The November 2009 issue of
Stereophile is now on newsstands. On the cover, you’ll see a close-up of the Aerial Acoustics Model 20T V2 loudspeaker, which John Atkinson praised for its silky treble and weighty, well-defined bass. An interview with Aerial’s designer, Michael Kelly, appears
here, while Michael Fremer’s review of the original 20T can be found
here.
Also in November, we have reviews of the Paradigm Reference Studio 60 v.5 loudspeaker (which seems a bargain at just $1998/pair; v.3 review
here); Convergent Audio Technology SL1 Renaissance preamplifier ($9995 with phono stage; an extraordinary
20 pages of coverage on the original SL-1 begins
here); HRT Music Streamer + USB D/A processor ($299; standard version costs $99); and Follow-Up reviews on the PSB Imagine T ($2000/pair; earlier reviews by Sam Tellig and Kal Rubinson can be found
here) and the Aerial Model 5B ($2200/pair; review of the original Model 5 is
here, while John Marks’ coverage of the B can be found
here).
We try to be thorough. Even I’m impressed by the amount of information we offer for free in our online archive.
Also in November, John Atkinson in “As We See It” and Robert Baird in “Aural Robert” discuss the serious problem of dynamic range being sacrificed for loudness. It’s simple: Squashing dynamic range in order to create a louder recording destroys music and can make that recording unlistenable—an utter disrespect for music, and a shame. This is something that JA has fought against for years. See, for instance, “
Dynamics & Dynamic Range,” “
Overcooked Floyd,” and “
Where Did the Music Go.” And, at this year's
Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, JA again went to bat with his seminar, "
Squeezing the Music Till the Bits Squeak."
If a recording is too quiet, turn up the volume. That’s what the volume knob is for.
In “Sam’s Space,” Sam Tellig reports on the return of the Micromega brand and auditions the French company’s IA-180 integrated amplifier and CD-30 CD player. In “Analog Corner,” Michael Fremer reviews two phono cartridges: the Ortofon MC A90 moving-coil cartridge and the Soundsmith Voice moving-iron cartridge. In “Music in the Round,” Kal Rubinson listens to Arcam’s AV888 preamplifier-processor and exonerates the
Sony SCD-XA5400ES, which has been receiving some
rave reviews in our forum.
November’s “Recording of the Month” is Jim O’Rourke’s
The Visitor,
another excellent piece of work brought to us by Chicago’s Drag City label. In classical, we have a review of Phil Kline’s
John the Revelator; in jazz, we review Dupree Bolton’s
Fireball; in rock, we have reviews of new albums from David Byrne’s Luaka Bop label, Cyril Neville, Terry Adams, Dawes, and my review of Lights’
Rites! I hope you like it. My high school English teacher, Ms. Brandt, always said that I’d become a soft porn writer; now, in
Stereophile, her prediction has finally come true. I blame it on
Lights.
Seriously, though, the coolest thing in the November issue of
Stereophile is Art Dudley’s “14 Brief Observations About Criticism, or Not Really.” From beginning to end, it was such a delight to be a part of this outstanding piece. Art’s writing is world-class and hard-hitting, and Jeff Wong’s clever, colorful illustrations give it special life.
You can pick up a copy of
Stereophile today, and then talk about it in
the forum.
