Audio Advice, July 22 & 23
Manufacturer representatives from Bowers & Wilkins, Classé, Control4, Devialet, Rotel, Sonance, Sonos…
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On Wednesday, July 22 (Raleigh) and Thursday, July 23 (Pineville), 5–9pm, Audio Advice (8621 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh; 11409 Carolina Place Parkway, Pineville) will host its annual Digital Living event, while on Friday, July 24, 6–8pm, Vintage King Audio (2826 Dogwood Place, Nashville) will host an evening seminar with AudioQuest's Steve Silberman, focusing on the tools and resources needed to turn a computer into a true high-resolution music source.
John Atkinson wrote abut the M28 in August 2015, (Vol.38 No.8):
When Michael Fremer reviewed this $30,000/pair power amplifier in the May 2015 issue, he admitted that he had difficulty getting it to sing with his Wilson Alexandria XLF speakers, especially before the review samples had broken in. "Out of the box and dead-of-winter-right-off-the-truck cold (but given a day to reach room temperature)," he wrote, "the M28s sounded more tube-like, more 'soft and loose' than 'fast and tight.' Though it was consistent in these and other regards from top to bottom, the M28s didn't exactly provide…
High-end audio dealer Audio Den of Long Island (2845 Middle Country Road, Lake Grove, NY 11755) is hosting a music evening Friday, July 24, 5:00–8:00pm, to launch Technics' new Premium and Reference series integrated amplifier, network player, and speakers in North America.
The Akiko Jazz Trio will be performing live and there will as well as hors-d'oeuvres, drinks, wine, a sake tasting, and giveaways. A representative from the Technics factory will be on-site to answer any questions and demonstrate the company's amplifier technologies.
Stereophile's Herb Reichert has…
Sly and the Family Stone: Live at the Fillmore East, October 4th & 5th, 1968
Epic 88843023712 (4 CDs). 2015. Sly Stone, orig. prod.; Bob Irwin, reissue prod.; Vic Anesini, mastering. AAD? TT: 3:27:31
Performance *****
Sonics ****
Epic 88843023712 (4 CDs). 2015. Sly Stone, orig. prod.; Bob Irwin, reissue prod.; Vic Anesini, mastering. AAD? TT: 3:27:31
Performance *****
Sonics ****
The first thing you hear is not Sly Stone's keyboards or harmonica. Not Freddie Stone's guitar. Not Greg Errico's amazing drumming. Not Larry Graham's slapping bass. Not the voices of Rose Stone (also keys) and Cynthia Robinson (also trumpet). Not Jerry Martini's saxophone.
No. The first thing you hear is pure energy: the nuclear reaction…
Most of us have experienced the proverbial curveball that comes out of nowhere to smack us right in the head. My most recent such encounter was pitched by Stereophile contributor Steve Guttenberg.
Steve's whammy arrived amid an e-mail exchange among Stereophile writers concerning a rather clueless column in another publication on the dearth of women audiophiles. After asking how many female audiophiles each of us knew, Steve G. defined what he meant by audiophile: "a person who frets over their system, agonizes over choices, loves gear, and sometimes music. You know, the kind of person…
Art Dudley reviewed the AX-5 Twenty in August 2015, (Vol.38 No.8):
"You are going to freak out."
In February, that prediction was offered to me by Alex Brinkman, the usually understated sales manager for Ayre Acoustics. The suggested catalyst for my otherwise unforeseen psychotic episode: A new edition of Ayre's AX-5 integrated amplifier, the original version of which I reviewed for Stereophile's September 2013 issue. I was impressed with the first edition—a zero-feedback, solid-state design that I described as being no less than "one of the three best, most musical, and most…
Of the hundreds of product reviews I have written over the years, it is perhaps those of power amplifiers that present the hardest task in defining their worth. This is not because power amps are unimportant. As I wrote in my review of the MBL Corona C15 monoblock, in June 2014, "it is the power amplifier that is responsible for determining the character of the system's sound, because it is the amplifier that must directly interface with the loudspeakers. The relationship between amplifier and loudspeaker is complex, and the nature of that relationship literally sets the tone of the sound…
Overall, however, it was the palpability of the Ayres' sound that most impressed me. (I wonder if this is what Art Dudley means when he discusses components having "flow," the individual acoustic objects within a mix clearly existing separately from the overall image.) I have mentioned before the problems I had mixing the Jerome Harris Quintet's Rendezvous (CD, Stereophile STPH013-2; out of print, though one track is still available on our Editor's Choice CD, STPH016-2). Jerome's Taylor acoustic bass guitar has a distinctive tone and a somewhat soft sound—but if I brought its level up too…
When all you've ever heard are wooden boxes that shout, it's difficult to recognize their highly accented "voice." Few of us actually notice how miserably distorted all loudspeakers are. Don't believe me? Try listening to a recording of your child's voice, the sounds of rattling keys, or an audience applauding.
After you've spent a bunch of time with horns, electrostats, or ribbons, box speakers won't sound "boxy," as many reviewers claim; they'll just sound squawky and . . . peculiar. To my ears, the bigger and heavier a speaker cabinet, the more peculiar it sounds. In contrast, petite…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state monoblock power amplifier. Inputs: 1 balanced. Output power: 300W into 8 ohms (24.8dBW), 600W into 4 ohms (24.8dBW). Frequency range: 0Hz–250kHz. Voltage gain: 26dB. Input impedance: 2 megohms. Power consumption: 45W (standby), 120W (operating/no signal).
Dimensions: 11" (280mm) W by 3.75" (96mm) H by 18.75" (480mm) D. Weight: 52 lbs (23.6kg).
Finishes: Silver, Black (add $500/pair).
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 14G0129 & '130.
Price: $29,500/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 25.
Manufacturer: Ayre…