Stereophile Nov-12

50 Years of Stereophile! Fifty years ago this month, Vol.1 No.1, Issue No.1 of The Stereophile, published, edited, and mostly written by J. Gordon Holt out of Wallingford, Pennsylvania, hit the newsstands. Gordon had worked for two major audio magazines, High Fidelity and HiFi/Stereo Review (later renamed Stereo Review), and had been disgusted by those magazines’ pandering to advertisers. Not only was The Stereophile going to tell it like it was, it was going to judge audio components by listening to them—a heretical idea in those days of meters and measurements. “Dammit,” said Gordon, who died in 2009, “if nobody else will report what an audio component sounds like, I’ll do it myself!” (See www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/711/index.html.) The magazine you hold in your hands is issue number 394; unusually, there have been only two…

FEEDBACK TO THE EDITOR On Erick Editor: In light of recent unwarranted bashing, I am writing this letter in support of Erick Lichte, who, like Ezra Dyer at Automobile magazine, has introduced a much-needed dose of fresh perspective, superlative diction, and candor to Stereophile. Kudos to his skill set and his marvelous Audio Research review in July (www.stereophile.com/content/audio-research-reference-150-power-amplifier), which, after listening, I wholeheartedly agree with. If only I could articulate so well. —Rieck Beiersdorf halopredator@yahoo.com On Rush Editor: Over the past few years, I have seen a dramatic change for the good in the content of Stereophile magazine and look forward to my copy every month. Well done. When I saw the cover of the September issue with the word “Rush” in bold letters, I was shocked! My favorite band in Stereophile? For over 40 years, these…

AUDIO NEWS & VIEWS UK: LONDON Paul Messenger The brief history of the Clarity Alliance has been complicated. Launched last February, it grew out of the demise of the manufacturer-based British Federation of Audio (BFA; see “Industry Update,” May 2011), and the subsequent decision by the British Audio- Video Dealers Association (BADA) to expand and reorganize itself to incorporate the now disassociated manufacturers and distributors. It all began with Project Grass, which emerged exactly one year ago (“Industry Update,” October 2011) as a BADA initiative to create a body that would represent the entire specialist hi-fi industry. A steering committee was set up to develop the ideas, and the initiative, now called the Clarity Alliance, was introduced at BADA’s annual general meeting last February (“Industry Update,” May 2012). At a July conference held by…

ATTENTION ALL AUDIO SOCIETIES: Attention all audio societies: We have a page on the Stereophile website devoted to you: www.stereophile.com/audiophile-societies. If you’d like to have your audio-society information posted on the site, e-mail Chris Vogel at info@vcable.us. Please note that it is inappropriate for a retailer to promote a new product line in “Calendar” unless this is associated with a seminar or similar event. CALIFORNIA • Sunday, October 21, 1–5pm: The Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society and Weinhart Design (2337 Roscomare Road, Studio 1, Los Angeles) will host Bob Carver, LLC. Carver’s Black Beauty amplifier will be auditioned with a pair of Magico loudspeakers, and Bob Carver will be on hand to discuss his products, answer questions, and sign autographs. Eastwind Import will have LPs and CDs for sale, a raffle…

Walk, Don’t Run Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today. —Benjamin Franklin Never do today what you can do tomorrow. Something may occur to make you regret your premature action. —Aaron Burr Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow. —Mark Twain I’ve just finished reading Wait: The Art and Science of Delay, by Frank Partnoy (Public Affairs, 2012). We are often better off when we delay decisions as long as possible, Partnoy advises. Hold off reading Wait in hardcover and it will turn up in paperback. Or get in line and read it free from the local library. Aaron Burr is right. Wait before you buy that loudspeaker or amplifier reviewed this month in Stereophile. “Something may occur to make you regret your premature action.” Like next month’s issue. Burr didn’t…

Spiraling Grooves Allen Perkins’s Spiral Groove SG1.1 turntable ($25,0001) is a remarkably dense, compact, belt-driven design that weighs a surprising 75 lbs. With the motor isolated inside its 18.5" wide by 15" deep plinth, the SG1.1 has a small footprint, and its height of ca 5", including feet, permits a flexibility of placement seldom found with premium-priced turntables. The design, reminiscent of a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle, is far more complex and ingenious than it might at first appear, and while the SG1.1 superficially resembles a few other turntables now on the market, those took their styling cues (but only those) from Perkins’s late-1990s RPM turntables, which were not particularly well marketed. Design Features The SG1.1 has a split plinth, its two halves separated by four strategically placed Sorbothane pads under heavy pressure. Each half…