Do you have an obsession with a particular aspect of
Reader Gerald Neily wants to get very specific about your audiophile priorities. What do you focus on the most when evaluating and/or tweaking an audio system?
LATEST ADDITIONS
Continue Reading »
DVD-A, SACD Releases
There are probably only a handful of recorded works which could successfully survive the transition from the original two-channel release to a 5.1 surround remix. Queen's 1975 release <I>A Night At The Opera</I> is certainly one of them, and, in fact, the recording was originally scheduled to hit the streets <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11174/">last November</A> as a 5.1 DVD-Audio disc from <A HREF="http://www.dtsonline.com">DTS Entertainment</A>.
Added to the Archives This Week
"No doubt about it—Linn's top-of-the-line <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/555/">Komri loudspeaker</A> is a queer-lookin' duck," says Jonathan Scull as he set up a pair in his listening lair. The claimed frequency response for the Komri extends out to 40kHz. "Why even <I>bother</I> going out that high, where even the most beautiful of women cannot hear?" J-10 explains why.
Matsushita's "Sound Window"
As normally conceived, loudspeakers use electrodynamic forces to control the movements of their diaphragms, which in turn move air. Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. has come up with an interesting twist on this principle, one in which air pressure itself ("aerodynamic-drive technology") is used to control the diaphragm. The result is a transparent panel speaker called the "Sound Window," announced by the Japanese industrial giant March 27.
Violinist Arturo Delmoni creates the ultimate audiophile experience.
Following the tragic events of September 11 last year, <A HREF="http://www.audioasylum.com">Audio Asylum</A> and <A HREF="http://www.audiogon.com">Audiogon</A> co-sponsored a <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11141/">charity auction</A> of audio equipment to benefit the NY Firefighters' Fund and other related charities. Manufacturers, dealers, magazine writers and editors, and audiophiles donated equipment, recordings, and memorabilia for sale, and as <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/11159/">reported on this website</A>, the auction ultimately raised almost $175,000 for 9/11-related charities.
John Robinson Pierce 1910-2002
John Robinson Pierce, a wide-ranging engineer, inventor, writer, and psychoacoustics researcher, died April 2 at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, CA. The cause of death was complications from pneumonia. Pierce was 92.
Snell Acoustics XA Reference Tower loudspeaker
Say "Type A" to a group of psychologists and they immediately think "hard-driving, workaholic executive." Speak the same phrase among audiophiles, and the late Peter Snell's (1946-1984) flagship loudspeaker comes to mind. The model reviewed here is the seventh iteration of Snell Acoustics' Type A, and this is the 12th published review of the product in American audio magazines. (The last one published in <I>Stereophile</I> was in March 1996, Vol.19 No.3, of the Type A Reference.)
Fine Tunes #46
"Hi, Jonathan," Bob Matthews began his e-mail to "Fine Tunes" (matthewsr@hqamc-exchg.army.mil). "I enjoy reading your column every month, and enjoy hearing from other people about some of their cheap tweaks!"
Continue Reading »
Recording of April 2002: Words of The Angel
<B>TRIO MEDIAEVAL: <I>Words of The Angel</I></B><BR> <B>Anonymous</B>: <I>Messe de Tournai</I>. <B>Moody</B>: <I>Words of The Angel</I>. Misc. 13th-century monophonic and 14th-century polyphonic works. Trio Mediaeval: Anna Maria Friman, Linn Andrea Fuglseth, Torunn Østrem Ossum, sopranos<BR> ECM 1753 (CD). 2001. John Potter, prod.; Peter Laenger, eng. DDD. TT: 65:45<BR> Performance <B>*****</B><BR> Sonics <B>*****</B>
Linn Komri loudspeaker
No doubt about it—Linn's top-of-the-line Komri loudspeaker is a queer-lookin' duck. It's a large, boxy thing, fairly deep, and weighing a hefty 176 lbs, including the base. Whew. I'll put it this way: rap your knuckles, break your hand.