener, featuring the GLOW Amp One powering GLOW Voice One speakers ($348/pr.) with 3" fullrange drivers in spherical enclosures, and dual GLOW subs ($348/ea.). Dynamic, sweet, and clearly playing well above its weight, or its price." 

 

You can read the entire AUDIOGON show review HERE.

 

Stereophile's Jason Victor Serinus and John Atkinson were checking out all the goodies at AXPONA. After hearing GLOW driving the SONIST loudspeakers as well as GLOW's own sub and satellite system, Serinus concluded that the GLOW amplifiers are:  "definitely ones to check out ... when I took my first listen to GLOW amplification in the SONIST room, one man who just finished listening declared it his favorite sound at the show."  Deep praise indeed, given that the GLOW systems were up against elite audio systems costing in excess of $40,000.  Mr. Serinus' full show review can be read on the Stereophile website  HERE.

 

 

 

 

-:-

Before AXPONA there was T.H.E. SHOW in Las Vegas, where over-achieving GLOW amplifiers garnered many favorable comments this past January.

 

 

This from show reporter Richard Austen, upon hearing the GLOW amplifiers teamed up with Sonist loudspeakers (as posted on Constantine Soo's Dagogo.com audio review site): "This room was one of, if not the star budget room, of CES.... the speakers were driven by a "massive" 5 watt per channel GLOW Audio amp ... the sound was open, lively and maintained a surprising level of resolution ... a very easy-on-the-ears sound with drive ... a winner especially at these prices."  See the entire show report HERE.

 

This Month's Recommended Recording: Lonely London Lad: Debut Double CD.

 

 

-:-     -:-     -:-

 

February 2010 - GLOW will be at the AXPONA, the Audio Expo of North America, sponsored by STEREOPHILE magazine in Jacksonville, Florida from March 5-7.  GLOW will be exhibiting in two separate rooms, click HERE for information about the show. 

 

 

GLOW will be powering Randy Bankert's most excellent SONIST high end Loudspeakers in room 264, the SONIST/GLOW/CRL Labs room.  Randy will use our EL84 based GLOW Amp One, and our soon to be released GLOW Amp One Tetro, utilizing an 832 dual envelope tetrode power tube.

GLOW will also be exhibiting in room 269 as part of the AUDIOWOOD exhibit. The exhibit will feature a hand crafted Voice One/Sub One combo designed and built by designer Joel Scilley of AUDIOWOOD.  Options will include a speaker stand only, or a dual sub + speaker combo stand - both made from bamboo. Awesome, and soon to be available, see photos below.

 

                                                                          

 

CRL Labs will provide speaker cables and component connections in both rooms. Excellent stuff.  Hope to see you at the show!

 

-:-

What, a new GLOW subwoofer?

 

 

No ... just a creative application of our great sounding GLOW Sub One.  Not wanting to hide the sub away, the designer of this custom installation in California removed the brass feet and inverted the sub, with the passive radiator facing upward. The grills were painted white, to match the rest of the audio system.  See how the installation turned out at the GLOW Gallery page,  HERE.

-:-     -:-     -:-

This Month's Recommended Recording - China Moses & Raphael Lemonier: This One's for Dinah.

 

 

-:-     -:-     -:-

 

January 2010 - Happy New Year to all Glowbies out there. Hope you are ringing in the new year with some of that great GLOW sound. 

GLOW is showing at T.H.E. Show in Las Vegas this January.  T.H.E. Show is one of the premiere audio trade shows that takes place concurrent with the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Vegas. 

We are demonstrating in Vegas for the first time our new GLOW Amp One Tetro, sharing the spotlight with loudspeaker designer Randy Bankert's new SONIST Recital 3 loudspeakers and CRL cables and interconnects.  What is the Amp One Tetro ?  It is a variant of the acclaimed GLOW Amp One, utilizing a single 832 dual envelope tetrode transmitter tube in place of the two EL84 power tubes. Different driver tubes are also utilized. There are some other minor changes to accomodate the rather sci-fi looking 832 tube, including a slightly longer chassis. The 832 certainly looks like nothing you've seen before, and we've pulled some great sound out of it that has to be heard to be believed.

