2nd Edition
A Visit to the Audiologist
We all live with earwax. Some more than others, but none of us are immune. A buildup of excess wax can potentially cause blockage, tinnitus, an infection, or worse: sudden or partial loss of hearing! (Whatever you do, do not Google image search "earwax buildup.") To the average human, a temporary reduction in hearing is an inconvenience.
An Expanded TAVES Opens Friday in Toronto
TAVES, which bills itself as "Canada's Ultimate Consumer Electronics Show," returns to Toronto's contiguous Sheraton Parkway Toronto North & Best Western Hotels October 28-30. With over 120 exhibitors in toto, three quarters of which are either home system audio (approx. 60-65) or personal/headphone audio, and close to 300 brands, the show has become one of the largest consumer audio shows in North America.
C.F. Kip Winger: From Rock to Ballet in Hi-Rez
This release from VBI Classic Recordings, C.F. Kip Winger, is not only for all the rock'n'rollers amongst us, but also for lovers of classical music and ballet. That's because it showcases three ballet-inspired scores by the very same of C.F. Kip Winger who founded and lead the rock group, Winger.
A Go Go
Looking backward can be can a dangerous thing when it comes to music. Play too many great records from the past and you'll never listen to new music again. But there are times these days when a reissue of music recorded many years ago is so powerful that it forces a pause, and a reappraisal. Sure, the new Otis Redding Live at the Whisky A Go Go basically repeats the same set six times over. But what a set it is!
Recording of November 2016: Martha Argerich Early Recordings
There is no dearth of recordings by the great Argentine pianist Martha Argerich--over 150 are listed in her discography--and here, in honor of her 75th birthday, are two more discs, comprising previously unreleased material. Argerich has been playing publicly since she was eight years old.
Steve Guttenberg's 116th Dream
I'm at Dan D'Agostino's house listening to his triamped Apogee full-range ribbon speakers. It's 1985. His listening room is immense, easily 30' by 45', and we're rocking out to Led Zeppelin and Bonzo Dog Band records. The sound is light-years better than anything I've heard.
Test Your Hi-FiQ
How do you rate as an audio expert? Test yourself on these 25 questions. All of the following are multiple-choice questions, dealing with things that every audio hobbyist should know, either before or after completing the test. Most of them are easy, but take your time in answering and don't jump to conclusions. Some of the questions are quite tricky, and wrong answers will be subtracted from your final score, so read them and the possible answers carefully before committing yourself.
1st Edition
It's Time for "Recommended Components"
The October issue is here, with revised and updated capsule reviews of 500 audio products that have been reviewed in the magazine, rated in six categories, from "E" for "Entry Level" to "A+" for those few products that are beyond criticism. Stereophile's "Recommended Components"—often copied but never equaled.
KEF, Nordost, Moon Event in Charlotte, NC Thursday
Thursday, September 8, Liquid HiFi (11915 Royal Castle Court, Charlotte, NC 28277) will be demonstrating products at the Providence Country Club (6001 Providence Country Club Drive, Charlotte, NC 28277) from KEF, Nordost and Simaudio. Attendees will be treated to demonstrations featuring the new KEF Reference Three speakers, Simaudio Moon Evolution electronics, and Nordost cabling. In addition to scheduled demonstrations, guests will also enjoy giveaway items, hors d'oeuvres, beverages and will be entered into a raffle drawing to win a KEF Muo Bluetooth speaker and $500 worth of Nordost products.
NAD, Bluesound, MQA Demonstration in Florida Wednesday
Wednesday August 31, 6:30–8:30pm, Encore Home Entertainment Systems (2115 Siesta Drive, Sarasota, FL 34239) is hosting a special NAD/PSB/Bluesound event. Travis Huff, the Central Regional Sales Manager for Lenbrook America, parent company of NAD, PSB, and Bluesound products, will be discussing and demonstrating the introduction of the Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) audio codec into NAD and Bluesound components for 2016. Featured models include the NAD MDC module and all six Bluesound network-streaming player, speakers, and electronics products.
Wes Phillips RIP
Sad news: Wes Phillips, who was Stereophile's deputy editor 1995–1999 and a valued contributor 2000 to 2011, passed away yesterday morning after several years of chronic ill health. Wes (right) is shown here at his leaving lunch, 1/1/99 with (L–R) music editor Robert Baird, then-publisher Larry Archibald, and editor John Atkinson. Wes is survived by his wife Joan. We will post more information as it becomes available.
Hi-Res Listening Stations Expand
The news is not simply that Best Buy/Magnolia stores' 82 Hi-Resolution Listening Stations which they developed in the US in conjunction with Sony, have proven so successful, and generated so much interest in hi-res, that the company has added 250 more listening locations around the country. It's also that we now have data that shows a major reason for the expansion: Far more people care about sound quality than many would have you believe.
RMAF 2016 Show Report!
Herb Reichert, Jason Serinus, John Atkinson, and Jana Dagdagan report live from the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. New posts covering the rooms, seminars and more will be appearing throughout the week.
Suffering and Celebration in Glorious SACD Sound
Not having listened to Tchaikovsky's Symphony No.6, aka the "Pathetique," in quite some time, I had forgotten how heart-tugging beautiful it is. While there are many recordings of the work, few can possibly sound as good and feel as right as the new hybrid SACD from Channel Classics.
Gramophone Dreams #12
When you get old and gray and all them shoot-'em-up dudes doe wanna ride wit you no mo, don't fret--you can still have fun. Once you're a geezer, you'll have more time to work in the garden, drink tea, buy LPs, and fiddle with your unipivot.
Revox G-36 open-reel tape recorder
The Swiss-made G-36 recorder had earned an enviable reputation among perfectionists during the few years that it has been available in the US, and our inability to test one (because of a backlog of other components for testing) became increasingly frustrating to us with each glowing report we heard from subscribers who owned them.
T+A Elektroakustik DAC 8 DSD D/A processor
"They're so damn hard to tell apart!" So exclaimed my longtime pal and fellow audiophile Bruce Rowley when I revealed to him that T+A Elektroakustik's new DAC 8 DSD digital-to-analog converter ($3995) had arrived for review, just after I'd finished writing up the Ayre Acoustics Codex DAC-headphone amp ($1795).
From the JGH Archives: The Comparable Cassette
Thanks to two developments and a promise, the compact cassette has finally become, as they say, a force to be reckoned with. Development one, perhaps the most significant factor in the changing picture, is the ready availability of B-type Dolby devices (which are single-band Dolbys, acting only on hiss frequencies).
The Greatest Day of My Life: Seeing Elton John Live!
Last week, I experienced what may have been the greatest day of my life so far: the day I got to see Sir Elton John live in concert for the first time. This happened on September 27, 2016, in Allentown, PA.
The Best Beatles Solo Work?
It's amazing the scorn for the Beatles solo work that the release of the new Live at The Hollywood Bowl has unleashed on the web. Okay, so the sum of the parts was undoubtedly better than the individual voices. But once the band broke up, the break was irrevocable.
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