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Michael Fremer investigates the Parasound">http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/774/">Parasound Halo JC 1 monoblock power amplifier, exclaiming, "The 5-to-1 ratio of cost to retail price suggests that the "raw" cost of the JC 1 is about $600—a number almost impossible to believe, given the superb build quality and sheer heft of this powerhouse monoblock." And then there is the sound.
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Sam Tellig and Lonnie Brownell both provide trenchant analyses of the Bryston">http://www.stereophile.com/amplificationreviews/597bryston">Bryston B-60R integrated amplifier. Tellig notes, "With Bryston gear, you get solid engineering and impeccable—I was going to say unimpeachable—build quality. This is what you pay for; not bulletproof faceplates, gold-plated name badges, or the like."
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From the January 2004 issue, Robert J. Reina surveys the Epos">http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/104epos">Epos ELS-3 loudspeaker, reporting at the outset, "I have not been this excited about an entry-level speaker in years." BJR explains, "In three areas, it exceeded in performance what I've heard from its competition."
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To kick off his three-loudspeaker survey from the January 2004 issue, Art Dudley sets up the Meadowlark">http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/104meadowlark">Meadowlark Audio Swift loudspeaker in his room and notes, "You look at something like the Meadowlark Swift and you think, How can they sell this for only $1195/pair?"
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From the January 2004 issue, Michael Fremer writes about the "SUV-like, limited-edition, 20th-anniversary" Musical">http://www.stereophile.com/amplificationreviews/104mf">Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista kWP preamplifier & Tri-Vista kW Monobloc power amplifier. No doubt the "bank-vault-like" designs will get your attention, but as Fremer discovers, after you close your eyes, it's "sheer sonic pleasure."
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In his review of the Cary">http://www.stereophile.com/amplificationreviews/1098cary">Cary Audio Design CAD-572SE monoblock power amplifier, Martin Colloms explains, "It's no accident that low- and zero-feedback triode technology is now the mainstay of the Cary amplifier line." MC then reports on whether or not this approach has succeeded. RObert Deutsch adds some further thoughts.
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This week we have two John Atkinson speaker reviews from the February 2004 issue. First, JA gets his hands on the B&W">http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/204bw">B&W 705 loudspeaker, commenting, "When I heard about the company's new 700 series of speakers, based on the technology featured in their cost-no-object Nautilus series but priced to sell in the real world, I asked to review the $1500/pair 705."
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Does the SLP in the Cary">http://www.stereophile.com/amplificationreviews/204cary">Cary SLP-98P tube preamplifier's name stand for "sweet little preamplifier"? Art Dudley sets out to determine if Cary's latest version in the SLP preamp series lives up to the moniker.
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John Atkinson headed to the Midwest last year to record another audiophile disc. In Deep">http://www.stereophile.com/musicrecordings/304deep">Deep River: the Cantus Spirituals Project, JA describes the process of capturing a chorus of male voices with high-rez digital equipment. Atkinson notes, "Presented with the magnificent acoustic of Sioux Falls' 1500-seat Washington Pavilion of the Arts & Sciences, the question facing me was how to present what are still fairly intimate works while taking advantage of that supportive acoustic."
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Bits is bits? In the December 1990 issue, John Atkinson explored in "Jitter">http://www.stereophile.com/reference/1290jitter">"Jitter, Bits, & Sound Quality" why digital audio turns out to be a complicated process. He writes, "As my violin teacher used to say, 'The right note in the wrong place is the wrong note.'" And so it is with digital data, as JA explains in this groundbreaking report.