The sound is phenomenal, but don't take our word for it; we will post reviews and photos from Vegas as they become available.  The GLOW Amp One Tetro will be a dealer only offering, will retail for well under $1,000 and will be available by mid year.

-:-

This Month's Recommended Recording - Ike Reilly: Hard Luck Stories. (And you can download Ike's Digital Sampler FREE on Amazon.com).

 

-:-     -:-     -:-  

November-December 2009 - GLOW audio is gearing up for several new product introductions in 2010.  Check back for more details. 

Seems like lots of folks thought GLOW would make a gift to remember this holiday season.  International sales have been particularly strong, perhaps due to the favorable exchange rate, with audiophiles in some countries proving to be very fond of the GLOW sound.  Lots of new Glowbies in Australia, Switzerland, and Canada in November and December, for sure.

 

-:-     -:-     -:-

  

September-October 2009 -  We were at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest this past October. GLOW exhibited with SONIST and CRL cables, as we did in 2008.  Given the uncertain economy, no one knew what to expect, but this year RMAF hosted 470 exhibitors in 150+ rooms.  Perhaps because of our reasonable pricing, the GLOW/SONIST/CRL room was a very busy place, with folks returning throughout the show to comment on just how good the sound was relative to some of the other, pricier offerings.  Over and over we kept hearing that our combo was the most musical, most listenable, the most natural sounding and the least fatiguing system at the show. 

As one might expect, many listeners were befuddled and confused to see a $20,000 plus system driven by a small, $648 amplifier!  More than a few asked, "Is this a gimmick?"  No gimmick .... Randy Bankert of SONIST simply believes the GLOW amp outperforms many of the higher priced amps, and matches up particularly well with his SONIST loudspeakers. We have to agree with Randy, the sound was awesome!

 

 

The mighty Amp One perched atop a mountain of expensive component gear.

Note the Sonist floor standing speakers, and CRL cables and inter-connects.

 

 

Close up of the source components at the GLOW/SONIST/CRL room, RMAF 2009

 

 

And in the corner, an all black GLOW Amp One hooked up to a tiny netbook and a pair of Grado headphones.  Just goes to show great music can be heard anywhere, regardless of space constraints.

 

 

-:-     -:-     -:- 

 

August 2009 - About 25% of our sales are to customers in Europe.  Our products can be used in all countries with 210-240 voltage and are CE certified and RoHS compliant [(Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2008 (the “RoHS Regulations”)] for sale in the EU market.

-:-     -:-     -:-

 

July 2009 - The GLOW System Two - "Highly Recommended" in a new POSITIVE FEEDBACK review.

POSITIVE FEEDBACK Issue 44 includes an extensive review of a Ferrari Red GLOW System Two (Amp One, Sub One and Voice One speakers).  In their six page review, Dean Seislove and Hunnie Nguyen have a lot of nice things to say about the look of our little system.  Regarding the pair of red Voice One speakers, Ms. Nguyen had this to say: "...So cute! Aesthetically, will always look good even when you're not using them..."   Mr. Seislove commented that the system  "turned heads" and that "it's one of those products that grabs you at first sight..... the amplifer sports classic art deco architecture lines ... it's small, but of substantial weight and sturdiness."    

But what of the sound?    

Ms. Nguyen noted simply that the system sounds "really nice, really smooth."  Seislove opined that the system "...opts for a presentation that is designed for long-term listening without fatigue...." and that the speakers are "made for listening" and offer a "surprisingly extended frequency range."  He further commented that the GLOW System Two "...could play everything in my collection and not leave me wanting more... it delivered a marvelously warm, balanced, and yes, "tube" sound on a variety of recordings... though the system is relatively small, you never feel like you're missing anything important, and the sound you get is thoroughly enjoyable."  Of the Sub One subwoofer, Mr. Seislove had this to say:  "... in a room proportionate to its size, it is agile, tuneful and substantive." 

 

Mr. Seislove also liked the use of recycled wood for the speaker enclosures, stating that "...the material selection only reinforces the in-vogue vibe of the GLOW System Two."  Mr. Seislove and Ms. Nguyen concluded their review by stating that the GLOW System Two earns a "Highly Recommended"  rating.   Click on the POSITIVE FEEDBACK icon below to read the full review:

 

 

 

POSITIVE FEEDBACK - Issue 44 

audioDISCOURSE

 

-:-     -:-     -:-

June 2009 - Announcing our new GLOW Accessories page:  Prices for speaker cables can border on the absurd.  We are now offering two speaker cable packages at an exceptional value, see our new GLOW Accesories page for details. 

