April 2023

Stereophile

High-end audio equipment news and reports with audio engineer interviews

Stereophile5 min read
The Spaces Between The Notes
At the beginning of the 2022 novel Checkout 19, by Claire-Louise Bennett, I encountered some ideas that resonate in interesting ways with my recent experience of recorded music. The first idea is expressed in the quote above: You take out many books
Stereophile4 min read
Letters
Thank you, Jim Austin! You’re a cool dude! Buzzcocks appearing on your lists! I always thought they were special: smart, funny, and creative. Like the Beach Boys with fuzz guitars! I love their three albums and especially the last three singles, whic
Stereophile2 min read
Calendar Of Industry Events
ATTENTION ALL AUDIO SOCIETIES: We have a page on the Stereophile website devoted to you: stereophile.com/audiophile-societies. If you’d like to have your audio-society information posted on the site, email Chris Vogel at [email protected]. (Note the new
Stereophile12 min read
Industry Update
Peter Noerbaek APRIL 25, 1936–AUGUST 7, 2022 Erno Borbely, in his 86 years, embraced opposing viewpoints with imagination, boldness, and a deeply generous spirit that is often found in the best teachers. He was grounded in home and family—especially
Stereophile13 min read
Hi-fi Heresy
I remember a Saturday morning around 30 years ago, when I just happened to be at Sound by Singer, the New York City audio salon, watching this wizardy German fella named Joachim Gerhard unbox the newest speaker in his line, Audio Physic. I remember h
Stereophile287 min read
Recommended components rc 2023
Every product listed here has been reviewed in Stereophile. Everything on the list, regardless of rating, is genuinely recommendable. Within each category, products are listed by class; within each class, they’re in alphabetical order, followed by th
Stereophile12 min read
Klipsch La Scala AL5
There’s a good case to be made that the world’s greatest—and strangest—audiophile culture resides in Japan. Probably the most important notion the Japanese have introduced to our hobby is that home audio isn’t merely a way of heightening the musical
Stereophile5 min read
Measurements
Because of the Klipsch La Scala’s bulk—it weighs 201lb—I measured the speaker in AH’s apartment. I used DRA Labs’ MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the La Scala’s behavior in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for
Stereophile11 min read
Esoteric Grandioso M1X
Of all the brand lines I’ve reviewed, none’s sound has changed as much over time as Esoteric’s top-tier Grandioso series. When I first encountered Grandioso setups at shows, they consistently sounded dark. That in itself is not necessarily bad; the d
Stereophile3 min read
Measurements
Before I tested one of the Esoteric M1X amplifiers, serial number 20014, with my Audio Precision SYS2722,1 I preconditioned the amplifier, following the CEA’s recommendation of operating it at one-eighth the specified power into 8 ohms for 30 minutes
Stereophile1 min read
Associated Equipment
Digital sources dCS Rossini Apex DAC and Vivaldi Master Clock; Innuos Statement NextGen Music Server; Uptone Audio Ether-Regen, AfterDark Giesemann Emperor Double Crown Master Clock, and Nordost QNet Ethernet Switch, all powered by Nordost QSource li
Stereophile10 min read
Nad C 3050 Le
Although NAD was founded in England in 1972 as New Acoustic Dimension, my introduction to the brand was in 1980. I bought an NAD 3020 integrated amplifier after hearing it successfully drive Acoustic Research’s current-hungry AR9 loudspeakers. Design
Stereophile6 min read
Measurements
I measured the C 3050 LE using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system.1 As the NAD is a class-D design, I didn’t precondition the amplifier by driving a 1kHz tone at one-third power into 8 ohms. Nevertheless, before doing any testing, I ran it for an hour
Stereophile10 min read
Primare PRE35 Prisma
Hygge might not be the first word that comes to mind when contemplating the Primare PRE35 Prisma preamplifier, but in Limhamn, Sweden, that is how Primare likes to describe their products. It means “cozy,” and it’s a very important concept in the Nor
Stereophile5 min read
Measurements
I measured the Primare PRE35 with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system,1 repeating some tests with the magazine’s higher-performance APx500 system. Looking first at the analog inputs, the balanced and single-ended line input impedances are specified, re
Stereophile10 min read
Mojo Audio Mystique X SE
When I survey the realms of fancy-pants audio, the first thing I notice are cohorts of luxury-brand manufacturers selling pride of ownership with emblematic faceplates. After that, I spot another type of manufacturer, one that mocks the first type an
Stereophile5 min read
Measurements
I measured the Mojo Mystique X SE with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system1 after leaving the processor decoding AES3 data for several hours to make sure it was fully warmed up. A slide switch on the processor’s back panel lifts the DC ground from the
Stereophile10 min read
Nessie Vinylcleaner ProPlus+
I’m a music lover first, not the most Type A of audiophiles. Sure, I clean my records, but I’m not obsessive about keeping them immaculate like my audiophile father is;1 he cleans each record ultrasonically before it lands on his turntable platter, w
