Stereophile
Traveling through time and space
In the April 2024 issue of this magazine, a piece by Editor Jim Austin appeared in the “As We See It” space. It was titled “On assessing sonic illusions,” and it has haunted me for more than a year. Jim’s thesis was that a music recording is a “synthetic, whole-cloth creation ... a complete fabrication.” He writes: “Very few recordings correspond to an actual performance. Most are studio concoctions with pieced-together instrumental tracks and artificial ambience that document no sonic event that ever occurred.”
4 min |
February 2026
Stereophile
ICONS AND INNOVATORS AT DEFINITIVE AUDIO
Definitive Audio in Bellevue, Washington, near Seattle—one of the premier dealerships in the Pacific Northwest—continued its 50th anniversary celebration with an event it called “Icons and Innovators.” Highlighted by showings of the new JBL Everest series and Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus and 801 Abbey Road edition loudspeakers, the event drew a full house to the first of two sessions.
10 min |
February 2026
Stereophile
Touched-up Beatles and Ringo in color
Opinions vary, but like everything connected to The Beatles, charged arguments over Giles Martin's ongoing remastering of, and sonic tinkering with, the band’s hallowed recording catalog are unending.
3 min |
February 2026
Stereophile
Sticking with it
David and Alma Wilson must be doing something right. They’ve been married for 50 years, and for 36 years, they’ve owned and operated Accent on Music on Main Street in Mount Kisco, New York, about an hour north of New York City. In a recent, lively Zoom conversation with the Wilsons, it became apparent that staying the course is a viable approach, for marriage and for business.
4 min |
February 2026
Stereophile
Hi-fi shows, Capital Audiofest, and the Doshi Evolution Phono
I was heading back home to New York in my old Mercedes diesel on a Sunday evening, having just attended the annual Capital Audiofest near Washington, DC. Riding shotgun was fellow Stereophile scribbler Ken Micallef, and as we puttered along the straight, featureless lower half of the New Jersey Turnpike, we started to reminisce about our audio show experiences.
10 min |
February 2026
Stereophile
EgglestonWorks Andra 5
Big loudspeakers are where diligent hi-fi reviewers really earn their pay.
10+ min |
February 2026
The New Yorker
THE MUSICAL LIFE BROADWAY BABY
At Joe’s Pizza on Carmine Street, Marc Shaiman, the celebrated composer and lyricist, dropped his slice on the floor. “Ugh, it’s the Shaiman vortex,” he said. “Everything I come near breaks.”
3 min |
January 12, 2026
The New Yorker
Amanda Petrusich on Katy Grannan's Photograph of Taylor Swift
There’s something uncanny about this still and stunning portrait of a twenty-one-year-old Taylor Swift, shot by Katy Grannan for Lizzie Widdicombe’s Profile of the singer, in 2011.
1 min |
January 12, 2026
The New Yorker
A PLAN MADE IN HIDING
After decades in the U.S., a Mexican couple prepares to self-deport—and leave their children behind.
10+ min |
January 12, 2026
The New Yorker
THE AMERICAN POPE
How the Chicago-born Robert Prevost became Leo XIV.
10+ min |
January 12, 2026
The New Yorker
POUR ONE OUT
The quest to save wine from wildfire smoke.
10+ min |
January 12, 2026
The New Yorker
YES, AND?
How consent can—and cannot—help us have better sex.
10+ min |
January 12, 2026
The New Yorker
DEPT. OF RECYCLING SWIPE OUT
In 1994, when the MetroCard made Its 22, many straphangers were reluctant to say farewell to the subway token. Across the city, commuters struggled to master \"the swipe.
2 min |
January 12, 2026
The New Yorker
BABY BLUES
\"Young Mothers.\"
6 min |
January 12, 2026
The New Yorker
DEAL-BREAKER
Pam is seeing someone, but she’s not talking about it.
10+ min |
January 12, 2026
The New Yorker
LET IT BLEED
When Helen Frankenthaler remade painting.
5 min |
January 12, 2026
The New Yorker
NOTORIOUS M.T.G.
Marjorie Taylor Greene and Donald Trump break up over Epstein.
10+ min |
January 12, 2026
Los Angeles Times
New year, same budget headaches
[Polities, from B1]
3 min |
January 05, 2026
Los Angeles Times
‘Embarrassing’ loss for ‘Trojans against old rival
[USC women, from D6]
2 min |
January 05, 2026
Los Angeles Times
Director of national intelligence remains silent on removal of Venezuelan leader
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard had yet to weigh in on the U.S. operation to remove Nicolas Maduro from power in Caracas as of Sunday morning, more than 36 hours since President Trump approved the audacious mission that captured the Venezuelan leader.
1 min |
January 05, 2026
Los Angeles Times
Trump's proposed battleship would be a monumental folly
On Dec. 22 at Mara-Lago, President Trump — flanked by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Navy Secretary John Phelan — announced a plan to build battleships that would be “the largest we've ever built.”
5 min |
January 05, 2026
Los Angeles Times
New state fee targets batteries in some goods
With the start of the new year, Californians will pay a new fee every time they buy a product with a nonremovable battery — whether it’s a power tool, a PlayStation or even a singing greeting card.
3 min |
January 05, 2026
Los Angeles Times
Congress returns, to war powers clash
Lawmakers are returning to Washington this week confronting the fallout from the stunning capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro-and familiar complaints about the Trump administration deciding to bypass Congress on military operations that have led to this moment.
5 min |
January 05, 2026
Los Angeles Times
Pacifist Japan's embrace of the military
The country has transformed into one of the world's major spenders on defense.
4 min |
January 05, 2026
Los Angeles Times
Huntington Park officers who shot double amputee won't face charges
Citing insufficient evidence, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said it would not file charges against two Huntington Park police officers in the 2023 fatal shooting of Anthony Lowe, a double amputee who was trying to flee police while holding a long-bladed knife.
4 min |
January 05, 2026
Los Angeles Times
UCLA 'unbelievably soft' from start in loss at Iowa
Dent sparks late rally, but Bruins can't come all the way back from 18-point halftime hole.
4 min |
January 05, 2026
Los Angeles Times
Recycle realities loom for milk cartons
If containers lose the chasing arrows label, they could become unsellable in the state.
5 min |
January 05, 2026
Los Angeles Times
Kenya's 'legendary super tusker' Craig dies at 54
The elephant with a ground-sweeping set of ivory was a symbol of protection success.
2 min |
January 05, 2026
Los Angeles Times
State extends migrant truckers' licenses, risking federal funds
California has delayed its cancellation of thousands of commercial driver's licenses held by migrants, setting it up for another showdown with Washington.
5 min |
January 05, 2026
Los Angeles Times
Broncos' starters outclass Chargers' understudies
Lance and his fellow backups are unable to generate offense, but the defense is stalwart.
2 min |