<I>The Amateur Gourmet</I> received a press release promoting Alain Ducasse's $320 white truffle <I>prix fixe</I> menu. He wrote back that neither he nor his readers could afford that, but he'd gladly come taste it and report on his experiences. Ducasse said sure and <I>TAG</I> posted his report, as promised.
"The Cat Attack uses the latest research in chaos theory and complex systems to emulate the movements and personality of a cat's favorite prey. This "virtual mouse" technology utilizes algorithms based on a six-dimensional coupled nzmap system modeled on the neural network of a real mouse. What that all means is that the Cat Attack's "virtual mouse" will become your cat's new best friend!"
The 2006 <I>Stereophile</I> Products of the Year have just been revealed in the December issue. What is <I>your</I> product of the year?
<B>Wes Phillips on the Sessions</B>
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One of the enduring myths of audiophilia is that of the recording as a true and honest picture of a musical event—a sonic "snapshot" that captures a unique moment of time the way a photograph captures the light of a day long since past.
The P-8 ($11,000) is the second of Simaudio's Moon Evolution series that has passed through my system, following on the heels of the Moon Evolution W-8 power amplifier, which I <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/solidpoweramps/306sim">reviewed in March 2006</A>. Fortunately, the P-8's arrival preceded the W-8's departure, so I was able to use them together as well as with other components.
The single most enduring <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/406awsi">controversy</A> in audio is: What method or methods should we use to evaluate the performance of audio equipment?
<B>ONE FOR ALL: <I>The Lineup</I></B><BR>
Eric Alexander, tenor sax; Jim Rotondi, trumpet, flugelhorn; Steve Davis, trombone; David Hazeltine, piano, Fender Rhodes; John Webber, bass; Joe Farnsworth, drums<BR>
Sharp Nine CD 1037-2 (CD). 2006. Marc Edelman, prod.; Katherine Miller, eng. DDD. TT: 57:42<BR>
Performance <B>****½</B><BR>
Sonics <B>****</B>
<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/musicrecordings/1206cantus"><I>There Lies the Home</I></A>, the sixth CD of Minnesotan male-voice choir Cantus recorded by <I>Stereophile</I> editor John Atkinson, is released this week.
What is the best environment in which to demonstrate and enjoy high-quality audio gear? According to Richard Rives Bird, founder and president of <A HREF="http://www.rivesaudio.com">Rives Audio</A>, the answer is simple: an acoustically engineered room.
