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Before I became Stereophile's editor—when I still had time for such things—I would occasionally pack up a camera and some lenses, get in my truck, and drive, usually south, in pursuit of good images and sounds. I'd spend a couple of weeks on the road, stopping to take pictures whenever I came across a picturesque town or valley or an abandoned drive-in theater. I'd try to end the day in some city or town that…

Here are seven things you need to know about the three-LP, newly remixed—by Giles Martin and Sam Okell—and remastered version of Abbey Road, all of said re-ing done in honor of the album's 50th anniversary:

1) According to Universal, the remix was done from the original eight-track master tape, not…

Mat Weisfeld of VPI Industries will present the new Direct Drive Vanquish Turntable. The brand ambassador for SAT Tonearms will also be in attendance. Dave Gordon…

This is the third year we have given awards. There are six individual categories: "Loudspeakers" (including subwoofers); "Amplification Components" (preamplifiers, power amplifiers, etc.); "Digital Sources" (CD players,…

B&W John Bowers Silver Signature ($8000/pair; reviewed by John Atkinson, Vol.17 No.6, June 1994 Review)
Dunlavy Audio Labs SC-IV ($4995/pair–$5495/pair; reviewed by Robert Deutsch, Vol.17 No.4, April 1994 Review)

This was a very strong group of contenders, all the speakers having received rave reviews in the magazine. All sound very different from one another; all excel in some areas of reproduction but are bettered in others by another. The voting was very close and, in fact, ended in a tie between B&W's Silver Signature and Dunlavy Audio…

Audio Research VT150 monoblock power amplifier ($11,990/pair; reviewed by Robert Harley, Vol.17 No.8, August 1994)

Another very strong group of nominees, the contenders for the amplification crown ranged from the delightful little HeadRoom Supreme headphone amplifier, which has brought me hours of musical pleasure on the move, to the latest assaults on the state of the amplifier art from those long-time bastions of high-end electronics, Krell, Mark Levinson, Conrad-Johnson, and Audio Research.

The Vendetta is the odd man out, no longer…

Sonic Frontiers SFD-2 D/A processor ($4695; reviewed by Robert Harley, Vol.16 No.12, December 1993, & Vol.17 No.1, January 1994; and Jonathan Scull, Vol.17 No.4, April 1994 Review)

"From the sublime to the ridiculous," I thought as I counted the votes in this category, the nominees ranging from the $259 Audio Alchemy DAC-in-the-Box to the mighty Mark Levinson No.30.5 at a hair under $16,000. (I've used both in my system; yes, the '30.5 does sound better—a lot better!) But it was the new Canadian kid on the digital block, Sonic Frontiers' SFD-2 D/A…

Linn Sondek LP12/Lingo turntable ($2645–$2745; reviewed by John Atkinson, Vol.14 No.1, January 1991, & Vol.16 No.11, November 1993; Corey Greenberg, Vol.16 No.12, December 1993; Robert Deutsch, Vol.17 No.5, May 1994 Review)

"Analog Source" pits tuners against turntables, with the superbly engineered Arcam Delta 100 cassette deck getting a look in. But when push came to vote, the 23-year-old Linn Sondek edged out the other nominees, even the various incarnations of the megabux Forsell turntable from Sweden. Of course, the Linn in its current Lingo'd,…

Proceed PAV audio/video preamplifier ($4195; reviewed by Thomas J. Norton, Vol.17 No.9, September 1994 Review)

It took a while for high-end audio companies to wake up to the opportunities offered by the marriage of audio and video. But when they did, serious butt was kicked. B&W, McIntosh, and Fosgate/Audionics all produced some excellent THX-specification Home Theater speaker systems in the last year, but the Home Theater product that impressed every Stereophile staffer who heard it was the remote-control Proceed PAV audio/video surround-…