LATEST ADDITIONS

I start this review with a confession. I have consistently found that when I play CDs on a transport and feed the digital data via AES3 (AES/EBU) to a D/A processor, the music has more drive, particularly at low frequencies, than it does when I send the same 16/44.1 data to the same D/A processor via my network.

Look closely at the audio system in the photo. It belongs to my friend, and fellow audio seeker, Devon Turnbull (aka Ojas). Notice every object in the room, particularly the arrangement of amplifiers, and turntables, and that awesome herd of cartridges on the table in front of the listening chair.

Register to win one of three Carlos Santana Blessings and Miracles Vinyl Editions (value $34.98 each), or a limited edition Carlos Santana hand signed Blessings & Miracles PRS SE Doublecut Electric Guitar (value: $2,995/priceless) we are giving away.

"Santana delivers one of the most ambitious, inspired, and magical records of his storied career. There are genre-bending, hook-filled celebrations featuring Rob Thomas, Chris Stapleton, G-Eazy, American Authors and Ally Brooke, and thrilling feats of bravura musicianship that pair the guitar master with fellow icons like Chick Corea and Steve Winwood, and knockout rockers with Metallica's Kirk Hammett and Living Colour's Corey Glover, among others."

"Featuring the artwork from the 2021 Blessings and Miracles release, this Santana Student Edition PRS electric guitar is a must have for any collector. This is a very limited run of these guitars and is hand signed by Carlos Santana."

[This Sweepstakes is now Closed.]

No hi-fi is an island entire of itself; every component is a piece of the system, a part of the mains.—John Donne, from The Compleat Audiophile, 1623

Around the time I took over as Stereophile's editor, I bought a Peloton, the internet-enabled stationary exercise bike. It was a lifesaver during the pandemic, when gyms were closed; despite the poor audio quality and the awful music many of the instructors choose, it's good, diverting exercise.

Back when Steve Urkel (in the sitcom Family Matters, portrayed by Jaleel White) was showing everybody the best way to dress (and do property damage), my friend Ken Kessler, the high-level audio scribe at Hi-Fi News & Record Review, explained to me the secret of how to write a proper audio review: "Herb, the secret of writing an effective review is not to lose the reader in the middle." I took that to mean, put all the technological meat—and some tawdry stories—in the product description. Then sneak some spicy double entendre into the setup part.

Unfortunately, that strategy hasn't worked for me.

Isaiah J. Thompson: Composed in Color, Oscar Peterson: A Time for Love: The Oscar Peterson Quartet—Live in Helsinki, 1987, John Zorn: New Masada Quartet and Andrew Cyrille, William Parker, And Enrico Rava: 2 Blues for Cecil.

David Bowie: Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001) and The Accidentals: Vessel.