Hitting Newsstands This Week: the September Issue!

GamuT’s impressive-sounding RS7 tower graces the cover, while inside the issue, the full reviews feature Vinnie Rossi’s unique LIO integrated amplifier, AudioQuest’s intriguing JitterBug, B&W’s affordable 683 S2 speaker, and the high-performance Acoustic Signature Triple X turntable. We take a second look at Wilson Benesch's high-performance minimonitor; assemble three high-performance desktop systems at three price levels; offer three cost-free tips for getting the best from your system; and interview iconic English singer/songwriter/guitarist Richard Thompson. And there’s more—much more.

Stereophile: serving audiophiles and music lovers since 1962!

COMMENTS
spacehound's picture

They expect us to put that hideous thing in our houses? What planet are they on? It's not even practical, the cat can still poke holes in the cones, so it's completely useless.

No normal human being, even we HiFi enthusiasts, ever even remove a speaker grille at all. So they have to look at least 'sensible', not a crazy thing like that.

Many forget, that even a $500,000 speaker (which that isn't of course) is still only a 'home entertainment consumer durable'.

It's so stupid that it's not worth reviewing.

ken mac's picture

That "crazy thing like that" is removable. Dingbat.

spacehound's picture

Re reading my second paragraph. You were only looking to find fault, obviously

Dingbat :)

WM's picture

Thats a great idea. All speakers should have them

John Atkinson's picture
All 3 of our cats ignored the "ladders." :-)

And in the flesh, this speaker is elegance indeed.

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile

tonykaz's picture

It should remind folks what awaits them for Financial "Tom-Foolery", like Bernie Made-Off got. I like em.

Another $10,000 Turntable?, are we still clinging to these old things?

Wilson is a UK outfit that make Beautiful "Home Decor" hi-fi.
Once they build sound Quality they spend the buyer's money on nice machined speaker cable connections, not cheapo plastic Banana Plugs.

Much of the UK stuff is drop-dead gorgeous.

However they can go crazy and include Iso-barbaric Woofers ( two sets ), I suppose they like to give those Amps a good workout. Linn made these things too, back in the day. One downside is that these Sheffield UK people "talk funny" ( kinda like our NJ folks talk funny) although not as strange as the Liverpool folks.

I love England and live "on the Broads" from time to time but they made all "Illegal Drugs" legal in Portugal, my guests prefer that sort of thing. Oh-well

Tony in Michigan

John Marks's picture

The cover slug mentioning Wilson Benesch referred to John Atkinson's measurements Follow-Up of my previous column coverage of Wilson Benesch's Square One Series II loudspeaker, which looks not at all like the pictured loudspeaker.

Further, the Square One Series II has a conventional albeit steel-framed grille, without question the heaviest-duty such I have ever beheld.

JM

tonykaz's picture

Isn't it curious how a little Brit Outfit can create an entire line of stuff, all quite nice.

I feel pulled into that sort of "System" way of thinking. Hold a Wilson in your hands and if feels like Quality beyond very good, sort of like a Savile Row Suit.

The Chord stuff is another delightful outfit. + Meridian & LINN

Must be something in their water.

Tony in Michigan

spacehound's picture

Naim is by far the best, except for their DACs, which are nothing special
(I am not associated with them or anyone else in any way.)

Speakers? ATC. Don't bother to look elsewhere. But some also have stupid grilles. Most go to recording studios. THEY know how they want it to sound. Are you interested in HiFi (= accuracy, by definition) for all the money you have spent or do you want it 'nice? If you just want it 'nice', buy a different record, CD, whatever.

Chord? DACs only. The rest is 'nondescript'

dCS? The best DACs in the world by far. Hugely expensive. Like $150,000 expensive for the 'full stack'. If you can afford them don't consider anything else. I have their 'budget' :) model. They are not small 'boutique' rip-off merchants (buy a $5 Sabre chip, put it in a fancy box, maybe with a couple of tubes on top to spoil what litte 'sound quality' it has for $5000 extra). dCS has a clue as they make industrial electronics too.

SME? 'Scale Model Engineering'. The turntable/arm equivalent of dCS.

Linn? 'OK' no better than that.

Meridian? 'Lifestyle' and mainly BS.

Wilson Benesch? Who?

