Stereophile October 2022

Hi-Fi 101 I first heard about the project in an email, one of the dozens I receive each day and barely glance at. It said that the editor of a German hi-fi publication was crossing the ocean to talk about hi-fi audio to students and their parents at a junior/senior high school in Westchester County, New York, just 45 minutes or so by car from my Manhattan apartment. Interesting. And odd. I moved on to the next email. I might have ignored it completely if not for Keith Pray, Stereophile’s general manager. Keith lives in Westchester County, not far from the school in question, and has kids in a neighboring school. I forwarded the email. Keith loved the idea. I was too busy to get involved in any meaningful way, but on…

So true! Before I put my old magazines in the recycle bin, I give them one last read. When I gave the November 2020 Stereophile issue one last read, I reread Jim Austin’s As We See It, “You, too, can listen like a pro!” I won’t repeat it all, but what Jim said in the end—“Yes, you, too, can listen like a pro, just don’t expect to enjoy the music as much”—is so true! I find quite often when I am focused on something else but still listening to music—that is when it can be the most enjoyable. Even songs I didn’t consider the best can sound better. Turning off the critical listening can make for the best listening. John Ellnet Canton, Michigan In praise of active speakers Thank you for your review of the…

US: CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Jim Austin You’ve probably heard about the Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab controversy, but here’s a short synopsis: A blogger claimed that MoFi has been using a digital step in its mastering chain in producing its premium LPs, including its “One-Step” reissues. It became a major controversy, with blogs and social-media posts attacking and defending the company. In a statement, Jim Davis, MoFi’s president, apologized for a lack of transparency. “We at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab are aware of customer complaints regarding use of digital technology in our mastering chain,” he wrote. “We apologize for using vague language, allowing false narratives to propagate, and for taking for granted the goodwill and trust our customers place in the Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab brand.” While there’s no mention of a digital step, it’s a…

If I hear it, is it real? If your ears see, And your eyes hear, Not a doubt you’ll cherish — How naturally the rain drips From the eyes!—BUJUTSU SOSHO The more audio gear I review, the more fascinated I become by the fact that as I listen to recorded music, I can close my eyes and see musicians on the stage at Carnegie Hall, or djembe drummers in a desert by a tent, or a bass note penetrating the Milky Way. What a gift of consciousness. And what a great hobby it is that focuses my attentions in this manner. Similarly, I’m amazed that in a silent room, I can close my eyes and see the Ramones on stage at CBGB—and hear them play, at what feels like full volume! Wilder still: My…

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…

LOUDSPEAKER Has it ever crossed your mind that the reason you like your system more than your friend’s or the store’s is not because yours is better, even if you think it is, but because you’re used to the sound of yours and not of theirs? Welcome to product habituation. Some people, including some audiophiles, believe that product habituation is what’s really behind what some people refer to as product break-in. It’s not a mechanical or electronic phenomenon, they contend, but a mental one. Assuming the sound of the new gear is of adequate quality, it’s the listener that breaks in to the product, as the product’s sound, which was initially strange, grows more familiar and, so, right. Those who believe in break-in view the process as a period during which a component’s…