LATEST ADDITIONS

On two occasions I've caught myself wondering how to afford a pair of Wilson Audio loudspeakers. Interestingly, both happened within the past year. The first was in April 2009, at the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/ssi2009/wilsons_to_the_maxx">Son et Image show in Montreal</A>, during a demonstration of the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/wilson_audio_specialties_m… Series 3</A>. The experience was notable for its blend of genuinely great sound with genuine musicality: Each performance unfolded of its own natural accord, with human randomness and nuance, and without the fussy, mechanical, shallow artifice that attracts some audiophiles in the way a carnivorous plant attracts flies&#151;and, if they're lucky, kills them (the audiophiles, that is).

February is traditionally the month for music features, so I start this column with some recordings you really should hear. This year I had a greater-than-usual number of worthy candidates for "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/Records%202%20Die%204">Records To Die For</A>." Which discs got named as R2D4s and which got column coverage was, to quote the Iron Duke, a near-run thing.

During my recent interview with the Sheffield Lab people in connection with their Moscow recording sessions (Vol.10 No.3), both Lincoln Mayorga and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/sheffield_steel_doug_sax">Doug Sax</A> had some unkind things to say about the cost of recording an orchestra in the US. Their complaints are justified. It costs more to record in the US than anywhere else in the world, and these astronomical costs are detrimental both to symphonic music in the US and to the audiophile's pursuit of sonic perfection.

Consider this a wish list from someone who loves owning classic jazz albums reissued on clean, thick slabs of virgin vinyl, preferably cut at 45 rpm—but who’s weary of seeing the same titles pop up over and over again with each slightly new format (180g, 200g, single-sided 45, clarity, etc.). I understand the impulse: certain labels and titles have a mystique (e.g., Blue Note and <I>Blue Train</I>); they’re surefire winners; it’s an uncertain business, so go with the sure thing.

<a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/all_schmutzed_up_and_i_dont_k… problem</a> has not been solved.

In the beginning, I had a room adjacent to my office&#151;a room filled with bicycles, hi-fi gear, and assorted crap I'd never gotten around unpacking since our last move. Feeling ambitious, I thought I might turn it into a guest room, and emptied it.

Revolver? More like <I>evolver</I>: 80 years after the first electrically driven record players became available, professional and amateur engineers continue to seek new ways to spin LPs with ever-greater steadiness and precision.