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Tube Power Amp ReviewsTube Preamp Reviews
Audio Research Reference 1 preamplifier & VT200 power amplifier
Wes Phillips  |  Apr 03, 2005  |  First Published: Nov 03, 1998  |  0 comments
They say you never forget your first time. For me, it was an Audio Research SP-6B that had been heavily modified by Analogique in NYC—which meant, among other things, that yellow capacitors shunted other yellow capacitors all the way up to the top plate. That first taste of the High End—prior to that, you might say my face had been pressed against the window—was definitely love at first listen. That SP-6B was warm yet detailed, and I ended up building a system around it that at least one friend described as a huge musical wet kiss.
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Phono Preamp Reviews
Audio Research Reference phono preamplifier
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 03, 2005  |  First Published: Feb 03, 2000  |  0 comments
Audio Research's long-promised "final statement" phono preamplifier has finally arrived, and its price is $3500 less than the originally rumored $10,000. That's a pleasant deviation from the audiophile norm, but at $6495, the Reference phono still boasts a steep ticket. That's more than twice the price of the $2495 PH3 SE, AR's previous best—a class sonic act itself.
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Tube Power Amp ReviewsAudacious Audio
Audio Research VTM200 monoblock power amplifier
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 03, 2005  |  First Published: Jan 03, 2001  |  0 comments
The VTM200 is the first Audio Research power amplifier I've reviewed. It took me 13 years, and ultimately I'm glad I'd put that much mileage on my reviewing odometer before tackling what turned out to be a most difficult assignment.
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Features
China, My China
Wes Phillips  |  Apr 01, 2005  |  0 comments
Note: These photos are a companion scrapbook to Wes Phillips' eNewsletter report.
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News
Yamaha and Hyundai Score XM Firsts
Wes Phillips  |  Mar 28, 2005  |  0 comments
Yamaha Electronics Corporation has introduced four new A/V digital home-theater receivers equipped with XM Satellite Radio capability (XM-Ready). The $649.95 RX-V757, $549.95 RX-V657, $449.95 RX-V557, and $349.95 RX-V457 will allow users to plug an XM Connect-and-Play home antenna into the Yamaha XM-Ready A/V receiver and activate the XM service to receive 150-plus digital radio channels—no other accessories or installation are required. Using XM's industry-leading chipset technology, as well as a new proprietary chip and signaling protocol, the XM Connect-and-Play home antenna is capable of receiving XM's satellite and terrestrial signals, in addition to performing channel tuning, decoding, and audio transmission functions.
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News
CEDIA Wins Another Victory in Bose "Lifestyles" Suit
Wes Phillips  |  Mar 28, 2005  |  0 comments
On March 22, it was announced that the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) had received another ruling in its favor from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board in the action brought against it by Bose Corporation to cancel CEDIA's trademark registrations for the phrase "Electronic Lifestyles." The Board denied Bose's motion for summary judgment and declined to consider fraud claims against CEDIA regarding the registrations.
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News
iTubes For Your iPod
Jon Iverson  |  Mar 28, 2005  |  0 comments
There's a basic rule that explains the audiophile's role in the audio food chain: The mass market accepts and then audiophiles perfect. Try to reverse that rule with something like, say, SACD or DVD-Audio, attempting to have sound quality drive mass-market adoption, and you get . . . the DualDisc.
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Vote
Given equivalent quality, do you think downloads or discs will become the most popular medium in the next 5-10 years? Why?
Stereophile  |  Mar 27, 2005  |  0 comments

In a a <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/news/031405discs">recent article</A>, <I>Stereophile</I>'s Jon Iverson cited the increase in broadband usage as an indication that more folks may get their music via download than disc in the future. What do you think?

Given equivalent quality, do you think downloads or discs will become the most popular medium in the next 5-10 years? Why?
Discs
30% (30 votes)
Downloads
65% (66 votes)
Something else
5% (5 votes)
Total votes: 101
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Interviews
Walter Sear's Analog Rules
Steve Guttenberg  |  Mar 27, 2005  |  0 comments
The first thing you notice about Walter Sear's legendary Manhattan studio is that it feels so darn comfortable. Sear Sound doesn't have a wall of gold records, gleaming million-dollar consoles, or the latest high-resolution digital workstations, but a quick stroll around the three studios reveals a treasure trove of tube and analog professional gear: a pair of Sgt. Pepper–era Studer recorders plucked from EMI's Abbey Road studios; an early Modular Moog synthesizer Sear built with Bob Moog; and a collection of 250 new and classic microphones.
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Music in the Round
Music in the Round #11
Kalman Rubinson  |  Mar 27, 2005  |  0 comments
When I was a young amateur photographer, I subscribed to all the major photo magazines and avidly read all the articles. However, I was bugged when I realized there was a cycle of repetition—that I was reading about the basics of Ansel Adams' Zone System for the third time.
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