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Richard Kanter is the winner of our HRT Microstreamer USB DAC sweepstakes. Richard's been doing live sound recording and reinforcement at McCabes Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, California for the past 43 years. He still loves it! You can find out more about McCabes here.
John Marks' concise yet comprehensive tribute to Amar Bose recognizes that no accurate portrait of him would be complete without the mention of legal proceedings, most notably his 14-year battle with Consumers Union, the group that publishes Consumer Reports, over a disparaging review of his model 901 speaker that he felt was based on bad science. Bose Corporation became the first company to beat CU in court, but the decision was reversed on appeal. Bose then took the case to the Supreme Court of the United States.
The press, fearing for its freedom, shrieked. A friend-of-the-court brief…
"It's not just it doesn't work as well, it doesn't sound as good!"
Veteran audio reviewer Martin Colloms and I were taking a preprandial walk across London's Hampstead Heath, following Cream's reunion concerts at the Royal Albert Hall last May. Martin was getting animated:
"And don't ask about the whiskers!"
Of course, I had to ask about the whiskers.
Martin was telling me about some listening tests he had performed on two identical samples of an amplifier—identical, that is, except that one had its components attached to its printed circuit board with…
"At last!" I rushed to open the UPS package with the familiar Amazon logo. "It's arrived!"
"What's arrived?" My 13-year-old daughter Emily showed some uncharacteristic curiosity.
"The new Pink Floyd two-DVD set, P.U.L.S.E, which I've had on order for what seems like forever. It contains four hours of music!"
"What's that, like three Pink Floyd songs?"
Emily is big into the Smiths, Green Day, and AFI. She doesn't yet understand why P.U.L.S.E is a contender for the best live music video ever. Or why the Floyd are the most important rock band of all time. Or how…
Peppi Marchello, founder, lead singer, composer, and arranger for the rock band, The Good Rats, died on July 10, 2013 from cardiac arrest. He was 68. The band's sophisticated, yet catchy and accessible rock anthems fostered a rabid following among fans in their home base, New York City's Long Island suburb. However, despite five strong albums of original material released between 1974 and 1981, three of which were distributed with major label support, the band was virtually unknown outside of Long Island (except for a small but strong fan base in Rochester, New York), and couldn't even…
The Good Rats on Record
Although the five albums from the the original Good Rats are available from the band's website on CD on the Uncle Rat label, it's worth seeking out the original vinyl.
I'd bypass the rare The Good Rats album on Kapp records from 1969 (which was rereleased on CD in the '90s on a German label) as this is early Marchello. It's a different band, a commercial rock album manipulated by two very strong producers, and shows Marchello before he developed as a strong writer. For historical purposes only.
Start right in with the first album, 1974'…
Note: There is a new 2013 iPad app version of this Recommended Components list that includes additional functionality such as Quick Search and Entry Tagging. The app is available right now for free download to your iPad in the iTunes store. In the App Store, search for "Stereophile Recommended Components"
Components listed here have been formally reviewed in Stereophile and have been found to be among the best available in each of four or five quality classes. Whether a component is listed in Class A or Class E, we highly recommend its purchase.
Each listing—in alphabetical…
Turntables
"Part New Jersey diner, part Wurlitzer jukebox," the 160 lb Caliburn is the brainchild of Mark Doehmann, whose clever, purposeful design is based on rigorous scientific methodology using finite-element analysis computer programs. While the only serious competition for the Caliburn is the Rockport System III Sirius, MF…
Editor’s Note: We strongly recommend those interested in LP playback visit our new sister website, www.AnalogPlanet.com, which is edited by Michael Fremer.
Class A+
Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn: $149,995 with tonearm and stand ✩"Part New Jersey diner, part Wurlitzer jukebox," the 160 lb Caliburn is the brainchild of Mark Doehmann, whose clever, purposeful design is based on rigorous scientific methodology using finite-element analysis computer programs. While the only serious competition for the Caliburn is the Rockport System III Sirius, MF…
SACD, DVD-A, & CD Players & Transports & Media Players
Based around the Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player, the multichannel-capable DX-5 plays CDs, SACDs, DVD-A, DVD-V, and Blu-ray discs, while its USB port handles resolutions up to 24-bit/192kHz. It uses a new Ayre power supply, Ayre's zero-feedback, fully balanced audio circuitry, opto-isolators to prevent noise from…
Editor’s Note: SACD and DVD-A player ratings are based on how they sound with their respective hi-rez media, not CD.
Class A+
Ayre Acoustics DX-5 "Universal A/V Engine": $9950
Based around the Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player, the multichannel-capable DX-5 plays CDs, SACDs, DVD-A, DVD-V, and Blu-ray discs, while its USB port handles resolutions up to 24-bit/192kHz. It uses a new Ayre power supply, Ayre's zero-feedback, fully balanced audio circuitry, opto-isolators to prevent noise from…
Digital Processors
Editor's Note: The sound of any particular CD transport/digital processor combination will be dependent on the datalink used—see "Bits is Bits?" by Christopher Dunn and Malcolm Omar Hawksford, Stereophile, March 1996, Vol. 19 No.3 (WWW). Unless mentioned, processors are limited to 32/44.1/48kHz sample rates. To be included in Class A+, a digital processor must be capable of handling DSD or 24/96 LPCM data.
We strongly recommend those interested in using a computer as a true high-end digital audio source visit our new sister website, www.AudioStream.com, which…