search

40 Years of <I>Stereophile</I>: What Happened When

Stereophile: The Time Line

1930: Justin Gordon Holt is born in North Carolina. His family moves to Melbourne, Australia in 1935, and returns to the US in 1947.

1948: CBS's Dr. Peter Goldmark demonstrates the (mono) microgroove LP; Audio Engineering magazine is launched, later to split into Audio magazine and the Journal of the Audio Engineering Society; John Atkinson is born in England; J. Gordon Holt records his high-school band with one of the first tape recorders, a Brush Soundmirror BK401. (One of his 1948 recordings is later featured on Stereophile's first Test CD.)

…

 

40 Years of <I>Stereophile</I>: What Happened When Page 2

1973: In October, tired of waiting for the next issue of The Stereophile to arrive in his mailbox, Harry Pearson launches the first issue of The Abso!ute Sound, to be based on an editorial philosophy of judging audio components by listening to them.

1975: Apparently out of design inspiration, J. Gordon Holt prints a typewritten contents list on the cover of Vol.3 No.9 (Issue No.33), dated "Summer (2) 1975."

1976: John Atkinson abandons his career, such as it is, as a professional bass guitarist, and joins the English magazine Hi-Fi News & Record Review as news editor. Deputy…

 

40 Years of <I>Stereophile</I>: What Happened When Page 3

1984: In Issue No.63 (Vol.7 No.1), Larry Greenhill (still with the magazine in 2002) and Anthony H. Cordesman make their debuts as Stereophile reviewers. Bob O'Neill is the magazine's first full-time advertising salesperson, joined two issues later and then replaced by audio magazine veteran Ken Nelson. Vol.7 No.3 also sees Steven W. Watkinson make his reviewing debut, while Don Scott starts reviewing FM tuners. The cover price increases to $3.95 with Vol.7 No.5, at 100 pages the largest issue yet published.

1985: At 112 pages, Issue No.71 (Vol.8 No.1) breaks the previous record, only to…

 

40 Years of <I>Stereophile</I>: What Happened When Page 4

1988: The big news with the January issue (Vol.11 No.1) is the launch of the "Industry Update" column, shamelessly modeled on the news coverage of the UK's Car magazine. The Show returns to Santa Monica, Laura LoVecchio joins the magazine's sales team from Audio magazine, and the watchword is growth and consolidation. By the end of 1988, the circulation is 47,000 and our largest-ever issue is the June issue, at 248 pages. J. Gordon Holt writes more reviews in 1988 than he has ever done before or will ever do again. After having had some letters published in "Letters," Robert Deutsch makes…

 

40 Years of <I>Stereophile</I>: What Happened When Page 5

1993: In this year of consolidation the decision is made to abandon, starting with the January 1994 issue, the digest size with which the magazine has been identified for the past quarter century. In the meantime, HI-FI '93 is a roaring success at the Marriott Hotel in San Francisco's Mission District, Jack English contributes an excellent three-part series, "The Sonic Bridge," on how to listen to audio components, Robert Harley continues his fascinating investigation into digital word-clock jitter, we publish J. Gordon Holt's extensive glossary on how to describe sound quality, and Jonathan…

 

40 Years of <I>Stereophile</I>: What Happened When Page 6

1998: December 1, 1997 is a portentous date in Stereophile's history, because on that day the magazine's website emerges from the darkness. The result of months of work by webmaster Jon Iverson, www.stereophile.com begins with weekly news updates, a poll and a " Soapbox," and in 1998 adds a links database and begins making Stereophile's archive of reviews and articles available online.

But 1998 is a year to remember because, on June 1, ownership of Stereophile, Stereophile Guide to Home Theater, and the HI-FI Show passes from Stereophile, Inc., the corporation jointly owned by Larry…

 

Stereophile's Products of 2001

For the tenth consecutive year, Stereophile recognizes components that have proved capable of giving musical pleasure beyond the formal review period by naming its "Products of the Year."

There are five individual categories: Loudspeakers (including subwoofers), Amplification Components (preamplifiers, power amplifiers, etc.), Digital Sources (CD players, transports, processors), Analog Sources (phono cartridges, turntables, tonearms, FM tuners, etc.), and Accessories (everything else).

The two most important categories, however, are the "Product of the Year" itself—the best of…

 

The 2001 Products of the Year Joint Loudspeakers

2001 Joint Loudspeakers

MartinLogan Prodigy (review) ($10,995/pair; reviewed by Larry Greenhill, Vol.24 No.7, July 2001)
Revel Ultima Studio (review) ($10,995-$11,995/pair; reviewed by Kalman Rubinson & John Atkinson, Vol.23 No.12 & Vol.24 No.1, December 2000 & January 2001)

Runners-Up (in alphabetical order):
Audio Physic Avanti III (review) ($10,995/pair; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.24 No.8, August 2001)
JMlab Micro Utopia ($5000/pair; reviewed by Sam Tellig, Vol.24 No.1, January 2001)
Joseph RM33si Signature ($7499/pair; reviewed by Chip Stern,…

 

The 2001 Products of the Year Amplification Component

2001 Amplification Component

TacT RCS 2.0 digital equalizer/preamplifier (review) ($2950-$4248; reviewed by Kalman Rubinson, Vol.24 No.9, September 2001)

Runners-Up (in alphabetical order):
Balanced Audio Technology VK-40 preamplifier ($4000; reviewed by Robert Deutsch, Vol.24 No.7, July 2001)
Classé CAM 350 monoblock power amplifier (review) ($7000/pair; reviewed by Brian Damkroger, Vol.24 No.1, January 2001)
Conrad-Johnson Premier 17LS preamplifier (review) ($4495; reviewed by Brian Damkroger, Vol.24 No.5, May 2001)
Creek 5350SE integrated amplifier (review) ($…

 

The 2001 Products of the Year Joint Digital Sources

2001 Joint Digital Sources

Accuphase DP-100/DC-101 SACD transport/processor (review) ($27,990; reviewed by Jonathan Scull, Vol.24 No.2, February 2001)
Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 3D CD player (review) ($4995; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.24 No.10, October 2001)
dCS Purcell D/D processor (review) ($5995; reviewed by Jonathan Scull, Vol.24 No.1, January 2001)

Runners-Up (in alphabetical order):
47 Laboratory PiTracer CD transport (review) ($25,000; reviewed by Jonathan Scull, Vol.24 No.9, September 2001)
Perpetual Technologies P-1A D/D processor (review) ($1099;…

 

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement