Audiophiles constantly seek the next level in musical realism, as any reader of this website would acknowledge. The world at large, however, can't get enough of low-fidelity audio, as evidenced by the continuing popularity of the MP3 format.
You want controversy? We got major controversy right here. In 1991, the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//accessoryreviews/784/">Tice R-4 TPT and Coherence ElectroTec EP-C "Clocks"</A> were released and then the fun started. Read everything <I>Stereophile</I> writers and readers had to say about these contentious products, as well as comments from the manufacturer.
Copy protection efforts currently being initiated by national lawmakers at the behest of the entertainment industry are based on a model of Internet use that will soon become obsolete, according to Stanford law professor Lawrence Lessig.
Paul Bolin exclaims, "Looking at the current digital scene is enough to confuse and confound just about anyone this side of Stephen Hawking." Bolin's review of the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//digitalsourcereviews/779/">Ayre Acoustics D-1x DVD-Video/CD player</A> is here to clear things up.
Memorial Day is the traditional beginning of summer. This year, it will mark a new chapter for <A HREF="http://www.klipsch.com">Klipsch Audio Technologies</A>.
Michael Fremer investigates the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/774/">Parasound Halo JC 1 monoblock power amplifier</A>, 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.
Kalman Rubinson fires up the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/769/">Sonic Frontiers Line 2 line preamplifier</A>, commenting, "I began this review grudgingly because I'd made a decision a while back to no longer pursue vacuum-tube electronics." But it's where KR ends up after months of listening that counts.
"How much power do you really need? How much power can you actually use? What's necessary, and what's icing on the cake? And does <I>anyone</I> really need 1000Wpc?" Jonathan Scull takes the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/764/">Boulder 2050 monoblock amplifier</A> into the listening chamber to confront these and other pressing audio dilemmas.
Three reviews from January: First, Art Dudley gives us his take on the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/759/">Final Laboratory Music-4 phono preamplifier, Music-5 line preamplifier, and Music-6 power amplifier</A>. Art writes, "Modern hi-fi is little more than a way of getting electricity to pretend that it's music."
With the February issue hitting newstands, it's time once again to honor those twirling discs that also made our heads spin, with "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//records2die4/754/">2002 Records To Die For</A>." <I>Stereophile</I>'s staff and writers all check in with their eclectic batches of musical heaven.