Stereophile11 min read
The Beatles, Reanimated
ON A WARM DAY IN SEPTEMBER 2022, ALONGSIDE 40 OR SO PRESS COLLEAGUES, I WAS TREATED TO AN ADVANCE DEMONSTRATION OF THE DOLBY ATMOS MIX OF THE BEATLES’ REVOLVER, AT REPUBLIC STUDIOS ON BROADWAY IN NEW YORK CITY’S MIDTOWN. PRODUCER/MIXER GILES MARTIN—S
Stereophile6 min read
Footnoting Rock History
I considered it an exciting discovery. It was an exciting discovery, in the rarefied world of rock’n’roll historiography: namely, that the great New Orleans, later Los Angeles, drummer Earl Palmer was responsible for one of the major paradigm shifts
Stereophile4 min read
Beck and Croz
Turns out rock stars are human after all. Which means music fans should prepare themselves for the coming toll. The next few years are certain to be brutal: Bob Dylan, 81; Paul Simon, 81; George Clinton, 81; Brian Wilson, 80; Carole King, 80; Keith R
Stereophile4 min read
Phoenix Rising
Over the past decade-plus, alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin, 40, has been one of the key figures reinvigorating jazz from the inside. Born and raised in New York and educated at LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (the famed Fam
Stereophile3 min read
Record Reviews
You might think that by 1931—the year Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971) completed his unforgettable Violin Concerto in D Major—orchestral instruments were the same as those used today. Far from it. According to the website of Claire Givens Violins,1 pure-g
Stereophile2 min read
Weyes Blood
Sub Pop (16/44.1, Qobuz). 2022. Natalie Mering and Jonathan Rado, prods.; Kenny Gilmore, eng. “These songs may not be manifestos or solutions, but I know they shed light on the meaning of our contemporary disillusionment.” So says singer-songwriter N
Stereophile2 min read
Gina Birch
Third Man Records (TMR 776). 2023. Gina Birch, Youth, prods.; Michael Rendall, eng. Ever since the group was formed, by Gina Birch and Ana da Silva, in 1977, the Raincoats have grown steadily in stature. Along the way, they have influenced generation
Stereophile2 min read
Rick Rosato
Self-Released (45rpm LP). 2022. Rick Rosato, prod.; John Davis, eng. The pandemic’s effect on music was dramatic. Fans and musicians alike found solace in music’s colors and rhythms. Bassist Rick Rosato, a Montreal native now living in New York City,
Stereophile2 min read
The Art Ensemble Of Chicago
Roscoe Mitchell, saxophones; Famoudou Don Moye, drums, percussion; 18 others RogueArt ROG-0123 (LP). 2023. Sons d’hiver, prod.; Olivier Gascion, eng. It’s often said that you can never go home again. Places change, and you won’t be the same person yo
Stereophile2 min read
Clovis Nicolas
Nicolas, bass, compositions, arrangements; Jeremy Pelt, trumpet; Sullivan Fortner, piano; Bill Stewart, drums; Ulysses String Quartet Sunnyside SSC 4119 (CD, also download). 2023. Nicolas, François Zalacain, Daniel Yvinec, prods.; James Farber, Ryan
Stereophile2 min read
ENRICO PIERANUNZI TRIO & ORCHESTRA
Pieranunzi, piano; Luca Bulgarelli, bass; Mauro Beggio, drums; Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana, Michele Corcella, arranger/conductor Challenge CR 73550 (24/48 WAV, also CD). 2023. Pieranunzi, Corcella, prods.; Carlo Cantini, eng. Enrico Pieranunzi, on
Stereophile2 min read
Chris Potter
Potter, tenor saxophone; Craig Taborn, piano; Scott Colley, bass; Marcus Gillmore, drums Edition EDN1214 (WAV 24/48, also CD, LP). 2023. Potter, prod.; Tyler McDiarmid, Geoff Countryman, engs. For each of the last five years, Chris Potter has placed
Stereophile2 min read
Dvořák
Isabelle Faust, violin; Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello; Alexander Melnikov, piano; Prague Philharmonia/Jiří Bělohlávek. Harmonia Mundi HMM931833 (CD). 2023. Martin Sauer, prod.; Philipp Knop, eng. Isabelle Faust makes a fine impression in the Dvořák conc
Stereophile1 min read
David Del Tredici
Albany Symphony, David Alan Miller, cond.; Hila Plitmann, soprano; American Music Festival Chorus Albany Records Troy1915 (24/96 WAV). 2022. Silas Brown/Legacy Sound, eng. David Del Tredici’s quarter-century foray into Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonder
Stereophile2 min read
Schumann
Vladimir Feltsman, piano Nimbus NI 6433 (2 CDs). Adrian Farmer, prod. and eng. This neat collection of Schumann’s early piano music peaks at the end with the four Opus 23 Nachtstücke. In their clean-lined strength—they begin with a march—they’re as u
Stereophile4 min read
Continuing Education
Probably the biggest group of audiophiles right now are still “Boomers”: members of the “Baby Boom” generation, which by most definitions puts their minimum age at close to 60. Boomers are aging and won’t be around forever. So bringing new blood into
Stereophile4 min read
Manufacturers’ Comments
We would like to thank Herb Reichert and Stereophile for reviewing our AD614 loudspeakers. We designed and built this product, which is strictly aimed at music enthusiasts, against commercial common sense, hoping to delight music lovers who trust the
Stereophile4 min read
Boy Meets Blues
Most of us were not born with musical tastes intact. Tastes develop over time as we learn and experience new music and other things. An open mind, an ear attuned to songs and sound, and a procession of mentors and musical guides make for a musical li

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