Every month Stereophile magazine offers authoritative reviews, informed recommendations, helpful advice, and controversial opinions, all stemming from the revolutionary idea that audio components should be judged on how they reproduce music.
THIS ISSUE: Some 25 years since it went mainstream, the internet has largely displaced terrestrial radio, but there’s still work to be done. When I decided that Stereophile should review the McIntosh MAC7200 receiver (see the review in the January 2021 issue1), I had several reasons for doing so. First, McIntosh is known for the quality of its radio tuners and amplifiers, so I was confident it would be an impressive product. (It was.) Second, a review of a terrestrial radio receiver in 2021 had a certain retro appeal that I thought Stereophile readers might appreciate. Third, as Larry Greenhill wrote in the introduction to that review, I like terrestrial radio. I like it despite having lived most of my life in places where the radio offerings were limited. All…
TAKE HEED! Unless marked otherwise, all letters to the magazine and its writers are assumed to be for possible publication. Please include your name and physical address. We reserve the right to edit for length and content. That’s acoustical reproduction, Charlie! Like Jason, I was entertained by Accuphase’s “awkwardly translated” online pdf for this unit. It claims that one result of using the DG-68 is that it will “provide the compensation to achieve ideal reproductive conditions.” I, for one, find that I can achieve that for a heck of a lot less than $24,000. I simply put on a Barry White or Antonio Carlos Jobim album, pour a glass of good Cabernet for my lady, and let the magic develop. Charlie Lein Forest, Virginia How low can you go? First…
SUBMISSIONS: Those promoting audio-related seminars, shows, and meetings should email the when, where, and who to stletters@stereo-phile.com at least eight weeks before the month of the event. The deadline for the January 2021 issue is October 20, 2021. US: ORLANDO, FLORIDA, AND JAPAN: OSAKA Julie Mullins The story continues to evolve for Onkyo and its affiliated brands. Voxx International’s subsidiary Premium Audio Company, in partnership with Sharp Corporation, has acquired majority ownership of the Home Entertainment Division of Onkyo, which includes the Onkyo and Integra brands, which Voxx was already distributing. Sharp, which manufactures the products, reportedly has a 25% share of the deal; Premium Audio Company, which will handle global sales and distribution, will own the rest, according to a press release from Voxx. Distribution for the Onkyo and…
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 vgl@cfl.rr.com. (Please note the new email address.) Please note that it is inappropriate for a retailer to promote a new product line in “Calendar” unless it is associated with a seminar or similar event. CALIFORNIA Saturday and Sunday, October 16–17: The Burning Amp Festival is back, to be held once again at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. It’s an event for audio hobbyists and DIYers to meet, learn, and share projects, plus there’s a Build Camp for a new amp design led by DIY audio legend Nelson Pass. For details and tickets, visit burningampfestival.com. COLORADO Friday–Sunday,…
THIS ISSUE: Mikey reviews another exotic ’table that costs as much as a rather nice house, the OMA K3. If you’re going to spend a year-plus in COVID lockdown, it doesn’t hurt to have a million dollars’ worth of turntables keeping you company, right? That’s been my good fortune. Sounds like a roomful, but it’s only three: the SAT XD1, the Air Force Zero, and the OMA K3 ($360,000).1 You’ll find this issue’s cover girl either strikingly beautiful or homely. Visitor reactions fall strongly into one of those two camps, with nothing in between. I love the looks. Whatever your opinion, the K3’s visual distinctiveness cannot be denied. The innards are equally unique. Looking somewhat like the Guggenheim Museum topped by a heliport and a construction crane, the cosmetically finalized…
THIS ISSUE: Herb reviews an unusually powerful headphone amplifier that’s also intended for driving speakers. Today is Monday. Since Saturday, I have changed the amplifier driving my Falcon Gold Badge LS3/5a speakers three times—from the Parasound Halo A21+ (250Wpc into 8 ohms) to the Pass Labs XA25 (>25Wpc into 8 ohms) to the Elekit TU-8600S (9Wpc into 8 ohms). Now I am listening to the Falcons via the just-arrived RAAL-requisite HSA-1b headphone and speaker amp. This unusual, made-in-Serbia amplifier is priced at $4500. It’s specified to produce 10Wpc into 8 ohms, 20Wpc into 4 ohms, 40Wpc into 2 ohms, and 55Wpc into 1 ohm, these values from the loudspeaker output. Just before I installed the RAAL HSA-1b, I was playing an unusual EMI LP called Renaissance Suite featuring music for…
