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McIntosh C200 preamplifier
In August, I <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/amplificationreviews/804mcintosh">reviewed</…; McIntosh's MC501 monoblock power amplifier. In terms of what I'd thought was possible from Mac, this was a revelation. Once memories and lurking preconceptions had been set aside and the amps installed in my system, the MC501 easily established itself as among the finest overall performers I have ever reviewed.
Halcro dm38 power amplifier
One of the highlights of recent Consumer Electronics and Home Entertainment shows has been the demonstrations of sound quality put on by Australian amplifier manufacturer Halcro with Wilson Audio loudspeakers. At my first exposure to one of these demos—described in my April 2002 "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/557">As We See It</A>"—enormous dynamic range was coupled with a grain-free presentation and almost holographic stereo imaging to produce a breathtaking sweep of sound. Paul Bolin reviewed Halcro's <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/amplificationreviews/683">dm58 monoblock</A> in October 2002, and that amplifier was subsequently voted this magazine's "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/features/724/index2.html">Amplification Component of 2002</A>" by our reviewers.
Added to the Archives This Week
Back in April 2001, Jonathan Scull got his hands on the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/digitalsourcereviews/401sony">Sony SCD-C333ES SACD/CD player</A>—a carousel model no less—and filed his report. "So I loaded up five discs for the evening—a process quite different from choosing and playing one disc at a time—and imagined the angle on the bumper shot I'd have to line up for <I>this</I> review!"
Escalation in P2P War
The entertainment industry is going the last mile in its war against file sharing. On Friday, October 8, the Motion Picture Association of America (<A HREF="http://www.mpaa.org">MPAA</A>), the Recording Industry Association of America (<A HREF="http://www.riaa.com">RIAA</A>), and the National Music Publishers Association (<A HREF="http://www.nmpa.org">NMPA</A>) appealed to the US Supreme Court to overturn a lower court's ruling earlier this year that peer-to-peer (P2P) file-trading networks can't be held liable for copyright infringement.
Hertsens On Portables
Tyll Hertsens is on a mission. He strives to transform the ugly duckling bleat of portable audio into music that sings to an audiophile's heart.
Hope for Wireless?
Anyone who has experimented with wireless local area networks for audio—feeding rear/side speakers in a multichannel system, for example—can attest that the technology is far from ready for prime time. Prone to noise, interference, and dropouts, wireless audio systems require a tremendous amount of refinement before they'll meet audiophile standards.
What's the best recording you've heard
Forget about the music for a second, and let's concentrate on the art of reproduction. What is the best <I>sounding</I> disc you've heard so far this year?
YBA Passion 1000 monoblock power amplifier
<I>Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark.—</I>Henri-Frédéric Amiel
Sonic Frontiers Power 3 monoblock power amplifier
The internal battle between the head and the heart, between the analytical and romantic sides of our nature, is a difficult one. I'm an engineer, so it seems as if my cold, calculating side should have the upper hand. This is true in a lot of cases; most of my actions and decisions are based on straightforward, logical analyses. However, things like a house full of castaway dogs, or a garage full of quixotic British cars and Italian motorcycles, suggest that my heart holds sway reasonably—perhaps distressingly—often.