Recommended Components

2013 Recommended Components Recording Equipment

Recording Equipment

Class A

Sound Devices Model 722 portable audio recorder: $2775 ✩
JM raved: "The coolest, most desirable piece of audio hardware I have encountered in a dog's age." The Model 722 is designed as a rugged, high-performance, foolproof, battery-powered portable stereo recorder for electronic newsgathering and video- and film-sound recording. However, with its line-level XLR analog inputs, onboard A/D converters, 40GB hard drive, and headphone amp, the 722 can also serve as a personal stereo. Offers 24-bit recording at up to a 192kHz sample rate. "The apotheosis of the iPod," said JM. "iTunes be damned." JA notes that the 722's "pre-roll" feature—it starts recording five seconds before you press "Record"—saved his bacon on a live session. (Vol.29 No.10 Read Review Online)
TASCAM DV-RA1000HD: $2500 ✩
The DV-RA1000 is a component-width, two-rack-unit–high professional recorder that records "Red Book" 16-bit/44.1kHz CD data to conventional CD-Rs, or hi-rez audio directly to DVD+RW blanks, all the way from 24/88.2 PCM up to DSD. Dilettantes can have fun with the DV-RA1000's capabilities, while professional users will have to bounce its hi-rez tracks to computer-based music-production programs. JM: "The TASCAM DV-RA1000 sounds great and is a screaming bargain." (Vol.29 Nos.8 & 10 Read Review Online)

COMMENTS
guitarist9273's picture
Submitted by guitarist9273 on July 19, 2013 - 5:30pm

The Beats Solo HD is now a Stereophile reccomended component... That sounds like a (funny) joke. They're certainly attractive looking & very stylish, but they sound very...well, bad. They're Class D...but I'm genuinely curious as to why they'd be included at all.

There are a lot of decent choices when it comes to headphones in the portable/sealed-on-ear-headphones-under-$300 category, now, that it's hard to see the B&W P3 and the Beats Solo HD making it onto the list. (Anyone interested in heaphones should check out Stereophile' sister online publication on personal-audio/headphones---InnerFidelity.)

Thanks for this awesome compilation, by the way! I sincerely enjoyed reading through such a wide sampling of great loudspeakers, amps & such. The balanced objectivity is always refreshing, considering other publication's purely subjective approach.

RobertSlavin's picture
Submitted by RobertSlavin on July 20, 2013 - 6:19am

Being able to see the photos of the components next to their descriptions, as found in this online version of recommended components, is nice.

However, Stereophile used to charge for this section online. Why is it giving it away for free now?

There's not a tremendous amount of money in magazine publishing. I'd prefer that the magazine make a reasonable amount of money from this section.

John Atkinson's picture
Submitted by John Atkinson on July 20, 2013 - 9:55am

RobertSlavin wrote:
Stereophile used to charge for this section online. Why is it giving it away for free now?

Unless I am having a senior moment, we never used to charge for on-line access to Recommended Components. In fact, we have only been making it available in its entirety on-line since 2012, which is when we launched our free iPad app.

And regarding charging for it, my bottom-line policy is that the magazine's content should be available free on-line.

John Atkinson

Editor, Stereophile

Poor Audiophile's picture
Submitted by Poor Audiophile on July 20, 2013 - 6:04pm

Thanks for that JA!

EU-USA Stereophile Fan's picture
Submitted by EU-USA Stereoph... on July 24, 2013 - 1:11pm

Maybe some other EU makers could have been included such as Phonar (Germany) or PMC (UK)

John Atkinson's picture
Submitted by John Atkinson on July 25, 2013 - 5:55am

Quote:
Maybe some other EU makers could have been included such as Phonar (Germany) or PMC (UK)

"Recommended Components" exclusively concerns products that have been reviewed in the magazine. In turn, to be reviewed in Stereophile, a product needs to be available in the US; see  www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/307awsi/index.html.

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile

Glotz's picture
Submitted by Glotz on July 25, 2013 - 11:58pm

WOW, I love it!  

I think I have memorized the entire RC over the years, and seeing each component again (some for the first time) is wonderful!  

I wonder who went through the trouble of procuring all of those photos for RC online.  

I won't even pretend there will be photos (for the next RC) in the magazine.  I imagine it would be 500 pages long... 

Ariel Bitran's picture
Submitted by Ariel Bitran on July 30, 2013 - 6:40am

photos were gathered by myself and reformatted by Jon Iverson.

Downforce's picture
Submitted by Downforce on July 27, 2013 - 2:11am

Has the excellent Emotiva ERC-2 been discontinued?  And for JA, the link you posted isn't working.  Thanks for the lists.

John Atkinson's picture
Submitted by John Atkinson on July 27, 2013 - 6:21am

Downforce wrote:
Has the excellent Emotiva ERC-2 been discontinued?

Not according to Emotiva. It's there in Class C of Disc Players.

Downforce wrote:
And for JA, the link you posted isn't working.

Fixed. Thanks.

John Atkinson

Editor, Stereophile

stereomag's picture
Submitted by stereomag on July 27, 2013 - 12:52pm

Wow! Here they (Stereophile) go again. Still no review of any Accuphase preamps. Why is that, Stereophile?

weitn's picture
Submitted by weitn on August 6, 2013 - 5:33am

M30.1 got impressive reviews from Stereophile and Absolute Sound and recommended by both. I have auditioned it and ordered a pair the other day. Out of curiosity, what happened to the M40.1? It was listed in the 2012 recommended list.

destroysall76's picture
Submitted by destroysall76 on August 13, 2013 - 12:14pm

Great recommendations, but I'm curious in the LS50 from KEF. Is it really that much better of a speaker to be a part of the Class A (Restricted LF) over the Harbeth P3ESR and the Proac Tablette?

Also, is the Rega RP1 the better table buy this year over the Project Debut Carbon?

mkrzych's picture
Submitted by mkrzych on July 17, 2014 - 5:57am

Hello,
I've read here that Dali Zensor 1 are in class C (Exteme Restricted LF), so according to your judge those are considered not entry level speakers, am I right?
If so, do you have any suggestions for the speaker cable matching or positioning for these little babies to sound the best? Currently I have Marantz CD5004/PM6004 connected to them over the QED Strand 79 speaker cable. They are on Soundstage Z22 stands.
Is it anything I can do to improve this gear in your opinion?

Thanks for any suggestions.
Krzysztof

MykhailoM's picture
Submitted by MykhailoM on March 15, 2016 - 7:24pm

Good audio cables are surely essential part to any serous audiophile as they deliver a very sensitive signal between your audio gear as it has been said in this page. I have listened to quite a few well known brands such as Russ Andrews cables QED Signature etc. and more often than not the price reflects its qualities. As anything else in audio gear, cables need auditioning on your system. If possible grub 4 or 5 pares from your local dealer in a price range £300 to £600 from different brands and at your own comfort have them checked, I'm pretty sure you will get different results and the better components you have the more evident it will be. In my auditioning experience I prefer small exotic brands, to me they deliver a very good sonic result. I can change components etc. but cable will stay as they are so revealing. Keep your options open and DO audition on your system or at your local Hi-Fi dealer.

MykhailoM's picture
Submitted by MykhailoM on March 15, 2016 - 7:20pm

Everything must be auditioned either interconnects cables or audio components, your ears will be your best judge.

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