PMA | TAF 2023 | Midrange Magic 2023 | Report by Robert Schryer
"I’m going to get this out of the way: Every time I visit a On a Higher Note exhibit room, I turn into a sap. I get wishy-washy. I can’t help it. There’s something about the systems that proprietor Philip O’Hanlon is able to put together that allows those systems to not just play back music, but deliver it in a way that invariably pulls on my heartstrings. It’s also probably why Philip has called his audio “road show” — he travels the world spreading his systems’ charms — “Midrange Magic.
What can I say? On tracks by artists Lady Blackbird and Fausto Mesolella, the sound was beguiling and affecting. Vocals sounded rich and living-and-breathing natural; notes sounded both weightless and substantial; tone was clear and pure. And perhaps for the first time in my life, I got the impression that the piano notes I was hearing deep into the soundstage not only launched sustains that sounded delicate and expressive, but were perfect in duration, neither too long nor too short. Just right".
PTA | Best Sound at Munich 2023 | Report by Marc Phillips
"Sometimes I split up my favorite rooms at high-end audio shows into two camps–the finest sound I’ve heard, and the gear I’d most likely pick for myself. These four brands qualify for Best Sound at Munich because they belong to the latter group, the underdogs, the brands that offer incredible sound for the money.
Sonner, Moonriver, OePhi and Pachanko came together in Munich and delivered an amazing system, one that forged emotional connections in a quick and direct way. I expect that from Gunny Surya of Sonner, but he found three other kindred spirits and I think they should do every high-end audio show from now on".
Stereophile | Midrange Magic 2023 | The Art et Son Room by Robert Schryer
"Are you sure there are no tubes in the chain?" I asked On a Higher Note's Philip O'Hanlon, North American distributor of the BBC-inspired Graham Audio speaker line, in Montreal retailer Art et Son's room. Philip was sitting with me listening to an LP of Belgian singer Mélanie De Biasio. He responded to my question with a grin and a chin-jab toward the amplifier in use, a 50Wpc solid state MoonRiver 404 Reference integrated, a modular design that includes such luxuries as a balance control and a stereo/mono switch and can accommodate an MM or MM/MC phono stage and a asynchronous-USB DAC.
I asked because it was hard to believe that the sound I was hearing—intimate, focused, introspective, seamless, super tactile, and vividly colorful—was coming from a solid state amplifier and not, say, a SET amp. This system delivered sound so pure and inviting, I felt helplessly compelled to hang on to every detail. It sucked me in as way few systems can."
Helsinki | HIFI 2022 | Show Report by Kari Nevalainen
"Uncompromising sound at an affordable price range was provided by the Swedish combo Larsen 6.2 speaker and Moonriver 404 Reference. The source was Pear Audio’s Little John turntable with Cornet tonearm.".
On A Higher Note | Midrange Magic 2022 | What the Press has to say
"Montreal Audio Fest 2022, by Suave Kajko: … delivered a performance that was several notches up on the sonic ladder… offered a luscious midrange, with palpable vocals and instruments … this system sang a very rich and energetic rendition of the track… the bass played fantastically deep, offered very good articulation, and simply made me want to get up and dance… lifelike vocals, offering all the nuances I would expect from his voice, and fantastic soundstaging.
The Third Time’s A Charm: Part II, by Maurice Jeffries: Everything O’Hanlon played sounded of a piece, with incredible coherence, superb focus, and scintillating naturalness. Composer/producer/bass guitar wunderkind Marcus Miller’s Siesta soundtrack sounded positively otherworldly, with ambience, air, and electric tension thick enough to cut. A BOS contender, and proof positive that vinyl replay still holds the edge over digital in its ability to engage and delight the inner music lover".
MOONRIVER AUDIO IS PARTICIPATING AT HIGH END FAIR 2022 IN MUNICH
Visit Moonriver Audio sound room at MOC in Munich between 19th and 22th of May at Hall 1, We are introducing our new Moonriver 505 phono stage.
More information can be found at https://www.highendsociety.de
Enjoy The Music | AXPONA | Midrange Magic 2022 | Show report by Greg Weaver
"Philip is quick to acknowledge that the "British Sound" is typically associated with a predominant midrange. He is just as eager to point out that he finds that Graham Audio has been able to push the typical UK midrange magic across the full frequency range, yielding an elevated level of performance.
I must admit, the synergy was undeniable and exhilaratingly musical. With surprisingly good extension at both extremes, this system could deliver an excellent sense of weight while maintaining a finely presented and natural overall balance. The system was well-voiced, neither favoring nor slighting any particular bandwidth, with wonderful dynamic expression. The sound was open, had an indisputable immediacy, and was remarkably emotionally expressive. Very well done, Philip."
SoundStage! | Midrange Magic 2022 | The Best of Florida Audio Expo 2022 by Doug Schneider
"The sound in the On a Higher Note room—which had a Bergmann Audio Modi air-bearing turntable connected into a Moonriver Audio Model 404 Reference integrated amplifier, which was driving a pair of Graham Audio LS8/1 loudspeakers— was flat-out fabulous with every piece of music played. There was plenty of bass, while the midrange was so palpably full, you’d swear that there must be giant tubes somewhere in the system—though there weren’t, because the Moonriver is a solid-state design."
Stereophile | Midrange Magic 2022 | The Art et Son Room by Robert Schryer
"If I haven't been obvious enough about it yet, magic was the theme at this Art et Son room, which exhibited a system that Philip has been touring North America with under the banner "The Midrange Magic Tour," to spread the gospel of—wait for it—midrange magic.
According to the gospel of Philip, "The soul of the music is in the midrange. This is where most of the emotion, the passion, the joie de vivre is contained, the music that lifts our soul to the heavens with happiness or drags it down to the stygian depths of despair." Amen.
It was a beautiful, tender moment, but also disconcerting: People were sitting right next to me. And even though I tried to mentally prepare myself for the next needle drop, I had the same physical response listening to Montreal harpist Isabeau Corriveau's Irish-lilted song, "Blackbird," from her LP A Leap of Faith. Touching? You don't know the half of it. Midrange magic is real.
As Philip is wont to say, and I couldn't agree more: "Lovely!"
The Absolute Sound | The 2022 Florida Audio Expo | Five “Inspirational” Systems by Alan Taffel
"The On a Higher Note Room. Philip O’Hanlon knows his audio gear (and his Irish whiskey) and is unswayed by fads. Case in point: his room at FLAX featured a speaker, the Graham 8/1 ($9k) that according to modern wisdom is built completely wrong, along with a Moon River 404 Reference integrated amp ($5k) that no one has heard of. Yet the sound was phenomenal—extended and naturally rich, with flawless spatial performance and resolution. This from a speaker with a thin wood enclosure, wide baffle, old-tech drivers, no time alignment, and lots of parallel surfaces. Go figure".