LATEST ADDITIONS

Wes Phillips
World's Most Expensive Whiskies
Wes Phillips  |  Jun 04, 2007  |  0 comments
Much to my surprise, I've actually tasted a few that made the list—a few of the cheapest, of course. And I'm not at all sure that Forbes is correct that Sazerac 18-year-old is the most expensive rye at $55. I believe that Old Potrero at $90/bottle has that honor.
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Wes Phillips
Fly Boys and Guinea Pigs
Wes Phillips  |  Jun 04, 2007  |  0 comments
Who taught us the facts of life? Jim Enderby's A Guinea Pig's History of Biology argues that it was close observation of just a few species.
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Wes Phillips
Inside Sushi
Wes Phillips  |  Jun 04, 2007  |  0 comments
I was happily learning more than I ever thought I'd want to know about sushi, when it occurred to me to check out the article's byline. Who on earth writes 10 pages about shopping for fish in Tokyo's Tsukiji market? Oh, Nick Tosches, that's who.
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Historical
The Horse's Mouth (Stereo Review's 1983 cable tests)
Larry Archibald  |  Jun 03, 2007  |  First Published: Dec 03, 1983  |  0 comments
It's not often that you get a chance to have extensive discussions with the horse's mouth, but we recently had that opportunity. Since July of this year there has been extensive discussion in the audio community, particularly the high-end segment, of Larry Greenhill's article on speaker cable listening tests in the August, 1983 issue of Stereo Review (footnote 1). From recent talks with author Greenhill we've learned that the most interesting story was not in Stereo Review; instead it can be found in the varying reactions from different quarters, and what they say about the high-end industry in general.
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Features
Book Review: McIntosh: "...for the love of music..."
John Marks  |  Jun 03, 2007  |  First Published: May 03, 2007  |  0 comments
McIntosh: "...for the love of music..."
by Ken Kessler. McIntosh Laboratory, Inc., 2006. $150.00. Hardcover, 12" by 12" by 1.25", 315 pp. ISBN 0-9787236-0-0.
Available from McIntosh dealers and McIntosh Laboratory, Inc., 2 Chambers Street, Binghamton, NY 13903. Tel: (800) 538-6576.
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Solid State Power Amp Reviews
Conrad-Johnson MF2500 power amplifier
Martin Colloms  |  Jun 03, 2007  |  First Published: Dec 03, 1999  |  0 comments
Rumor had it that if the MF2500 amplifier had gotten any better in development, Conrad-Johnson would have had to include it in their "Premier" series. However, C-J's intention was to hold to the lower price of their established MF series, and so they have. Rated at 240Wpc and retailing for $3495, the '2500 is the core model of Conrad-Johnson's current range of "MF" power amplifiers. Its companion MF2250 offers 120Wpc, while the MF5600 delivers 120Wx5 for multichannel home-theater applications.
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CD Player/Transport Reviews
Theta Jade CD transport
Martin Colloms  |  Jun 03, 2007  |  First Published: Jan 03, 1999  |  0 comments
Many pundits in our industry say that CD is under threat from Super Audio CD, DVD-Audio, and dual-layer CD/DVD technologies. Conflicting stories abound, and even though I'm supposed to be well-informed, I've found some of them hard to sort out! For example, Michael Fremer, concluding a fine review of the $7500 Bow Technologies ZZ-Eight integrated CD player in August, compared its notable 16-bit/44.1kHz achievement with a DVD-based disc originally mastered at 24/96kHz and replayed on an inexpensive DVD player. He found the Bow wanting in some respects. What is the world coming to?
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Vote
Which manufacturer provides customers with the best owner's manual?
Stereophile  |  Jun 03, 2007  |  52 comments

Sometimes it's just a flimsy sheet of paper; other times it can be a mini book about audio. Which manufacturer provides its customers with the best owner's manual?

Which manufacturer provides customers with the best owner's manual?
That would be
63% (33 votes)
Can't think of one
37% (19 votes)
Total votes: 52
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News
ArkivMusic Mines the Greats
Jason Victor Serinus  |  Jun 03, 2007  |  0 comments
ArkivMusic, one of the Web's leading sources for classical music recordings, has struck a deal that enables them to release on their own reissue label, ArkivCD, out-of-print titles from the extensive catalogues of EMI Classics, Virgin Classics, and Angel Records. The reissues are available "on demand," copied from actual out-of-print CD releases (not master tapes) without compression or enhancement, and are often accompanied by copies of the original liner notes.
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News
ITunes Pluses and Minuses?
Wes Phillips  |  Jun 02, 2007  |  0 comments
On May 30, Apple officially launched iTunes Plus, billed as "DRM-free music tracks featuring high-quality 256kbps AAC encoding for audio quality virtually indistinguishable from the original recordings." The initial material available from the iTunes Plus section of the iTunes Media Store is, for the moment, limited to EMI artists, although other labels have announced pending deals with Apple. The "improved" songs sell for $1.29 rather than the standard 99¢.
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