2nd Edition
Dohmann Helix One Mk.2 turntable
Designing and building a turntable isn't all that difficult. All that matters is in plain sight: Start with a base of wood, MDF, or acrylic; add some isolation "feet" for it to rest upon, and a spindle bearing such as any competent machine shop can fabricate, topped by a platter of acrylic or aluminum or suchlike.
Recommended Components 2020 Edition
Commercial products listed here have been formally reviewed in Stereophile, and we have determined them to be among the finest available in each of four or five quality classes: Whether a component is listed in Class A or Class D (or E), we consider it to be a genuinely recommendable product.
Recording of April 2020: Afterimage
If an orchestra is going to wait more than a decade before releasing its first record, it had better go big when it finally does--which is what the String Orchestra of Brooklyn has done. Afterimage includes compositions by Paganini (1782-1840) and Pergolesi (1710-1736) alongside works by Rome Prize winner Christopher Cerrone (b. 1984) and the less well-known Jacob Cooper (b. 1980).
Hi-Fi Arcana I
Some Stereophile readers will surely remember--some may even have in their collections--Christian Marclay's 1985 vinyl release Record Without a Cover, surely one of the oddest records ever, right up there with the dying-rabbit record and the seven-inch single that's tinted yellow by the band's actual urine.
When Britain Went Postal: a Post-Punk Survey
Few would have predicted that the Sex Pistols' first gig--in November 1975, at the Saint Martin's School of Art in central London--would be the start of an explosion of music. Not many even knew it was happening.
Revinylization #3: Analogue Productions, Blue Rose Music, Mobile Fidelity
n the January 2020 Stereophile, I described my transformation from John Fahey skeptic to John Fahey fan; suffice it to say, the late guitarist was far from the only musical artist whose work I came to enjoy only after a number of failed attempts.
1st Edition
Channel D Lino C 2.0 phono preamplifier
Install a new component in your system and there's usually a period of adjustment as you get used to the difference in sound--especially if the new product costs much less than your reference.
AXPONA 2020 Postponed until August
AXPONA, the largest audio expo in the Western hemisphere, has moved its dates at Chicago's Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center to August 7-9.
Quad Artera Solus integrated amplifier/CD player
The Quad Electroacoustics Ltd. Artera Solus is a multifunction audio component that was designed to look smart on top of a bureau in a living room or office. It comes with a thick, removable smoked-glass top that complements its compact dimensions.
Listening #207
In the 17th century, steam engines began appearing throughout Europe and Asia, ushered into existence by any number of different inventors. More recently, multiple inventors conceived and cooked up the atomic bomb, the jet engine, and the solid-body electric guitar.
High-End Munich Canceled
High End 2020, aka Munich High End, has been canceled "due to the current worsening trend with respect to the spread of the novel coronavirus."
Rethm Maarga loudspeaker
Hi-fi is like cake. Most people enjoy listening to music, and most people like cake. People who like cake tend to like different things about it. Some people like a flourless cake, some people like a fluffy angel food cake, and some like a cake loaded up with little pieces of carrot and God-knows-what-else.
Sonus Faber Olympica Nova 1 loudspeaker
The Sonus Faber Olympica Nova 1 ($6500/pair) is the company's latest stand-mounted, two-way monitor--a lineage that began with their first speaker, the Minima, which I reviewed some 24 years ago.
Parasound Halo A 21+ power amplifier
The components I needed to choose for my first system were never in doubt: a turntable or record changer, an integrated amplifier, and a speaker. One of each, please, in those mono days.
Source Stereophile
