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In Living Stereo's Steve Mishoe keeps a large, rambling stack of vinyl nearby at all times.
The Verity Leonore loudspeaker ($15,995/pair) boasts a claimed efficiency of 93dB, meaning it'll require very few watts to really sing. Along with a compact footprint and graceful cabinet, the Leonore offered a detailed and involving sound, and wasn't afraid to rock.
The Shindo Player System Turntable costs $25,000, but seems worth every penny. "Look at it. It's pure elegance," says Steve Mishoe.
A gorgeous family of Shindo gear makes its home on a Box Furniture Co. rack ($3700), handmade in Brooklyn, New York.
The gatefold to Black-Man's Burdon. Possibly the greatest scene ever to decorate a LP jacket.
In Living Stereo is located at 13 East 4th Street, one door down from Other Music and just across from where Tower Records once stood tall. It's a great place for a hi-fi shop. To get there, you might take the 6 train to Astor Place, where you will climb right into a blur of so much height and movement and memory.
You've been here, on this corner, a million times before. There is the familiar Cube sculpture, standing in the middle of a busy intersection like a homeless person, surrounded by all sorts of traffic and spinning slowly, slowly, on one tired edge. The old Carl…
So the big day, September 9, Beatles Day, has come and gone and after being away on a brief trip, I returned this morning to a number of voicemails that began, “Are the Beatles reissues worth the money?”
I even had a call from one of my writers. For shame. No, not really. I fully understand times are hard and shelling out $179.99 (on Amazon.com) for the full Stereo Box enchilada may be too much for some. I have to say though that one hundred and eighty bucks for the entire Beatles stereo catalog in its U.S. configuration is pretty reasonable. The boxed set is very basic and no…
It was a bit of good fortune. It was a rainy Saturday afternoon in late August. It was the perfect thing at the perfect time, like Hemingway in autumn or Whitman in winter or a lot of stuff I can't think of right now—nothing refreshing, but something comforting: chocolate after wine, the smell of someone familiar when you're feeling all alone, I don't know. Monica had just called to tell me that she was back from her trip; she wanted to meet for a drink. I know very well that Monica is not the right person for me, but sometimes the right person is not what you need, is not…
Thirsty for some new music? I have a hard time understanding people when they say they have nothing new to listen to. It seems like everyone's making complete albums available for easy streaming these days. Here are a few I've just sort of stumbled upon over the last couple of days:
Times New Viking's new album is called Born Again Revisited and can be streamed here. (I'm digging the slacker fist-pump of "These Days" and the DIY jangle of the title track.) You can also listen to Girls' Album there, or specifically here. ("Lust For Life" and "Hellhole Ratrace"…
The October 2009 issue of Stereophile is now on newsstands. I hope you will enjoy reading this issue as much as we enjoyed putting it together. It was a lot of work, but it was also incredibly satisfying. The front cover is, in my opinion, our best and boldest of the year, which is appropriate because this issue not only includes our popular "Recommended Components" list but also pays tribute to Stereophile's founder, J. Gordon Holt, who passed away in July. It is indeed a special issue.
I love what graphic designer Natalie Baca did with the cover. Matching the bright, liquid…