Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Mini
<i>The Zeppelin Mini: It looks great anywhere—even in the kitchen—but you'll want to avoid potential early-morning accidents or you might end up buttering your iPhone.</i>
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September 16, 1977
<i>Me, in the middle of another intense stare-down with my computer screen. (The screen always wins.)</i>
Say Yes
This is weird: French hip-hop producer, Jean-Christophe Le Saout (aka Wax Tailor), is releasing "Say Yes," the lead single off his third album, <i>In The Mood For Life</i>, as a dual-layer compact disc/miniature-vinyl.
Now on Newsstands: Stereophile, Vol.32 No.10
The October 2009 issue of <i>Stereophile</i> is now on newsstands. I hope you will enjoy reading this issue as much as we enjoyed putting it together. It was a lot of work, but it was also incredibly satisfying. The front cover is, in my opinion, our best and boldest of the year, which is appropriate because this issue not only includes our popular "Recommended Components" list but also pays tribute to <i>Stereophile</i>'s founder, J. Gordon Holt, who passed away <a href="http://stereophile.com/news/j_gordon_holt/">in July</a>. It is indeed a special issue.
Creepy Violent Strange
Thirsty for some new music? I have a hard time understanding people when they say they have nothing new to listen to. It seems like everyone's making complete albums available for easy streaming these days. Here are a few I've just sort of stumbled upon over the last couple of days:
Moscode 402Au power amplifier
It seems as if I came of audiophile age in the George Kaye era. The first <I>truly</I> high-end system I ever heard contained a pair of Julius Futterman OTL monoblocks that Kaye had "finished" after Futterman's death in 1979 (footnote 1). In the mid-1980s, I owned both an New York Audio Labs (NYAL) Superit phono section and a Moscode 300 amplifier—two lovely examples of high-value high-end. Both components were far from perfect, but they were <I>fun</I>—and, unlike most of the other components that were then highly regarded by magazines and listeners, I could afford them.
Wilson Audio Specialties MAXX Series 3 loudspeaker
Though taller, narrower, deeper, more gracefully sculpted, and even more mantis-like than the MAXX Series 2 that I <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/805wilson">reviewed</A> in the August 2005 <I>Stereophile</I>, at first glance the Wilson Audio Specialties MAXX Series 3 seems little more than a minor reworking of its predecessor with a major increase in price: from $44,900 to $68,000 per pair. But first looks can be deceiving. Take a closer, longer gaze—or, better yet, spend some time <I>listening</I> (especially if you've spent time with the MAXX 2)—and you'll quickly realize that while the familiar Wilson design concepts remain in play, the MAXX 3 is <I>far</I> more than a minor reworking of an older model.
Recording of September 2009: American Classic
<B>Willie Nelson: <I>American Classic</I></B><BR>
Blue Note 5099926719726 (CD). 2009. Tommy LiPuma, prod.; Al Schmitt, Steve Genewick, engs. AAD? TT: 45:33<BR>
Performance ****½<BR>
Sonics ****
Fragile Souls
<I>And every time, this thought hit me: It wasn't a record she was handling. It was a fragile soul inside a glass bottle.</I>—From <I>South of the Border, West of the Sun</I>, by Haruki Murakami
Will the era of downloads and streaming also lead to an audiophile resurgence?
Both the vinyl LP and digital CD formats and their players proved fertile ground for audiophile tinkering and paved the way for new companies and technological innovation. Will the era of downloads and streaming also lead to an audiophile resurgence?