Press Coverage for Boca Raton Hi-Fi

The Göbel Divin Monarque Loudspeaker

To read the original article click here. King hereafter? By Roy Gregory As a product, as a theoretical construct, the high-end loudspeaker is a whole bundle of contradictions. It employs the oldest and most established technologies in electronics and audio, mature theories that should make the design task easier. But it also embodies directly conflicting mechanical requirements that make it arguably the most compromised of all audio components. It has to move, but it also has to remain still. It has to make noise but also be quiet. It is the nexus where physics and mechanics, acoustical and electrical theory collide. These conflicts make designing a genuinely high performance loudspeaker no easy task, one that involves balancing the inevitable compromises and, sadly all too seldom, clever solutions. It helps explain why there are so many different approaches to building high-end loudspeakers and why, amongst all audio products, loudspeakers have the...

King Of The Castle? GY8

To read the original article, click here. On my recent visit to Göbel to enjoy their flagship Divin Majestic speakers in their large listening room (with an equally ‘large’ system driving them) I got to see their latest model, a product that is already in production with pre-aorders in advance of its official launch in Vienna. Where the monstrous but magnificent Divin Majestic might be too much speaker for many people and many rooms, Göbel’s latest offering promises majestic performance – in every sense – in a somewhat more affordable and easier to accommodate package. The new model is called the Monarque and, at €469,000/pr. it sits between the established Divin Noblesse (at €269,000/pr.) and the mighty flagship at €600,000/pr. You can judge its relative scale, compared to the familiar Noblesse model in the picture of the two standing side by side. With its faceted, hourglass cabinet, symmetrical driver array...

Hi-Fi+ EMM Labs DA2i Digital Converter

View The Full Review Here. It is always exciting to review a product for a company for the first time. I have admired EMM Labs kit at shows for many years, but it was at this last AXPONA in Chicago that an opportunity arose to spend time with one of their pieces. And what a piece to start; with its flagship DAC, the just-unveiled DA2i! What is so remarkable about that? It has to do with the history of D-to-A converters and Ed Meitner, founder of EMM Labs, and his team’s association with that technology. EMM Labs was one of the pioneers of D-to-A technology, dating back to its early association with Sony and Philips in the 1980s. Based on some of Ed’s earlier studio equipment development, Sony and Philips contacted him to assist with their new disc project. Fast forward to today, almost every SACD player available features EMM...

Majestic By Name… GY8

To read the original article, click here. I’ve never been a fan of reviews based on manufacturer visits – what the late, great Paul Messenger referred to as Awaydays (channeling the spirit of cheap tickets on British Rail). But for all that, not all Awaydays are created equal – and not all of them are avoidable. For some products, a report (as opposed to a review) based on a site visit really is the only alternative. They’re just too big, too heavy and too downright demanding to fit into the conventional review process. Göbel’s massive, €600,000/pr. Divin Majestic speakers are a case in point. Let’s assume that you have the space to accommodate a pair of very large box speakers measuring 226cms (or almost seven-and-a-half feet) tall. With an all up weight of 530kgs (or a shade short of 1,200 pounds) each, the logistical challenges are little short of monumental....

Capital Audio Fest 2025

To read the original article, click here. Gary Gill has produced one of my favorite audio shows yet again in a beautiful section of Rockville, Maryland. And by beautiful, I mean they have a really cool Porsche dealership within short walking distance. I think what makes the show so exciting is that it draws in a lot of big and small name systems, yet has the feel of a smaller regional show. Rockville has excellent restaurants and that creates a nice atmosphere for industry dinners. However, what I really like is that every year I have been here, I have discovered cool new products and technology. I would like to start off by showcasing the best rooms and then highlight some cool new products which really stood out to me. Let’s just cut to the chase, shall we? Best Sounding Rooms Bending Wave, Best of Show I struggle to write...

