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Three years ago, the idea of a solid-state integrated amplifier that sold for only $1250 yet combined some of the best performance aspects of a <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/integratedamps/660">Naim Nait</A> and a <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/tubepoweramps/992dynaco">Dynaco Stereo 70</A> seemed likely to resonate with consumers and critics alike. And it did: Introduced in early 2005, the British-built <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/integratedamps/1105exposure">Exposure 2010S</A> was an unequivocal hit on both sides of the Atlantic, and remains in Class A of <I>Stereophile</I>'s "Recommended Components." Deservedly.

The subject comes up every now and then: Audio reviewers don't write nearly enough negative reviews. One old attention-seeker on Audio Asylum went so far as to characterize <I>Stereophile</I> and our would-be competitors as "happy face" magazines&mdash;a joke in which he seemed to take tremendous pride&mdash;simply because we hand out a lot of As and Bs. By that logic, assuming that a certain percentage of underachievers is inevitable in any population, our schools aren't handing out nearly enough Fs. (I have a suggestion for where they can begin.)

Melissa's been listening to Fleet Foxes. She told me so yesterday, as we walked along Newark Avenue, into the setting sun. <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/092805withloss/">Like old times</a>.

Cars rate energy use as miles per gallon (MPG), but what about audio equipment? Reader "wook" wants to know: "Would you like <I>Stereophile</I>'s reviews to include power-draw measurements?"

In an unfortunate coincidence, a few nights before the Cabasse team arrived to install the company's unusual-looking La Sph&#232;re powered speaker system, VOOM HD Networks, Monster HD channel, which is exclusively devoted to B horror movies, broadcast <I>The Crawling Eye</I> (aka <I>The Trollenberg Terror</I>), a 1958 black-and-white howler starring Forrest Tucker. I watched.

BillB brings up a good point. He writes:

Last year, when Epos importer Music Hall contacted me about reviewing the then-new M16 floorstanding loudspeaker, I hesitated. I had been very impressed with the M16's little bookshelf brother, the M5 (see <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/405epos">my review</A> in the April 2005 <I>Stereophile</I>, Vol.28 No.4), which I found uncolored, detailed, and a great value. Most of all, the M5 had an incredible balance of performance. But several times in the past, having been seduced by a wonderfully balanced bookshelf speaker, I've then been disappointed by one of its costlier, floorstanding brethren. The larger speaker might share the bookshelf's overall character, have deeper bass, and play louder with less strain, but too often that magical sense of balance that I had so enjoyed in the smaller speaker would be absent.