Stereophile
Dynaudio Contour 20 Black Edition
Although I have very much appreciated how the best floorstanding loudspeakers have performed in my various listening rooms over the decades, I have always been most comfortable with relatively small two-way standmounts.
10+ min |
November 2025
Stereophile
The skating force phenomenon
At the beginning of last month's As We See It, I wrote that I've lately been focused on \"analog things.\" I proceeded to write about refurbishing and modding my old McIntosh tuner. That's \"analog thing\" #1.
4 min |
November 2025
Stereophile
Umami tunes
If you go to Tokyo, there's a good chance you'll develop a new appreciation for shopping malls. The Japanese know malls. They know just what to do with them. Inside a Tokyo mall, you can peruse the usual handbags and shoes in their unending variety. But you can also stare at Fuji apples as large as a baby's head swaddled in tissue paper, flip through the world's most exquisite stationery, stock up on fabric from the 1920s, and taste things that will haunt you well into retirement.
10+ min |
November 2025
Stereophile
T+A Symphonia STREAMING INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER
German aesthetes are fond of saying “Das Auge isst mit”: “The eye feasts too.” In audio terms, your ears do the listening, but your eyes want their share of pleasure.
10+ min |
November 2025
Stereophile
Hi-fi near and far
As the Spin Doctor, I tend to lead an analog life. I'm not just talking about my preferred ways of listening to music, but also my approach to other everyday technology.
10+ min |
November 2025
Stereophile
HiFi Rose RA280
It's been said before, but the essential truth remains as shiny as a new 2A3 tube: A well-made, good-sounding integrated amplifier is a sonic marvel, a triumph of audio engineering. Sound quality is just the beginning.
10+ min |
November 2025
Stereophile
EAT F-Dur
TURNTABLE WITH EAT F-NOTE TONEARM
10 min |
November 2025
Stereophile
Who's the next 007?
Walking through any big art museum, even at a brisk pace, it's impossible not to notice how boldly each object wears the unique stamp of its time and place of manufacture.
10+ min |
November 2025
Stereophile
Doing it for themselves—and for us
Women have undeniably become the most dynamic and vital creative force in music today. Without their good energies and ideas, music, which in the digital age has become more background than art, would be much less interesting and inspiring.
3 min |
November 2025
Stereophile
15 FOR 50 1975 IN 15 RECORDS
WAS IT SOMETHING IN THE AIR, SOMETHING IN THE WATER? COSMICALLY INSPIRED BY THE STARS AND THE MOON? OR MAYBE THE DEVIL WAS FINALLY CLAIMING HIS OWN AS ROCK MUSIC IN ALL ITS VARIANTS WAS UNASSAILABLY ASCENDENT.
10+ min |
November 2025
Stereophile
Doing it for themselves—and for us
Women have undeniably become the most dynamic and vital creative force in music today. Without their good energies and ideas, music, which in the digital age has become more background than art, would be much less interesting and inspiring.
3 min |
November 2025
Stereophile
Half a century in hi-fi
Not many hi-fi dealerships can say they've survived half a century of history. Natural Sound, which is based in Framingham, Massachusetts, about 20 miles west of Boston, is one that can.
3 min |
November 2025
Stereophile
In defense of sticker shock
There are faster ways to start an online fight, but not many. Say “$10,000 DAC” and watch audio-forum commenters descend like pigeons on a dropped hot dog, flapping and furious. They’ll tell you the designers are crooks, the buyers are dupes, and anyone not DIY-ing with AliExpress kits is a poseur.
3 min |
November 2025
Stereophile
The BEAT Goes On
Adrian Belew had an itch that needed some serious scratching.
7 min |
November 2025
Stereophile
15 FOR 50 1975 IN 15 RECORDS
WAS IT SOMETHING IN THE AIR, SOMETHING IN THE WATER? COSMICALLY INSPIRED BY THE STARS AND THE MOON? OR MAYBE THE DEVIL WAS FINALLY CLAIMING HIS OWN AS ROCK MUSIC IN ALL ITS VARIANTS WAS UNASSAILABLY ASCENDENT.
10+ min |
November 2025
Stereophile
ECM's vinyl essence
In the 1990s into the 2000s, I had the pleasure of interviewing jazz drummer and composer Paul Motian for both Modern Drummer and DownBeat.
3 min |
November 2025
Stereophile
McIntosh DS200 STREAMING D/A PROCESSOR
McIntosh, which is based in my home state of New York, has long been in my audio life.
