Added to the Archives This Week

At the start of his review of the Balanced Audio Technology VK-D5 CD player, Jonathan Scull observes, "Man, has Balanced Audio Technology come a long way in a short time." Scull goes in-depth with the VK-D5 to explain just what he's found.

With the emphasis on digital components these days, a reasonably-priced phono preamp can become a critical part of a high-end system. Wes Phillips may have found true romance as he notes that the $1200 AcousTech Electronics PH-1 phono preamplifier "is a love letter to analog posted by Acoustic Sounds' Chad Kassem and high-end designer Ron Sutherland."

Back in 1989, John Atkinson had been doing some reading, only to discover a must-have book for serious audio thinkers. In his June "As We See It" from that year, A Matter of Dimensions, JA notes, "Each 10 minutes' worth of reading this accessible volume inexorably led to 10 hours' worth of thinking. It should be on every engineer's and every serious audiophile's 'must buy' list." Atkinson reveals the book and a few of its choicest morsels.

It may not seem like a big deal now, but back in 1994, when Stereophile decided to change its format to more closely resemble that of its Chinese sibling, it attracted comment from all quarters—friend and foe alike. Larry Archibald explains the reasoning behind the redesign in A New Size For Stereophile, and reader comments are included.

Finally, the latest installment in our "Recording of the Month" series for the online archives: Recording of August 1998, Dave Alvin: Blackjack David. Robert Baird says that comparisons to Bruce Springsteen are inevitable, and with albums like this one, Alvin deserves the accolades.

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