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News

Dealer Events in New York & New Jersey, Today & Tomorrow

Stereophile Staff Jun 22, 2016

Today, Wednesday, June 22, 11am7:30pm: Stereo Exchange (627 Broadway, Manhattan) will host an open house and personal-audio listening event featuring special guests, giveaways, and more, and tomorrow, Thursday, June 23, 58pm: HiFi Sales (1732 Route 70 East, Cherry Hill) will host a personal-audio listening party, featuring products from Amarra, Amps and Sound, AudioQuest, and more.

Audacious Audio Headphone Reviews

Audeze LCD-4 headphones

John Atkinson Jun 21, 2016

Life is too short to put up with poor-sounding headphones, I mused the other morning, during my 60-minute commute on the NYC subway. All around me, straphangers gripped smartphones and listened to multicolored Beats, noise-canceling Boses, white Apple earbuds, and, only rarely, Sennheisers and Grados.

Powerline Accessory Reviews

PS Audio PerfectWave P10 Power Plant AC Regenerator

Jim Austin Jun 21, 2016

Stereophile hasn't reviewed a PS Audio power regenerator since February 2009, when Robert Deutsch tried the company's then-flagship, the Power Plant Premier ($2195). But earlier this year, as I prepared to write my review of PS Audio's NuWave DSD DAC (published in the May 2016 issue), a perfect opportunity to revisit the line came about: I read, in the owner's manual for the PSA DAC, that "power conditioners and the quality of the AC power can make a significant difference in sound quality." Eager to help the NuWave DSD put its best foot forward, I asked PS Audio to assist me in dealing with my AC power, which is marginal here in crowded New York City. They sent me their PerfectWave P10 Power Plant AC Regenerator ($4999)and John Atkinson asked me to spill some ink on this most recent of the company's clean-power flagships.

Jana Dagdagan

Elton? The Man Wrote A Hit Song For Me For Christ's Sake

Jana Dagdagan Jun 20, 2016

I'm sitting on a dark leather sofa, legs crossed, lips pursed, brow furrowed.

Glenn Gould playing Bach's Goldberg Variations can be faintly heard through a tape recorder in another room. To be more specific, a Realistic CTR-68 Model 14-808B.

"Jana, you're such a strong woman. I don't understand why you so desperately rely on Elton John for emotional support and inspiration."

Interviews

Musicians as Audiophiles: Billy Drummond

Ken Micallef Jun 20, 2016

Billy Drummond is a world-class jazz musician who listens to music on what he describes as "high-performance playback equipment." Drummond has not one, but three, working systems in his cozy New Jersey home, each one lovingly tweaked, carefully positioned and closely maintained to reach optimal playback efficiency.

Fred Kaplan

Krakauer's Ancestral Groove, Checkpoint

Fred Kaplan Jun 18, 2016

Checkpoint, the new CD from David Krakauer's latest band, Krakauer's Ancestral Groove, a jazz quartet occasionally expanded into a septet, digs deep in the rock-jazz-klezmer-hip-hop sediment.

Robert Baird

Lincoln Wayne "Chips" Moman

Robert Baird Jun 17, 2016

They’re arguably the best recordings Elvis ever made.

Jason Victor Serinus

Decca’s 55 Great Vocal Recitals

Jason Victor Serinus Jun 17, 2016

It would only be fair to expect that in the new historic box set, Decca Sound 55 Great Vocal Recitals, there would be a fair number of clunkers amongst the gold. But that is anything but the case. For just a bit more than $2 per CD, you will end up with so many superb performances, recorded by singers in their prime, that unless you already possess almost everything in the boxI door you require English translations for most of its contents, purchase is a no-brainer.

Headphone Reviews

Pass Labs HPA-1 headphone amplifier

John Atkinson Jun 16, 2016

When Pass Labs is mentioned, it's natural to think of its founder, iconic engineer Nelson Pass. But Nelson heads a team of engineers at the California company: Their XP-30 preamplifier, which I enthusiastically reviewed in April 2013, was designed by Wayne Colburn; and the subject of this review, the HPA-1 headphone amplifier, is the first Pass Labs product designed by Jam Somasundram, former director of engineering for Cary Audio. Somasundram joined Pass Labs in July 2013; he spent a year working on the HPA-1, which was shown at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas, but not formally launched until the 2016 CES, at a hefty $3500.

Floor Loudspeaker Reviews

Zu Audio Soul Supreme loudspeaker

Herb Reichert Jun 16, 2016

My lifestyle consultant warned me not to review Zu Audio's Soul Supreme loudspeaker ($4500/pair).

"Why not?" I asked. "They're exciting and super-enjoyable."

"Zu speakers are not mainstream," he explained. "People either love them or hate them. They're for music lovers, not audiophiles."

"That's not true!" I whined like a disappointed child. "They play Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin with spooky soul and natural tone! They play big classical orchestrasespecially with trumpets and timpaniwith radical ease and full-tilt momentum! And . . . and . . . they project large soundstages! Isn't that what audiophiles like?"