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Saturday March 10, 12pm–5pm, Audio Den (2845 Middle Country Road, Lake Grove NY) welcomes Bill Voss of Technics for a demonstration of the new flagship Technics SL1000R turntable. Refreshments will be provided. Attendance to the event is free. For additional information call (631) 585-5600 or email sales@audioden.com.
The boom in high-end LP reissues has now reached the point where the canniest reissue labels have become acutely aware of what vintage vinyl sells for the most on eBay, Discogs, and other sites. If they can license a good-sounding source, astute labels like Mobile Fidelity, Analogue Productions, and Light in the Attic are now reissuing these artifacts on 180 and 200 gram vinyl LPs for much less than an original will cost.
While I'd still rather have an original copy, these reissues for the most part deliver high-quality sound and deluxe packaging. Especially prized by deejays, funk and…
Winner of the 2018 Grammy for "Best Classical Solo Album," "Recording of the Month" in BBC Music Magazine, nominated for a 2018 Juno Award (Canada's version of the Grammy, coming March 24), listed in "Best Classical Music Recordings 2017" of the New York Times, and recipient of multiple European honors, Crazy Girl Crazy must be heard. Created by the phenomenally versatile Canadian soprano/conductor Barbara Hannigan, the Alpha label album/bonus DVD package showcases Hannigan and the Ludwig Orchestra performing three landmark 20th century masterworks—Berio's conception-shattering, impossibly…
Not only does the April 2018 Stereophile feature our new "Recommended Components" listing, updated and revised (p.47), featured on the cover and reviewed inside is Bel Canto's Black ACI 600. This is a revolutionary kind of all-in-one product, a network-connected integrated amplifier that accepts both digital and analog inputs, including phono. Turn to p.110 to see what we think of it.
And there are more equipment reports to be found in this 188-page issue: Mikey Fremer reviews a massive monoblock from Greek company Ypsilon; Larry Greenhill reviews an almost-as-massive stereo amplifier…
Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, Vocalise
Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Donald Johanos, cond.
Turnabout TV-54145S (LP). David B. Hancock, eng.; Tom Mowrey, Musical Supervision, Recording Director. TT: 41:18.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Donald Johanos, cond.
Turnabout TV-54145S (LP). David B. Hancock, eng.; Tom Mowrey, Musical Supervision, Recording Director. TT: 41:18.
Not a new recording, and one that has already received raves in all the other audiophile publications, but if Stereophile is the only such magazine you read, you'd just better know about it, for this is the definitive symphonic recording to date.
Buy it, listen to it, and get a good idea of what the other record companies have been doing to the sound of live music. The…
Enough has been said by now about the technical details of how Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) works to fill several books. But the technical details are only part of the story, and probably not the most interesting part—and they're certainly not what provokes the extreme emotional responses of many to the format. So let's jump into the business and practical aspects of MQA to which so many audiophiles are reacting.
From the point of view of MQA Ltd., what might success look like?
"Success" would be achieved when MQA is used to master most, if not all, new releases and back…
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 order within classes-is followed by a brief description of the product's sonic characteristics and a code indicating the Stereophile Volume and Issue in which that product's report appeared. Thus the May 2017 issue is indicated as "Vol.40 No.5."
Some products listed have not yet been reported on; these are…
Sidebar: How to Use the Listings
The classes each cover a wide range of performance. Carefully read our descriptions here, the original reviews, and (heaven forbid) reviews in other magazines to put together a short list of components to choose from. Evaluate your room, your source material and front-end(s), your speakers, and your tastes. With luck, you may come up with a selection to audition at your favorite dealer(s). "Recommended Components" will not tell you what to buy any more than Consumer Reports would presume to tell you whom to marry!
Class A
Best attainable…
Turntables
A+
TechDAS Air Force One: $105,000 plus tonearm ★
"A visually stunning technological tour de force," the 174-lb Air Force One has a three-layer chassis of damped aluminum, a forge-processed stainless-steel platter, and a massive AC synchronous motor controlled by an outboard dual-50W amplifier. The platter uses an air bearing; LPs are held to the platter with vacuum suction. The review sample was equipped with a Graham Engineering Phantom II Supreme tonearm. Though it didn't sound as smooth as the Continuum Caliburn or the Onedof One Degree of Freedom, the Air…
SACD, DVD-A, & CD Players & Transports & Media Players
Editor's Note: SACD and DVD-A player ratings are based on how they sound with their respective hi-rez media, not CD.
A+
Antipodes DX Reference: $6950–$15,530
What could tempt the frugal JA into forsaking his computer-based file-playing system for a high-quality dedicated music server? The latter must offer sound quality with which the former does not compete—and that's precisely what he found in the Kiwi-built Antipodes DX Reference. The DX Reference, which runs on the Linux operating system, runs…