The April 2009 issue of
Stereophile is now on newsstands. The April issue is always a bear, but this one was a hungry, 15 foot tall, 2 ton Kodiak. It's kind of a miracle that it even exists.
The issue begins with an excellent "As We See It" from Steve Guttenberg. People are talking about it
in the forum. Steve is in the middle of
some audiophile soul-searching. Most audiophiles have been there. If you're just getting into audio, I can almost guarantee that you'll be there, too. It's just part of the process. Steve asks, "Would you really
want a perfect hi-fi?"
In "Sam's Space," Sam Tellig enjoys some time with the new
PSB Imagine T. "T" is for tower, but don't let that fool you. We're not talking Eiffel or Sears. Now, here is a sensible loudspeaker. It costs $2000/pair, which I know is still a lot of money, but it's worth every cent. It's probably worth more, in fact. It's built in China, you see. Sam says the Imagine T is "as sumptuous to touch as it is to look at," and thinks its overall fit and finish resemble that of a $5000/pair speaker. I agree. This lovely little speaker stands just 37" tall and because its curved cabinet tapers toward the back, you would never guess that its footprint is almost 14" deep. It's the sort of speaker that would look good in a nice apartment. Sounds great, too. I even think the ladies would like it.
In "Analog Corner," Mikey Fremer is thrilled with all the new phono playback gear he found at January's
Consumer Electronics Show. He brings us the scoop on VPI's new Classic turntable ($2500). Designer Harry Weisfeld says it's "the best-sounding VPI to date." Exciting! Mikey's "Best Sound of Show" goes to the room occupied by Tenor Audio, Continuum Audio Labs, McIntosh, Kubala-Sosna, and Hansen Audio.
In "Listening," Artie Dudley tells a tale of Golden Horns and G-style pickup heads. Even if you have no interest in hi-fi, I highly recommend Art Dudley's "Listening" columns. I clearly remember proofing this particular piece while on a NJ Transit train, on the way to my mom's house one sunny Saturday morning. It was one of those times when I had to put down my red pen and just enjoy. It was delightful, and I wished and I wished that I could write like Art Dudley.
In "Fifth Element," John Marks continues his quest to assemble "a music lover's stereo system in the $2500–$3750 range." While he notes that a respectable system can be found in Arcam's Solo Mini CD receiver and PSB's Imagine B loudspeaker, JM has a little more fun with the Harbeth Compact 7 loudspeakers and a Luxman combo of L-505u integrated amplifier and DU-50 disc player.
David Lander brings us a fascinating discussion with legendary audio designer, Richard Sequerra. In this discussion, Richard Sequerra pretty much answers Steve Guttenberg's question, reveals the secret to audiophile happiness, apologizes for designing expensive audio gear, and offers hope for a bright hi-fi future. "I don't believe that something as emotionally and physically satisfying as music will vanish." Amen, Mr. Sequerra.
By the way, you will not believe how long it took us to get this interview into print. We began working on it in the summer of 2008. David Lander sent us his text in August. The finalized piece was supposed to appear in our November 2008 issue. For one reason or another—basically lack of space—we had to keep pushing it back. At first, the delay proved helpful because I was having a hard time tracking down images to go along with the piece. It took me some time to get a hold of Richard Sequerra, and when I finally did reach him, he let me know that he did not have a single picture of himself. Any pictures of the Sequerra Model 1 FM tuner? Nope. Any pictures of the Marantz 10B? Not a one….
I went on the hunt. None of our writers had any images, and neither did the folks at Dobbin/Bolgla Associates, Marantz's press firm. DBA's Sara Trujillo, who never jokes, joked that she might have
a slide of the Marantz Model 10B. Turned out she didn't. Ha ha, Sara.
Months went by.
Months. Some online image searches led me to Larry Diaz of
High End Palace in Miami, Florida. Larry had some very nice images on his webpage, but couldn't locate the original hi-res files. Finally, near the end of October 2008, I stumbled upon Mike Barney's audio page, where there were just so many great images of the Model 1, as well as fascinating pages from the component's original manuals and brochures.
Mike's page is a goldmine of interesting and valuable audio-related information. I contacted Mike and got a response right away. He was exceedingly helpful and generous, and granted me permission to use his images. I thanked him and gave him my word that we'd supply a photo credit with his images.
A few more months later, in February (2009), when we were finally ready to print this baby, I managed to forget about Mike Barney. Sure, I used his photos— happily!—but did I remember to add the photo credit? Nope. After all that! Can you believe it? I feel so shitty, I feel like such an idiot. So, please know that Mike Barney supplied the excellent photos accompanying David Lander's discussion with Richard Sequerra.
Also in the April 2009 issue, Robert Baird visits New Orleans and goes for a ride with Paul Sanchez's Rolling Road Show; John Atkinson decides
the Meridian 808.2 is the best CD player he's ever heard; Wes Phillips has a ball with the big Boulder 865 integrated amp; Mikey Fremer is delighted by the $1995 Vincent TubeLine SV-236MK integrated amp; and we have reviews of three very different loudspeakers at three different price points: the AV123 Onix Reference 1 Mk.II ($1200/pair, reviewed by Bob Reina), the Sonist Concerto 3 ($3495/pair, reviewed by Art Dudley), and the Verity Audio Sarastro II ($39,995/pair, reviewed by Fred Kaplan).
"Recording of the Month" goes to Jason Isbell's new record. And we've also got reviews of a new Mahler 2; live sets from the Grateful Dead; my thoughts on
Lights; and Jon Iverson contributes a piece on Jon Hassell's intriguing new work,
Last Night the Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes in the Street. So much great stuff!
Oh, I almost forgot: In "Industry Update," I offer some thoughts on Mikey Fremer's
new DVD, Paul Messenger reports on the state of BBC Radio in the UK, and Bob Reina shares his memories of Joel Maliner.
And, in addition to all that, we also have over 30 pages of "Recommended Components." Special Issue, indeed.
Don't forget to read your
Stereophile, the magazine of champions.
