The painting, now in the Cloisters of New York's…
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The golden rays pouring in through the left oculus transport a tiny child carrying a cross: ". . . the devil was vanquished, as if he had just swallowed the bait in the mousetrap." In his essay "'Muscipula Diaboli,' The Symbolism of the Mérode Altarpiece," the late art historian Meyer Schapiro explains how every object, every surface—even the smoke, light, and volume of space—depicted in the famous triptych by Robert Campin (ca 1375–1444) is a coded symbol explicating the mystical underpinnings of Netherlandish Protestantism (footnote 1).
Only moments after I'd received my review samples of open-back Audeze EL-8s, they committed their first act of transcendent love: I played Paul McCreesh and the Gabrieli Consort and Players' recording of Cristóbal de Morales's Mass for the Feast of St. Isidore of Seville (CD, Deutsche Grammophon 93904). Once again, the roof of my head became the dome of a cathedral. This 16th-century composition perfectly expresses the earthy sacredness of Spanish Christian feeling. The sound of the male choir was so well formed and accessible that I prepared to abandon my pagan rascality and join up with…
Manufacturer's Comment
Editor: I have just read [Ken Nelson's] May 22 letter urging us to consider advertising in Stereophile. I understand that your business is to try to encourage potential advertisers to consider this publication, and I also confirm that you continue to write me in this regard.
I think it is only fair to remind you that we have decided as a policy matter that we do not consider Stereophile a publication to be included among those in which our company advertises. We and our agency are experienced [enough] to know and respect the separation between advertising…
Friday, December 11, 5pm–9pm, David Michael Audio (4341 Delemere Court, Royal Oak, MI 48073) will host an event showcasing and demonstrating the Naim Statement amplification components. Confirmed presenters will include Emmanuel Le Quéré and Francois Cauchon of Naim distributor AudioPlus Services.
Hors d'oeuvres and refreshments will be served. Space is limited so RSVP early. You can register by sending an email to info@davidmichaelaudio.com.
"I'm still in shock," Reference Recordings recording engineer Sean Martin blurted out during a conference call with his recording engineer stepfather, Keith O. Johnson. "When Jan Mancuso woke me up at 5:30 or 6 to tell me the news, I couldn't imagine who would be calling so early," was Johnson's follow up.
Reference Recordings and Johnson have been nominated multiple times for Grammys over the years. ("I hate to say how many times I've been nominated for the Engineering Award," quips Johnson, "although I only won it once, in 2010, for Best Engineered Surround Sound on Britten's Young…
Register to win a pair of Aiaiai Studio Modular Headphone Preset headphones ($225.00 Retail Value) we are giving away.
According to the company:
AIAIAI is an audio design company dedicated to developing high quality audio products for everyday use. AIAIAI’s modern, minimalist headphones and earphones deliver clear, amplified sound.
Headquartered in Copenhagen, AIAIAI is proud to contribute to Denmark’s worldwide reputation as leader in acoustic and electro-acoustic design and engineering. Informed by a heritage of Scandinavian design, AIAIAI strives to create high…
Thursday, December 10, from 5–10pm New York retailer In Living Stereo (2 Great Jones Street, New York City) is having a “Dynaudio Night.” Mike Manousselis from Dynaudio will be demonstrating some new Dynaudio speakers and answering questions. We will have the Confidence C1 platinum and the Contour 1.4 LE loudspeakers (above) on demonstration. We will also have Dynaudio’s new Xeo 2 wireless loudspeakers playing in the lobby. Snacks and beverages will be served.
It's easy for reviewers to become jaded by the high prices of some audio products. We get the products in our listening rooms—albeit temporarily—without having to part with our own money. Consequently, we get enthusiastic about products that offer real breakthroughs without, perhaps, fully considering their cost.
Reviewers should consciously try to avoid this tendency. Although we should report on cost-no-object components, the bulk of our readers want high musical performance at an affordable price. That's why I get most excited about reviewing sensibly priced components that offer sonic…
This is an electrostatic column speaker, 6' tall and costing $6000/pair. An integral, fan-cooled amplifier is located in the base (footnote 1). The 2SW is said to cover almost the entire frequency range and is based on a patent, number 3,668,335, issued to manufacturer/designer Harold Beveridge on June 6, 1972. Internal acoustic lenses in front of the electrostatic panels widen the speaker's dispersion: In the Beveridge literature, it says "This 6-foot high device consolidated the entire frequency range into a vertical line source, and uniformly disperses it over a horizontal pattern, 180…
Sidebar 1: Review System
I auditioned the Lambda driving PS Audio's new Reference Link digital processor and "preamp" (see review elsewhere in this issue), a Mark Levinson No.30 Reference Digital Processor, and the Meitner IDAT. Digital interconnects included an AudioQuest Optical Pro II glass fiber, and Aural Symphonics and WonderLink coaxial types. My review sample was fitted with ST-type glass fiber, but not with AES/EBU output.
An Audio Research LS2B line-stage drove VTL 225W monoblocks via a 20' run of AudioQuest Lapis. Alternately, the power amplifier was a Mark Levinson No.…