Joe's apartment is small, like mine, with art,…
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There was no limo, just a walk filled with Christmas-in-Chinatown sights from the F train east down East Broadway, past 169 Bar, under the Manhattan Bridge, to the Dim Sum Palace. I was having a dinner meetup with an artist-writer friend named Joe who invited me to catch up on old times and hear the wide-range AER drivers that he has bolted onto clear acrylic AER baffles with big, round, clear horns on the front. I auditioned these speakers at great length at Capital Audiofest, but I could not picture them in Joe's sixth floor walk-up.
Photo by Polly Samson.
"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…
Case Study 1: Recording
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…
Eriks Ešenvalds: Translations
Portland State Chamber Choir, Ethan Sperry, cond.
Naxos 8.574124 (CD, auditioned as 24/96 WAV). 2020. Erick Lichte, prod.; John Atkinson, Doug Tourtelot, engs.
Performance *****
Sonics ****½
Portland State Chamber Choir, Ethan Sperry, cond.
Naxos 8.574124 (CD, auditioned as 24/96 WAV). 2020. Erick Lichte, prod.; John Atkinson, Doug Tourtelot, engs.
Performance *****
Sonics ****½
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…
Note: The following is an official press release. The Stereophile edit team has sent some followup questions to the related media contacts to expand upon this announcement, but we wanted to share this information in a timely manner. When we receive any updates, we will amend this story accordingly.
Sound & Fury LLC announces the acquisition of AXPONA (Audio Expo North America), the largest high-end audio event in North America.
Since its inception, AXPONA has served audiophiles, manufacturers, and music enthusiasts as a premier destination to experience high-fidelity…
At AXPONA 2026, Amspandsound founder Justin Weber discusses the gear being shown in the company's room in an interview with Ken Micallef that's now posted on our YouTube channel.
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…
At AXPONA 2026, Michell's Jonathan Nye (shown above), Opera Loudspeakers' Bartolomeo Nasta, and Unison Research's Augustino Zemai talk about the gear shown in one of Fidelity Imports' rooms at the show in an interview with Ken Micallef that's now posted on our YouTube channel. (Many of these products were making their respective U.S. debuts, but time constraints prevented a proper room audition.)
Equipment list: Analog sources: Michell Audio Gyro turntable ($8999); Michell Audio Revolv turntable with T8 tonearm ($7198). Phono preamplifier and PSU:…
As I prepared this review of the Marten Mingus Septet Statement Edition loudspeaker ($199,000/pair), I asked the Marten people to tell me something about the company and its values. Here's the reply I received via Marten's Martin, Global Sales Manager Martin Dunhoff:
Marten was founded back in 1998, but Leif [Olofsson], our founder and chief engineer, started making speakers long before that. ... He wanted to hear music as it was in real life. ... Leif wanted to make a speaker that accurately reproduced the truth and beauty of natural sound. To achieve these goals, he experimented…
I was born and raised in Argentina. Ever since I was a kid, I've been fascinated by machines. My mother used to call me "Botones" (Spanish for "Buttons") because I pressed every button and turned every knob I encountered. I was particularly interested in machines that played music, especially my dad's Grundig console, which sounded like a warm breeze in a beautiful sunset. It's hardly surprising that I pursued an education in the sciences.
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…