Where Measurements and Performance Meet featuring Andrew Jones

Electrocompaniet + Ø Audio at High End Munich 2025

LATEST ADDITIONS

Listening #125

Art Dudley May 06, 2013

Monday, January 14, was a difficult day for the abandoned amusement park that is my body. In the morning, I packed two Lamm ML2.2 amplifiers into their wooden crates and wrestled them outside for collection by some unlucky air-freight courier. After that, I backed up my car to the tiny front porch of our house so I could unload a pair of 1966 Altec Valencia loudspeakers I'd collected the day before: in excess of 100 pounds each, just like the crated Lamms, but considerably larger.

Ariel Bitran

Passion of the Hi-Fi: Part V – Imbalance

Ariel Bitran May 05, 2013

My hi-fi basked in morning sunshine. The sparkling white finish of the Usher 520s reflected angular glints of yellow light across plaster walls. Birds chirped as I hoped for the best. Would my bass bloat be gone? Would I have an evenly dispersed image?

Headphone Reviews InnerFidelity

ToTL Madness! 24 Top-of-the-Line Custom In-Ear Monitors Reviewed

John Grandberg, Tyll Hertsens, ljokerl, Steve Guttenberg, Dinny FitzPatrick May 04, 2013

This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com

It's extremely hard to compare custom IEMs. Few users have more than one pair, so direct personal comparisons are rare. They can't be measured by InnerFidelity because they don't fit in the measurement head's ears. What to do?

Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead! In this review 5 InnerFidelity writers, blessed with the generosity of manufacturers willing to put their ToTL CIEMs through the ringer do a massive comparative review of 24 of the worlds best custom in-ear monitors.

Epic!

Ariel Bitran

Remix: UNKWON Does “Love and Respect” by When Saints Go Machine feat. Killer Mike

Ariel Bitran May 02, 2013

On March 27, 2013, Stephen Mejias blogged about the single “Love and Respect” from Danish electro-pop group When Saints Go Machine, which “features Killer Mike offering strong and exciting contrast to Nikolaj Manuel Vonsild’s delicate falsetto.” Although the track left him “wanting more,” SM admitted the restraint from both Killer Mike and Vonsild made his yearning a good thing.

In UNKWON’s remix of this track, the Danish DJ leaves yearning at the door, and unleashes an onslaught of sonic manipulations, big bass, and layered tambourines, handclaps, snares, and bells transforming the track from one of self-discipline to groove indulgence.

Fred Kaplan

2013 Jazz Journalism Awards

Fred Kaplan May 02, 2013

The Jazz Journalists Association, of which I'm a member, announced its awards yesterday. Here are the winners in the major categories (a full list of the nominees and the winners can be found here and here), followed by my own choices (which, as you will see, differ from the consensus more than usual).

(It's worth noting up top that Sonny Rollins was declared "Emeritus Jazz Artist / Beyond Voting," which, though a bit of a cop-out, is sort of fitting.)

Sweepstakes

Logic3 Scuderia R300 Headphone Sweepstakes

Stereophile Staff Apr 30, 2013

Register to win a Logic3 Scuderia R300 Headphone (MSRP $349.00) we are giving away.

Distinctive design inspired by the Scuderia Ferrari racing team and the aerodynamic air vents and traditional grille incorporated in the GT Cars. Active Noise Cancellation Technology (ANC) powered batteries, reducing unwanted ambient noise. Closed-back design which seals the ear pads to prevent loss of music dynamics. Robust machined crafted metal arms and diamond shaped grille finish to ensure durability and quality. Ultra-Soft ear pads constructed from enhanced breathable materials to ensure maximum comfort. Ergonomic 2-way folding design for compact storage and includes a Scuderia Ferrari carry case trimmed in carbon fibre texture for additional protection. Anti-tangle and detachable in-line remote cables trimmed in woven fabric.

[This Sweepstakes is now closed.]

Interviews AXPONA 2013

Stereophile Editor John Atkinson on Axpona, Affordable Audio, Analog, & Audiophiles

Stereophile Staff Apr 30, 2013

At the 2013 AXPONA in Chicago in March, Cool Cleveland asked JA for his thoughts on the state of high-end audio. His answers might surprise you.

Digital Processor Reviews Computer Audio Reviews

iFi Audio iDAC & iUSBPower USB D/A processor & outboard power supply

Art Dudley Apr 30, 2013

Bratty, mollycoddled, and altogether spoiled consumers such as you and I have inflicted on computer audio the same injustice that laparoscopic surgery, antilock brakes, mobile telephones, word processors, e-mail, microwave ovens, and over-the-counter proton-pump inhibitors have suffered at our hands in recent years: In less time than it takes to say "ho-hum," we've knocked it from the pedestal to which all such breakthroughs are entitled and begun taking it for granted.

The Entry Level

The Entry Level #29

Stephen Mejias Apr 29, 2013

It wasn't very long ago that I boasted, in my casual, self-effacing way, that I didn't really like headphonesthat I didn't need headphones. Because most people in the New York metropolitan area would rather die than communicate with each other, they use headphones as a sort of fortress of solitude, shielding themselves not only from their physical environment but from all other living creatures. I, however, claimed to enjoy listening to the sounds of the world around meeven screeching tires, blaring sirens, and the drone of air ducts could be musical. La-di-da.

As We See It

What Price Audio?

Robert Deutsch Apr 29, 2013

Few topics ignite more heated arguments among audiophiles than the price of audio equipment. How much do you have to spend to get really good sound? Are people who buy expensive gear wasting their money, or is it simply a matter of getting what you pay for? There are many such issues, most of which have been discussed at length in Stereophile and various online forums; here are a few I haven't seen addressed except in passing.