Stephen Mejias

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Stephen Mejias
U-Turn Audio’s $150 Orbit turntable
Stephen Mejias  |  Aug 10, 2012  |  20 comments
Stereophile’s editorial assistant, Ariel Bitran, directed my attention to this USA Today article on an interesting turntable from U-Turn Audio, a company founded by three close friends—Ben Carter, Bob Hertig, and Peter Maltzan—all in their early 20s, who were tired of playing records on cheap USB turntables.
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Stephen Mejias
Um Cavaquinho em Hi-Fi
Stephen Mejias  |  Jul 02, 2008  |  6 comments
I don't have to tell you that LP covers are cool. Right? You're already very much aware of all the bold colors and furious fonts and completely outrageous concepts. Photo editors back in the day must have had mad freedom. Alright, cats, here's the plan: We're going to start with a gorilla. He's dressed in a tux. Give the gorilla a gigantic banana. But it's not really a banana. The gorilla will peel the banana to reveal an extremely voluptuous bartender. In one hand, she'll have a tray of martinis, while, with her other hand, she'll be lighting the gorilla's giant cigar. Dig?
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Stephen Mejias
Under the Hood
Stephen Mejias  |  Apr 23, 2010  |  0 comments
After we lifted the big Vivid Giya onto a rotating platter, JA got under the hood and connected the speaker cables to his test amp. JA loves it when speaker terminals are hidden beneath a speaker. For a larger view, visit our Gallery.
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Stephen Mejias
Under the Red Light
Stephen Mejias  |  Aug 13, 2009  |  1 comments
The Wilson MAXX 3, showered under the red light for the feature shot on page 67 of our September 2009 issue.
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Stephen Mejias
Under the Soft Blue Light
Stephen Mejias  |  Apr 22, 2009  |  0 comments
Under the soft blue light: Grails' most awesome Interpretations of Three Psychedelic Rock Songs from around the World goes for the ride of its life on the massive SME 20/12 turntable.
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Stephen Mejias
Underwood: Stories In Sound
Stephen Mejias  |  Jun 10, 2010  |  0 comments
Underwood, the new vinyl-only record label, which takes its name from the typewriter invented by Frank Wagner in 1896, was founded by writer Nathan Dunne. Dunne’s goal is to publish short stories on vinyl records. Underwood urges us to slow down, focus, listen, and enjoy.
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Stephen Mejias
Unison Research Demos at the Audio Doctor
Stephen Mejias  |  Mar 14, 2012  |  0 comments
Marc Phillips and Collen Cardas of Colleen Cardas Imports introduce the Unison Research S 6 integrated amplifier at the Audio Doctor in Jersey City, NJ.

On Saturday, March 3rd, during an unusually warm and sunny afternoon in Jersey City, the Audio Doctor held an open house to introduce new products from Unison Research. Our hosts for the event were Dave and Paula Lalin of the Audio Doctor and Colleen Cardas and Marc Phillips of Colleen Cardas Imports (CCI), the exclusive US distributor for Unison Research and Opera Loudspeakers.

Before listening, Lalin invited us into the kitchen for some delicious food and drink. “This is a party!” he said. After I stuffed my face with meatballs, chicken wings, chips, and cookies, we headed into my favorite of Lalin’s four listening rooms—a medium-sized room at one corner of his beautiful Victorian home, packed with hi-fi gear, and home to “The Rack.”

There, Colleen Cardas introduced herself and told us the story of how she and her business partner, Marc Phillips, the Vinyl Anachronist, became involved with Unison Research and Opera.

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Stephen Mejias
Until You Fall in Love with the Diamond Rain
Stephen Mejias  |  Oct 18, 2005  |  9 comments
“Are these things on?”
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Stephen Mejias
Update
Stephen Mejias  |  Mar 04, 2010  |  15 comments
At home, I’ve been playing around a little bit with my new Anniversary Ringmat 330 replacement platter mat for my Rega P3-24 turntable. However, I haven’t been in the best mood for comparative listening sessions—I came home from work with a headache the last two nights, and I’ve still been suffering from some post-static stress disorder (PSSD) while playing LPs—so I’m not ready to make any value judgments.
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Stephen Mejias
Urban Fidelity Art Speakers
Stephen Mejias  |  Jul 27, 2012  |  0 comments
When I first met Josh Ray at a hi-fi show several years ago, I was impressed by his desire to bring high-end audio to a larger audience—an endeavor that I can easily appreciate. At the time, Josh sat atop the masthead of the forward-thinking audio review website, Sonic Flare. Along with Danny Kaey and a small cast of writers, Josh made Sonic Flare a fun and interesting web destination. But while SF’s reviews were consistently informative, I always wondered if Josh’s interests were more aligned with promoting the overall idea and allure of high-end audio.

Today, Danny Kaey has assumed full responsibility for Sonic Flare, while Josh Ray turns his attention to a new endeavor: Urban Fidelity, a loudspeaker company aimed at bringing hi-fi to a new generation of listeners. Josh sees an opportunity:

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Stephen Mejias
Urban Fidelity reaches its goal
Stephen Mejias  |  Aug 03, 2012  |  9 comments
Congrats to Josh Ray and Urban Fidelity for reaching their Kickstarter goal. With the funding necessary to get off and running, Urban Fidelity seems poised to make a big debut at this year’s Rocky Mountain Audiofest. In pictures, they're gorgeous, but I can’t wait to find out how these speakers really look and sound.

But at just $399/pair ($299/pair, if purchased before August 8), they seem like a bargain: floorstanding loudspeakers, made in the US, featuring several unique designs by independent artists.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

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Stephen Mejias
Vagaries and Vicissitudes
Stephen Mejias  |  Jun 26, 2006  |  2 comments
It's interesting: A small change can make such a big difference. I wake up, force myself out of bed, walk into my living room, and stop to admire the so-slightly-revised layout. So slight, the revision is, but I love it. It just seems right. It seems
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Stephen Mejias
Verity Audio Finn
Stephen Mejias  |  Oct 20, 2009  |  6 comments
Look at this thing. It’s a Verity Audio Finn in seductive Norwegian Birch. Don’t you want to just squeeze it? Don’t you want to just bring it home with you?
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Stephen Mejias
Verity Audio Leonore
Stephen Mejias  |  Sep 02, 2009  |  0 comments
The Verity Leonore loudspeaker ($15,995/pair) boasts a claimed efficiency of 93dB, meaning it'll require very few watts to really sing. Along with a compact footprint and graceful cabinet, the Leonore offered a detailed and involving sound, and wasn't afraid to rock.
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Stephen Mejias
Verses vs Versus
Stephen Mejias  |  Nov 08, 2007  |  0 comments
Did you dudes catch that little segment on PBS last night about analog recording versus digital? I did. It was alright. I don't think of these things in terms of a battle, mind you, where there's a bruised but happy winner and a bloody and beaten loser, but mainstream media seems to like taking that approach. I guess it's more palatable that way. To me, there's room in this world for both methods. Have you seen Ultimate Fighting Championship? Now, that's a battle. Analog versus digital? Not so much.
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