Julie Mullins

Re-Tales

Re-Tales #61: A Tale of Two Walters

Julie Mullins Dec 22, 2025

A common theme in this space in Stereophile is the need to reach new audiences and generate broader interest in the hi-fi hobby. At a time when traditional hi-fi buyers are becoming scarcer—as older generations pass on—the need becomes more critical to the industry's survival. Recently, two industry stalwarts—who both happen to be named Walter—have come together to form "an audio distribution and marketing superpower."

Re-Tales

Re-Tales #60: Matt Alterman's Crescendo Audio Returns to Boulder

Julie Mullins Nov 25, 2025

A hi-fi dealer's son, Matt Alterman has been in or near the business almost all his life. His dealership, Crescendo Audio, is coming full circle as he opens a new location in Boulder, Colorado, the town where he launched his first store 13 years ago.

Re-Tales

Re-Tales #59: Natural Sound's Half Century in Hi-Fi

Julie Mullins Oct 22, 2025

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. Founded by Jim Lackey in 1975, Natural Sound turns 50 years old this November.

Re-Tales

Re-Tales #58: A Succession Story in Toronto

Julie Mullins Sep 24, 2025

This month's Re-Tales takes us to Toronto again—though it's quite a different story than the one we told last month, in a different part of Toronto.

Re-Tales

Re-Tales #57: Boutique Audio Gallery, an Oasis in Canada

Julie Mullins Aug 19, 2025

You can call Boutique Audio Gallery's Jason Melman anytime you like—just don't call him "dealer." "The two words I hate are 'dealer' and 'store'," he told me during an interview at an event he hosted at the—um, gallery he opened in March 2024. "It's just a relaxing place where people can come and listen to music."

Re-Tales

Re-Tales 56: The Impact of Tariffs on the Hi-Fi Industry

Julie Mullins Jul 21, 2025

Stereophile readers are surely aware of the tariff situation under the current administration—a situation that has changed rapidly, often daily. The tariff penalty—and arguably even more, the lack of economic stability resulting from tariff volatility—has a major impact on buying, pricing, and corporate strategy in the hi-fi industry. Hi-fi is just one of many industries experiencing the impacts of increased costs and uncertainty.

T.H.E. Show SoCal 2025

Aaudio Imports

Julie Mullins Jul 17, 2025

I hadn't come across the distributor Aaudio Imports for a time—I learned they had moved from Colorado, to California—so it was interesting to see what was new in their world. In a rather large room, Laguna 1, the speakers were striking, even unusual looking. They are from AudioNec, a French brand that Aaudio recently began importing.

T.H.E. Show SoCal 2025

YG Acoustics and Supreme Acoustic Systems

Julie Mullins Jul 15, 2025

YG Acoustics and Supreme Acoustic Systems set up a massive, no-holds-barred system at T.H.E. Show in Southern California.

T.H.E. Show SoCal 2025

Audio Café and Hear This

Julie Mullins Jul 07, 2025

The large Balboa II room at T.H.E. Show in SoCal demo'd a system designed around a pair of Clarisys Audio Studio Plus speakers ($69,000/pair) driven by two pairs of WestminsterLab Rei monoblock class-A amplifiers ($37,900/pair) run in bridged mode, ahead of which was a WestminsterLab Quest balanced preamplifier ($27,900).

T.H.E. Show SoCal 2025

SVS and Hegel: A Fine Match

Julie Mullins Jun 23, 2025

SVS is best known for subwoofers, but the company also makes speakers. Demo'd at T.H.E. Show in Costa Mesa were a couple of examples: the SVS Ultra Evolution Pinnacle flagship towers ($2500/each or $5000/pair), which were playing when I visited the room, and a pair of rear-ported Ultra Evolution standmounts ($1200/pair; stands not included), which were set up in a system with the SVS SB-5000 R|Evolution subwoofer ($2000), which debuted at AXPONA.