10+ min |
November 2025
Techlife News
APPLE REVERSES MULTITASKING CHANGE IN LATEST IPADOS 26 DEVELOPER BETA AFTER DEVELOPER BACKLASH
Apple's newest iPadOS 26 Developer Beta quietly reverses one of its most controversial design decisions, restoring a multitasking feature that developers and early testers had heavily criticized. The change marks a rare public retreat for Apple's software design team and highlights how the company is responding more directly to developer and user feedback during its beta cycles.
3 min |
October 11, 2025
Techlife News
OPENAI DEV DAY: SAM ALTMAN TEASES THE NEXT WAVE OF CHATGPT APPS AND PLATFORM EXPANSION
At OpenAI’s annual Dev Day 2025, CEO Sam Altman took the stage in San Francisco to outline the company’s next big steps — turning ChatGPT from a powerful conversational AI into a full-fledged platform for developers, businesses, and creators.
3 min |
October 11, 2025
Techlife News
APPLE TV+ IS CLOSING IN ON FORMULA 1 STREAMING RIGHTS IN MULTI-BILLION DEAL
Apple is reportedly in advanced talks to secure exclusive global streaming rights for Formula 1. If finalized, the deal would mark one of Apple's boldest sports streaming moves yet, positioning Apple TV+ as a serious competitor to sports networks like ESPN, Sky, and Amazon Prime Video.
3 min |
October 11, 2025
Techlife News
VALVE REPORTEDLY ENTERS MASS PRODUCTION OF NEW VR HEADSET
Valve is rumored to have begun mass production of its next-generation virtual reality headset, signaling the company’s return to high-end immersive hardware nearly five years after the release of the Valve Index.
2 min |
October 11, 2025
Techlife News
LUCID DELIVERIES RISE BUT MISS TARGETS AS EV MARKET COOLS
Lucid Motors reported a modest rise in vehicle deliveries for the third quarter of 2025, but the numbers came in below analyst expectations, signaling that the electric vehicle startup continues to struggle with scaling production and converting interest into actual sales.
3 min |
October 11, 2025
Techlife News
SPACEX EXPANDS REAL SATELLITE CONNECTIVITY TO SMARTPHONES IN NEW PHASE OF STARLINK SERVICE
SpaceX has officially entered the next stage of its Starlink program, bringing direct-to-device satellite connectivity to smartphones - a milestone that could reshape global mobile communication.
3 min |
October 11, 2025
Techlife News
APPLE RELEASES MACOS TAHOE 26.1 DEVELOPER BETA 2 AMID GROWING USER CRITICISM OVER PERFORMANCE AND STABILITY
Apple has released macOS Tahoe 26. 1 Developer Beta 2, the latest build of its next-generation desktop operating system, expanding the testing cycle ahead of its expected public rollout later this fall.
3 min |
October 11, 2025
Techlife News
SOFTBANK ACQUIRES ABB'S ROBOTICS UNIT. PUSHING DEEPER INTO THE ERA OF "PHYSICAL AI”
SoftBank is making its boldest move in industrial automation yet, announcing the purchase of ABB Group's robotics division, one of the world's most established makers of factory robots.
3 min |
October 11, 2025
Techlife News
SENATE REPORT WARNS AI COULD ERASE 100 MILLION U.S. JOBS IN A DECADE
A new report from a U.S. Senate committee warns that artificial intelligence could wipe out or radically transform up to 100 million American jobs over the next ten years, calling it the most significant labor disruption since the Industrial Revolution.
3 min |
October 11, 2025
Techlife News
OPENAI SIGNS MAJOR CHIP DEAL WITH AMD AS AI HARDWARE DEMAND SURGES
OpenAI has reached a new agreement with AMD to secure advanced AI chips for its next-generation data centers, according to a report from the National Post.
3 min |
October 11, 2025
Techlife News
APPLE OPENS APP STORE LAB IN TEXAS TO SUPPORT U.S.DEVELOPERS
Apple has announced the launch of a new App Store lab in Texas, expanding its commitment to the developer community with a dedicated space for app creators to learn, collaborate, and receive one-on-one support from Apple experts.
2 min |
October 11, 2025
Techlife News
QUALCOMM ACQUIRES ARDUINO IN MOVE TO DOMINATE EDGE AI COMPUTING
In a surprise move that underscores the growing convergence between artificial intelligence and embedded systems, Qualcomm has acquired Arduino, the open-source hardware company best known for its DIY microcontroller boards and maker ecosystem.
3 min |
October 11, 2025
Techlife News
APPLE TV 4K AND THE EVOLUTION OF TELEVISION: BROADCAST TO AI-POWERED FROM ENTERTAINMENT
Apple hasn't launched a new Apple TV model yet, but recent reports suggest that Apple TV remains central to the company's long-term home and entertainment strategy.
4 min |