Stereophile March 2025

If there’s a technical thing nearly every audiophile knows, it’s that low frequencies (LF) aren’t directional. We tend to treat LF as mono—think sub/sat systems in stereo, “LFE” in home-theater. But if the conclusions of a study by Thomas Lund, a researcher at Genelec OY,1 imply what they seem to, then that conviction is quite wrong. In addition to resetting that bit of conventional wisdom, Lund’s study may have uncovered an important contributor to the feeling of envelopment so many audiophiles crave, itself a profound source of pleasure beyond the music itself. As I have often said, and probably written once or twice, listening to a good hi-fi system is like getting a massage. I wrote about some of Lund’s previous work in this same space five-plus years ago; he’s…

Garcia & Grisman I’m glad Robert Baird is back. I read his columns first when each issue arrives. I wanted to share with him (and others) my thoughts on a recently released CD. (Yes, I still buy a few, maybe 5–10/year.) I picked it up on Amazon, and I suspect you and some of your readers will enjoy it, too. I’m talking about Jerry Garcia & David Grisman’s Bare Bones - The Duo Recordings, a three-CD set on Grisman’s Acoustic Disc label.1 I’ve got most of the releases from this label; the consensus favorite, Shady Grove, is also my favorite. So when I came across this, I checked it out and bought it. At $20, it’s well worth the price. Grisman is close to 80, but he’s still making music.…

DYNAUDIO AT INNOVATIVE AUDIO Ken Micallef On Thursday, December 12, New York City’s Innovative Audio presented the North American debut of four Dynaudio loudspeakers. The event, held at the store’s Midtown location, featured presentations by Dynaudio executives John Quick and Michael Manousselis. Attendees had the opportunity to experience the sound quality and design of these new models. Of the four Dynaudio speakers showcased, only two are entirely new, the Contour 20 Black Edition and the Confidence 20A Active two-way monitors. The other speakers presented were the flagship Confidence 50 floorstanders and the Contour Legacy. The first to catch my eye as I stepped off the elevator into Innovative Audio’s beautifully appointed space were the new Dynaudio Contour 20 Black Edition speakers ($8000/pair), supported by Dynaudio Stand 20 stands ($598/pair) 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.) CALIFORNIA ■ Sunday, February 16, 2025, 2–5pm: The Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society (LAOCAS) will hold its second annual Society LP event at AudiophileUSA in Los Alamitos (10572 Calle Lee #126). This store is home to more than 50,000 rare and special vinyl LPs of all types and genres for the collector and audiophile. Host and owner Mark Hoover will discuss the vinyl industry and how the record store flourishes today. Complimentary lunch will be served at 2pm. Special deals for society members will be offered as well as…

I am a lucky person. I’ve been writing monthly audio columns since 1992, and the chief benefit of that privilege has been that each month my mind is free to visit distant shores searching for exotic artifacts that readers might never encounter at their local audio emporium. This month, my raft drifted again onto Japan’s metaphorical shores. I was cordially greeted by an international cohort: Victor Kung (VK Music in Canada), Yoshi Segoshi (the American distributor for 47 Labs), Junji Kimura (47 Labs’ founder and chief engineer), and Kazutoshi Tsukahara, formerly associated with 47 Labs (in Japan) and now founder and chief engineer of Sparkler Audio, which is also based in Japan. Sparkler Audio makes modestly priced components including the model S515t “ballade II” CD transport, which I am about…

One of my favorite things about this pastime is the modesty of its aims. Despite the sometimes-astronomical sums spent on gear, and the small handful of drama queens who populate various corners of this hobby, all we’re doing is trying to enjoy recorded music at home. No one here is reversing planetary warming or solving the Riemann hypothesis. The sole purpose of the pursuit we write about in these pages is to please, enlighten, and entertain. I like that about it. This means that aesthetics matter. During a recent trip to Japan, I found myself marveling at the many vintage audio components used in both public listening spaces and people’s homes, and the high prices these meticulously restored devices command. I found many of them lovely, the patina of age…