News

We kick off the New Year with the "Loudspeaker issue"— there are seven models reviewed at all price levels, from Vienna Acoustics, Sjöfn, Monitor Audio, Wharfedale, DeVore Fidelity, Revel, and KEF, a review of an affordable subwoofer from SVS, and an interview with veteran speaker designer Michael Kelly of Aerial Acoustics.

The world's first download site devoted exclusively to ultra hi-resolution DXD downloads, Promates Music Store, has launched from Copenhagen. The brainchild of Peter Scheelke, who in 2003 helped found Digital Audio Denmark (DAD), creator of the world's first commercial DXD converter, the site currently offers 26 native DXD recordings (352.8kHz sampling rate and 24-bit bit depth) from labels Dacapo and OUR Recordings.

Devialet's new Ensemble system will be featured at Overture Audio/Video, 2423 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE this Saturday, December 6. Shows are from 12–4pm.

Soundings Fine Audio Video are having an open house Thursday, December 4, from 6 to 9pm, celebrating the Colorado debut of Boulder's 3060 and 2160 stereo amplifiers and the 2110 preamplifier. Representatives from Soundings and Boulder Amplifiers will be on hand to demonstrate and talk about these new products and to answer questions you may have about them. Adult beverages will be served alongside fine food provided by Great Northern Tavern. Click here for more details.

If that title hasn't gotten your attention, nothing will . . . except, perhaps, the Northwest preview of: 1) the forthcoming Aesthetix Metis linestage preamplifier (est. price $20,000–$25,000), which is expected by the second quarter of 2015; 2) Clearaudio Concept Wood turntable with tonearm ($2200); and 3) DS Audio DS-W1 "Nightrider" Optical phono cartridge with dedicated phono equalizer ($8500). This tempting trio of coming outs, arranged by Garth Leerer and Jesse Luna of Oakland, CA-based distributor Musical Surroundings, took place at Nuts About HiFi, a Seattle-area high-end emporium that celebrated its Silver Anniversary in Silverdale, WA on November 30, 2014.

The December issue is here and it features our annual "Products of the Year" (cutely referred to as "PotY" in-house). 67 products made it through to the final round of voting from the magazine's editors and reviewers—read Art Dudley's comments to find out who the winners are.

I was shocked when I learned that my dear friend Harry Pearson had passed away, on November 4 . . .

Bethesda, MD retailer JS Audio (4919 St. Elmo Avenue) is having an open house Saturday November 22, 12pm–4pm to debut the new Audio Research Galileo Series amplifier and preamplifier with the Wilson Audio Alexandria XLF loudspeakers!

Wednesday & Thursday, November 12&150;13, 5:30–9pm: North Carolina Dealer Audio Advice will host two consecutive Music Matters events, with special guest Michael Fremer of Stereophile magazine and AnalogPlanet.com. The Wednesday evening event will take place at Audio Advice's Raleigh location (8621 Glenwood Avenue), while the Thursday night event will be held at the dealer's Pineville showroom in Charlotte (11409 Carolina Place Parkway, near Carolina Place Mall). Several manufacturer representatives, including Dave Gordon (Audio Research), Alex Brinkman (Ayre Acoustics), and Jett Logan (AudioQuest), will be on hand to provide demonstrations and answer questions. Food and drink will be served. For more info, visit www.audioadvice.com or call (919) 881-2005 (Raleigh) or (704) 821-4510 (Pineville). RSVP, including the evening you'll attend and number of people in your party: event@audioadvice.com.

The founder and until recently the long-term editor of The Absolute Sound, Harry Pearson (left above), has passed away. His protege Michael Fremer (right above) offers an appreciation here and Robert J. Reina, a long-term friend, is writing his own rememberance of HP in the February 2015 issue of Stereophile. (The January issue has already gone to press.)