Vivid Audio Introduces Giya Cu Loudspeakers

KEF Debuts New Finishes for Blade One Meta and Blade Two Meta

Sennheiser Drops HDB 630 Wireless Headphones

Sponsored: Radiant Acoustics Clarity 6.2 | Technology Introduction

PSB BP7 Subwoofer Unveiled

Apple AirPods Pro 3: First Impressions

LATEST ADDITIONS

Gramophone Dreams Tube Power Amp Reviews

Gramophone Dreams #68: Lab12 Mighty power amplifier & Pre1 preamplifier

Herb Reichert Dec 28, 2022

In my realm, the most sophisticated, intelligent, difficult thing anyone can do is create something mysterious. It could be a poem, a photo, a movie, a song, a symphony, or a piece of painted wood. What's most important is the mysteryand that experiencing the mysterious creation inspires in the observer a desire to probe its hidden realms, to somehow figure it out. Human cultures are founded on mysteries: Mysteries incite art, inspire science, and facilitate dreaming.

Brilliant Corners Phono Preamp Reviews

Brilliant Corners #2: Manley Steelhead RC phono preamplifier

Alex Halberstadt Dec 27, 2022

The other day it occurred to me that the main difference between audiophiles and more reasonable adults isn't our gear. Plenty of people have impressive hi-fis simply because they can afford them and are running out of things to buy. No, what makes someone an audiophile is the willingness to sit down in front of a pair of speakers (or with a pair of headphones clamped over their ears) and focus the entirety of their attention on listening.

Solid State Power Amp Reviews

Schiit Audio Tyr monoblock power amplifier

John Atkinson Dec 23, 2022

It's a not untypical tale. Two veteran engineers, Jason Stoddard, who had extensive experience in product design, development, manufacturing, and marketing, and Mike Moffat, who had an impressive track record designing hi-fi products (footnote 2), got together in June 2010 to start an audio company. What wasn't typical was the new company's brand name: Schiit Audio. What also wasn't typical was the company's business strategy.

Audacious Audio Floor Loudspeaker Reviews

Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia V loudspeaker

Jason Victor Serinus Dec 22, 2022

In the very first copy of Stereophile I encountered, back when issues were digest size, one review infuriated me. The writer went on at inordinate length about the fine wines he'd consumed during the review period. On and on he went, gushing about the costly drinks, until I exclaimed (in a sentence laced with expletives), "What in the world does any of this have to do with audio?!"

Recording of the Month

Recording of January 2023: Here It Is: A Tribute To Leonard Cohen

Thomas Conrad Dec 21, 2022

Here It Is: A Tribute To Leonard Cohen
Norah Jones, Peter Gabriel, Gregory Porter, Sarah McLachlan, Luciana Souza, James Taylor, Iggy Pop, Mavis Staples, David Gray, Nathaniel Rateliff, vocals; Bill Frisell, guitar; Immanuel Wilkins, alto saxophone; Kevin Hays, piano, Estey; Scott Colley, bass; Nate Smith, drums; Gregory Leisz, pedal steel guitar; Larry Goldings, Hammond organ
Blue Note B003552102 (CD, available as download, LP). 2022. Larry Klein, prod.; Adam Greenspan, eng.; other engineers for seven vocal tracks.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****

This is not just another Leonard Cohen tribute album. It is an ambitious, unified work of art. The performances are all new. They constitute a profound encounter with a towering figure among North American songwriters.

As We See It

Big-Hall Acoustics and Hi-Fi

Jim Austin Dec 20, 2022

What do New York's Lincoln Center and the typical Stereophile reader have in common? Both have recently made large investments to achieve sonic excellence.

I doubt that very many Stereophile readers have spent as much as Lincoln Center did on the renovation of Geffen Hall: $550 million. But then few audiophiles' systems are supported by the likes of David Geffen, a $100 million contributor to the Geffen Hall project, or Joseph and Clara Wu Tsai, who gave $50 million.

Music and Recording Reviews

December 2022 Classical Record Reviews

Jason Victor Serinus, Stephen Francis Vasta Dec 16, 2022

Tchaikovsky: Symphony 5, Rimsky-Korsakov: Legend of the Invisible City of KitezhSuite, Mahler: Symphony No.5, Vaughan Williams: String Quartets 1, 2; Holst: Phantasy Quartet and John Luther Adams: Sila: The Breath of the World.

Music and Recording Reviews

December 2022 Jazz Record Reviews

Jim Austin, Robert Baird, Thomas Conrad, Sasha Matson Dec 16, 2022

Ethan Philion: Meditations on Mingus, Jakob Bro, Joe Lovano: Once Around the Room: A Tribute to Paul Motian, Brother Jack McDuff: Moon Rappin', Miles Davis: That's What Happened 19821985 (The Bootleg Series, Vol.7), Marshall Gilkes: Cyclic Journey and Noah Garabedian: Consider the Stars Beneath Us.

Interviews Music and Recording Features

Jeff Tweedy: Wilco's Midwestern Yankee Embraces a Country Court

Mike Mettler Dec 15, 2022

Jeff Tweedy is an artist who transcends time. Waitlet me clarify that. Tweedy, the multi-hyphenate singer, songwriter, guitarist, and co-producer for the midwestern-bred alt-rocking Americana band Wilco, has spent the bulk of his career creating music that crosses the divides between past, present, and future.

Analog Corner Phono Preamp Reviews Powerline Accessory Reviews

Analog Corner #262: CH Precision P1 phono preamp, darTZeel NHB-18NS Mk.2 preamp, Shunyata Research Denali power conditioners

Michael Fremer Dec 14, 2022

CH Precision's P1 phono preamplifier, which I wrote about in the April 2017 issue, is not going back to its manufacturer. The longer I used it, the more obvious it became that I couldn't part with it, even though I said I couldn't afford it. The cost was stiff even at the accommodation price (at retail, the CH Precision P1 and its optional X1 power supply are $31,000 and $17,000, respectively, footnote 1), but I decided I could afford it, and bought it for myself as a 70th-birthday present. No, I can't hear as well as I did 30 years ago, but my listening is better than ever.