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Stereophile May 2019

Stereophile-May-2019

2nd Edition

Complete Munich 2019 Show Coverage
Everyone's back home and the audio showcase from Germany is put to rest. Editor Jim Austin, Jason Victor Serinus, and Herb Reichert report on what they saw and heard.

Listening #198: IsoAcoustics & Audio-Creative
It's a toss-up: The house where my family and I lived for 15 years was bigger than the one we have now, and had a much nicer view. On the other hand, we now live in a less economically depressed region, as suggested by the relative scarcity of inflatable lawn decorations.

Exposure Electronics XM5 integrated amplifier
Audiophilia is nothing if not nostalgic--in fact, it's doubly so. Listening to recorded music is an act of looking back, often with the hope of re-creating some wistfully recalled wonder. On top of that, the zeal to perfect the playback experience, whether by means of better-quality recordings or better hardware, is far less common than it used to be among middle-class consumers.

Pass Laboratories XP-22 line preamplifier
A friend called me up a few weeks ago and asked if the DAC we both own had received an automatic firmware update he hadn't heard about; something had changed, it wasn't good, and he couldn't figure out what it was. His system's sound was suddenly pale and unfocused.

Pro-Ject Audio Systems Stream Box S2 Ultra network bridge
I have reviewed several network-connected music servers in recent years, from Antipodes, Aurender, and NAD. All performed well but are relatively expensive, and their associated player apps didn't equal Roon's user friendliness in terms of interface, organization of the library, and inclusion and updating of metadata.

Meze Audio 99 Classic headphones
I have on hand a number of pairs of headphones. And I admit that I've lusted after the heavenly sounding, medieval-looking Abyss AB-1266 Phi headphones, and considered the MrSpeakers Aeon closed-back headphones. (I prefer the isolation from outside sounds provided by closed-back 'phones.)

Parasound Halo Hint 6 integrated amplifier
In his review in the November 2015 issue, Herb Reichert wrote that Parasound's Halo Integrated amplifier "has a recognizable sonic personality: easy flowing, mostly smooth, and decidedly mellow. . . . But don't worry--it's not milquetoast mellow or unwashed-hippy-stoner mellow. It is, instead, an everything's-under-control, don't-worry-now mellow."

Recording of June 2019: Carnival: The Sound of a People, Vol 1
Etienne Charles, the Trinidadian trumpeter, percussionist, and Guggenheim fellow, has a knack for album concepts. His 2013 album, Creole Soul, starts with an incantation from an actual Voodoo priest and goes on to cover Creole-influenced tunes from Bob Marley and the Mighty Sparrow.

1st Edition

Munich 2019 Show Coverage Starts This Week!
Now one of the biggest audio shows in the world, Editor Jim Austin, Jason Victor Serinus, and Herb Reichert report live from the event.

The Next Generation
It was the summer of 1976. My career as a professional musician was not panning out as I had hoped. I'd played bass guitar on quite a few singles and three albums, and toured with erstwhile teen singing sensation Helen Shapiro--but I was better at playing than I was at getting paid.

_A Personal Odyssey
I first became aware of the existence of Stereophile sometime in spring 1985, while working as a typesetter in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (Remember typesetting?) From far down the hall behind me I heard a big, high-pitched laugh. I turned to see my present boss guiding toward my dark typesetting cell my future boss.

The Oboe in the Twentieth Century
Ours is an era where bargain anthologies from the greatest artists, ensembles, and composers on record compete with new issues of unusual repertoire and transcriptions. One among many that have caught my mind and ear is Alex Klein and Philip Bush's recording of Twentieth Century Oboe Sonatas.

Music in the Round #97: Hegel C53 and DSPeaker Anti-Mode X4
Sometime near the turn of this century, I wandered into a demo room at a Consumer Electronics Show and discovered, in the exhibit of a company I'd never heard of, an integrated amplifier that sounded clean and refreshing. It was the only product Hegel Music Systems displayed at that CES, and I don't recall its name or the associated equipment.

Don Was: What Was Will Be
Don Was is a music lover. Looking at his extensive discography as a record producer and musician, one is struck by the variety of artists he's worked with: from Iggy Pop to the B-52's, from Roy Orbison to Elton John, with over half a dozen stops along the way as producer for a little band called the Rolling Stones.

Musicians As Audiophiles: Jed Levy
Tenor saxophonist, composer and hi-fi enthusiast Jed Levy is a perceptive musician and devoted music listener. Over the years, he's upgraded his hi-fi as funds have allowed, typically preceded by intense study of equipment reviews and equally persistent ear-twisting of audiophile friends, some in the industry, some not.

Listening #197: Simon Brown & The Wand tonearm
There's a noise I make when I'm having trouble with something inanimate: a deep, growly huff that starts in my diaphragm and comes out in one or two quick, staccato bursts. I huff this huff when I drop a tool or can't budge a seized bolt or the bottom falls out of a trash bag. It annoys my family and scares my dog.

Wilson Audio Specialties Yvette loudspeaker
Wilson Audio Specialties considers the Yvette ($25,500/pair) to be the replacement model for the Sophia Series 3. I would argue that the Yvette is an entirely different animal. There are obvious similarities between the Yvette and Sophia.

Complete AXPONA 2019 Show Report!!
Jason Victor Serinus, John Atkinson, Jim Austin and Herb Reichert provide complete coverage of the rooms, new products and significant events from the biggest consumer audiophile show in the US.

Source Stereophile

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