Stephen Mejias

"I was at Maxwell's last night for no more than three hours, and it made me terribly sick."

"What">http://www.maxwellsnj.com/">What’s Maxwell's?" JA asks.

"Oh," I say, "It's a rock and roll club in Jersey."

"Thank you for assuming that I'm hip."

I laugh. "I’ve become so allergic">http://www.niehs.nih.gov/airborne/prevent/smoke.html">allergic to cigarette smoke. I woke up this morning coughing blood, and I've got a horrible headache now."

"You must have some insect genes."

There are currently no "Y" words in the Audio">http://www.stereophile.com/reference/50/index1.html">Audio Glossary, so my contribution should induce no unnecessary pushing or shoving.

You don’t have to spend a fortune to put together a great-sounding system. In fact, many of today’s most affordable hi-fi components offer greater bang for the buck than today’s more expensive products. If your room and/or your budget are small, you can still achieve outstanding sound while having a lot of fun. Here are my ten favorite budget components of 2011.

In the January 2013 issue of Stereophile, I list my 15 favorite records of the year (p.53). Here is an expanded, slightly more detailed list.

Here’s a list of my 50 favorite albums of 2013. This is by no means a definitive list. These aren’t “the best” or “the most important” records of the year. They’re simply the 50 records that, for one reason or another, managed to capture my attention, spark my imagination, excite and inspire me. They also often drove me into fits of loud song, wild dance, and happy laughter. I love these records, I’m grateful for them, and I want to share them with you. Many of these you will already know. Others will be new to you. I hope you enjoy them all as much as I do, but I will, of course, understand if you don’t. Please feel free to share your own favorites in the Comments section.

My love for the Vivian Girls only grows and grows: I love them more today than I did yesterday, but not as much as I’ll love them tomorrow. Their 2009 album, Everything Goes Wrong, continues to sound fresh and exciting with each play on my turntable. And they’ve got a new 7-inch single available from their own Wild">http://www.freewebs.com/viviangirls/wildworld.htm">Wild World Records. Perfect for a sunny Cinco de Mayo like this one, the A-side has Cassie confessing, “I can hardly wait until the summer comes,” while Katy and Ali echo the feeling with handclaps and angelic backing vocals. The B-side is a cover of the Chantels’ “He’s Gone,” which I had the great and unforgettable pleasure of hearing performed live, a cappella, at">http://forum.stereophile.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/2149/passwor… Bamboo Beach in">http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/what_happened_in_puerto_rico/… Puerto Rico.

My new Rega P3-24 sits atop a Polycrystal equipment rack given to me by Jonathan Scull. Radiohead's Kid A never sounded so good.