This cream-colored version was my first choice for our September issue cover. Though it has a certain quiet elegance, we decided to go with the <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/now_on_newsstands_stereophile…, less subtle combination</a> of yellow, red, and gold. I think we made a good choice, but I still sort of love the cream version.
We flew cover photographer Eric Swanson to Salt Lake City to shoot the impressive Wilson MAXX 3 loudspeaker. His flight was delayed, of course.
She didn't ask. She <i>demanded</i>.
The Wilson MAXX 3 loudspeaker gets the star treatment. Our cover photographer, Eric Swanson, tells me she was sort of a demanding diva.
The Wilson MAXX 3, showered under the red light for the feature shot on page 67 of our September 2009 issue.
The Wilson Audio Specialties' warehouse, tucked into the Utah mountains.
Marantz America is supporting the launch of their attractive <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/marantz_ki_pearls/">KI Pearl components</a> with a decidedly august hardcover book and matching dual-layer SACD. Like the KI Pearls themselves, both the book and SACD celebrate audio designer Ken Ishiwata's 30-year relationship with Marantz and offer insights into his life and work.
Just as the Trappist Monks of Digital Audio are once again grabbing at the bellpulls to ring the death knell of analog, another fine piece of gear pops up dedicated exclusively to LP playback: the American Hybrid Technology Phono Stage. To one of the Analog Committed, this is good news. That the unit sounds as wonderful as it does is even better news. Anything else? Pull up a pew, Brother.
Doug Sax is undoubtedly one of the most controversial and outspoken figures in audio. As co-founder, with Lincoln Mayorga, of Sheffield Lab, Doug pioneered the first modern direct-to-disc recording. His perfectionist methods may be controversial, but the results certainly are not: Sheffield Lab recordings are nearly universally praised by the audiophile community, while the <I>Billboard</I> Hot 100 always features at least one Sax-cut disc.
When I first heard the Eagle 2 at the 1985 Winter CES I knew this amplifier was a winner. I was eager for a chance to get my hands on it, but I also knew that J. Gordon Holt was champing at the bit to do the same. So it came as both a surprise and a delight when ye Gracious Editor gave me first crack at the Eagle 2. I wasn't disappointed; the little Eagle more than lived up to expectations. It's not the best power amplifier I've ever heard, but it's damn good. It is, in fact, better than its big brother, the Eagle 7A, in significant ways; in view of the 2's reasonable price, that's saying a lot.