LATEST ADDITIONS

Audacious Audio Solid State Power Amp Reviews

Goldmund Telos 2800 monoblock power amplifier

Jim Austin Dec 26, 2025

Frederich Nietzsche distinguished between two approaches to culture: The Apollonian, which is characterized by order and rationality, and Dionysian, which is about chaos, intoxication, and vitality. Apollo was the god of Music, Art, Light, and Knowledge, and to Nietzsche, the Apollonian impulse was the main source of beauty.

Gramophone Dreams Phono Cartridge Reviews

Gramophone Dreams #104: Vintage Systems, Vintage Cartridges Part 1

Herb Reichert Dec 24, 2025

Richard Cirulnick's system.

Last week, a black sedan pulled up by the curb in front of my building. I recognized the driver, Richard Cirulnick, because an old audio-world buddy named Al Rhodes introduced me to him at the New York Audio Show in 2017. Since then, we've hung out a lot, especially at audio shows . . .

Music and Recording Features Sound Chaser

Sound Chaser #5: John Lodge - Timeless Flights

Mike Mettler Dec 23, 2025

How many adventurous rock'n'roll bands forged in the late-'60s/early-'70s would have been left by the wayside—or relegated to languish in perpetual cutout-bin purgatory—had it not been for the wide-open programming M.O. of stereo-loving FM radio stations? The Moody Blues could very easily have been one of those sidelined, notched-cover footnotes . . .

Re-Tales

Re-Tales #61: A Tale of Two Walters

Julie Mullins Dec 22, 2025

A common theme in this space in Stereophile is the need to reach new audiences and generate broader interest in the hi-fi hobby. At a time when traditional hi-fi buyers are becoming scarcer—as older generations pass on—the need becomes more critical to the industry's survival. Recently, two industry stalwarts—who both happen to be named Walter—have come together to form "an audio distribution and marketing superpower."

My Back Pages

Why the Music We Love Feels Different Now

Rogier van Bakel Dec 19, 2025

There's a scene in the 2002 movie The Pianist in which Adrien Brody's character, the Polish-Jewish pianist Władysław Szpilman, is hiding in the ruins of a Warsaw villa. The Nazi officer who discovers him asks what he did before the war. "I was a pianist," Szpilman stammers. The German points to a battered grand piano and orders him to play something.

Recording of the Month

Recording of January 2026: Pur ti miro

Jason Victor Serinus Dec 18, 2025

Pur ti miro
Wu Wei, sheng; Martin Stegner, viola; Janne Saksala, double bass
ECM New Series 2843 (CD; reviewed as 24/96). 2025. Manfred Eicher, exec. prod.; Martin Sauer, eng.

As We See It

Hidden Music, Fake Musicians

Jim Austin Dec 17, 2025

Lately in this space I've focused on all things (rather, some things) analog. This month I return to digital, specifically to streaming. I love listening to records, but I also listen to a lot of streamed music. I'm a Qobuz devotee, since Qobuz is the most approachable streaming service and the friendliest to audiophiles.

Music and Recording Reviews

December 2025 Classical Record Reviews

Jason Victor Serinus, Stephen Francis Vasta Dec 16, 2025

G.F. Handel: Handel Arias, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson; Dvořák: Slavonic Dances; John Dowland/Henry Purcell: Songs of Passion; Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.4 In G Major, Sciarrino: Il Sogno Di Stradella; Mozart: Sonata in C, Andante with Variations, Schubert: Duo in A minor; Fantasy in F minor.

Music and Recording Reviews

December 2025 Jazz Record Reviews

Thomas Conrad Dec 16, 2025

Nicole Glover: Memories, Dreams, Reflections; Randy Ingram: Aries Dance; Eric McPherson: Double Bass Quartet.

Music and Recording Reviews

December 2025 Rock/Pop Record Reviews

Robert Baird, Ray Chelstowski Dec 16, 2025

Jeff Tweedy: Twilight Override; Big Thief: Double Infinity; Blood Orange: Essex Honey; Tedeschi Trucks Band and Leon Russell: Mad Dogs & Englishmen Revisited, Live at Lockn'.