Every month Stereophile magazine offers authoritative reviews, informed recommendations, helpful advice, and controversial opinions, all stemming from the revolutionary idea that audio components should be judged on how they reproduce music.
Though I’m writing this in early March, this As We See It column will be published in the May issue, which is the issue that will go to AXPONA, America’s largest audio show, held each non-pandemic year at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center near Chicago. This year’s show takes place Friday–Sunday, April 12–14. The show opens each day at 10am and closes at 6pm Friday and Saturday; Sunday’s closing time is 4pm. If you’re going to the show, don’t forget to stop by the Stereophile booth, Location 9213 in the exhibit hall. According to the show website, this should be the biggest AXPONA ever, with more than 600 brands represented in 200 rooms. There’s a headphone show (“Ear Gear Experience”) and a record fair. Many folks from the…
Stopped asking why When my Stereophile reaches my doorstep, the first thing I turn to is Herb Reichert’s reviews. I don’t care what he’s reviewing; I love how he writes about it. In April’s edition, he shared his thoughts on an unexpected emotional response to Brice Marden’s last paintings. I’ve read that article a number of times now and have been so moved by Herb’s sharing of emotions. It reminded me of a musical experience I had recently. In Columbus, we have a talented and underrated symphony, which I try to support through donations and attendance. Last month, there was a presentation of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with visiting pianist Claire Huangci. Opening the concert was a piece by John Wineglass called “Alone Together,” a contemporary piece with ruminations…
PAUL MESSENGER, REST IN PEACE Jim Austin As this issue went to press, we learned that longtime Stereophile contributing editor Paul Messenger had died after a long illness. His career will be remembered in an online post and in Stereophile’s next issue. THE FLORIDA AUDIO EXPO GETS A BIGGER VENUE AND NEW DATES Jim Austin In early March, following the completion of another successful show at its original location, the organizers of the Florida Audio Expo announced a new, larger venue and new dates for the 2025 show. Next year’s show will take place Friday to Sunday, February 21–23, at the Sheraton Tampa Brandon Hotel. Quoted in a press release, FLAX Managing Partner Bart Andeer praised the show’s previous venue, the Embassy Suites Tampa Westshore, then added, “Our new venue…
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. (Please 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 ■ June 7–9, 2024: T.H.E. Show SoCal hosts their hi-fi show once again in Costa Mesa at the Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa. In addition to hi-fi exhibits, there are seminars, a “Headphonium,” luxury cars with high-performance audio systems, and live music acts. For more information, visit theshownow.com. ■ Friday evenings, 5–7pm PST: The San Francisco Audiophile Society hosts a virtual happy hour via Zoom. This is…
I was at least 40' away when I spied my first dCS Lina stack at CanJam. It was black, sitting conspicuously on a table emitting a strong Space Odyssey Monolith vibe. I can’t remember which headphones I used, but I do remember how good it felt to face the stack and experience its startling clarity, showing off the bass end of a piano keyboard with a force I could feel in my shoulders. That impactful piano bass plus the stack’s matte-finish, neo-Brutalist façade, and feels-like-cashmere volume control, made a strong first impression. We all know everything sounds like what it looks like—right? It also sounds like what it’s made of, who made it, and how much it costs. Well, the $13,500 Lina D/A converter could hardly look more different or…
I’ve always been a city dweller and can’t lay claim to having owned boats, riding mowers, shotguns, basement refrigerators, golf clubs, or even patio furniture. When I moved to a loft from an apartment with a tiny backyard some 13 years ago, I even had to give up my Weber grill. This geographical fact has kept my possessions streamlined. My favorites include a handful of old waxed cotton coats, a couple dozen leather boots and shoes, a few mechanical watches, my Garrard 301 turntable, a roomful of books, and rather a lot of art, much of it made by friends. But without a doubt my fondest possessions are my records. At last count they numbered around 3500. Of course they are beautiful, both as objects and as conduits for music.…
