Wes Phillips

Philips CDR880 CD-R/RW CD recorder
CD Player/Transport Reviews
Wes Phillips  |  Jul 20, 2012  |  First Published: Sep 01, 1998  |  8 comments
Back when the CD was a pup, I used to hear people say, "I refuse to buy a CD player until they can record." Ha ha, I thought, smart-ass audiophile that I was, they're gonna wait for a long time—that's never gonna happen. I was half right—it has been a long time coming. But I was also, as my football coach used to insist, half-fast. "Never" has arrived.
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Aerial Acoustics CC3 center loudspeaker
Stand Loudspeaker Reviews
Wes Phillips  |  May 24, 2012  |  First Published: Nov 01, 1996  |  0 comments
As the music swelled in the background, Humphrey Bogart leaned toward Ingrid Bergman and tenderly said, "Mnn mmmm mnn nnrm murrrmr."

Damn! I hate when that happens. I ran the laserdisc back and played it again, this time louder.

"MNN MMMM MNN NNRM MURRRMR," said Bogart.

When you think about it, the center channel is probably the most important channel—if you don't believe this, watch a movie sometime with the dialog speaker turned off and see how compelling the experience is. I mean, I like explosions, rocket launches, and train wrecks as much as the next guy, but what I really want from a video sound system is the words.

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Polk Audio RT5 loudspeaker
Stand Loudspeaker Reviews
Wes Phillips  |  Mar 25, 2011  |  First Published: Apr 25, 1998  |  2 comments
Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking: "Polk? You're reviewing a $300 speaker from Polk? Get ready for the flames!"

The genesis of this review lies in a casual comment Larry Archibald made last summer. Larry travels a lot, and everywhere he goes, like the archetypical (archibaldical?) audiophile he is, he listens voraciously. After a trip to the east coast, he dropped by my office and laid a bomb on me.

"I heard a pair of inexpensive bookshelf speakers from Polk that really impressed me."

"Um-hum," I replied dubiously, waiting for the punchline.

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Luxman B-1000F monoblock power amplifier
Solid State Power Amp ReviewsAudacious Audio
Wes Phillips  |  Feb 18, 2011  |  5 comments
When Philip O'Hanlon of On a Higher Note, Luxman's US distributor, delivered the B-1000F monoblocks, it took three of us to wrestle their shipping crates into my house and then into the listening room. Once they were unpacked, it still took two of us to maneuver each of them into position—at 141 lbs and 16.9" wide by 11.6" high by 23.3" deep, the B-1000F is far from easy to shift. Fortunately, O'Hanlon had also brought along a pair of Stillpoint stands specifically made for the Luxmans; the B-1000Fs certainly wouldn't have fit into my equipment racks. (The Stillpoints are lovely things. I recommend 'em if you go for the B-1000Fs.)

When O'Hanlon told me the price of the stands—$2500/pair—I asked what the amps cost.

"Fifty-five," he said.

"You mean the stands are 45% of the price of the amps?"

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NuForce CDP-8 CD player
CD Player/Transport Reviews
Wes Phillips  |  Nov 21, 2010  |  3 comments
"So, what are you reviewing these days?" my friend Mark e-mailed me recently.

"A CD player," I said.

"They're still making those?"

Yes—and better than ever, for the most part. But I understood Mark's confusion. When a "Vote!" question on the Stereophile website asked readers what digital source components they used, a surprising number responded that they did not, or hadn't bought a dedicated player in years. Topping the list were computers and universal players.

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What is the least amount you have spent on an audio component that produced music that made you happy?
Vote
Wes Phillips  |  Sep 05, 2010  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  136 comments
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Etymotic Research hf2 & hf5 in-ear headphones
Budget Component ReviewsHeadphone Reviews
Wes Phillips  |  Aug 15, 2010  |  First Published: Aug 16, 2010  |  1 comments
Ah, how the times change. When I reviewed Etymotic Research's ER-4S in-ear headphones in the July 1995 Stereophile, they seemed expensive to me at $330, but well worth that seemingly high price: at the time, they were the best headphones I'd heard. Nowadays, with reference headphones costing well north of a kilobuck, the price of the ER-4S seems relatively reasonable.
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Vivid Audio G1Giya loudspeaker
Floor Loudspeaker ReviewsAudacious Audio
Wes Phillips  |  Jul 12, 2010  |  1 comments
Over the years that I've been reviewing hi-fi, I've had my share of loudspeakers that drew comments from everyone who visited during the audition period. Some of those comments were about the speakers' appearance—most often about their size—and some were about how good they sounded. Vivid's G1Giya loudspeaker ($65,000/pair), its narrow-baffled, swirling cochlear shape molded from fiber-reinforced composite, elicited more comments of both types than has any other speaker I've reviewed.
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Balanced Audio Technology VK-55SE power amplifier
Tube Power Amp Reviews
Wes Phillips  |  Apr 23, 2010  |  0 comments
I hate audio shows. All those manufacturers and retailers desperately demonstrating their products, knowing how impossible it is to do them justice in a hotel room. They might be saying, "It has gold-plated circuit boards and unobtainium binding posts," but all I hear is Please love it, please love it, oh puhleeze . . .
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RealTraps room treatments
Budget Component ReviewsRoom Treatment Reviews
Wes Phillips  |  Feb 23, 2010  |  1 comments
In the beginning, I had a room adjacent to my office—a room filled with bicycles, hi-fi gear, and assorted crap I'd never gotten around unpacking since our last move. Feeling ambitious, I thought I might turn it into a guest room, and emptied it.
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