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Interviews

Audio Beginnings

Wes Phillips Dec 16, 2013

My e-mailbox fills up with press releases announcing new products and new companies, and that always makes me wonder: Where does all this stuff come from?

I mean, I have lots of ideasI feel like Butch Cassidy: "I have vision, and the rest of the world wears bifocals." But there's a huge gap between having a good idea and starting a company that successfully gets that idea out in front of the public. And, I suspect, there's an even greater gulf between getting a product out there and actually making a living at it.

Stephen Mejias

My Favorite Records of 2013

Stephen Mejias Dec 13, 2013

Here’s a list of my 50 favorite albums of 2013. This is by no means a definitive list. These aren’t “the best” or “the most important” records of the year. They’re simply the 50 records that, for one reason or another, managed to capture my attention, spark my imagination, excite and inspire me. They also often drove me into fits of loud song, wild dance, and happy laughter. I love these records, I’m grateful for them, and I want to share them with you. Many of these you will already know. Others will be new to you. I hope you enjoy them all as much as I do, but I will, of course, understand if you don’t. Please feel free to share your own favorites in the Comments section.

Headphone Reviews The Entry Level

The Entry Level #36

Stephen Mejias Dec 12, 2013

In an August 21 post to his popular Lefsetz Letter blog, music-industry analyst Bob Lefsetz shared with his readers the great and often surprising joy of listening to music through a good set of headphones, specifically the open-back, planar-magnetic Audeze LCD-2. Lefsetz clearly does not mess around: He went straight to the top of the headphone hierarchy. If you're at all familiar with the exciting world of headphone listening, you've heard of Audeze (pronounced odyssey). Since their impressive debut at the 2009 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, the young audio company has drawn from hi-fi critics and enthusiasts the sort of rave reviews typically reserved for the most respected brands.

Solid State Power Amp Reviews

Lindell AMPX power amplifier

John Marks Dec 12, 2013

Lindell Audio, a Swedish professional-audio company, was founded in 2010 by recording engineer Tobias Lindell, and claims to offer equipment "by engineers, for engineers." Tobias Lindell specifies the features and functions that he wants each product to incorporate; the actual circuit designs are by others. Although Lindell's corporate headquarters are in Sweden, the products are manufactured in China, and are competitively priced.

Tube Power Amp Reviews

Sophia Electric 91-01 300B monoblock power amplifier

Art Dudley Dec 12, 2013

"We put music in the souls of our amplifiers. Every amplifier, every tube, every transformer has music in its soul."

Not to be cynical, but I've heard, over the years, countless variations on that sentiment. Not to be naïve, but it rang with somewhat-greater-than-usual sincerity when given voice by 45-year-old Richard Wugangfounder, with his late father, of Virginia-based Sophia Electric, Inc.

Headphone Reviews InnerFidelity

The Sumptuous and Sonorous Bowers & Wilkins P7

Tyll Hertsens Dec 12, 2013

This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com

Of course they're gorgeous looking, B&W just doesn't make stuff that's not drop-dead sexy. The big surprise here is how good they sound...how damned good they sound in some ways!

Reference

Lossy Compression: the Sonic Dangers

Peter W. Mitchell, Robert Harley Dec 10, 2013

Editor's Introduction: In 2013, lossy compression is everywherewithout lossy codecs like MP3, Dolby Digital, DTS, A2DP, AAC, apt-X, and Ogg Vorbis, there would be no Web audio services like Spotify or Pandora, no multichannel soundtracks on DVD, no Bluetooth audio, no DAB and HDradio, no Sirius/XM, and no iTunes, to quote the commercial successes and no Napster, MiniDisc, or DCC, to quote the failures. Despite their potential for damage to the music, the convenience and sometimes drastic reduction in audio file size have made lossy codecs ubiquitous in the 21st century. Stereophile covered the development of lossy compression; following is an article from more than two decades ago warning of the sonic dangers.Editor

Sweepstakes

Five Happy Winners

Ariel Bitran Dec 10, 2013

Nick L. visits the Stereophile New York City office to pick up his brand new Audiofly AF78 in-ear monitors ($200) he won in the Audiofly headphone sweepstakes this summer. His comments throughout the years as Volvic here at Stereophile.com have detailed his love for Simaudio and YBA gear, analog playback, and taking care of his family. Now Stereophile is showing him some love back. Nick was just one of four winners for this sweeps.

Digital Processor Reviews

Electrocompaniet Classic ECD 2 D/A processor

John Atkinson Dec 05, 2013

In more than 37 years of working at audio magazines, I have never reviewed an Electrocompaniet product. With this review of the company's ECD 2 digital/analog processor, which costs a dollar short of $3100, that streak of inattention has come to an end.

Solid State Preamp Reviews Audacious Audio

Simaudio Moon Evolution 850P line preamplifier

Brian Damkroger Dec 05, 2013

When I reviewed Simaudio's Moon Evolution 880M monoblock amplifier for the June 2013 issue, I communicated via phone and e-mail with the company's VP of marketing, Lionel Goodfield. When the topic of hearing the 880Ms at their best came up, I could almost imagine him shrugging as he said, "Just use it with the most transparent, revealing preamp you can find." Not surprisingly, he then went on to say that Simaudio's own Moon Evolution 850P would serve nicely in that role. My cynical side might normally have discounted any such suggestion from a marketing man, but I'd been hearing the same sort of thing from other sources. And, as it happened, there was an 850P at Stereophile World Headquarters . . .