LATEST ADDITIONS

Montreal Audiofest 2026 News

Codell Audio Room at Montreal Audiofest 2026: Quad, Brinkman, Supatrac, Zesto Audio, REL, Saturn Audio, Audience

Robert Schryer Mar 26, 2026

How did an almost all-Quad system, featuring the brand’s 33 preamplifier w/ phono stage ($2299) and a pair of 303 power amps ($2299/each) in monoblock configuration driving flagship ESL 2912X speakers ($26,495/pair), sound in the Codell Audio room at Montreal Audiofest 2026? Read on to find out. . .

Computer Audio Reviews

Wattson Audio Emerson Digital network bridge

Robert Schryer Mar 26, 2026

My story with Wattson Audio began about three years ago. It happened as I was covering the Montreal Audiofest for Stereophile, in the exhibitor room helmed by Canadian distributor Phonographe. Behind a curtain, resting on the windowsill, was a stage star waiting for its big reveal—a Wattson Emerson Analog network bridge.

Montreal Audiofest 2026 News

Welcome to Montreal Audiofest 2026!

Stereophile Staff Mar 25, 2026

Robert Schryer and Ken Micallef welcome one and all to our upcoming in-depth Montreal Audiofest 2026 coverage. Besides the teaser Reels we've already been posting, Rob and Ken will be conducting show interviews and showing us lots of great new gear from the show in the days ahead, so stay tuned!

Re-Tales

Re-Tales #64: L.A.'s Common Wave Hi-Fi Attracts a Younger Audience

Julie Mullins Mar 25, 2026

Hi-fi dealerships need to find creative new ways to get customers into their stores—to stoke their interest and to help new people feel welcome. Special events are the obvious way to get them through the door and keep them coming back.

As We See It

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Jim Austin Mar 24, 2026

Two recent Stereophile columns have offered thoughts on record cleaning machines (RCMs). Writing about the Klaudio RCM (above left), Michael Trei noted that the manufacturer says to use just water. No surfactant.

Audacious Audio Floor Loudspeaker Reviews

Magico S2 loudspeaker

Rogier van Bakel Mar 20, 2026

If I have a bias toward Magico, it's because I've never heard a Magico speaker I didn't like. Even so, when I listened to the company's M6 towers ($185,000/pair) in a large demo room at AXPONA 2022, my brain broke.

Interviews

Alon Wolf: the Man Who Brings the Magic

Rogier van Bakel Mar 19, 2026

A conversation with Magico founder Alon Wolf can feel like stepping onto a moving walkway; it's best to find your balance early. Over the course of a spirited five-hour conversation at the company's impressive production facility in Hayward, California, Wolf questioned my choice of gear. Twice.

Recording of the Month

Recording of April 2026: Lucinda Williams: World's Gone Wrong

Robert Baird Mar 18, 2026

Lucinda Williams: World's Gone Wrong
Highway 20 Records/Thirty Tigers H20015LP (LP). 2026. Ray Kennedy, Tom Overby, prods.; Kennedy, John Rooney, engs.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****½

My Back Pages

Stereophile's Standards and Principles

Jim Austin Mar 16, 2026

Jim Austin (left) succeeded John Atkinson (right) as Stereophile's editor in April 2019 and has preserved the magazine's Great Wall between editorial and advertising. Here are some of the most important principles that Stereophile religiously follows.

Music and Recording Reviews

March 2026 Rock/Pop Record Reviews

Robert Baird, Phil Brett, Ray Chelstowski Mar 13, 2026

Brandi Carlile: Returning to Myself; Kings Of Leon: EP #2; New York Dolls: New York Dolls; Tyler Childers: Snipe Hunter; Dry Cleaning: Secret Love.