Jim Austin, Mike Mettler

Recording of November 2026: R.E.M.: Reckoning

Jim Austin, Mike Mettler Oct 14, 2026

R.E.M.: Reckoning
I.R.S. Records SP70044/Interscope-Capitol Records Definitive Sound Series DSS 16 (LP; auditioned as a test pressing). 1984/2026. Don Dixon, Mitch Easter, prods.; Dixon, Easter, engs.; Bill Inglot, Chris Bellman, remastering.

As We See It

Shifting Gears, My Final Word on Record Cleaning

Jim Austin Sep 16, 2026

Earlier this year, I wrote two articles on record cleaning, in particular the ultrasonic kind. Some of the ideas I expressed were good and correct, like the choice of surfactant (Tergitol 15-S-9). Others, like the amount of Tergitol to use, were less well-considered.

Recording of the Month

Recording of October 2026: Margaret Glaspy: I Am Both

Jim Austin Sep 14, 2026

Margaret Glaspy: I Am Both
ATO Records (auditioned as 24/192 FLAC). 2026. Joe Henry, prod.; Patrick Dillett, Thom Beemer, engs.; Chris Gehringer, mastering.

As We See It

Intimate Machines

Jim Austin Aug 13, 2026

In this space in the September 2025 Stereophile—exactly a year ago—I wrote about bicycles. I was researching a bicycle purchase, and the more I read about bikes, the more parallels I saw between bikes and hi-fi, especially economic parallels between that industry and this one.

Music and Recording Reviews

August 2026 Jazz Record Reviews

Jim Austin, Robert Baird, Thomas Conrad Aug 11, 2026

Jim Snidero: Best of the Trio Recordings; Nils Petter Molvær: Be Quiet; Adam O'Farrill: Elephant; The Oscar Peterson Trio: At Baker's Keyboard Lounge; Joe Syrian Motor City Jazz Octet: A Blue Time;

As We See It

Big Changes at Stereophile

Jim Austin Jul 14, 2026

Stereophile's new President and CEO Keith Pray (left) and new Technical Editor Paul Miller (right) listening to Audeze headphones at the 2018 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest.

Stereophile has a new owner. Who is it? It's Stereophile. For 27 years, Stereophile has been led on the business side by Keith Pray. This spring, Keith formed a new company, Pray Media Holdings, for the express purpose of buying Stereophile and related titles.

As We See It

The End of an Era: John Atkinson Retires

Jim Austin Jun 19, 2026

The July issue is a milestone in Stereophile's history: It's the last issue in which John Atkinson will be performing the measurements for our equipment reviews. As a start toward digesting this momentous event, I asked JA1 some questions.

As We See It

Wash, Repeat, Don't Rinse; More on Cleaning LPs

Jim Austin May 26, 2026

I wrote in the April 2026 issue of Stereophile that when you clean records in an ultrasonic bath, you need to make some decisions. The first is whether it's necessary to use distilled water or whether tap water is good enough . . . The next decision is, should I use a surfactant?

Audacious Audio Floor Loudspeaker Reviews

Marten Mingus Septet Statement Edition loudspeaker

Jim Austin May 01, 2026

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.

As We See It

Time Is On My Side

Jim Austin Apr 23, 2026

Lately, hi-fi's technical emphasis has shifted toward time, away from its longtime main focus on the frequency domain. I'm thinking the trend, which I consider a good thing, started years ago with growing awareness it might be better to accept some aliasing in order to avoid the phase distortion resulting from a "brick-wall" reconstruction filter.