 

 

 

From time to time we will post information on Special Offers that may be of interest to you.  For instance, we recently acquired a limited number of GRIFFIN Tunecenter iPod docks that have been discontinued by the manufacturer. This sleek looking unit will charge your iPod while it is playing through your amp, and allow for remote control of your iPod. The unit also allows streaming of internet radio directly to your GLOW Amp One.  Originally retailing at $149, we are offering these units to GLOW customers while they last for $38, plus shipping and handling.  A nice looking way to integrate your iPod into your music system and increase your system's functionality. See the GLOW Accessories page for details.

 

 

 

Our long awaited Voice One loudspeakers are in stock .... all the back orders have been shipped. Thank you for your patience. They are beautiful! 

 

 

For the natural wood speakers we couldn't decide between the light, blond finish or the darker, mahogany finish, so we are offering both.

 

We are low on inventory of the GLOW Amp One in red.  Therefore, we are not accepting orders for single amps in red; remaining stock is reserved for customers who order GLOW amp and speaker systems in red.

-:-     -:-     -:-

 

May 2009 - End of the month... and summer is just around the corner.  A lot of folks are putting off vacations and spending more time at home this summer... why not enhance your summer experience with the cool look and great sound of a GLOW AUDIO music system?

-:- 

Who Knew?  When we developed the GLOW Sub One subwoofer, the thinking was that sales would probably be limited to GLOW Voice One loudspeaker owners.  But the GLOW Sub One has proven to be a big seller in its own right.  Seems word is getting around that the Sub One is a little monster, providing outstanding performance that belies its small size.  We are receiving orders from many folks with bookshelf speakers who want the additional bass without boom that the Sub One can provide.  And folks really like its stunning good looks. 

Check out the review of the Voice One by AUDIOWOOD's Joel Scilley on our Loudspeaker page.

-:-     -:-     -:-

APRIL 2009 - For GLOW customers who have back ordered the new Voice One loudspeakers, there will be delay of up to three weeks for delivery.  These are hand made items, and the construction and painting of the enclosures takes a long time. 

We apologize for the delay, but guarantee your satisfaction when you see and hear these extaordinary speakers.

-:-     -:-     -:-  

 

MARCH 2009 - Many customers have asked if we can extend our free shipping offer to allow them additional time to save up for their GLOW system.  So we've decided to extend FREE SHIPPING in the continental USA, with half price shipping everywhere else, until the end of April.

-:-

The March 14 AUDIO EXHIBIT at Oakland's FiveTen Studio, featuring Joel Scilley's AUDIOWOOD turntables and our very own GLOW amps and speakers, turned out to be quite an event, more party than serious audio show.  Complete with tequila bar and a DJ spinning classic old Blue Note and soul albums, it may not have been the best environment to do critical listening, but it sure was fun! 

 

-:-

San Francisco Bay Area Glowbies..... an AUDIO EXHIBIT featuring GLOW AUDIO will take place at Fiveten Design Studio in beautiful Historic Old Oakland on Saturday, March 14 from 4-8 pm, click HERE for details.  

The Exhibit will feature custom and designer audio components by AUDIOWOOD's Joel Scilley, who is also a retailer of GLOW Audio at FiveTen Design Studio.   There will be wine, food, vinyl, music (lots of music) and fun for all.... in a beautiful art gallery setting.  This may be the most fun you can have auditioning audio!

Drop in and talk to GLOW AUDIO representatives, meet AUDIOWOOD's Joel Scilley and audiophiles from all over the Bay Area.  Hear for yourself why the GLOW Audio Systems 1 and 2 are serious audiophile contenders, despite the modest price tags.

-:-

Srajan Ebaen at 6Moons.com has announced the new GLOW systems, see HERE and stay tuned for a full review from 6Moons in the coming weeks.

-:-

 

Another GLOWING review for our 2009 GLOW Amp One, this one from the March/April issue of IMAGE HIFI magazine in Germany.  Click HERE to view. 

 

-:-     -:-     -:-

GLOW NEWS ARCHIVES click HERE