Added to the Archives This Week

A pair of audiophile-friendly speakers for under $250? That prospect piqued Robert J. Reina into closely examining the PSB Alpha B loudspeaker. Reina notes that designer Paul Barton "is not one to rest on his laurels. Into this third and latest generation of the Alpha, the Alpha B, he has trickled down some of the design and manufacturing innovations of his more expensive Image series."

Combining SET tube amplifiers with horn speakers is established audiophile practice. But as Robert Deutsch divulges in his review of the Quicksilver Audio Horn Mono monoblock power amplifier, "in my experience, SETs are not the only type of amplifier that can sound good with horns." RD explores an audiophile alternative.

What might a budding audiophile want to include on a short list of reasonably-priced audio systems? John Marks presents his suggestions in "The Fifth Element #8." Marks starts at the bottom of the cost ladder and moves on up.

For his "Fine Tunes #47," Jonathan Scull exclaims, "Sometimes tweaks take on a life of their own." The Armor All tweak from 2001 is a case in point, as readers continue to write in with even better ideas for keeping those surrounds soft and supple. Several more inexpensive vibration control tweaks are also discussed.

Finally, the most recent installment in our "Recording of the Month" series for the online archives: Recording of July 1998, Tom Waits: Beautiful Maladies. Robert Baird finds this collection a good way to trace Waits' career from his start as a pop songwriter to the later recordings featuring his "wretched, wounded, all-hell-and-trouble voice."

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