News

Brian Damkroger finds that the Magnepan Magneplanar MG1.6/QR loudspeaker and a 1973 Porsche 911 have much in common: "Each has grown out of the vision of a single, brilliant designer. Each reflects the long, steady evolution of a basic design, and the consistent focus on a core set of engineering criteria." BD then listens for the fruits of this approach to speaker design and writes up the results.

Wes Phillips thinks different as he uncovers the secrets of the Naim CD 3.5 CD player. Phillips notes, "The CD 3.5 has no digital out—its upgrade path consists of an add-on outboard power supply, which powers the analog filters and output stages of the player. Different."

In his review of the Paradigm Reference Active/20 loudspeaker, John Atkinson says, "Active speakers have not caught on big with audiophiles. I suspect it's an issue of choice: buy an active speaker and you're denied the freedom to select an amplifier from a favorite manufacturer." But as JA finds, the Active/20 may be an exception to the rule.

Are audiophiles a doomed breed? In his "As We See It" from 1996, "Busts & Booms," John Atkinson gets some audio insight from Tony Federici, then with Mondial, who remarks, "The role of music in the High End is paramount. There have been four hi-fi booms."

Finally, the latest installment in our "Recording of the Month" series for the online archives: Recording of April 1998, Bill Frisell's Gone, Just Like A Train. In addition to offering some great music, Chip Stern explains, "For Stereophile readers, Gone, Just Like A Train is a guaranteed five-star dog-yummy for your sound system."