LATEST ADDITIONS

A CD player that combines the transport from a Sony PlayStation, an output section using rare New Old Stock tubes, and no remote control? That’s the DynaStation II CD player ($6000), said to have a cult following in Germany, and now imported by Avatar Acoustics. You can have it somewhat cheaper if you want less esoteric tubes, or pay more if you want even more esoteric ones. The system with Ascendo System E speakers, using the DynaStation II as the source, sounded really good, though.

The rebirth of Reference Recordings is one of the feel-good stories of audio. Here’s RR’s Marcia Martin, holding up two of their new releases, from pianist Joel Fan and from Keith Lockhart conducting the Utah Symphony in works by Bernstein.

My final audition before attending the warm, "family affair" Classics Records press conference took place in Elliot Midwood's Acoustic Image room, which displayed gear he sells at his store in Studio City, CA. Once I spyed the same ESP Concert Grand SI speakers ($40,000/pair ) that drove <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/thefifthelement/406fifth">John Marks into ecstasy in April</A>, I had to listen. Amplification came complements of Wavestream Kinetic V8 monoblocks, which output 250&ndash;300W in triode mode ($35,000). Also on hand were the fabled Messenger preamp and the Lector four-chassis CD Drive and DAC ($9000).

Bagheera asks the question men everywhere dread. Of course I assured her she looked <I>muhvelous</I>.

Well, that's the twiddly bits inside <I>my</I> ears&mdash;a custom mold was taken by an audiologist so that Ultimate Ears could produce a pair of UE-10 Pros for me to review.

Apple gets more press for products it hasn't even announced yet than most companies get for products they are actually <I>trying</I> to promote. Here's the scoop (maybe) on the gen 6 iPod.

Whether or not Matsumi Suzuki has recreated the voice of the woman who sat for the portrait we call the Mona Lisa, he has already been awarded an Ig-Nobel Prize.