September Already?

The outrageous-looking—and outrageously expensive—Kalista CD player from French manufacturer Métronome graces the cover of our September issue, which will hit mailboxes, newsstands, and tablets this weekend. Read Art Dudley's review to find out what he heard.

And there's a lot more in this issue: Herb Reichert auditions a controversial DAC from BorderPatrol—16 bits, no oversampling, and a tube power supply—and takes a listen to the updated Schiit Yggdrasil DAC; Art Dudley reviews a tube amp from Luxman; Ken Micallef writes about a tiny but powerful class-D amplifier from Mytek; John Atkinson reviews Dynaudio's 40th anniversary speaker; and Jason Victor Serinus listens to the awesome Esoteric N-01 network music player.

Featured this month is an interview with Rita Coolidge and a technical feature examining the time-domain behavior of the A/D converters, something that potentially pollutes every digital recording we listen to. And the whole thing is kicked off by a plaintive plea from Robert Schryer's wife that he loves his audio system more he loves his family—surely not?!?

COMMENTS
Bogolu Haranath's picture

No family values? :-) ...........

Bogolu Haranath's picture

How far is Manhattan from Brooklyn? :-) ..........

Kal Rubinson's picture

By USB or Ethernet?

Bogolu Haranath's picture

By Hyperloop? :-) ...........

Kal Rubinson's picture

Possibly Hypersloop.

Bogolu Haranath's picture

Hyperreal :-) ...........

Bogolu Haranath's picture

Manhattan .......... Rye Whiskey + Red Vermouth + Dash of Bitters + Cherry :-) ..........

davip's picture

No turntable reviews (yet again)? :-) ...........

Your blurb makes an inadvertent case for why digital music is fundamentally flawed and not high-fidelity. So why do you endlessly review digital devices (CD, DACs, Network players...)? Reviewing mid-fi is for 'What HiFi', no?

ok's picture

oil platform looks become a norm for hi-end cd players as well as have long become for the vinyl ones?

Bogolu Haranath's picture

Star Trek Enterprise :-) ...........

Bogolu Haranath's picture

When it starts playing there is "Polyluminous Burst" :-) ............

tonykaz's picture

Decades ago, I was a Selling Stockist for all of Ortofon's Phono Cartridge Range because my wonderful Sales Rep. Tex Morton & Son convinced me that Ortofon is like money in the Bank. I also bought JVC stuff thru Tex and more importantly Meridian Active Loudspeakers ( Anglo American Imports in Canada ) .

Orotofon never came close to performing to Audiophile levels ( by any stretch of imagination ) but they did offer a "Useful" range of "Replacement" phono "Needles" for the average citizen ( who owned a couple of dozen albums ).

Interestingly, Ortofon always gets positive indorsements from the Audiophile Press favorites, as do Grado "needles".

Tony in Michigan

Ortofan's picture

... "audiophiles" wanted from a phono cartridge.

With the MC2000, they delivered a neutral, accurate, nearly flat frequency response. You would think that a cartridge manufacturer who also makes record cutter heads ought to know how a playback cartridge should sound.

Then Ortofon conducted a survey of audiophiles and found out that what they really wanted was a peak at high frequencies, which they delivered in the MC3000.

https://www.stereophile.com/phonocartridges/ortofon_mc-2000_mc_phono_cartridge/index.html

https://www.stereophile.com/phonocartridges/188ortofon/index.html

jimtavegia's picture

due their HF hearing loss. At 71 there is nothing too bright sounding to me anymore. It appears that LP mastering is all over the place as is CD mastering. Some engineers are way better at it than others, so it is impossible that one cart could do all service. We pick one that generally sounds pleasing and get over the rest. At least I do.

Ortofan's picture

... not to mention the variations in everyone's hearing, it would seem (to me) that the frequency response of the playback chain should be made as flat as possible.

Then, despite the general aversion among audiophiles to tone controls, one's system should include a relatively broadband equalizer, such as the old 6-band Cello Audio Palette, to allow the listener to adjust the frequency balance as desired.

AR produced a more economical version that was available only very briefly. FM Acoustics offers several products with a 5-band "harmonic linearizer" function, but they're exceptionally expensive.

At the other end of the price scale is the 4-band Schiit Loki. It would be handier to use if the controls had steps and/or some calibration markings, so that the settings were more easily repeatable.
http://www.schiit.com/products/loki

tonykaz's picture

Of Course!!

It's about dam time we start hearing from wives. ( JVS excluded )

Marriage is a Business Contract not a love affair. ( I'm well past 5 Decades of experience ).

Music is a critical part of life, wives need to accept it and/or move on.

Amen

Tony in MIchigan

rschryer's picture

...unlike in other Canadian provinces, or in the US, a woman that marries in Quebec keeps her maiden name.

tonykaz's picture

Good on her, I agree, I never liked the idea of my one Wife using my name.

My wife's family were the Hoovers of Hoover Dam Fame, she had a much better than my old world SKI ending Name.

I would've liked telling how my Hoover people can Vacuum up all that Money and such.

