Stereophile April 2023

At the beginning of the 2022 novel Checkout 19, by Claire-Louise Bennett, I encountered some ideas that resonate in interesting ways with my recent experience of recorded music. The first idea is expressed in the quote above: You take out many books from the library—as many as they’ll allow—and you don’t read any of them all the way through. There’s too much temptation to move from one to the other, “tossing one book down and picking one book up and tossing that to one side and picking up yet another and so on and getting nowhere.… And we went on like that for quite some time didn’t we until we realized that just because we were allowed to take out six books eight books twelve books four books didn’t mean…

Buzzcocks 2 Live 4 Thank you, Jim Austin! You’re a cool dude! Buzzcocks appearing on your lists! I always thought they were special: smart, funny, and creative. Like the Beach Boys with fuzz guitars! I love their three albums and especially the last three singles, which are dense and very forward looking, a glimpse into what might have been. Thanks again, Spiro KasomenakisNew York City Slayer 2 Die 4 In what Bizarro world am I living in where Slayer’s Reign in Blood makes your R2L4 list? It has been in my top 5 recordings since its release in 1986, but I never thought I’d see it in Stereophile. Slayer fans would probably prefer it be in the old Records 2 DIE 4 list! Christopher BaileyMidlothian, Virginia A knowing air of condescension Jon Iverson (Web producer?) lauds the Vancouver Sleep Clinic…

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 Chris Vogel at vgl@cfl.rr.com. (Note the new email address.) It is inappropriate for a retailer to promote a new product line in “Calendar” unless it is associated with a seminar or similar event. CALIFORNIA ❚ Friday–Sunday, March 17–19, 1–3pm PST: The San Francisco Audiophile Foundation is holding a virtual swap meet via Zoom. Join the SFAF Virtual Swap Meet to sell your gear or get some great deals on gear from your local community. Each seller will be given a few minutes to describe what they’re selling, state a price, and show pictures via Zoom screen-sharing. Registration and more information are available at bit.ly/3jAQ7LW,…

IN MEMORIAM: ERNO BORBELY Peter Noerbaek APRIL 25, 1936–AUGUST 7, 2022 Erno Borbely, in his 86 years, embraced opposing viewpoints with imagination, boldness, and a deeply generous spirit that is often found in the best teachers. He was grounded in home and family—especially his wife and business partner Irene and his son Alexander—yet he was willing to venture forth to new nations, learn new languages, and embrace the challenges of new ideas, methods, and technologies. Borbely’s gift for audio electronics gave him opportunities to work in prestigious European and American companies, such as Dynaco and Motorola, while teaming up with major names in electronic engineering. He channeled much of his expertise into work on preamplifiers and amplifiers. He analyzed and remembered the nuanced strengths and weaknesses of every component of every design—particularly anything that…

I remember a Saturday morning around 30 years ago, when I just happened to be at Sound by Singer, the New York City audio salon, watching this wizardy German fella named Joachim Gerhard unbox the newest speaker in his line, Audio Physic. I remember how bright the sun was as it streamed in through the windows, forming a wall of light behind him and silhouetting two implausibly thin box speakers. Their silhouetted forms displayed proportions similar to the World Trade Center. I was taken aback by how Gerhard set up these thin twin towers in Andy Singer’s biggest listening room. He positioned both speakers at least 6' from the wall behind them and maybe 5' from the walls beside them, with at least 10, maybe even 12 or 13' between them,…

Every product listed here has been reviewed in Stereophile. Everything on the list, regardless of rating, is genuinely recommendable. Within each category, products are listed by class; within each class, they’re in alphabetical order, followed by their price, a review synopsis, and a note indicating the issues in which the review, and any subsequent follow-up reports, appeared. “Vol.45 No.6” indicates our June 2022 issue, for example. “WWW” means the review is also posted online. Stereophile’s Recommended Components list is concerned mainly with products available in the US through hi-fi retail outlets. Companies that sell only through dealers must have well-established dealer networks. Products sold online also qualify, but companies that sell only online must demonstrate the capacity for satisfactory customer support, preferably here in the US. A no-risk at-home audition is strongly…