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Is bigger better? Michael Fremer sets out to determine just that as he reviews the Pass">http://www.stereophile.com/amplificationreviews/1103pass">Pass Labs XA160 monoblock power amplifier. As Fremer explains, "While the industry-feminizing tiny triode set has made a great deal of noise in the past few years (I can hear them hissing now), soft-walking, big-stick-carrying, mega-power amplifiers still circle the globe."
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Paul Bolin says that the Balanced">http://www.stereophile.com/amplificationreviews/1103bat">Balanced Audio Technology VK-51SE line preamplifier "made a profound impression on me at the 2003 Consumer Electronics Show." Once in his very own listening lair, did the BAT continue to impress? PB tells all.
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Now that 2003 is almost a memory, it's time for The">http://www.stereophile.com/features/1203poty">The 2003 Products of the Year. Once again Stereophile's writers cast their votes on the year's audio worthies.
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The audiophile Rosetta Stone? From the December issue, Kalman Rubinson goes looking for the perfect all-purpose audio player as he reviews the Linn">http://www.stereophile.com/digitalsourcereviews/1203linn">Linn Unidisk 1.1 universal disc player. As KR notes, "Even more important than comprehensive compatibility will be any truly universal player's ability to optimally play back all of these formats without robbing Peter to pay Paul."
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Incorporating the company's new "black box" crossover design, the Acarian">http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/1203acarian">Acarian Alón Li'l Rascal Mk.II loudspeaker captured Robert J. Reina's attention. "I fired up the Li'l Rascals, wondering if I'd catch a glimpse of the dynamic performance I'd heard from the Exotica Grand References at HE2001," explains BJR.
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J. Gordon Holt and various other Stereophile writers are brought together to create the definitive review archive of the Audio">http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/739/">Audio Research SP9 preamplifier. The SP9 review was controversial in its day, and the complete review archives include manufacturer and reader comments.
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As Paul Messenger states in his 2000 review of the Linn">http://www.stereophile.com/analogsourcereviews/200linn">Linn Arkiv B phono cartridge, "This Stereophile review is long overdue. Furthermore, this review addresses a complaint often directed against reviews and reviewers: that we rarely spend enough time with a component to gain a properly balanced, long-term perspective."
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In his The">http://www.stereophile.com//thefifthelement/358/">The Fifth Element #2, John Marks discusses in detail how to use common household items to render some audiophile magic. Marks explains, Aall you need is a very long piece of string, a tape measure, two bits of masking tape, a quantity of small self-adhesive removable note papers, and later, perhaps, a trip to the fabric store."
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They've been around for years, under a variety of guises and from an evolving list of manufacturers and distributors. But the BBC">http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/361/">BBC LS3/5a loudspeakers still cling to their legendary status. We provide not only J. Gordon Holt's original 1977 review for Stereophile, but also follow-ups from 1984, 1989, and 1993. Read about the little speaker that could.
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As Michael Fremer reports, critics have universally hailed Infinity's $8k flagship Prelude MTS. But can the success of the MTS trickle down to the lower price points? For his review of the $2000/pr Infinity">http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/364/">Infinity Intermezzo 2.6 loudspeaker, Fremer set out to determine if the more modest sibling is a "worthwhile chip off the old block or just a marketing divot."