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Technics Event at NY's Audio Den Friday

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…

Recording of August 2015: <I>Sly and the Family Stone Live at the Fillmore East </I>

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 ****

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…

What's an Audiophile? (Part 634)

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…

Ayre Acoustics AX-5 integrated amplifier The AX-5 Twenty

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…

Ayre Acoustics MX-R Twenty monoblock power amplifier

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…

Ayre Acoustics MX-R Twenty monoblock power amplifier Page 2

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…

Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a loudspeaker

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…

Ayre Acoustics MX-R Twenty monoblock power amplifier Specifications

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…

Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a loudspeaker Page 2

Forget sissy foot tapping. I believe completely in the value of involuntary lap drumming, head bobbing, and ecstatic fist pumping. These actions signify that I am in sync with the music, that I got my ears wide open and my mojo workin'. And when I find myself synced up and delirious, I play the same records over and over. (Yes, I was that neighbor you hated.) I've been playing, over and over, David Byrne's Eno-produced score for Twyla Tharp's The Catherine Wheel (LP, Sire 3645), and especially the penultimate two tracks, "What a Day That Was" and "Big Blue Plymouth (Eyes Wide Open)." I used…

Ayre Acoustics MX-R Twenty monoblock power amplifier Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog Sources: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ekos tonearm, Linn Arkiv B cartridge.
Digital Sources: Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; Apple 2.7GHz i7 Mac mini running OS10.7, Audirvana Plus 1.5.10, iTunes 11, Pure Music 2.0; Ayre Acoustics QB-9 DSD, Bricasti M1, PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream D/A converters; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 USB A/D converter; dCS Vivaldi digital playback system.
Preamplification: Channel D Seta L phono preamplifier, Ayre Acoustics KX-R Twenty line preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers:…