Stephen Mejias

The Verity Leonore loudspeaker ($15,995/pair) boasts a claimed efficiency of 93dB, meaning it'll require very few watts to really sing. Along with a compact footprint and graceful cabinet, the Leonore offered a detailed and involving sound, and wasn't afraid to rock.

The Shindo Player System Turntable costs $25,000, but seems worth every penny. "Look at it. It's pure elegance," says Steve Mishoe.

A gorgeous family of Shindo gear makes its home on a Box Furniture Co. rack ($3700), handmade in Brooklyn, New York.

In">http://www.inlivingstereo.com/index.htm">In Living Stereo is located at 13 East 4th Street, one door down from Other Music and just across from where Tower Records once stood tall. It's a great place for a hi-fi shop. To get there, you might take the 6 train to Astor Place, where you will climb right into a blur of so much height and movement and memory.

Exposure, the old-school British company best known for its high-value">http://www.stereophile.com/budgetcomponents/1105exposure/index.html">hi… amplifiers and disc players, has entered the ever-growing iPod market with its new EXPO3 wireless dock. The EXPO3 uses a Bluetooth A2DP-equipped cradle to transmit music files to a base station receiver connected to your hi-fi. A fully-charged iPod is good for eight hours of fun; the base station can recharge both iPod and cradle transmitter, and you can continue listening to music while charging.

I now own it on vinyl, too, of course, but four years ago, John Atkinson presented me with the SACD/CD dual-disc. It quickly http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/101105kindofblue/ ">cured my headaches and has remained one of my very favorite albums. Listening to it at least once a month keeps my mind and body healthy.

Web Monkey, Jon Iverson, has informed me that today is the 40th birthday of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, held at Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York. I really don't know much at all about Woodstock. I haven't read any of the books or watched any of the movies. I know that Richie Havens opened (and played and played until he couldn't play anymore), but I've only just recently acquired that bit of knowledge. I know that Jimi Hendrix tore through an angry version of the "Star-Spangled Banner." I know that Janis Joplin was there. I've seen that funny video of Joe Cocker singing "With A Little Help from My Friends." And I've heard that many of the performances absolutely sucked.