News

Last week we posted reviews of the Linn Sondek CD12 CD player and the Linn AV 51 system. This week we add a review of the Linn Linto phono preamplifier, as well as John Atkinson's report on the Revel Ultima Gem loudspeaker & Ultima Sub-15 subwoofer, and Tom Norton's review of the complete Revel Home Theater speaker system.

Stereophile has just released its first jazz CD, Rendezvous, recorded at Chad Kassem's Blue Heaven Studios. In Two Days in August: Stereophile's First Jazz Recording, John Atkinson, Wes Phillips, and featured musician/composer Jerome Harris reveal what took place those hot days in Salina, Kansas.

The play-by-play includes extensive technical notes about the recording. "[Blue Heaven] is a great-sounding space, but I was concerned that a purist microphone technique would result in balance problems with the particular ensemble Jerome Harris had chosen for his compositions," notes JA. "While the coincident-stereo microphone technique I've used for previous Stereophile classical recordings would faithfully capture the delicious acoustic of what everyone was starting to call 'The First Church of Chad,' both vibraphone and acoustic bass guitar would be overpowered by the drums and horns." The solution may be a surprise for some audiophiles!