Ariel Bitran

Now on Newsstands: Stereophile, Vol.35 No.3

Ariel Bitran Feb 14, 2012 First Published: Feb 14, 2012

The March 2012 issue of Stereophile features the stunning Sonus Faber Amati Futura loudspeaker on the cover.

As we sent the March issue for delivery to the printing presses, the April issue sat in queue for multiple rounds of edits. At the same time, the editors, writers, and a lowly editorial assistant lay the building blocks for the May issue to be released two months away. With the constant influx of communication regarding dates present, future, and future’s future, it is hard to know what month we are ever really living in, and it is a time-bending wonder whenever the new issue of Stereophile shows up on our desks. So with great excitement, we announce to you Stereophile March 2012, Volume 35, Number 3.

Ariel Bitran

Pop Music.

Ariel Bitran Feb 03, 2012 First Published: Feb 03, 2012

Here at the Stereophile office, we listen to lots of different tunes ranging from Bach to Fucked Up to Sylvester, but in the Bitran/Mejias cubicle, there has been a recent resurgence in our passion for POPULAR music.

Ariel Bitran

To Like or Not to Like: Stereophile on Facebook

Ariel Bitran Jan 26, 2012 First Published: Jan 26, 2012

When we first started posting, the Stereophile team was unsure of what would be the result. Would more people buy Attention Screen CDs? Would we get more members to our forums? Or would we just be totally ignored?

Ariel Bitran

A Sound Salvation: More Thoughts on Rdio, MOG, and Spotify

Ariel Bitran Dec 01, 2011 First Published: Dec 01, 2011

A Spotify advertisement interrupts my listening. The ad is invisible, embedded in between the lines of my play queue. As it begins, a modern crooner soars over a twinkling piano. This is not the 311 I was just listening to. A voice very politely interrupts: “Hi, this is Bruno Mars.”

I need my riffage! Not ads!

Seconds later, a reminder pops up in my Microsoft Outlook program: “Rdio”

News Ariel Bitran

NHT SuperPower Desktop Loudspeakers

Ariel Bitran Nov 14, 2011 First Published: Nov 14, 2011

John Johnsen, NHT’s Owner and Director of Marketing, shows off his new SuperPowers.

On an early Thursday morning on November 10th, 2011, NHT’s John Johnsen presented his new SuperPower powered desktop loudspeaker ($398/pair) to members of the hi-fi and consumer electronics press.

Ariel Bitran

A Lifestyle Redefined

Ariel Bitran Oct 26, 2011 First Published: Oct 26, 2011

The iconic "McIntosh-blue" meter

Lifestyle brand. Let me say it again: Lifestyle brand. Did you just shudder a little? This term terrifies many audiophiles, because for many audiophiles, calling a hi-fi brand a “lifestyle brand” equals a focus on marketing rather than sound. Yet, on the eve of Thursday, October 6th, in a presentation to members of the hi-fi press at the Savant House in the SOHO district of New York City, McIntosh President Charlie Randall comforted us with the news that this would not be the path for McIntosh.

Ariel Bitran

A Quick Dip in the Digital Stream

Ariel Bitran Oct 12, 2011 First Published: Oct 12, 2011

Valle del Elqui, Chile. Photo: Alberto Bitran.

For the past few months, my system has been in a serious playback rut. The disc tray on my Oppo DV-980H does not pop out, and my Rega P1 is in unmistakably poor shape: the tonearm cable to connect the tonearm to the cartridge ripped off from the tonearm, one of the tonearm pins ripped off the tonearm cable and is firmly pinned onto the cartridge I never installed (an Audio Technica AT95E), and the needle on my old Ortofon cartridge is bent backwards, which is the reason why I needed to change my cartridge to begin with. I promise, I have reasons for all of this. Not good reasons. Thus, most of my music listening for the past seven months, has been done at work in my cubicle via different digital music streaming services, in the hopes of finding a service that would be fun and functional.

Ariel Bitran