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Summer's end is traditionally known as "the silly season" in European newsrooms, but there was nothing silly about the bombshell of a press release that arrived on the desks of hi-fi journalists on August 19. Two of Europe's most successful and best-established high-end audio brands, Focal and Naim Audio, announced that they are joining forces to create a new company, Focal & Co., under the chairmanship of Focal founder Jacques Mahul. With a combined annual earnings of nearly £50 million ($82 million), ca £31 million for Focal and ca £18 million for Naim) and more than 300 employees,…
Michele Bachmann, who is now warning us about the rise of the USSR, vowing to padlock the EPA, and saying she will single–handedly bring back $2 a gallon gas—perhaps she and her husband have convinced the heads of the major oil companies to pray away their profits—has now crossed the line as far as music is concerned by wishing Elvis happy birthday on the anniversary of the day on which he died. Mistaking death for birth? Perhaps she’s actually a secret Buddhist?
Bachmann’s musical gaffe—which still pales in comparison to Palin’s Paul Revere “ringing those bells” or Bachmann’s…
During the final episode of Radio Happy Hour, held at Manhattan’s Le Poisson Rouge on Friday, August 12, we were treated to performances by New York five-piece, Twin Sister. The band played a selection of songs from In Heaven, an unabashed pop album full of hooks and charms, to be released by Domino on September 27.
I was drawn to this music from its earliest moments—those celestial and far-reaching chimes, old-school synth beats, and Andrea Estella’s arresting vocal delivery, a strange and glittering coo, reaching out to “Daniel”:
Saw you making eyes at me
Hotels are…
Manufacturer's Comment
Editor: Dreams really do come true!
I think reviews of essentially unaffordable gear is a service and a pleasure. I have little sympathy when a reader writes in to complain about too many reviews of $10,000 amplifiers, and not enough for normal-real-world $1000 amps. What's so real-world about $1000 amps! We read Stereophile for pleasure, like a Sunday Travel Section with an article about the glories of Nepal. We don't have to go to Nepal in order for the article, and the entire Travel Section, to have been a pleasure, and useful information.
It is…
While change follows Stateside change for Naim Audio, enthusiasts for the venerable British brand on this side of the pond recently got a bit of good news: Chris West, the tech-savvy Englishman who managed Naim Audio North America for over 20 years, is back in the business of servicing Naim gear.
Chicago resident West is part of a venture called AV Options, whose commercial objectives include fixing and refurbishing classic preamps and power amps from Naim Audio's "legacy" era (1977–2002). (Warranty servicing of new Naim products, as well as for-fee servicing of all other Naim gear, will…
Already flooded with contenders offering innumerable models in various shapes, sizes, and colors, the headphone market grows even larger today with the launch of SOL Republic, a “music lifestyle company” dedicated to “delivering innovation in sound, style, and durability.” Four SOL Republic models will initially be offered: Amps ($59.99) and Amps HD ($99.99) in-ear models, and Tracks ($99.99) and Tracks HD ($149.99) on-ear models.
The company, whose initials stand for “Soundtrack of Life,” is led by three music lovers with impressive backgrounds in business development and marketing:…
Oneohtrix Point Never is young electronic composer Daniel Lopatin. His critically acclaimed Returnal shook my listening room walls, clattered around in my mind, and stirred my soul. While more lighthearted recent collaborations with Joel Ford (first under the guise of “Games” and later simply as “Ford and Lopatin”) haven’t reached the same emotional depths, news of Lopatin’s upcoming album, Replica, is intriguing.
The press release states that Replica is “an electronic song-cycle based around lo-fi audio, procured from television advertisement compilations…. Lopatin’s commitment to his […
Forum member “jgrossman” wants to know what’s stopping more people from getting into hi-fi. Is it the high cost of audio components, the hobby’s steep learning curve, the lack of hi-fi dealers, or something else?
Anton argues that audiophiles are the problem. “I have seen the enemy of high end audio,” he writes, “and it is us.”
What do you think? Talk about it in the Forum.
"I don't like Mondays!" sang Bob Geldof some years back, and I'm beginning to hate Mondays too. No, not for the obvious reason. You see, Monday is "hate-mail" day. Every day I get letters from Stereophile's readers. But for some reason known only to the mavens (or should that be Clavens?) of the US Postal Service, the ones pointing out my stupidity, dishonesty, and sheer incompetence as a human being arrive on Mondays.
For example: "Bits are bits, and it is therefore dishonest for Stereophile's writers to continue to insist that they can hear any differences between CD players or…
Front-panel controls are rudimentary, consisting of Open, Play, Stop, Pause, Next, and Prev, but this is because the unit is intended to be mainly used with the supplied 209 full-function remote control. This handsome flat black unit, with a clearly laid-out array of buttons, also operates the 208 CD player/preamplifier and 206B CD player. The 209's Display button cycles the 602 through modes in which it displays Track and Index number; Track number plus elapsed time for the entire disc; Track number plus elapsed time for the current track; Track number plus remaining time for the entire…