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"Thank you very much indeed." That's David Gilmour offering his recurrent humble rejoinder to the fever-pitched audience response throughout the 2.5-hour performance that makes up the bulk of his latest solo release, Live at the Circus Maximus (Sony Music), which was recorded in Rome over the course of three shows held at the storied Italian venue October 1–3, 2024.

As is his wont, Gilmour tends to speak in the traditional, understated English way—and, mind you, he's very much not speaking with a tone of "quiet desperation," as an infamous lyric he sings…

Back in 1987, the AES published the anthology pictured above of historic papers on "Stereo." It includes a document (celebrating its 80th anniversary this year) that pretty much defined the whole field of stereo reproduction, including the 45°/45° stereo groove and the moving-magnet stereo cartridge. That document, a 1931 British Patent Application written by the English engineer Alan Dower Blumlein, is worth quoting at length:

"The fundamental object of the invention is to provide a sound recording, reproducing and/or transmission system whereby there…

I'll admit to a conflict of interest in choosing as Recording of the Month a work co-engineered by our very own John Atkinson. We—I, who nominated the piece, and Editor Jim Austin, who ultimately chose the winner—have both worked with John for years. And I'd never deny it was moving to sit next to him during his recent visit to Port Townsend following the…

On Wednesday, April 22, I attended the unveiling of Wilson Audio's Autobiography speaker near the company's hometown of Provo, Utah. The event took place at the Springville Museum of Art in Springville, which is just south of Provo. Daryl Wilson (seen above talking with his mother, Sheryl Lee Wilson) introduced the new flagship speaker, which Wilson calls Autobiography.

This writer's judgment: The speaker is a tour de force. It takes all the features and design concepts of both the WAMM and the Chronosonic XVX models to an entirely new level. The name of it—Autobiography—is meant…

Certain qualities hold true throughout the Ampsandsound line—supremely low noise floors, liquidity, tactile-ness of notes, utter naturalness, and a quality I would describe as presence with punch.

While playing Norman Greenbaum's early '70s spirit rock anthem "Spirit in the Sky," the Ampsandsound system at AXPONA 2026 conveyed all the low end of a satisfied lion, midrange…

I was a graduate student in physics at the University of Chicago in the late 1990s and a poor, inquisitive audiophile. I tried to improve my mid-fi…

Description: Three-chassis streamer-server. Server unit: Connections: Ethernet (default) or SFP (optical, optional), USB to connect external storage, galvanically isolated USB audio output. Contains two internal SSD storage bays (storage not supplied). 8.8" color display. Audio unit: Receives audio data from the server unit via a proprietary link and outputs S/PDIF (coax, TosLink), AES3 (both single and dual-wire connections), or a special-purpose audio output module: I2S (default), MSB ProISL (optional), or CH Link HD (optional; available soon). Includes a high-…

Here at AXPONA 2026—as with all High Water Sound systems—there was great depth of stage, holographic imaging, nearly subterranean bass, liquid treble, and searingly rich mids.

Jeffrey Catalano’s choice of music is as big a part of his sound as the rig, playing to the system’s strengths of tube physicality, vinyl realism, and horn speed. Show after show,…