Stephen Mejias
Sort By: Post Date | Title | Publish Date
Gibson and Onkyo form strategic partnership
News, Stephen Mejias
Stephen Mejias • Jan 05, 2012 • 5 comments
Gibson Guitar Corp., makers of some of the world’s most iconic electric guitars—the Flying V, SG, and, of course, the Les Paul come to mind—yesterday announced a strategic partnership with Onkyo Corporation, perhaps best known for their versatile multichannel A/V receivers and 2-channel power amplifiers. If approved, Gibson will purchase a stake in Onkyo Japan and acquire a majority interest in Onkyo USA, becoming the second largest shareholder in Onkyo Corporation. The agreements are subject to Japanese regulatory clearance, further negotiations, and financial considerations.
Continue Reading »
Now on Newsstands: Stereophile, Vol.35 No.1
Stephen Mejias
Stephen Mejias • Dec 22, 2011 • 13 comments
Happy New Year! The January 2012 issue of Stereophile is now on newsstands. In this issue, you’ll find in-depth reviews of loudspeakers from TAD, Sonus Faber, Nola, and Dynaudio; amplification components from Sutherland, Fi, and Anthem; D/A processors from Weiss, Bel Canto, dCS, and Musical Fidelity; power conditioning from Audience, AudioQuest, and Shunyata; and CD players from Emotiva and Sony.

Plus:

Continue Reading »
My Favorite Budget Components of 2011
Stephen Mejias
Stephen Mejias • Dec 16, 2011 • 34 comments
You don’t have to spend a fortune to put together a great-sounding system. In fact, many of today’s most affordable hi-fi components offer greater bang for the buck than today’s more expensive products. If your room and/or your budget are small, you can still achieve outstanding sound while having a lot of fun. Here are my ten favorite budget components of 2011.
Continue Reading »
New Arrivals at the Princeton Record Exchange
Stephen Mejias
Stephen Mejias • Dec 16, 2011 • 4 comments
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!

Sadly, I won't be able to get down to Princeton any time soon, but, if you're interested in 20th Century classical, experimental, avant-garde, drone, minimal synth, noise, and Fluxus-related stuff, now's the time to visit the Princeton Record Exchange!

The Audio Doctor: Prescribing the Best of Everything
Stephen Mejias
Stephen Mejias • Dec 13, 2011 • 14 comments
On the corner of Sherman and Sanford in the quiet, residential neighborhood of Jersey City known as The Heights, just a block from Leonard Gordon Park and two blocks from Pershing Field, there is a beautiful, old Victorian house. Standing a little taller than the other houses in the neighborhood, 112 Sherman Place, with its turreted rooms, stained glass windows, and distinct green and ochre exterior, has a proud, stately, almost royal, appearance. This is the home of Dave and Paula Lalin, their three children, their three pets, and more high-end audio components than you would ever expect. This is the Audio Doctor.

On a perfect, late autumn morning, Uncle Omar and I made the short drive from Downtown Jersey City to meet with the Lalin family for a little tour and a lot of hi-fi.

Continue Reading »
Sonus Faber Introduces the Aida
News, Stephen Mejias
Stephen Mejias • Dec 09, 2011 • 7 comments
Sonus Faber is celebrating the launch of their Aida loudspeaker ($120,000/pair) with a series of dealer events beginning this weekend.
Continue Reading »
My Favorite Records of 2011
Stephen Mejias
Stephen Mejias • Dec 08, 2011 • 40 comments
Mirror to Mirror's Here You Leave Today—one of my favorite records of the year.

In the January 2012 issue of Stereophile, I list my 15 favorite records of the year (p.52). Here is an expanded, slightly more detailed list.

Continue Reading »
JA Sings at the 18th Annual LAOCAS Gala
Stephen Mejias
Stephen Mejias • Dec 07, 2011 • 5 comments
Clearly, my boss, Stereophile’s esteemed editor, John Atkinson, lost another bet.