Water? We only ever drink warm beer. Which for some odd reason we like. It's an 'acquired' taste. You can get used to anything, even Britney Spears if you live long enough.

tonykaz's picture

I must've not lived long enough, I don't own any Britney.

My favorite Brit Stuff were the Pro-Ac Tablettes ( still made ) and the Meridian M-2s ( long gone ).

Here in the States ( I presume you're a Royal loyalist Brit ) a DAC revolution is taking hold! :

Schiit in California ( a place all citizens of the UK aspire to ) are just now launching two R2R Dacs at or about $2,500 & $1,200.

China ( a place nobody aspires to be ) has the audio-gd outfit offering two or three R2R DACs for ( or under ) $1,000 F.O.B. ( you pay the shipping ).

Watch out!!!, for falling prices.

You got us on Cadbury Flakes and candy but Portugal scooped everyone by legalizing all their illegal drugs, we've been blind sided again.

Bon Appetite,

Tony in Michigan

spacehound's picture

The only US stuff we seem to get on any established base is Krell, Audio Research, Martin Logan, and McIntosh.

A long time ago a popular UK 'top' setup was an Audio Research tube preamp and a Krell KSA50 or 100. It was an obvious upgrade then from Naim when they were small. Too expensive for me at the time but not 'outrageous'.

Meridian started well here in the 1970s but is almost unknown now. It's for clueless 'fashionable' people and superyachts only. We don't like 'integrated' stuff or powered speakers as if you want to upgrade any of it you have to dump the whole lot and start again.

Cadbury's was taken over by Kraft in a hostile takeover. Promises to the Gubment were not kept and there has been an adverse reaction, resulting in lowered sales for both Cadbury and Kraft, Kraft as a brand hardly existing here at all, though once common. Only a week ago Mrs Spacehound (we are named after a Russian 'control line' model plane that won the 1963 World Championships) and myself bought a different processed so-called 'cheese' for that reason though Kraft was right next to it in our local Wal Mart subsidiary..

California had 'Chips' which I enjoyed. It seems to rain as much as it does here. I liked 'Play Misty for Me'. That's about it :)

dalethorn's picture

I overheard two bosses at the shop discussing their Armani suits, and I sidled up to them and said "I'd buy Armanis myself, but then I'd get promoted and become powerful, and I'd have to hurt people." So you see, you can buy powerful hi-fi electronics with your money and nobody gets hurt.

tonykaz's picture

Probably $2,000, another $1,000 for some shirts & ties & belts & links. Shoes another $1,000 or so.

A person could be wearing $5,000, in just one full Suit.

X10, which any respecting Businessman can own and we're talking an easy $50,000 in clothes for work.

Must be the Armani owners that HighEnd Audio caters to.

It ain't me, for christ sake.

Although I do feel drawn to the new Schiit MultiBit DAC for $1299.

Mr. dalethorn, can you borrow me 1.5 Grand or just order me one up. Be a decent chap and burn it in before you foreword it to me in Michigan, show me yur powers, I promise I'll be thankful.

Tony

dalethorn's picture

With all due respect, your request reminds me of a situation (true story) that happened to the Rev. Oral Roberts some years ago. Oral asked God one day, "God, how much is a million dollars to you?" And God immediately replied "Like a penny." And then Oral asked "God, how long is a million years to you?" And God again replied "Like a second." So then Oral asked "God, could you see your way to loan this poor country preacher a penny?" And God immediately replied "Yes, just a second."

And the moral of this story is, if you spend on the stereo instead of the clothes, you won't feel the need to fire any subordinates or otherwise ruin people's lives - you can just sit back and blissfully enjoy your music.

tonykaz's picture

That's the part I like.

Sitting in my Lazyboy, having the World's Virtuosos standing before me, playing their hearts out whilst I relax, enjoying an Ice Cream Bar, reading and perhaps dozing off.

Geez, I already have that with my little Sennheisers HD580s/Asgard2/BSR 10 Band Eq/ODac/iMac.

I even have most of that with my Sennheiser RS wireless phones.

I have the traveling rig that delivers most of it too!

So, what do I need next?, if anything.

Why am I here looking at Tyll's workings?

answer : for a bit of fun, writing folks like you, maybe pick up a few tips and the occasional chance to poke a sharp stick at some of the ridiculous things our Press Advocates present as being "worthy" considerations for our next "buy".

Tyll is one of the best reviewers out there, in any industry, covering any and all things.

