These are the first interconnects and speaker cables I have reviewed for <I>Stereophile</I>. Each of us has his little niche, and editor John Atkinson likes us to play in the sandboxes we most enjoy. For me, that has usually meant inexpensive speakers and expensive tube electronics. But there's another reason I've tended to shy away from cables.
I always enjoy reviewing affordable loudspeakers from Polk Audio, who trumpet high value for the dollar with their philosophy of "Incredible Sound/Affordable Price." They also update their broad and deep product lines more frequently than do most manufacturers. I've always been intrigued by how much Polk has been able to deliver at the bottom of the price range. In fact, the first Polk speaker I reviewed, the RT25i (<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/417">September 2001, Vol.24 No.9</A>), is the only affordable speaker I've reviewed for <I>Stereophile</I> that I ended up buying (for my computer-based musical-composition system). So, when approached by Polk to review a speaker from their affordable RT<I>i</I> A series, I was interested in the least expensive of that line's five models: the RT<I>i</I> A1 ($349.95/pair).
A while back, out of the blue, I was contacted by audio distributor May Audio Marketing. They wanted to know if I was interested in reviewing any models from the Genius line of German manufacturer ASW Loudspeakers. I have a lot of time for distributors such as May Audio, whose primary role is to promote lesser-known European audio products on this side of the pond. All of May's principal clients—Castle, Enigma, and Gradient speakers; Sonneteer and Sphinx electronics; and Roksan turntable systems—are much better known in their home countries than in the US.
Last year, when Epos importer Music Hall contacted me about reviewing the then-new M16 floorstanding loudspeaker, I hesitated. I had been very impressed with the M16's little bookshelf brother, the M5 (see <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/405epos">my review</A> in the April 2005 <I>Stereophile</I>, Vol.28 No.4), which I found uncolored, detailed, and a great value. Most of all, the M5 had an incredible balance of performance. But several times in the past, having been seduced by a wonderfully balanced bookshelf speaker, I've then been disappointed by one of its costlier, floorstanding brethren. The larger speaker might share the bookshelf's overall character, have deeper bass, and play louder with less strain, but too often that magical sense of balance that I had so enjoyed in the smaller speaker would be absent.
One of the first affordable loudspeakers I reviewed for <I>Stereophile</I> was the original <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/standspeakers/628">Paradigm Reference Studio/20</A> bookshelf model, in the February 1998 issue (Vol.21 No.2). At the time, I felt that the $650/pair speaker was a breakthrough—although not completely devoid of colorations, its ratio of price to performance set a benchmark a decade ago. I kept the Studio/20s around for several years to compare with other bookshelf speakers I reviewed, and they remained listed in <I>Stereophile</I>'s "Recommended Components" for several years after that. The Studio/20 is now in its fourth (v.4) iteration, so I thought I'd grab a pair to hear how they compared with current affordable bookshelf designs.
I always look forward to <I>Stereophile</I>'s Home Entertainment Shows, where I scout out interesting new models of affordable loudspeakers. At <A HREF="http://blog.stereophile.com/he2007">HE2007 in New York City</A>, I was struck by the Silverline Audio room—not only by the sound I heard there, but by the way Showgoers reacted to that sound.
Late in 2006, I was watching John Atkinson set up a pair of DPA cardioid microphones in front of the stage of New York City's Otto's Shrunken Head to record a performance of my jazz quartet, <A HREF="http://www.myspace.com/attentionscreen">Attention Screen</A> (footnote 1). Before the first set, Wes Phillips approached me. "Bob, I found a piece of equipment you <I>must</I> review—the Cayin A-50T integrated amp. It's only 1300 bucks and you'll love it!"
In nearly 25 years, it's been rare that I've reviewed an exciting breakthrough product. The Audioengine 2 is such a product—not because it performs at an extraordinary level (though it does), and not because it's such an incredible value for money (though it is), but because it creates a new market, a new application for high-end audio, and a chance for audiophiles to enjoy music in ways they may have never considered before.
Readers often ask how I choose components for review. My method is simple: Ninety percent of what I review is gear that has impressed me at one of our Home Entertainment Shows, or new designs from manufacturers whose products I've liked in the past. The remainder are assigned by John Atkinson.
<A HREF="http://blog.stereophile.com/he2007">Home Entertainment 2007</A> was a blast for me, as it is every year. Not only did I get to perform with <I>two</I> jazz bands, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/musicrecordings/907att">Attention Screen</A> and the John Atkinson Trio, but I enjoyed good to extraordinary sound in every room I visited. I've been attending hi-fi shows more than 20 years, so I'm rarely surprised, but HE2007 had two big surprises in store. First, the percentage of rooms sporting analog front-ends—vinyl <I>and</I> open-reel tape—was the highest I've seen at a show in over a decade. Second, there was a surprising number of <I>very</I> expensive loudspeakers. In fact, I counted more speakers costing over $50,000/pair than I did costing under $500/pair.