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Isoacoustics Gaia and Orea Isolation Feet ($59 and up); reviewed by Robert Deutsch & Art Dudley, October 2017, February 2018, & June 2019, Vol.40 No.10, Vol.41 No.2. & Vol.42 No.6 Review and Review)

IsoAcoustics' Orea isolation feet combine rigid metal elements with pliable internal couplers and can be placed in sets of three or four, under a variety of products. Their Gaia footers work the same way, yet, instead of being designed to simply slide into place beneath the product to be isolated from vibrations, they're built to accept…

"Once I thought I had the best hi-fi system that I could get. But then I would listen to a new product andbe shocked to hear something that I hadn't heard before. It always gave me a thrill, and I was always sorry that my old system didn't sound as good." Lest anyone think Rondi D'Agostino is even a little bit new to hi-fi, she clarified in our chat how long she'd been pursuing audiophile bliss. "I got into audio through my love of music," she told me. "I grew up in the '50s and '60s just outside of San Francisco in Sausalito,…

December 8, 2006
• Chinese Whispers Are Now Shouts, by Ken Kessler
• Tower Records R.I.P., by Wes Phillips

November 7, 2006
• New from Nagra, by Ken Kessler
• You Shall Knows Us By Our Trail of Unfiled Discs, by Wes Phillips
• This Month's Audio URL, from Wes Phillips

October 10, 2006
• Compared to What? by Wes Phillips
• Acoustic Energy WiFi Internet Radio, by Wes Phillips
• Soundmatters FULLstage Hd, by Wes Phillips
• Audica MPS-1 Personal Audio System, by Wes Phillips…

A company better known for their pro and consumer audio amplification, Bryston takes an interesting step into the digital playback arena at a time when compact discs seem to be going out of fashion. Nevertheless, they did it with style and grace: Larry Greenhill was impressed by the BCD-1's ability to "reveal the most subtle sonic details," and John Atkinson noted measured performance that was "close to the state of the art for a…

Often nakedly personal and direct in their responses to life events, Shostakovich's 15 String Quartets can overwhelm with the enigmatic elements that make his music so compelling and unique. Shaped as much by intimate relationships as the repressive political realities that wore him down, they stand as one of the later 20th century's major musical achievements…

Film soundtracks are a broad canvas that can open many new possibilities as well as challenges for modern composers. On one hand, having an accompanying image allows for expressive freedom, but that is often offset by the often-brief duration of cues. Brief, allusive bursts can make for a jumpy, disjointed album…

CAD Ground Control Grounding Boxes ($1999–$4500; reviewed by Michael Fremer, July 2020, Vol.43 No.7 Review)

Finalists (in alphabetical order)
DS Audio Vinyl Ionizer-001 ($1795; reviewed by Michael Fremer, July 2020, Vol.43 No.7 Review)
Grand Prix Audio Monza Equipment Supports ($19,000 as equipped; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus, November 2019, Vol.42 No.11 Review)
Ifi Audio Intona Nano Igalvanic3.0 USB Galvanic Isolator ($379; reviewed by Herb Reichert, August 2020, Vol.43 No.8 Review)
Stylustimer ($19.95; reviewed by Michael…

NAD M33 integrated amplifier ($4999; reviewed by Kal Rubinson, October 2020, Vol.43 No.10 Review)

Finalists (in alphabetical order)
Audio Research Reference 160S stereo power amplifier ($20,000; reviewed by Jim Austin, February 2020, Vol.43 No.2 Review)
HoloAudio May (Level 3) D/A processor ($4998; reviewed by Herb Reichert & John Atkinson, August & September 2020, Vol.43 Nos.8 & 9 Review)
Krell K-300i integrated amplifier ($7000 plus $1000 for DAC option; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus, December 2019, Vol.42 No.12 Review)…

Michael Fremer reviewed the original darTZeel NHB-18NS full-function preamplifier (it includes a moving-coil phono stage) in the June 2006 issue of Stereophile. He bought the review sample, then replaced it with the NHB-18NS Mk.2, which he wrote about in June 2017.

Although I performed a complete set of measurements on the original NHB-18NS, I never did…

Apparently, this is a recent disinterment of an older production. The exhumation proves worthwhile.

French composers have favored wind timbres since the oboe and bassoon colors of the Baroque. In the 19th and 20th centuries, this evolved into a predilection for wind-and-piano chamber music. Saint-Saëns reveled in the instruments' capacity for virtuosity. A century later, Poulenc alternated uneasy, precarious sustained…