search
And then there were five. At the end of the show on Friday evening, the remaining members of the Stereophile crew met for dinner at the same BLT Burger restaurant at the Mirage where they had eaten the night before the Show opened. Larry Greenhill, Michael Fremer, Kal Rubinson, Jon Iverson, Tyll Hertsens, and Jason Victor Serinus had already departed, so remaining were (left to right) myself, John Atkinson, Michael Lavorgna (AudioStream.com), Stephen Mejias, and Tom Norton (Home Theater, erstwhile Technical Editor for Stereophile). We don’t even look too tired!
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: Apple 27" iMac, 2017 w/3.8GHz Intel Core i5, running Roon 1.6 (build 416); Linksys router with Small Green Computer linear power supply; G-Technology external HDs and Linksys SSD USB sticks; Mytek Manhattan II D/A processor.
Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Focus 110A powered loudspeakers.
Cables: Digital: Nordost Valhalla 2 (USB), Wireworld Platinum Starlight CAT8, AudioQuest Diamond (Ethernet). Interconnect: Nordost Odin 2. AC: Nordost Valhalla & Odin 2.
Accessories: Nordost QB8 and QV2 AC power accessories; Nordost Sort Kones and…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Apple 2017 MacBook Pro computer with 2.8 GHz Intel i7, SSD, 16GB RAM, running Roon; Apple iPad Pro.
Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Focus 200 XD powered loudspeaker system.
Cables: Digital: Nordost Odin 1 and 2 & Valhalla 2 (USB). AC: Nordost Odin 1 & 2, Valhalla 1.
Accessories: Dynaudio Stand 6 stands; Wavelink HS USB to S/PDIF converter; AudioQuest JitterBugs; Nordost QB8, QK1 & QV2 AC power accessories, QKore 1 & 3 with QKore Wires, Titanium Sort Kones; Tweek Geek Dark Matter Stealth power conditioner with High…
Loudspeaker of the Year
Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia V
($67,500/pair; reviewed by Jason Victor Serinus in Vol.46 No.1 review)
Finalists (in alphabetical order)
Harbeth Super Hl5plus XD ($7995/pair, plus stands; reviewed by Ken Micallef in Vol.46 No.9 review)
KEF LS60 Wireless ($6999.99/pair; reviewed by Kal Rubinson in Vol.46 No.3 review)
Klipsch La Scala AL5 ($13,198/pair; reviewed by Alex Halberstadt in Vol.46 No.4 review)
MoFi Electronics Sourcepoint 10 ($3699/pair, plus stands; reviewed by John Atkinson in Vol.46 No.2 & Ken Micallef in Vol.…
Thursday, October 6th, 2016. Heart revving. Mind blackening. Bones liquid. Chills. Aches. Slight fever. The works.
As soon as we got to the Denver Marriott Tech Center, the anxiety began. I am not normally an anxious mess, but this was a special occasion: I was about to attend my first major audio show, the Rocky Mountain Audio Festival 2016. (I did attend the 2015 New York Audio Show, but that doesn't compare to the size of RMAF—even taking into account this year's construction-induced compaction.)
AudioStream's Michael Lavorgna and I made the 50-minute ride from Boulder to…
“A change is gonna come, oh yes it is,” said once the wise prophet Samuel. What the prophet failed to foretell was that change never just comes, change is made. Well audiophiles, this is your opportunity to make a change. Valiant Stereophile forum poster sometimesuk2012 started a petition on Change.org to “Stop the Loudness Wars and Release High Definition Music Downloads”. You can find out more about the petition and sign your name here. Here’s your chance to stop whining about that over-compressed pap—see Jason Victor Serinus' report from the 133rd AES Convention—and start enjoying some…
. . . is here, with Outlaw's $799 "retro receiver" on its cover. "A conspicuously good-sounding audiophile product at a ridiculously low price," declared Herb Reichert. At the other end of the price spectrum, Michael Fremer reviews the most-expensive Grado cartridge yet, John Atkinson and Herb Reichert audition cost-no-object headphones from Audeze and HiFiMan, and Jason Victor Serinus reviews the Network Bridge from dCS.
And for the 27th year in a row, the December Stereophile includes our choices for "Product of the Year," with some surprises, some bargains, and something for every…
I was aware that Canadian company Verity Audio, founded in 1995, made loudspeakers, like the Sarastro II that Fred Kaplan reviewed in May 2009. But when Jason Victor Serinus and I attended the 2018 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, we were both impressed by the sound of an all-Verity system that featured Verity's Monsalvat AMP-60 power amplifier. Jason Victor Serinus favorably reviewed the AMP-60 in May 2019; I didn't have to be asked twice, therefore, if I wanted to review Verity's Montsalvat DAC/PRE (see later).
The DAC/PRE
The DAC/PRE, priced at $25,000, is an example of an increasingly…
For many of us in the press, RMAF 2010 began with VTL's well-orchestrated press breakfast launch of the new MB-450 Series III monoblocks ($18,000/pair) and TL7.5 Series III preamplifier ($20,000). Speaking before a full house that included representatives from Stereophile, The Absolute Sound, Positive Feedback On-Line, Enjoy the Music, and many other media outlets, VTL's Luke Manley explained that the Series III is VTL's first fully balanced amplifier.
With auto-bias, and three layers of fault sensing, the amps feature a shorter, faster and fully balanced negative feedback loop,…
Brahms: Trio Op.114
Robert & Clara Schumann: Three Romances
Joachim: Hebrew Melodies
Tabea Zimmermann, viola; Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello; Javier Perianes, piano
Harmonia Mundi HMM 902789 (24/96 FLAC). 2026. Magnolia Classics, prod.; Julian Schwenkner and Sebastian Nattkemper, eng.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****½
Robert & Clara Schumann: Three Romances
Joachim: Hebrew Melodies
Tabea Zimmermann, viola; Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello; Javier Perianes, piano
Harmonia Mundi HMM 902789 (24/96 FLAC). 2026. Magnolia Classics, prod.; Julian Schwenkner and Sebastian Nattkemper, eng.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****½
Joseph Joachim suggested that 20-year-old Johannes Brahms introduce himself to his instant champion, the influential composer/critic Robert Schumann, and his wife Clara. Though Joachim's Hebrew Melodies for viola and piano are the weak part of the album—…