Stereophile

Lately, hi-fi’s technical emphasis has shifted toward time, away from its longtime main focus on the frequency domain. I’m thinking the trend, which I consider a good thing, started years ago with growing awareness it might be better to accept some aliasing in order to avoid the phase distortion resulting from a “brick-wall” reconstruction filter. More recent examples include the approach to D/A conversion taken by CH Precision1 and—dare I mention it?—the theory behind MQA.2 I also encountered the trend once on the analog side; I’m thinking of Haniwa, which makes phono cartridges, phono preamps, and single-driver speakers that aim to preserve phase relationships.3 I was reminded of this while preparing this month’s lead review, of the Marten Mingus Septet Statement Edition loudspeaker, a time-coincident design. In most speakers, time…

Appreciation for Rogier van Bakel (and Alon Wolf!) As an eight-year owner of Magico loudspeakers, I have read a number of Magico reviews and side articles on Alon Wolf. None come close to Rogier van Bakel’s article on Alon in the April issue. It captures the essence of Mr. Wolf’s design choices and his rationale, drive, and what sets Magico apart under his leadership. Outstanding job! Gaines Wilburn Greensboro, North Carolina Appreciation for Tom Fine My profound thanks to Tom Fine for his review of the McIntosh DS200 streamer DAC in the November 2025 issue of Stereophile. It literally changed my life. I have been an audiophile since the 1960s and never quite emerged from the analog world. Streaming was too confusing; I saw it as just another source of…

Barco, which is based in Kortrijk, Belgium, has reached an agreement to acquire Ver-Vent Audio Holding, the parent company of Focal and Naim. Barco specializes in precision monitor screens for medical and industrial uses and is the market leader in digital projection systems for movie theaters. A Barco press release valued the deal at €135 million and said VerVent’s annual revenues are approximately €110 million. The acquisition will be self-financed. “After closing, VerVent will be integrated into Barco’s Entertainment division,” wrote Barco in a press release. “Barco intends to support the company’s ongoing strategic plan, which focuses on high-end premium audio positioning, a technology upgrade toward digital, active, and connected products, portfolio rationalization, and leveraging its sales network, including consumer channels and brand licensing.” VerVent was formed in 2014 following…

ATTENTION ALL AUDIO SOCIETIES: We have a page on the Stereophile website devoted to you: stereophile.com/audiophile-societies. If you’d like to have your audio-society information posted on the site, email Jim Austin at jim.austin@stereophile.com. United States CALIFORNIA ◼ Saturday, May 16–Sunday May 17, Audio Vision San Francisco will hold a special event featuring products from Yamaha, Revival Audio, Moon by Simaudio, Dynaudio, Nordost, and Silent Angel. Audio Vision San Francisco is located at 1628 California St., across the street from the historic cable-car line. On-street parking is available. If you wish to attend, RSVP to info@audiovisionsf.com. ILLINOIS ◼ Friday, April 10–Sunday, April 12: AXPONA 2026 will take place at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center in Schaumburg, Illinois, outside Chicago. AXPONA is the largest hi-fi show in North America, drawing…

ATC and Magico make loudspeakers that are highly regarded in the audiophile world. They take very different design approaches—but when Gemini, Google’s AI, was asked to identify each company’s characteristic sound, it returned the terms “transparent,” “neutral,” and “high resolution” for both. Magico says its new speaker, the S7 2026, is “the ultimate expression of the S-Series legacy” and the last of that line. It’s a 384lb, five-driver, three-way. Its driver complement: a 1.1" “diamond-coated pure-beryllium diaphragm” tweeter, a 6" “Nano-Tec Gen 8” midrange driver, and three 10" “Nano-Tec Gen 8” woofers. The company describes Nano-Tec as “an aluminum-honeycomb core sandwiched between graphene-reinforced carbon-fiber skins.” The tweeter, midrange, and woofers are each in their own sealed enclosures. Each speaker is 55.9" high, 22.9" wide, and 24.1" deep. As always with…

Esoteric, the high-end audio subsidiary of TEAC, has upgraded its N-05 streaming preamplifier and its matching S-05 class-A power amplifier to XE status. The N-05XE features an updated streaming engine, arrives Roon Ready, and supports Qobuz, Tidal, and Spotify Connect. Users can choose either electrical or optical (SFP) network connections. The internal clocking circuit has also been updated. The analog part of the preamp now includes a dedicated power supply for the stepped attenuator volume control. The built-in headphone amplifier is a new circuit described as “Dual-Mono Parallel Single-Ended,” said to be capable of up to 1200mW into 32 ohms. The front panel now includes a USB-C input for connecting smartphones and other devices. Esoteric says the new DAC has “richer musicality, incorporating the Grandioso N1 technologies”—a reference to its…