LATEST ADDITIONS

Some time ago, an amplifier in for review caught fire when first powered up. I don't mean it smoked and sizzled and shut down—I mean that actual flames shot through the top grate. Fortunately, I was able to grab a kitchen fire extinguisher and douse the thing with foam. (Sorry, this was decades ago, and I don't remember the brand, but I think the company had a fire sale and was shut down.)

It was September 1962. In the UK, the Beatles were recording their first single, "Love Me Do," at London's Abbey Road Studios. And in the US, a young journalist, J. Gordon Holt, born in North Carolina but raised in Australia from 1935 to 1947, had become dissatisfied with the advertiser-friendly atmosphere at High Fidelity magazine, for which he had been the audio editor. Holt quit High Fidelity and, after a brief stint with phono cartridge manufacturer Weathers, published the first issue of what was then called The Stereophile.

EISA, or the Expert Imaging and Sound Association, is an organization representing 60 of the most respected special interest publications and websites from 29 countries that cover Hi-Fi, Home Theater Video, Home Theater Audio, Photography, Mobile Devices, and In-Car Electronics. Every year EISA's Expert Group members, including editors from this publication, test a very wide range of new products from their field of expertise before comparing results and voting to decide the cream of every product category.

Shiva Feshareki, Daphne Oram: Turning World, Mari Samuelsen: Lys, Maurice Ravel: Concertos Pour Piano, Mélodies, Shostakovich: Symphony No.11 and Various Artists: Creation.

John Scofield: John Scofield, Fabian Willmann Trio: Balance and Charles Mingus: Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus.

Register to win a pair of Monitor Audio Silver 100 7G Limited Edition speakers (value $1695.00) we are giving away.

"The award-winning Silver 100 7G speakers have received a limited edition makeover to celebrate Monitor Audio’s 50th Anniversary. Their in-house designers have given the Silver 100 Limited Edition a classic Heritage Green finish and an anodised gold C-CAM bass driver, creating a luxe aesthetic befitting for their ‘Golden Jubilee’. An exclusive gold effect badge adorns the rear of the speaker, showing the edition number and Monitor Audio’s 50th Anniversary branding. Each speaker will also be accompanied with a certificate of authenticity."

"This is a truly Limited Edition model, with only limited numbers being produced and sold worldwide and only 100 pairs being sold in the US. Available late October 2022 at selected dealers."

[This Sweepstakes is now closed.]

I was born an obsessive reader and a compulsive tinkerer. During the '60s, I subscribed to Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, Hot Rod, Car Craft, Motor Trend, Road & Track, and (of course) Stereo Review and High Fidelity. Every one of those magazines presented articles discussing the importance of upgrading stock wiring to better-quality "premium" wires, citing improved electrical performance and greater reliability.