Gramophone Dreams

Gramophone Dreams #112: Audio Note IO II phono cartridge & Audio Note AN-S4L SUT

Herb Reichert Aug 26, 2026

When I began writing for Stereophile in 2014, I decided not to mention Audio Note. I decided this because during the best part of the 1990s, I enthusiastically represented both Audio Note UK and Audio Note Japan (Kondo). I did not want my new readers thinking my Stereophile review stories were biased by my previous affiliations.

Gramophone Dreams

Gramophone Dreams #111: Trip Wild: Crossing the Dateline

Herb Reichert Jul 21, 2026

Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi, "one of the most exquisitely grand clan houses in Southeast Asia."

I was walking with my neighbor, guide, old friend, and fabled "blue saloon" limo driver Beau Ranheim when I heard a shout from afar. It was Todd Garfinkle of M•A Recordings. "Hey Herb! Are you ready to go to Japan?"

Digital Processor Reviews Gramophone Dreams Phono Cartridge Reviews Phono Preamp Reviews

Gramophone Dreams #110: LAiV Harmony µDAC, Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue, Bob's Devices Sky 20-S

Herb Reichert Jul 01, 2026

In my studio, I have a hand-sized wood box. It is the soundbox of an African musical instrument with a small internal volume, a pencil-sized sound hole, a bent steel bridge, and an array of eight steel wires with flattened ends—a keyboard. It is called a mbira . . . you can buy a spiffy varnished mbira at Walmart, where it is called a "Kalimba."

Gramophone Dreams Headphone Reviews

Gramophone Dreams #109: Stax SR-009D, Grado Signature HP100 SE, HiFiMan Susvara Unveiled headphones

Herb Reichert Jun 10, 2026

Last year, I reported on Stax's glamorous new SR-007S electrostatic earspeakers ($2390) in conjunction with the Stax SRM-700S driver amplifier. This report was extra fun because I was just finishing up a long romantic affair with a loaner pair of vintage Stax SR-Omegas about which, in his 1995 Stereophile review, Tom Norton declared: "If you want the truth, however—at least as honestly as I've heard it in any headphones—you want the Stax SR-Omegas."

Floor Loudspeaker Reviews Gramophone Dreams Stand Loudspeaker Reviews

Gramophone Dreams #108: AER & Brian Charney Horns, the Voxativ Hagen2

Herb Reichert Apr 29, 2026

There was no limo, just a walk filled with Christmas-in-Chinatown sights from the F train east down East Broadway, past 169 Bar, under the Manhattan Bridge, to the Dim Sum Palace. I was having a dinner meetup with an artist-writer friend named Joe who invited me to hear the wide-range AER drivers that he has bolted onto clear acrylic AER baffles with big, round, clear horns on the front.

Gramophone Dreams Phono Accessory Reviews Solid State Power Amp Reviews

Gramophone Dreams #107: LAiV GaNM monoblock, Record Doctor VI (20th Anniversary Edition)

Herb Reichert Apr 01, 2026

The first thing I noticed about the LAiV Audio GaNM monoblock amplifier is its unusual shape and size; it occupies space differently than the other, more basic amplifiers on my rack. The GaNMs sat there giving off a megalithic vibe.

Gramophone Dreams Phono Cartridge Reviews Phono Preamp Reviews

Gramophone Dreams #106: Lab12 Melto2 Phono, Tzar DST V1 Black Knight Corian, Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250

Herb Reichert Feb 25, 2026

On the front page of its owner's manual, Greek amplifier manufacturer Lab12 describes the Melto2 ($4995) as a "Remote Controlled, Fully Adjustable Phono Preamplifier." I'd describe it as a clear-speaking, fun-to-use, cartridge- and record-collector's dream. Plus: It's got tubes.

Gramophone Dreams Phono Preamp Reviews

Gramophone Dreams #105: The Hot Club of New York and the Kitsuné KTE LCR-1 MK5 phono stage

Herb Reichert Feb 05, 2026

Last night, I sat on a bright yellow velveteen sofa eating red beans and rice while listening for three hours to blues and jazz from rare 78rpm records. I walked out feeling gospel-level raised up, with a head full of dreams and cultural memories.

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 . . .

Gramophone Dreams Phono Cartridge Reviews Phono Preamp Reviews

Gramophone Dreams #103: Ortofon MC X40 phono cartridge, Robyatt & Lundahl step-up transformers

Herb Reichert Nov 26, 2025

The new MC X-series moving coil cartridges appear to have jumped the fence and broken free of what I long perceived as Ortofon's traditional Scandinavian style. This month, I'm auditioning the top of the X series, the MC X40, which costs $1150 and sounds almost Japanese.