Archives

JBL 4329P active loudspeaker

Hi-fi is at a crossroads. One road takes us toward modernized versions of the gear we grew up with, stuff that has been around since the 1950s. The other road faces the future. While sometimes accommodating physical media, including vinyl records, that’s not where that road leads. On that road, streaming is the norm, and […]

Listening #186: Miyajima Saboten L phono cartridge

In the early 1960s, young people who were anxious see the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show had to first sit through a seeming eternity of bad comedians, bad puppet shows, and acrobats spinning dinner plates to the tune of Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance. So it is here: Before I can get to the Miyajima Saboten […]

Meitner on the EMM DV2, DSD, MQA, & Digital Audio

Imagine my surprise while I was preparing my review of the EMM Labs DV2 D/A processor in this issue, EMM Labs’ manager of production and social media, Amadeus Meitner, informed me that what I’d thought would be a one-on-one chat with his father, EMM Labs founder and CEO Ed Meitner, would also involve himself and […]

Timbre Technology TT-1 D/A processor

As the sides of the slim-line Timbre Technology TT-1 DAC are radiused rather than flat, it’s elegant compared to its typical boxy competition. While the TT-1’s handsome shape stands out more than your average audiophile device, its curved sides help create a stronger, less resonant shape than the usual box, and serve as just one […]

Spectral SDR-2000 Professional D/A processor

Spectral is a bit of an enigma in the high-end audio world. Although nearly 20 years old and one of the founders of the American high-end audio industry, Spectral isn’t a name that comes quickly to mind when considering the best of the best in high-end. Spectral’s low profile is of their own choosing. They […]

Line Magnetic Audio LM-518IA integrated amplifier

When I began writing for Stereophile, I heard people whispering: “Herb is one of those triode-horn guys.” Wrong. Most of my life, I’ve favored solid-state integrated amplifiers driving small, British-made speakers. “I’m sure he hates digital.” Wrong again. I sold all my LPs some 12 years ago, and since then I’ve been filling my days […]

March 2022 Classical Record Reviews

United Strings Of Europe: Renewal Works by Marsh, Shaw, Golijov, and Mendelssohn BIS-2549 (auditioned in 24/192). 2021. Matthew Bennet, prod.; Dave Rowell, eng. Performance ****½ Sonics ****½ Here’s a superbly executed oddity that somehow manages to enthrall: Atmospherically recorded arrangements for string orchestra of works written between 1847 (Mendelssohn’s final String Quartet No.6 in F […]

Kuzma Stabi R turntable

I’ve been the proud owner of a Kuzma Stabi S turntable and Stogi S tonearm since 2001. The combination was an impulse purchase, made after seeing and hearing it in action at Stereophile‘s Home Entertainment Show at the New York Hilton. Even under unruly show conditions, the Kuzma player created rock-solid images and played music […]