LATEST ADDITIONS

Revinylized!

Revinylization #73: Muse Records via Zev Feldman's Time Traveler Records

Ken Micallef Mar 10, 2026

As the jazz buyer for Tower Records's Lincoln Center (66th St.) location in the early 1990s, I held a unique vantage point on New York City, its music and culture. My position guaranteed daily encounters with an eclectic variety of unforgettable characters. Between regular visits by the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (grouchy), Kathleen Turner (pushy), and Michael J. Fox (perpetually running from the store's female staff), I saw a lot.

Budget Component Reviews Stand Loudspeaker Reviews

Ruark Sabre-R loudspeaker

Ken Micallef Mar 06, 2026

Like many aging American music lovers, my earliest memories include watching the televised supernova that was The Beatles performing on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. Immersion in various British pop groups followed, including the melodically graceful Chad & Jeremy, the polished Peter and Gordon, and sentimental pop purveyors Gerry and the Pacemakers.

Features

Tale of the Tape: Rhino Records' Open-Reel Tape Series

Tom Fine Mar 05, 2026

Rhino Records, Warner Music Group's back-catalog label, has jumped into the rarified niche of prerecorded reel-to-reel tapes. Under the Rhino High Fidelity brand, the first two titles were announced in October 2025: T. Rex's Electric Warrior and The Yes Album. Both are limited editions; no more than 500 tapes will be made and sold.

Interviews Music and Recording Features Sound Chaser

Sound Chaser #6: In Living Colour's Vernon Reid Runs the Hoodoo Down

Mike Mettler Mar 04, 2026

Once and forever iconoclast Vernon Reid, the Britain-born guitarist for iconic American band Living Colour, is perpetually in pursuit of sonic excellence, regardless the point of entry. "A lot of different things have attracted me—everything from gentle breeze to thunder and lightning," Reid told me during a recent Zoom interview.

Rabbit Holes

Rabbit Holes #21: Bob Dylan Through the Open Window, the Bootleg series Vol.18

Sasha Matson Mar 03, 2026

Columbia Legacy has released Vol.18 of the Bob Dylan Bootleg Series. Through the Open Window covers the years 1956–1963. The collection is available as three physical sets: two-CD or four-LP "Highlights" versions that contain 42 tracks, and an eight-CD "Deluxe Edition Box Set" that contains 139 tracks and has a running time of 8 hours, 59 minutes.

News

D'Agostino Unveils the Momentum Z Mono Amplifier

Jason Victor Serinus Mar 02, 2026

On January 12, 2026, Dan D'Agostino Master Systems welcomed some 52 international audio dealers and distributors, and four members of the audio press, to the unveiling of the new Momentum Z mono amplifier ($125,000/pair) at the company's factory in Cave Creek, AZ. This 15th Anniversary event included an extended description of the product and a factory tour.

Aural Robert

The Passing of Two Americana Greats: Joe Ely and Raul Malo

Robert Baird Mar 02, 2026

Just before Christmas 2025, American music suffered two irreplaceable losses with the passings of Raul Malo (December 8) and Joe Ely (December 15). While a lot of musicians exist on the artistic and commercial fringes, Malo and Ely were foundational artists, gifted creators and performers who refused to be confined by artistic boundaries.

Sweepstakes

Enter for a chance to win a Criton 1TD-X speaker kit!

Stereophile Marketing Mar 01, 2026

The Criton 1TD-X is a highly acclaimed speaker kit that has earned rave reviews from critics and customers alike. Praised for its detailed yet non-fatiguing sound, deep and impactful bass, and exceptional imaging, the 1TD-X has received hundreds of 5-star reviews and appears on multiple "best of" lists from reviewers.

Budget Component Reviews Turntable Reviews

Technics SL-50C record player

Tom Fine Feb 27, 2026

Every first love leaves a strong impression. Hopefully it's a good one. Those of us who are phonography-positive fondly remember our first good record playing system, the first turntable-cartridge combo that let the music turn us on. Maybe it was simple, maybe it was fussy, maybe it was unreliable—no matter, it had that special ability to bring the excitement, beauty, and humanity out of the vinyl grooves, through our audio systems, and into our souls.

Music and Recording Features

Studio Confidential Interview Series, Part 3: Elliot Scheiner

Mike Mettler Feb 26, 2026

If not for the skill level of the producers and engineers who ensure recordings are able to get to the finish line, we may never have heard some of the best music of the past century-plus sound as good as it does. In Part 3 of our three-part Studio Confidential interview series, Mike Mettler talks with Elliot Scheiner, who has worked with Eagles, Steely Dan, Van Morrison, and many, many others, about what made him want to become a producer, his favorite album of those he’s worked on (it'll probably surprise you), and how he views surround-sound mixing.