If you read <I>Stereophile</I>'s audio news regularly, you'll frequently see items such as <I>XYZ Audio Acquired by Megalomart, Inc.</I> Have you ever wondered about what that really means? I haven't, and I <I>write</I> those stories. Heck, now that I think about it, over the last eight years, <I>Stereophile</I> has even <I>lived</I> one of those stories.
<I>Jamo's jammin':</I> At the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), <I>Stereophile</I> was entranced by the look of <A HREF="http://www.jamo.com/">Jamo</A>'s striking reference R 909 "open baffle" loudspeaker ($14,999/pair). The dipolar high-gloss R 909 (available in black, red, or yellow) dispenses with the conventional box enclosure, mounting two 15" (380mm) woofers, a proprietary 5.5" (150mm) hard-conical cone (HCC) midrange, and a 1" (25mm) ScanSpeak Revelator tweeter into its raked-back front baffle, which is reinforced by a "flying" rib that lends it rigidity.
Back in the day, one of the first reviews to be posted in our free online archives at www.stereophile.com was Michael Fremer's June 1999 report on the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/139">Sonus Faber Amati Homage</A> loudspeaker. The Amati was the second in the Italian manufacturer's top range, the Homage line, which is dedicated to the master makers of stringed instruments of 17th-century Cremona. The first was the Guarneri Homage (<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/487">reviewed by Martin Colloms</A> in July 1994), while the third was the Stradivari Homage (<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/105sonus">reviewed by MF</A> in January 2005). Mikey was so impressed by the Amati that he purchased the review samples and used them as his reference for almost three years.
Perhaps there is no subject more vigorously debated among audiophiles than the primacy of the loudspeaker. Many 'philes believe there is no more important element in a hi-fi system—after all, they reason, it doesn't matter how good the components ahead of the speakers are; if the transducers can't reproduce the signal, you can't hear it. On the other hand, the source adherents maintain, speakers can't reproduce information that hasn't been retrieved from the recording. Loudspeakers can limit the amount of information you hear, but they can't increase it. This is one of those irresolvable paradoxes similar to the question of which came first, the roast chicken or the omelet.
Tom Swift is a talented young loudspeaker designer. Tom believes that he has never been able to prove exactly how talented he is, because the company he works for refuses to build the cost-no-object loudspeaker he's been doodling designs for (on company time).
<B>TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony 6, Serenade for Strings</B><BR>
Daniele Gatti, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra<BR>
Harmonia Mundi HMU 907394 (SACD). 2006. Brad Michel, prod.; Chris Barrett, Craig Silvry, engs. DSD. TT: 77:09<BR>
Performance <B>*****</B><BR>
Sonics <B>*****</B>
<b>Q</b>: Have I mentioned that I'm not too fond of the Ayre's appearance?<br>
<b>A</b>: <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/101805until/">Why, yes, I have</a>.
Here's something counter-intuitive, despite the fact that cooking shows seem to be ubiquitous on the higher numbered channels, Americans' cooking skill have atrophied to the point that recipes now avoid once common terms like "dredge," "fold," and "cream." God forbid you should use my old fudge-making nemesis, "Cook until the soft-ball stage."
Bawkward ran the physics until reeled the mind! I nod and say <I>un hunh</I>, but that's not comprehension you see dawning on my face.
At least, that's what In-Stat's survey shows. Seems low to me, but maybe a lot of folks are putting white earbuds on those $25 flash-drive players.