LATEST ADDITIONS

It was my hunt for new and interesting-looking turntables at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show that introduced me to the loudspeakers from DeVore Fidelity. In the Glass Amplifier room I spied a Teres turntable with a Darth Vader-ish look and sat down to listen. From a pair of nondescript, two-way, floorstanding speakers so small they were almost lost in the room, came surprisingly present, full-bodied, and notably coherent music. Their sound so far exceeded my low expectations that I exclaimed, "What are those?! Whoever designed them sure knows what he's doing!"

I was just about to wrap up my British Invasion Tour of affordable speakers when I got a call from Fearless Leader John Atkinson.

The W-8 ($10,200) is the first of Simaudio's Moon series to incorporate the new Evolution cosmetics and new circuitry. I loved its predecessor, the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/solidpoweramps/167">Moon W-5</A>, which was one of the first power amplifiers I reviewed for <I>Stereophile</I> (March 1999, Vol.22 No.3). I also loved the "new and improved" W-5 when I wrote about in the May 2001 issue. In the September 2005 issue, Brian Damkroger praised Simaudio's monstrous <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/solidpoweramps/905sim">Moon Rock</A> monoblock, a contemporary of the Moon Evolution W-8 stereo amp.

His article on the first post-Katrina Mardis Gras is one great read. This is how I want to write when I grow up. If.

It turns out that <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/031606howto/">Dr. L.R., PhD</a>, does not have two first names. While her last name is spelled just like a very ordinary first name, it is pronounced in a way that makes it something entirely different.

<I>Moistworks</I> looks into some of Led Zep's influences. Jake Holmes' "Dazed and Confused" is a revelation.

Last week's cat blogging reminded Jeff Wong of a monster movie, so he provided the special effects.