He's in the Alex Dykes Class.

Reading Tyll is a worthy thing for a technical person.

On a larger scale, I'm watching the music reproduction Industry shifting, the Retail Industry collapsing, the Internet Publishing vs. Print contest, plus a few other developments that may reveal the direction our 21st Century will take us.

Just now, I and my peers can see two years, beyond that everything gets foggy. I'm asked to provide Navigation out to 2025.

Bon Voyage,

Tony in Michigan

tonykaz's picture

That's the part I like.

Sitting in my Lazyboy, having the World's Virtuosos standing before me, playing their hearts out whilst I relax, enjoying an Ice Cream Bar, reading and perhaps dozing off.

Geez, I already have that with my little Sennheisers HD580s/Asgard2/BSR 10 Band Eq/ODac/iMac.

I even have most of that with my Sennheiser RS wireless phones.

I have the traveling rig that delivers most of it too!

So, what do I need next?, if anything.

Why am I here looking at Tyll's workings?

answer : for a bit of fun, writing folks like you, maybe pick up a few tips and the occasional chance to poke a sharp stick at some of the ridiculous things our Press Advocates present as being "worthy" considerations for our next "buy".

Tyll is one of the best reviewers out there, in any industry, covering any and all things.

He's in the Alex Dykes Class.

Reading Tyll is a worthy thing for a technical person.

On a larger scale, I'm watching the music reproduction Industry shifting, the Retail Industry collapsing, the Internet Publishing vs. Print contest, plus a few other developments that may reveal the direction our 21st Century will take us.

Just now, I and my peers can see two years, beyond that everything gets foggy. I'm asked to provide Navigation out to 2025.

Bon Voyage,

Tony in Michigan

tonykaz's picture

Probably $2,000, another $1,000 for some shirts & ties & belts & links. Shoes another $1,000 or so.

A person could be wearing $5,000, in just one full Suit.

X10, which any respecting Businessman can own and we're talking an easy $50,000 in clothes for work.

Must be the Armani owners that HighEnd Audio caters to.

It ain't me, for christ sake.

Although I do feel drawn to the new Schiit MultiBit DAC for $1299.

Mr. dalethorn, can you borrow me 1.5 Grand or just order me one up. Be a decent chap and burn it in before you foreword it to me in Michigan, show me yur powers, I promise I'll be thankful.

Tony

tonykaz's picture

Now that you shine this kind of light on it.

Our Press seem quite happy to present this stuff as being legitimate music reproduction gear but it's actually baubles for the top 1%. Now, I get it!

Henceforth I'll be happy to "call out" our reviewer's agendas as they foist some super-expensive specimin for our applause. Stereophile are featuring on the Internet where I can post a comment.

I think you've energized a nice series of Rants from Michigan.

I'll have a bit of fun with this one.

Thank you

Hmm, shall I give you credits? i.e. Professor Spacehound , Oxford, UK

Anyway, you've sharpened my spear.

Too bad about Kraft & Cadbury, I used to sneak that stuff thru Customs, my Family loved those Flakes.

Meridian, hmm, I imported the Active M2, M3 and M10. I thought they were lovely. ( didn't sell for shit, though )

What I still can't understand is how outfits are offering $30,000 Turntables.

Sorry if I seem a bit edgy about the "State of Home Audio", I worked in this Industry and feel disapointed about it becoming a servant to the Super Rich.

Pro Audio is still within reach, I'm thinking, as is Headphone Gear.

And, DACs are finally good ( maybe superb ), even at the $1,000 price.

Tony in Michigan

ps. Monterey California is a Paradise ( but don't tell anyone about it, I'm trying to keep it a secret )

tkolacny's picture

I can't tell you how excited I am to see the Vinnie Rossi LIO reviewed in the latest issue. People talk all the time about innovation and affordability, but this is one of the first products in a long time to truly break barriers on both counts. As a 25 year audiophile, I consider my six months with the LIO the most satisfying stretch of time I've ever had with a piece of equipment.

Keep an eye on on this one folks - the ideas and execution in the LIO have the potential to change how we think about power and component design the way Sonos and Squeezebox changed the way we access and interact with source material. And it's all incredibly affordable too.

Tim K
San Diego, CA

G.R.Noakes's picture

I still haven't received my copy in the mail. Should I be worried?

X