Here we see him singing, furiously, at the Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society’s 18th Annual Society Gala and Awards Banquet, held last weekend in the Grand Ballroom of the Buena Park Holiday Inn. He really hits his stride at about 40 seconds in. (Thanks to "The Audio Otaku" for capturing the magic.)

Continue Reading »
Greenhaus Events at Pitch Perfect Audio
News, Stephen Mejias
Stephen Mejias • Dec 07, 2011 • 5 comments
Photo: DeVore Fidelity

Sunday, January 15, 5–9pm and Monday, January 16, 6–9pm: As a way to recuperate from the madness of the Consumer Electronics Show and with a hat tip to Devore Fidelity's popular Monkeyhaus listening parties, Pitch Perfect Audio (300 Brannan Street, Suite 209, San Francisco) will host their first “Greenhaus” events.

Continue Reading »
A Sunday Drive, an Unbeatable Experience
Stephen Mejias
Stephen Mejias • Dec 02, 2011 • 7 comments
The big difference between car audio and home audio, explains WIRC Media's Micah Sheveloff, is car audio’s need to overcome ambient noise. In fact, to a large extent, it’s this simple requirement which dictates a system’s overall design. In the case of the Caprice, the system had to have enough power to overcome the car’s custom-built 2.25-inch stainless dual exhaust.

By this point in our conversation, Micah has already apologized for the noise a number of times.

“Let’s listen to the system for a bit and I’ll see if we can find some good roads,” Micah suggests. “Ready?”

Continue Reading »
Javelin: “By Hook or By Crook”
Stephen Mejias
Stephen Mejias • Dec 01, 2011 • 4 comments
In collaboration with the clever people at Buzz Media, creative electronic duo, Javelin (Tom van Buskirk and George Langford), roamed the streets of Red Hook, Brooklyn, with samplers and mics in hand, and created an interesting new track called “By Hook or By Crook.”
Continue Reading »
Sinkane: “Jeeper Creeper”
Stephen Mejias
Stephen Mejias • Dec 01, 2011 • 2 comments
Ahmed Gallab is perhaps best known for his work in Caribou, Of Montreal, and, most recently, Yeasayer, all bands which combine electronic elements with more organic sounds to get listeners thinking and moving on the dance floor. But Gallab is also keeping busy with his own project, Sinkane.
Continue Reading »
Abandoning the Compact Disc?
Stephen Mejias
Stephen Mejias • Nov 30, 2011 • 27 comments
In our December issue, I write about the Emotiva ERC-2 CD player, which, at $449, brought me many hours of listening pleasure. Stereophile editor John Atkinson will describe the player’s measured performance in an upcoming issue. In January, I’ll write more about the Emotiva, and, in February, I’ll discuss NAD’s affordable ($300) C 515BEE CD player.

Obviously, I’ve been listening to a lot of CDs lately; and, while I have started to long for my LPs, I haven’t really gone crazy or anything. Listening to CDs can be fun, too—especially when the discs hold music by Alva Noto and Ryuchi Sakamoto, David Sylvian, and Matthew Shipp.

Meanwhile, Natalie and Nicole have mentioned a rumor that’s spreading all over the Internet:

Continue Reading »
Looking Forward: Sharon Van Etten’s Tramp
Stephen Mejias
Stephen Mejias • Nov 29, 2011 • 2 comments
I’ve quickly and deeply fallen in love with Sharon Van Etten’s album, Tramp, to be released by Jagjaguwar on February 7th. My review is scheduled to appear in our March issue, but I’ll tell you now that this is an album worth owning and playing again and again.
Continue Reading »
Sound By Singer’s Grand Re-Opening
News, Stephen Mejias
Stephen Mejias • Nov 28, 2011 • 10 comments
On Thursday, November 17, Sound By Singer celebrated the grand opening of their new showroom with an evening of music and product demonstrations.
Continue Reading »
Site Map / Direct Links
Loudspeakers Amplification Digital Sources Analog Sources Accessories Featured Music Columns Features Show Reports Show Reports Recommended
Components Blogs Latest News Community 		Shop Resources Subscriptions