LATEST ADDITIONS

There’s nothing like a new turntable to set my pulse racing. So when I first saw the thread‑drive, magnetic‑bearing Yukiseimitsu Audio AP‑01 ($31,975) at last year’s AXPONA, my jaw dropped, my scalp tingled, and my ears pricked up. It’s back this year in its new EM edition—still sleek, still strange.

At AXPONA, Steve Jain’s Fidelity Imports and UK-based Ruark Audio teamed up to present a stylish, musically satisfying system. Founded in 1985 on England’s south coast, Ruark is known for combining classic British design with forward-thinking engineering.

Sierra Sound’s Michael Fajen assembled a system that stopped more than a few showgoers in their tracks—built around not one but two turntables.

Tom Vu founded TriangleArt in 1999, and he’s not about to let up now.

One Saturday not long before press time for this issue, I received an email from Technical Editor (and former Editor) John Atkinson with the subject line, "20 Years Ago."

"Just read your May 2005 As We See It for the first time in many years," John wrote. "Great stuff!"

Could 20 years really have passed since I wrote that piece? Back then, I was in a different career, indulging my hi-fi passion by contributing to Stereophile on the side; now I'm in my seventh year as Stereophile editor. Then I was still a youngish dude; now I am an oldish dude. "Time flies" just doesn't capture it.

Some readers will surely remember that long-ago editorial. It was about a product dubbed the Intelligent Chip, a small piece of—well, something—encased in plastic. I wrote, "This small, plastic-encased device is claimed to permanently improve the sound of CDs. Just place the chip atop your CD player, insert a CD, and press Play. 'The sound of the upgraded disc more closely resembles the sound of the original master recording.'"

Aldo Filippelli of Luxury Audio Group brought essentially the same system he showed at the Florida Audio Expo, where Mark Henninger and Julie Mullins filed a comprehensive video report. Familiar or not, the performance was still superb.

At AXPONA 2025’s Ear Gear Experience, Manley Labs president EveAnna Manley unveiled a long-rumored project: the company’s Precision Line and Phono Stage. Designed to marry tube tradition with modern functionality, the unit houses 10 triodes powered by Manley’s proprietary switch-mode supply. Behind its sculpted faceplate are six inputs, each assignable for line-level or RIAA-equalized signals, offering up to 75dB of gain.