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Records 2 Live 4 2026

Stereophile Staff Jan 22, 2026

When this feature premiered in 1991, it was intended as a list of recordings that were, in the words of Richard Lehnert, the music editor at the time, "both musically and sonically impeccable—in other words, the best, the tops, to die for."

Audacious Audio Solid State Preamp Reviews

CH Precision L10 Stereo line preamplifier

Jason Victor Serinus Jan 21, 2026

Stereophile strives to distribute the wealth equally. Did that get your attention? What the statement refers to, in terminology devoid of dollar signs, is that Stereophile attempts to review products from different companies rather than repeatedly focus on products from a single company.

Re-Tales

Re-Tales #62: Sticking With It, 36 Years of Accent on Music

Julie Mullins Jan 20, 2026

David and Alma Wilson must be doing something right. They've been married for 50 years, and for 36 years, they've owned and operated Accent on Music on Main Street in Mount Kisco, New York, about an hour north of New York City.

Brilliant Corners Capital AudioFest 2025 Music and Recording Reviews

Brilliant Corners #35: the 2025 Capital Audiofest and a Classic Frank Sinatra Album

Alex Halberstadt Jan 19, 2026

"You should come to CAF," Ken Micallef said. He has been saying this for what seems like decades. "It's cool, smaller and more manageable than AXPONA. You'll like it."

As We See It

Sound Pressure: Listening to Loudspeakers

Jim Austin Jan 16, 2026

Sometimes speakers talk to me. Usually when they do, they ask me to move them, or to move myself—the listening position—to suit them.

Recording of the Month

Recording of February 2026: Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde

Jason Victor Serinus Jan 15, 2026

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Marie-Nicole Lemieux, contralto; Andrew Staples, tenor. Les Siècles, François-Xavier Roth, cond.
Harmonia Mundi HMM 902740 (CD; reviewed as 24/96). 2026. Jiri Heger, prod., eng.
Performance *****

Music and Recording Reviews

January 2026 Classical Record Reviews

Jason Victor Serinus, Stephen Francis Vasta Jan 14, 2026

Erin Morley & Lawrence Brownlee: Golden Age; Elena Firsova & Dmitri Smirnov: Love And Loss; Ben-Haim: Symphony No.2, Israel Philharmonic/Lahav Shani; Mahler: Symphony No.7, National Symphony Orchestra/Gianandrea Noseda.

Music and Recording Reviews

January 2026 Jazz Record Reviews

Robert Baird, Thomas Conrad Jan 14, 2026

Roy Brooks: The Free Slave; Amanda Monaco: Deathblow; Timo Vollbrecht: Bremen New York; Sun Ra And His Intergalactic Myth Science Solar Arkestra: Sleeping Beauty & On Jupiter.

Music and Recording Reviews

January 2026 Rock/Pop Record Reviews

Robert Baird, Larry Birnbaum, Ray Chelstowski Jan 14, 2026

Richard Ashcroft: Lovin' You; Chris Stamey: Anything Is Possible; Pigeons Playing Ping Pong: Feed the Fire; Joseph Kamaru: Heavy Combination 1966–2007.

Rabbit Holes

Rabbit Holes #20: More (and more, and more) songs from Talking Heads

Tom Fine Jan 13, 2026

For a lot of bands, the second album is intimidating. There are numerous examples of sophomore slumps, which sometimes lead to a band's quick end. Talking Heads didn't just avoid a sophomore slump; they scored their first top-40 hit and put their career on solid, sky-is-the-limit footing.