2nd Edition
2014 Recommended Components
Components listed here have been formally reviewed in Stereophile and have been found to be among the best available in each of four or five quality classes. Whether a component is listed in Class A or Class E, we highly recommend its purchase.
The Montreal Audio Show Starts Friday
Stereophile editors will be bringing you live coverage from Montreal!
Universal Music Group's Blu-ray/Hi-Res Initiative
Thumbing their collective nose at pundits who predict the imminent demise of physical media, Universal Music Group has begun reissuing select back catalog and new releases in Pure Audio (audio only) Blu-Ray 24/96 and/or 24/96 download formats.
ATC SCM7 v.3 loudspeaker
It does seem that ATC has gotten less attention in the US than its older and younger British siblings. In an effort to rectify that, ATC is updating their loudspeaker designs and changing their US distribution arrangements.
J. Gordon Holt Archives: Recording of December 1985: Respighi: Church Windows
Some years ago, Harry Pearson, editor and publisher of That Other Magazine, announced his intention to help finance production of a no-holds-barred symphonic recording. The only question was, who would produce it?
Art Blakey and the Blue Note Sound (at 45rpm)
When people talk about "the Blue Note sound," they're talking about the sound of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers--or, more to the point, the sound of that band as captured by Rudy Van Gelder for Blue Note Records.
Many Happy Returns
Today is the 60th anniversary of the iconic Fender Stratocaster electric guitar. To celebrate the day, we are reprinting the tribute by Corey Greenberg, himself a Strat player, to the guitar's inventor, the late Leo Fender, that was published in our June 1991 issue.
Audio Engineering: the Next 40 Years
By 2035, the way we produce and consume media will be entirely different from how we experience it now. Today there is still a "fourth wall" between us and the media we consume: within three decades, that line between reality and its recreation will all but disappear.
Music in the Round #65
After going so far off the beaten path in my last column, with examinations of digital signal processing (DSP) from miniDSP and Illusonic and multichannel in-room measurements, this month I take a look at and listen to a new preamplifier-processor from Yamaha, along with its companion multichannel power amplifier.
Neil Young's PonoMusic Launches at SXSW 2014
Referring to his former partner and his shall we say distinctive personality, Graham Nash once used the term, “Neilness” in front of me.
Listening #135
In the wake of my October 2013 "Listening" column and its negative take on the Pete Riggle Woody tonearm, I was surprised and gratified by the offer of another new arm: a gesture of trust not unlike sending one's children to a sleepover at Casey Anthony's house.
1st Edition
Robert Baird Interviews Neil Young
We will be posting his live interview from SXSW later today. Check back at the homepage for details.
Vince And His Covers
I know this will come as a huge shock to music fans the world over but the Grammy Awards get it wrong more than they get it right.
ASUS Xonar Essence One Muses Edition D/A processor–headphone amplifier
Back in the summer of 2009, USB-connected D/A processors that could operate at sample rates greater than 48kHz were rare.
Channel Islands Audio Transient Mk.II & VDC-5 Mk.II USB D/A processor & power supply
CIAudio had always been in the periphery of my audio world, though I knew little about them. So I was pleased to get the Transient Mk.II USB DAC-preamp and optional VDC-5 Mk.II power supply in my system, to learn firsthand what CIAudio is up to DACwise.
Everest Records Returns in All its Glory
Over half a century after the creation of the prized Everest Records catalog, most of whose 78 classical titles were recorded between 1958 and 1961 on 35mm magnetic tape in three-channel stereo, 61 titles have now been remastered and released in multiple formats.
Guy Clark: For the Sake of the Song
As songwriters go, Guy Clark has been touched by the muse more than most. Unfortunately, in recent years he's also been visited by illness and heartache.
Lyra Etna MC phono cartridge
Is the high-performance audio industry stagnating? Are designers simply repackaging the past? Cynics claim so, but to me it seems that making that case gets harder by the day, as a parade of veterans continue to produce their best work.
Genesis and Linn at Elite Audio Systems San Francisco
How often have you encountered someone reciting your obituary? That's what happened when he of the living dead visited Michael Woods' aesthetically sensational Elite Audio Systems showroom in San Francisco.
Stirling Broadcast BBC LS3/6 loudspeaker
I know someone who bought, for his own kitchen, a stove intended for the restaurant trade, simply because it enhances his enjoyment of cooking. Another friend, a motoring enthusiast, has equipped his garage with a brace of tools, including a hydraulic lift, that would be the envy of some humbler repair shops.
Beck's Morning Phase and The Vinyl Experience
Beck's Morning Phase is available now. I don't own it yet, but I have added it to my ever-growing list of Records to Buy. (Other Music is already sold out. Otherwise, I'd indulge my preferred method of consuming music: I'd go there immediately and buy it from a kind person.)
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