Stephen Mejias

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You Are My Spring and My Beauty
Stephen Mejias
Stephen Mejias  |  Feb 16, 2006  |  2 comments
For the last couple of days, I've been listening to one special CD from start to finish, and over and over again. I don't want it to ever end. Elizabeth must be sick of it. I'm sorry, Elizabeth. But, no: she's not sick of it because she understands. She knows what this is all about. And when I'm not listening to it, I'm holding onto it tightly, smiling over the lovely cover of sweethearts and peaches, reading the song titles from top to bottom and then from bottom to top. Memorizing the shade of red, imagining her hands putting it all together.
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You Wake up Every Morning, Go to School Every Day / Fresh Muffins
Stephen Mejias
Stephen Mejias  |  Dec 20, 2005  |  1 comments
Madison Avenue without all of its buses isn't really Madison Avenue. I stand in the quiet middle of it all, untouched, and smile a strange smile.
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You Want It
Stephen Mejias
Stephen Mejias  |  Dec 03, 2007  |  5 comments
Sam Tellig doesn't call the office often. In the seven years that I've been at Stereophile, Sam has called only a handful of times. When he does call, however, it's serious. Sam just called.
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Young Listeners
RMAF 2011
Stephen Mejias  |  Oct 18, 2011  |  1 comments
“Oh, man,” I heard someone say. “You’ve got the XX on vinyl?!”

Dynaudio's Mike Manousselis turned, smiled, and nodded to the small group of young attendees.

“You’re killing me!”

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Your Final System
RMAF 2013
Stephen Mejias  |  Oct 15, 2013  |  1 comments
“YFS” stands for Your Final System. The company’s founder, Kevin O’Brien, worked in the A/V installation business, doing audio consulting and building systems of all prices, until around 2011, when he decided he wanted to solve that problem once and for all. To that end, the YFS HD Ref3 LE “computer transport” ($15,500) combines an 8-core processor, 32GB of double data rate type 3 (DDR3) RAM, a 1TB solid-state drive (SSD), and a SOtM USB 3.0 PCI digital output card—all with heavily modified external power supply and audio circuitry.
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Your Mother is a Vampire
Stephen Mejias
Stephen Mejias  |  May 23, 2006  |  3 comments
I'm listening to Margot & the Nuclear So and So's now. They sing songs about vampires and kittens, mice and clowns. You might like them. Their story is one of poverty and despair and desolation thwarted by sudden friendship, a burst of creativity, and life on the road. It sounds familiar, but then not. They make music with trumpets and cellos and keys.
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Youth and Enthusiasm
SSI 2010
Stephen Mejias  |  Mar 28, 2010  |  1 comments
To Kevin Mokry and his friend, I’m just another old dude at a hi-fi show. Which is awesome, because I’m tired of being the new guy, and I’m always happy to see young, enthusiastic faces enjoying high quality sound. Kevin is just 18 years old and already deep into hi-fi and A/V gear, selling for his dad at Quebec’s Centre Hi-Fi, and he is very impressed by the robust bass of Monster’s Beats by Dr. Dre headphones ($350).
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Zapped Out
Stephen Mejias
Stephen Mejias  |  May 13, 2008  |  1 comments
Well, ladies and gentlemen, our Zappa Plays Zappa DVD Sweepstakes is now closed. We will not accept any additional entries. I offer my sincere thanks to all those who participated, sending in colorful, encouraging, and often amusingly odd e-mails. Thank you.
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Zesto, WyWires, and TAD take the whine out of Rickie Lee Jones
RMAF 2012
Stephen Mejias  |  Oct 16, 2012  |  2 comments
I loved the pure, clean sound and sense of touch and bloom that came with Ben Webster’s tenor sax on “Stars Fell on Alabama” from Billie Holiday’s great Songs for Distingué Lovers. And, in “A Foggy Day,” Lady Day’s voice was as rich and true as can be.

Later, I noted fine snap and brassy pluck to the sound of acoustic guitars during “Chuck E.’s in Love,” the opening track to Rickie Lee Jones’ self-titled debut, an album that people often love or hate.

One female listener was surprised by the sound:

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Zip me up.
Stephen Mejias
Stephen Mejias  |  Aug 13, 2009  |  1 comments
She didn't ask. She demanded.
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