Stereophile January 2023

THIS ISSUE: A lesson in acoustics from the Geffen Hall renovation. What do New York’s Lincoln Center and the typical Stereophile reader have in common? Both have recently made large investments to achieve sonic excellence. I doubt that very many Stereophile readers have spent as much as Lincoln Center did on the renovation of Geffen Hall: $550 million. But then few audiophiles’ systems are supported by the likes of David Geffen, a $100 million contributor to the Geffen Hall project, or Joseph and Clara Wu Tsai, who gave $50 million. Geffen made his contribution several years ago, setting the stage, as it were, for the renovation. Tsai’s late-2020 contribution helped accelerate the work so that it could be completed, or almost completed, while the hall was closed due to the pandemic. The renovated…

TAKE HEED! Unless marked otherwise, all letters to the magazine and its writers are assumed to be for possible publication. Please include your name and physical address. We reserve the right to edit for length and content. Hi-fi 101 Thank you for your coverage of our sound-education session here in Westchester, in As We See It (Vol.45 No.10).1 Music remains to be of such importance in our daily lives. By giving our children access to the possibilities of high(er) quality sound to enjoy when listening to their favorite tunes, we can help more children have access to it in the future. We are now planning the next sessions at our school for spring 2023, with close involvement of the music and science faculties. Indeed, we should emphasize more the social aspect of listening…

SUBMISSIONS: Those promoting audio-related seminars, shows, and meetings should email the when, where, and who to stletters@stereophile.com at least eight weeks before the month of the event. The deadline for the April 2023 issue is January 20, 2023. TROUBLE BREWING AT SOUND UNITED’S PARENT COMPANY? Jim Austin In early November, Strata-gee.com reported that at least one major shareholder is unhappy with the current leadership of Masimo, the medical-equipment company that bought Sound United—home of B&W, Classé, Definitive Technology, Denon, Marantz, and Polk Audio. The shareholder’s unhappiness is a direct result of the company’s decision to acquire Sound United, which dramatically suppressed the company’s value, which hasn’t recovered. Masimo is a successful company—the market leader in pulse oximetry devices (those little clip-on sensors that measure blood oxygenation via a fingertip)—but CEO Joe Kiani has never…

THIS ISSUE: A preamp and an amplifier from a company fairly new on the US hi-fi scene, Lab12. In my realm, the most sophisticated, intelligent, difficult thing anyone can do is create something mysterious. It could be a poem, a photo, a movie, a song, a symphony, or a piece of painted wood. What’s most important is the mystery—and that experiencing the mysterious creation inspires in the observer a desire to probe its hidden realms, to somehow figure it out. Human cultures are founded on mysteries: Mysteries incite art, inspire science, and facilitate dreaming. To me, mystery and beauty are synonymous. Consequently, I have steered my years so that I am always engaged in a search for, or a study of, the mysterious. And nothing—not books, nor museums, nor seas, nor forests,…

THIS ISSUE: Alex enjoys a classic: the Manley Steelhead RC phono preamplifier. The other day it occurred to me that the main difference between audiophiles and more reasonable adults isn’t our gear. Plenty of people have impressive hi-fis simply because they can afford them and are running out of things to buy. No, what makes someone an audiophile is the willingness to sit down in front of a pair of speakers (or with a pair of headphones clamped over their ears) and focus the entirety of their attention on listening. I recognize just how unusual this habit is when someone visits my home and happens to remark on the hi-fi, either because it sounds good to them, looks weird, or resides in a place where most homes have TVs. Though I vow…

In the very first copy of Stereophile I encountered, back when issues were digest size, one review infuriated me. The writer went on at inordinate length about the fine wines he’d consumed during the review period. On and on he went, gushing about the costly drinks, until I exclaimed (in a sentence laced with expletives), “What in the world does any of this have to do with audio?!” Lifetimes later, I think I understand. Although to my recollection the connection was never made explicit, the writer was attempting to reinforce his credentials as a connoisseur in all matters. An informed imbiber I am not—I’m often content with baby sips from my husband’s glass—but I am a color, texture, and nuance junky. Give me a component that allows me to better savor the…