I'm itch'n to read what your Lady has to say, bein Frech and all that. I wonder if she's an Edith Piaf fan ?

Tony in Michigan

rschryer's picture

I don't recall telling you my wife is French. (Cue suspenseful violin music.)

You're right, BTW; she is French. Her name is Mrs. Dupré, the original form of the more commonly found in the USA name Dupree.

You could say this conversation is about You, Me and Dupree. :-)

tonykaz's picture

Just a guess.

Who else would live in KeyBeck ?

I hope you own a Citroen DS19 & smoke Gitanes ( but not inhale ).

Tony in Michigan

rschryer's picture

"...the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time..."

Jack Kerouac was born Jean-Louis Kérouac. His father was a French KeyBecker.

Bogolu Haranath's picture

"Beat Generation" :-) ...........

Bogolu Haranath's picture

According to a recent poll 91% of people are happy with their lives ........... The other 9% own a Peugeot :-) ..........

Bogolu Haranath's picture

Don't eat the French pancakes .......... They can give you the crepes :-) .........

rt66indierock's picture

Your wife's article will be an interesting read. Whose judgement am I going to question more? Yours for at least having a time management problem with your stereo or John Atkinson's for not having something better to put in the magazine?

Allen Fant's picture

See you in September?

Bogolu Haranath's picture

Do you remember the 21st night of "September"? ............ Earth, Wind & Fire :-) ............

Bogolu Haranath's picture

September ......... International Bacon Day ......... Saturday before Labor Day :-) ............

Bogolu Haranath's picture

Sep 9, 1776 ......... USA came to existence, as continental congress changed the name from united colonies to USA ...........

ok's picture

some women can really hear what hi-end is (in)capable of in a way most men could only think of..

Bogolu Haranath's picture

Men have XY genes ......... That is why they are all mixed-up .......... Women have XX genes ......... They are not mixed-up .......... That is why women are called fairer sex :-) ..........

ok's picture

to audiophile self-deception than an unsympathetic and explicit wife. We all know the scene where some male fashion victim addresses his one and only with a head full of rave reviews and exemplary measurements:
- That really sounds great, doesn’t it darling?
- Well dear, it actually sounds as awful as hell.

Anton's picture

A bachelor, left unsupervised, will simply put together an “audiophile rig.”

Those all sound the same.

An ‘encumbered’ person will find and assemble gear that sounds good flowing over furniture, around ‘room fill,’ bouncing off a picture wall.

Bogolu Haranath's picture

According to Google ........... Married men live longer than single men ............. However, single women live longer than married women :-) .............

John Atkinson's picture
Q: Why do married men die before their wives?

A: They want to!

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile

Jason Victor Serinus's picture

I am contacting the editor immediately about removing such a non PC (PiC?) comment!

tonykaz's picture

we need technical accuracy in all things.

Tony in Michigan

rschryer's picture

...sleeping on the couch tonight.

Bogolu Haranath's picture

Marriage is a three ring circus ......... engagement ring, wedding ring and suffering ............ Famous joke :-) ............

JimAustin's picture

>> Marriage is a three ring circus ......... engagement ring, wedding ring and suffering ............ Famous joke :-) ............ <<

I learned long ago that the key to marital bliss is highwires, trapezes, and clowns on bicycles.

Bogolu Haranath's picture

"Send in The Clowns" .......... Many famous artists (singers) :-) ..........

Bogolu Haranath's picture

"Send in The Clowns" ............ Composer, Stephen Sondheim ............

ok's picture

marriage is like a castle under siege – outsiders want to go in and insiders want to get out..

Bogolu Haranath's picture

If I have to choose between my husband and shoes, I will choose shoes .......... They last longer and easier to replace.

Q: What is the difference between love and marriage?
A: Love is blind and marriage is an eye opener.

A man posted an ad in news paper ....... Wife wanted.
Next day he found 100 letters in his mail box ........... All the letters had the same message ..... You can have mine.

Man: I haven't spoken to my wife in 18 months.
Friend: Why?
Man: I don't like to interrupt her.

Son: Dad, did you know that in some countries, they don't know their wives till they marry them?
Father: It is the same way everywhere, son.

If a man opens the door of his car for his wife, you can be sure of one thing ......... either his car or his wife is new.

A woman saw her husband standing on the bathroom scale pulling in his stomach ........ She said, that is not gonna help....
Her husband said, sure it does......... that is the only way I can see the numbers.

otaku's picture

Has anyone gotten the September issue yet?

johnnyangel's picture

I have a loving wife who tolerates and even sometimes even enjoys the five different systems in our house. I don’t know if second time’s always the charm, but she certainly is. And I find the thread of anti-wife jokes a little disturbing and misogynistic ...

Meantime, re. the September magazine, it’s a shame that it has not appeared on the Magzter digital platform. I know no one in editorial can help with that, but it’s odd. They always got the issues before, and they have HFN/RR, Choice, and Sound and Vision all updated to September, so it can’t be a falling out with AV Tech ....

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