Technology
Stereophile
Wattson Emerson Digital
My story with Wattson Audio began about three years ago. It was my first encounter with a network bridge, at least within the context of our hobby.
10+ min |
April 2026
Stereophile
Magico S2
When I was about 12 years old, my mother and I watched a movie on TV in which a ship closed in on a swimmer.
10+ min |
April 2026
Stereophile
Current events
Hi-fi dealerships need to find creative new ways to get customers into their stores—to stoke their interest and to help new people feel welcome.
3 min |
April 2026
Stereophile
You can never have too much Trane on vinyl
As I listened to the newly remastered edition of John Coltrane's Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings, I read through some critics' takes, which make it apparent just how far critics tend to trail the musicians they cover, the great ones at least.
3 min |
April 2026
Stereophile
HiFi Rose RD160
Lord knows I try to keep an open mind, but those good-measuring delta-sigma chip DACs rub me the wrong way.
10+ min |
April 2026
Stereophile
MANUFACTURERS' COMMENTS
We extend our sincere thanks to Stereophile and to Jason Victor Serinus for their deeply engaged and perceptive evaluation of the M10. It is especially meaningful to see the amplifier’s core principles—control, stability, dynamic authority, and system matching through precise feedback and bias management—so clearly experienced and conveyed in listening.
2 min |
April 2026
Stereophile
LAiV Audio's Harmony GaNM monoblock
The first thing I noticed about the LAiV Audio GaNM monoblock amplifier¹ is its unusual shape and size; it occupies space differently than the other, more basic amplifiers on my rack.
10+ min |
April 2026
Stereophile
RECORD REVIEWS
There are times when songwriters, particularly those who have been at it for a while, need a jolt, a shock to the system that gets their creative juices flowing again.
3 min |
April 2026
Stereophile
The Nighthawk soars
When people ask me what I do for a living, I reply that I'm a turntable setter upper.
10+ min |
April 2026
Stereophile
Engagement vs sound quality
The more I listen to gear I'm reviewing as well as other people's hi-fis-the more I believe in intangibles. One of these intangibles is the art of system building.
10+ min |
April 2026
Stereophile
Dream Theater
If you're at all familiar with the Netflix sci-fi/horror phenomenon known as Stranger Things, you've heard its foreboding, pulsating theme music dozens of times.
3 min |
April 2026
Stereophile
Chess Records celebrates 75 years
Museums, like the past they preserve, aren't for everyone. To some they are essential and endlessly enlightening, while others find them irrelevant and boring.
4 min |
April 2026
Stereophile
Stereophile standards and principles
In an information vacuum, people tend to make stuff up, especially on the internet.
4 min |
April 2026
Stereophile
Onkyo Icon A-50
There are craftspeople and companies in high-end audio doing admirable work.
10+ min |
April 2026
Stereophile
J.Sikora Aspire
Not to toot our own horns, but Stereophile magazine’s reviews of the J.Sikora Initial, Reference, and Standard Max Supreme turntables helped catapult the Polish manufacturer into the audiophile spotlight.
10 min |
April 2026
Stereophile
CH Precision M10
A mono pair of CH Precision M10s ($210,000/pair as reviewed) declares its presence in capital letters.
10+ min |
April 2026
Stereophile
The Rolling Stones v3.0
In the Rolling Stones' long history, the Mick Taylor era was a peak, if not the peak. Taylor, who replaced cofounder Brian Jones in the late 1960s, proved a great musical foil for Keith Richards. He was a technical wizard on the guitar; those fluid higher-octaves riffs and runs were the perfect counterpoint to Richards's jabbing and stabbing and growling style. At heart, he was a bluesman, so a great fit for a band named after a Muddy Waters tune. The run of albums from Let It Bleed through It's Only Rock 'n Roll took the Stones' music in new directions and set the standard for tight, fast, and loose arena rock circa the early 1970s.
3 min |
March 2026
Stereophile
Bob Dylan Through the Open Window
Columbia Legacy has released Vol.18 of the Bob Dylan Bootleg Series. Through the Open Window covers the years 1956–1963. The collection is available as three physical sets: two-CD or four-LP “Highlights” versions that contain 42 tracks, and an eight-CD “Deluxe Edition Box Set” that contains 139 tracks and has a running time of 8 hours, 59 minutes. The “Highlights” package is available streaming at 24/192, but the other 97 tracks are only available in the big box. That big box also includes a 124-page hardback book containing full credits, 100 photos, and liner notes—really a substantial monograph—by Sean Wilentz, professor of American History at Princeton University and author of the book Bob Dylan in America.
7 min |
March 2026
Stereophile
Technics SL-50C
Every first love leaves a strong impression. Hopefully it’s a good one.
