What's your choice for best budget component of the year?
Sure, anyone can design a cost-no-object product. But it's the big bang-for-the-buck components that often demonstrate real talent. What's your choice for best budget component of the year?
LATEST ADDITIONS
Continue Reading »
Esoteric SA-60 universal player
In the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/907awsi">ongoing debacle</A> that has been the introduction and promotion of high-resolution digital audio and the record industry's struggles to engage the public's interest in it, two recent events stand out.
Muse Polyhymnia universal player
"I have something I think might interest you," said Elite AudioVideo Distribution's Scot Markwell. "Kevin Halverson has some, shall we say, <I>different</I> ideas about universal players."
Watching the Detectives
I made myself comfortable. The system—Linn Unidisk universal player, Meridian digital active speakers—was obviously working well: "For unto us a Child is born..." pum pum pum pum...
Continue Reading »
Recording of October 2007: This Is Somewhere
<B>Recording of October 2007: <I>This Is Somewhere</I></B><BR>
Hollywood D00038502 (CD). 2007. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, prods.; Mike Daly, prod., asst. eng.; Joe Chiccarelli, eng.; Kennie Takahashi, Travis Huff, Tim Bright, Wayne Warnecke, Otto D'Angelo, asst. engs. AAD? TT: 48:34<BR>
Performance ****½<BR>
Sonics ****
Buy Stereophile CDs—Get a Free T-Shirt
Attention shoppers! With any purchase of $100 or more from our <A HREF="http://ssl.blueearth.net/primedia/home.php">secure E-commerce page</A>, we’ll be happy to include one wonderfully cool and comfy, XL <I>Stereophile</I> T-shirt, absolutely free of charge. Offer applies to orders of $100 or more before shipping and handling fees, and is only available while supplies last, so act now. Browse our large collection of CDs, LPs, and back issues and splurge on yourself, or get a little extra something special for your favorite audiophile—just in time for the holiday season!
"The Best Loudspeaker in the World. Period"
So read the flyer promoting YG Acoustics' dem in room 446 I picked up in the Marriott's lobby. So I went by room 446. Twice. Neither time could I get in, such was the throng inside. But I did manage to hold my camera above the avid listeners' heads to take a shot of the Colorado company's Anat Reference speaker, which had very much impressed me when I heard it at the 2006 CEDIA Show. I am going to try to get a listen on the Show's final day, but the news that YG has hired veteran sales manager Dick Diamond away from Kimber is a sign that this new speaker manufacturer is aiming high.
Desktop Decco from Peachtree
Musical Fidelity/Era Design distributor SignalPath's David Solomon is also interested in the desktop and enthusiastically demmed the new Peachtree Decco for me. The $700 tubed D/A processor/60Wpc integrated amplifier has a rear-panel bay that will accommodate the popular Sonos ZP80 WiFi media player and will take either digital or analog signals to its own, higher-quality DAC circuitry and output stage. It also has a USB input. The revolution is here.
Audioengine Pushes the Envelope
Audioengine is making a name for itself with its extremely affordable powered speakers. But rather than photograph the speakers being demmed at RMAF, I concentrated on the Apple iBook running iTunes being used as the source. "What's <I>that</I>?" I asked, pointing to the dongle.
Unknown Unknowns
To paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld, it is the "unknown unknowns" in audio that scare the pants off me at times. Synergistic's Ted Denney pulled me into his room. "Sit down. Listen to this."