LATEST ADDITIONS

MartinLogan's <A HREF="http://stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/145/index7.html">Gayle Sanders</A> has almost single-handedly raised the electrostatic/dynamic hybrid loudspeaker to a position of prominence in the High End. First, there was the MartinLogan Monolith (reviewed in Vol.8 No.3 and Vol.9 No.3), followed by the much more affordable Sequel (reviewed in Vol.11 No.12, Vol.12 Nos.8, 9, and 12, and Vol.14 No.2). Then came the subject of this review, the Quest, and most recently the diminutive Aerius, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/312">reviewed by JA</A> elsewhere in this issue.

Just look at the dates and you'll see a legacy that essentially spans the entire history of electrical music reproduction. That's fitting. In his career&mdash;or more properly, many careers&mdash;Irving M. ("Bud") Fried all but embodied that era.

If you're an audiophile&mdash;and let's face it, who else would be reading this&mdash;then you know what <I>any</I> hard-core audioweenie would do when visiting a strange city. Visit the hi-fi shops, of course.

When we <A HREF="http://stereophile.com/news/011705dorian/">last left them</A>, a troubled Dorian Group had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In mid-January, the company issued a statement indicating that it would liquidate its assets and begin requesting bids for the purchase of the company in a sealed bidding process authorized by the US Bankruptcy Court, Northern New York District.

When you download a music file from pay services, you get DRM or digital rights management that restricts how you use the file. Is this a problem for you?

They say you never forget your first time. For me, it was an Audio Research SP-6B that had been heavily modified by Analogique in NYC&mdash;which meant, among other things, that yellow capacitors shunted other yellow capacitors all the way up to the top plate. That first taste of the High End&mdash;prior to that, you might say my face had been pressed against the window&mdash;was definitely love at first listen. That SP-6B was warm yet detailed, and I ended up building a system around it that at least one friend described as a huge musical wet kiss.

Audio Research's long-promised "final statement" phono preamplifier has finally arrived, and its price is $3500 less than the originally rumored $10,000. That's a pleasant deviation from the audiophile norm, but at $6495, the Reference phono still boasts a steep ticket. That's more than twice the price of the $2495 PH3 SE, AR's previous best&mdash;a class sonic act itself.