Inside CAF 2025 Luxury Hi-Fi Show Part 2

To read the original article, click here. Capital Audiofest’s Large Exhibit Rooms And Lobby Displays Fresh trends, the hottest audio equipment, and rooms everyone’s talking about. Capital Audiofest 2025 Show Report By Rick Becker Bending Wave And EMM Labs Bending Wave is both a retailer in Boca Raton, FL, north of Miami, a distributor of Goebel speakers from Germany, and always warm and welcoming to Enjoy the Music.com. That’s because Oliver Goebel has a foot on both shores. I was impressed when I first heard Goebel speakers at AXPONA before COVID. That impression was further solidified here with the tall Divin Noblesse ($269k) driven by Emm Labs amplification, another world-class brand. The music was a techno LP I was not familiar with, and the synth beat sounded pretty much like a synthesizer, but man, did that speaker move air. There was continuity of resolution, air, and power from top to...

Veteran Audio Dealer Says Elitism and Lazy Marketing Are Killing the Audiophile Hobby From the Inside

To read the original article, click here. Out-of-touch branding, rising prices, and recycled customers are turning a once-passionate industry into a dead zone. High-end audio isn’t fading because people stopped loving music. It’s fading because too many brands are stuck in the past. The fact is, used gear is growing, audio shows aren’t pulling in buyers, and big brands are now chasing younger listeners. But many high-end companies keep doing the same old things that aren’t really working anymore. A recent interview with a longtime dealer shows just how much the industry has boxed itself in, and why it might not get out unless it starts paying attention. How Lazy Marketing Became Industry Standard Elliot, a Florida-based audio dealer with over 50 years in the business, doesn’t hold back when it comes to what he sees as one of high-end audio’s biggest problems: lazy marketing. “We’ve handed the business to...

Riviera Audio’s AFM‑70 Amplifier: Don’t Let the Silence Fool You

To read the original article, click here. Italy’s Riviera Audio Laboratories, represented by CEO Silvio Delfino and designer Luca Chiomenti, introduced the new AFM‑70 monoblock power amplifier (price TBA). The launch follows the release of recent Riviera models such as the APL‑1 line‑stage preamplifier and the AFS‑32 stereo power amplifier, both priced at $28,000. The class‑A AFM‑70 delivers 70Wpc into 8 ohms, and 140Wpc into 4 ohms. Its hybrid design incorporates triode tubes, bipolar‑junction transistors (BJTs), and MOSFETs. The amplifier uses zero‑feedback circuitry and offers both RCA and XLR inputs. The AFM‑70 was on quiet display, but I heard a pair of Riviera’s AFM‑100SE Special Edition monoblocks ($82,000/pair) driving Göbel Divin Comtesse loudspeakers ($68,000/pair), with playback from a Wadax Studio Player ($39,000). The sound was, in a word, sublime.

GY8 Review Göbel Divin Comtesse Loudspeaker

To read the original article, click here. It’s not often that you find a single company embracing two apparently opposite approaches to product design. Göbel High-End first came to public attention through their innovative, wide-bandwidth, bending-wave driver, an iPad sized flat panel that covers the range from 170Hz to 31kHz, spawning a visually distinctive range of speakers, pairing it with narrow, multi-driver bass enclosures. Slim, silver and almost impossibly waisted, they did little to prepare the audio world for what was to come… That was the Divin Majestic, a genuine monster of a loudspeaker, each one weighing 530kg, with a massive, angular and heavily tapered cabinet and a pair of 18” bass drivers in a three-way d’Appolito array. Throw in the sumptuous piano black finish and it was hard to believe the product had come from the same designer’s pen. If the Epoque Aeon speakers the company first launched where...

Frequently Asked Questions

What publications have covered Bending Wave USA and Göbel High End?

Bending Wave USA and Göbel High End have been covered by outlets including GY8, Hi-Fi+, and Enjoy the Music.com, along with recaps from audio shows such as Capital Audio Fest.

Has Bending Wave USA won any show honors covered in the press?

Yes. Bending Wave USA received a Best of Show recognition at Capital Audio Fest 2025.

Which Göbel products have been featured in press coverage?

Press coverage has featured Göbel models including the Divin Monarque, Divin Majestic, and Divin Comtesse loudspeakers, reviewed by GY8.

Has Bending Wave USA’s team been featured in industry commentary?

Yes. Elliot Goldman has been featured as a veteran audio dealer with more than 50 years in the industry, commenting on trends in the audiophile hobby.