10+ min |
March 2026
Stereophile
The passing of two Americana greats
Just before Christmas 2025, American music suffered two irreplaceable losses with the passings of Raul Malo (December 8) and Joe Ely (December 15). While a lot of musicians exist on the artistic and commercial fringes, Malo and Ely were foundational artists, gifted creators and performers who refused to be confined by artistic boundaries. Though not without their struggles, each eventually found widespread respect and success. Each leaves behind a significant body of wonderful recordings.
3 min |
March 2026
Stereophile
HI-FI as ART
Since founding Ojas in the 1990s and applying the name to his audio components, Devon Turnbull has mined a young audience that the traditional hi-fi industry has struggled to reach.
10+ min |
March 2026
Stereophile
Burmester 232
My first response, upon being offered for review the new Burmester 232 Classic Line modular class-AB dual mono integrated amplifier ($25,000), was apprehension—but not because of the product itself, and certainly not because of the Burmester brand. My first response, upon being offered for review the new Burmester 232 Classic Line modular class-AB dual mono integrated amplifier ($25,000), was apprehension—but not because of the product itself, and certainly not because of the Burmester brand.
10+ min |
March 2026
Stereophile
Kind of a 'pinch me' situation
In these days of industry transformation, acquiring a brick-and-mortar hi-fi store is not for the faint of heart. That's just what 41-year-old Brandon Bartee did in August 2025. Bartee acquired Audio Concepts from Mark Ashworth, who was celebrating the store’s 40th anniversary, all 40 years under his ownership. Ashworth has been consulting for the store since the acquisition and will continue to do so for another few more months. Audio Concepts has been in the same location in North Dallas, near Preston Hollow, an affluent neighborhood about six miles north of downtown, for 37 of its 40 years. The store has four isolated demo rooms and a few other listening areas.
3 min |
March 2026
Stereophile
Collecting used records. And cleaning them
I own a lot of records. Way too many if we're being honest. It's hard for me to come up with an accurate count, and I'm not even remotely organized enough to have a formal inventory, but if I had to make a guesstimate based on linear feet I figure I must have around 10,000. About 10 years ago, I started to recognize that I owned far more records than I could ever hope to listen to, even once, in my remaining time on the planet, and since that realization my record purchasing rate has slowed to a trickle. These days, my worst weakness kicks in when I'm visiting my friend of over 45 years, Alan B out in L.A. Our idea of great social interaction is to head out and visit some of the record stores near his home in Pasadena, such as Amoeba and Freakbeat Records. Ten years ago on these trips, I would pick up enough records over a weekend to fill three big boxes that I would then ship back home to New York, using the US Postal Service's bargain Media Mail service. Times have changed, and on my most recent visit I came home with just a dozen or so new acquisitions, few enough to easily slip into my suitcase.
10+ min |
March 2026
Stereophile
Steve played it
Legendary Stax guitarist/producer Steve Cropper hated when deejays talked over song intros. He decided to do something about it for the countless hit singles cut at the label's Memphis studio in the 1960s. As a result of his efforts, Cropper—who passed away on December 3, 2025, at age 84—became known as “The Intro Guy,” a sobriquet he was proud to honor.
3 min |
March 2026
Stereophile
New digs
It's difficult to put a positive spin on moving. A recent survey ranked it as life's most stressful event, ahead of divorce, losing a job, or becoming a parent. Forty-two percent of respondents said it brought them to tears. Thirteen percent said it was worse than a week in jail.
10+ min |
March 2026
Stereophile
TALE of the TAPE
RHINO LAUNCHES REEL-TO-REEL TAPE SERIES UNDER ITS HIGH FIDELITY BRAND
7 min |
March 2026
Stereophile
Ruark Sabre-R
Like many aging American music lovers, my earliest memories include watching the televised supernova that was The Beatles performing on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.
10+ min |
March 2026
Stereophile
Vernon Runs the Hoodoo Down
Once and forever iconoclast Vernon Reid, the Britain-born guitarist for iconic American band Living Colour, is perpetually in pursuit of sonic excellence, regardless the point of entry. “A lot of different things have attracted me—everything from gentle breezes to thunder and lightning,” Reid told me during a recent Zoom interview. “I’ve straddled two centuries where I’ve been on a mission to explore different emotions, different modalities, and different ways of using the guitar.”
3 min |
March 2026
Stereophile
In search of lost sound
On the front page of its owner's manual, Greek amplifier manufacturer Lab12 describes the Melto2 ($4995) as a “Remote Controlled, Fully Adjustable Phono Preamplifier.” I'd describe it as a clear-speaking, fun-to-use, cartridge- and record-collector's dream. Plus: It's got tubes.
10+ min |