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In his review of the Cary">http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/398/">Cary Audio Design CAD-300SEI integrated amplifier, Robert Harley admits up front that he's been "biased against single-ended tube amplifiers because of their quirky measured performances." Can the Cary redeem itself and the SET approach with a single hearing? Harley reports, with a "Follow-Up" from Jonathan Scull.
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In his review of the Conrad-Johnson">http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/403/">Conrad-Johnson Premier Eleven power amplifier, Wes Phillips comes clean and admits that he loves to be seduced by sound. Phillips writes, "Now, I'm not proposing that we embrace coloration . . . but the removal of all pleasure-producing tonalities doesn't necessarily make for increased realism."
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In his review of the Toshiba">http://www.stereophile.com//digitalsourcereviews/407/">Toshiba SD-9200 DVD-Audio player, Chip Stern asks the question "In a rollout of new technologies more or less driven by the expectations of the home-theater crowd, what's in it for us music-lovers?" Stern uncovers the answer and then some, while Kal Rubinson explores the player's surround-music performance.
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Wes Phillips pries a hard-to-acquire Ayre">http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/412/">Ayre Acoustics V-3 power amplifier out of company hands and puts it to the sonic test. Does the amp live up to its legendary "Best of Show" status? Phillips has the answer.
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A comprehensive set of reviews awaits those interested in learning everything there is to know about the legendary Quad">http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/416/">Quad ESL-63 loudspeaker. Writers checking in with analysis, background, and opinion include J. Gordon Holt, Anthony H. Cordesman, Sam Tellig, Martin Colloms, Larry Greenhill, and John Atkinson.
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John Atkinson wrestles with the fabled YBA">http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/420/">YBA 2 HC power amplifier to uncover its very essence. Can this meticulous design, engineered (some might say over-engineered) by Yves-Bernard André deliver the audio goods?
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As the results from last week's Vote prove, having the right tool for the audiophile job makes all of the difference. And a lot of you selected the Stereophilehttp://www.stereophile.com//features/424/">Stereophile; Test CD 3 as your weapon of choice for uncovering the good, the bad, and the ugly of a component under consideration. Here's the complete story on the most recent test disc from Stereophile and company.
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It's a Mac attack! First up is Jonathan Scull's take on the McIntosh">http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/428/">McIntosh MC1201 monoblock power amplifier. Festooning his listening loft with a pair of the "Great American Icons," J-10 is ready to rumble with "the biggest power meters you ever saw this side-a Milwaukee."
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With SACD and DVD-Audio rumbling off in the distance, is the high-end CD player dead? Michael Fremer takes a listen to the Musical">http://www.stereophile.com//digitalsourcereviews/433/">Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 3D CD player and reports that the company decided it was "better to concentrate efforts on trying to optimize the sound of the two billion CDs already in play than divert company resources into developing technology and products aimed at an uncertain digital future and an unsettled customer base."
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Kalman Rubinson says he "anticipated the installation of the TacT">http://www.stereophile.com//amplificationreviews/437/">TacT Audio RCS 2.0 digital equalizer/preamplifier with mixed emotions." Would his hard work at setting up the perfect listening environment be rendered irrelevant in the face of digital signal processing? Or would the future of audio unfold at his feet?