Jim Austin

As We See It

Won't get fooled again

Jim Austin Jan 19, 2022

I'm excited about the return of live music to New York City. I've attended several classical concerts in the last few weeks, and in a week or so, I'll take in a show at the City Winery: Suzanne Vega. I haven't yet made it back to New York's amazing jazz clubsthe Vanguard, the Blue Note, Smallsbut I look forward to doing so soon, especially to dropping in on my jazz local, Smoke, when it reopens in a few weeks in new, larger digs.

Interviews Music and Recording Features

Jay Jay French: Twisted Business: Lessons from My Life in Rock'n'Roll

Jim Austin Jan 06, 2022

Jay Jay French has a book out, but it's not what you might think, or not exactly.

French earned fame in the 1980s as the lead guitarist for transvestite metal band Twisted Sister, which produced some of the most recognizableand widely licensedrock music in history: "We're Not Gonna Take It." "I Wanna Rock."

As We See It

Some new rock music

Jim Austin Dec 16, 2021

My As We See It column in the November 2021 issue of Stereophile was a sincere expression of regret over my inability to connect with current rock music. It ended with a request for recommendations. I got 'em. What's more, most (but not quite all) of those who responded found themselves inthe same situation: They too found most current rock'n'roll difficult to relate to.

Products of the Year

Stereophile's Products of 2021

Jim Austin Nov 19, 2021

Here's another Stereophile milestone, our second one this year. In August, we celebrated the magazine's 500th issue. This month, we celebrate a number that's smaller but almost as round: our 30th Annual Product of the Year Awards.

Audacious Audio Floor Loudspeaker Reviews

Wilson Audio Specialties Alexx V loudspeaker

Jim Austin Nov 17, 2021

The Wilson Audio Specialties Alexx V ($135,000$151,000/pair) is the biggest, heaviest, most expensive loudspeaker I've had in my listening room. It replaces the original Alexx in Wilson's lineup; Michael Fremer reviewed the earlier Alexx, bought it, and owned it until replacing it recently with the Wilson Chronosonic XVX.

As We See It

Complicated

Jim Austin Nov 16, 2021

Even though I'm the editor of Stereophile, I sometimes struggle to get my audio system to play. It's a little bit embarrassing. Just last night, I put on a record and there was no sound. I figured out the problem immediately: I'd forgotten to turn on the amplifiers. But the reason isn't always so obvious.

As We See It

Glory Days

Jim Austin Oct 21, 2021

I've got a music problem. Specifically, I've got a rock music problem.

It's a true clichéthat is, a cliché that happens to be true: Rock music, in almost all its forms, is young people's music. It's about new, fresh experiencesnew love, new sex, consciousness sought or attained, rebellion, drugsand when you've reached a certain age, those experiences don't feel so fresh anymore. That's a fact about which it's hard not to feel some regret. You don't have to share their sentiment to realize that there's a reason Pete wrote, and Roger sang, "Hope I die before I get old."

As We See It

The new aether

Jim Austin Sep 14, 2021

When I decided that Stereophile should review the McIntosh MAC7200 receiver (see the review in the January 2021 issue), I had several reasons for doing so. First, McIntosh is known for the quality of its radio tuners and amplifiers, so I was confident it would be an impressive product. (It was.) Second, a review of a terrestrial radio receiver in 2021 had a certain retro appeal that I thought Stereophile readers might appreciate. Third, as Larry Greenhill wrote in the introduction to that review, I like terrestrial radio.

Audacious Audio Floor Loudspeaker Reviews

Audiovector R 8 Arreté loudspeaker

Jim Austin Aug 18, 2021

Many loudspeaker designers are minimalists at heart. They embrace a design aesthetic that says that simpler is better. Based on the evidence of the company's R 8 Arreté, Ole Klifoth, of Danish loudspeaker maker Audiovector, is not one of those designers.

On its website, in the Specifications section for its "R"-model loudspeakers (footnote 1), Audiovector offers a long checklist of technologies, many of them optional, some of them, called "Concepts," assigned snappy names and acronyms: IUC for Individual Upgrade Concept; LCC for Low Compression Concept; SEC for Soundstage Enhancement Concept; NES for No Energy Storage; FGC for Freedom Grounding Concept; and NCS for Natural Crystal Structure.

As We See It

Respect the Music: Apple & Dolby Atmos

Jim Austin Aug 17, 2021

In early May, some of in the music press got an advance look at what was coming soon from Apple Music. Apple announced that, following the example of Tidal, Qobuz, and Amazon Music HD, the company would no longer deal in AAC, their improved (but still lossy) MP3 equivalent.

Henceforth, all Apple stereo downloads and streams would be at at least CD resolution; many tracks would be offered in higher resolutions, up to 24/192. Apple estimated that by the end of 2021, 75 million songs would be available at resolutions of 16/44.1 or better.