Hitting Mailboxes and Newsstands Today: the May Issue

The least-expensive Wilson speaker and the most-expensive Vandersteen speaker go head-to head in the May issue, accompanied by reviews of PS Audio's affordable DSD DAC, Schiit's high-value Ragnarok integrated amplifier, Vandersteen's unique monoblock amplifier, and Luxman's high-performance EQ-500 phono preamplifier.

With Michael Fremer on vinyl playback, Art Dudley on a rebuilt Naim amp, Kal Rubinson on surround sound, and Steve Guttenberg polling speaker designers on how close they are to achieving "accuracy," our 140-page May issue has something for everyone.

COMMENTS
GuillaumeLN's picture

Wilson's doesn't stand a chance at Vandersteen's. Vandersteen's got more in for better equipment, whereas Wilson gets flat too soon. I wish either companies were listening to next generation users.

eriks's picture

Well that's the whole point of buying a Wilson. :) Wilson has never been shy about claiming he loves bass, and his buyers seem to agree with him, so saying this is the Wilson sound in a smaller form-factor is pretty apt based on the measurements. What's disappointing to me is that for $16k they're being stingy on the floor mounting. Speakers this big demand something much better than that to adjust properly. Fortunately there are good aftermarket solutions.

GuillaumeLN's picture

I didn't really mean that there were too much bass, quite the opposite actually as I feel Wilson's are giving all they have. Their bass has a lot of impact and a nice presentation, but it is completely dry, without any energy left unused. To me, they were engineered to help the salesman as they're quite impressive for untrained ears. They convey a very strong presence, but lack all the tension and nuances a trained audiophile would seek.

Allen Fant's picture

I am looking forward to a good shoot-out. Excellent points guys.

starkfellow's picture

I expect you've already noticed that the wrong cover is shown for the Steve Reich CD review on page 125. Considering that the WTC 9/11 cover was one of the most controversial classical covers in recent years, this is pretty embarrassing.

John Atkinson's picture
starkfellow wrote:
I expect you've already noticed that the wrong cover is shown for the Steve Reich CD review on page 125.

Yes, we missed that in the final proofing and realized it was the wrong image only after it was too late to correct it. We will be running the correct image in the July issue, which is what we are working on at present.

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile

starkfellow's picture

Thanks. Glad there will be a correction. Stereophile is such a professionally assembled publication, that a rare mistake was a shock. Overall, congrats on the fine work you do.

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