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.
Recently, my good friend Bryan invited himself over for a “critical listening session” at my place. This was out of character. Typically our listening sessions are not of the “critical” variety. They take place late at night after several cocktails, neat bourbon in hand. Volume knobs are torqued. The choice of recorded material tends toward early Lynyrd Skynyrd (Pronounced ‘Lěh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd), that one Hank Williams Jr. album that doesn’t suck (The Almeria Club Recordings), and one of two Def Leppard albums (Pyromania or Hysteria). A certain Jerry Jeff Walker album (Viva Terlingua) was spun frequently in years past but is avoided these days because it often leads to singing, God help us all. Those late-night listening sessions are fun, but the only thing “critical” about them is wives who are…
1975 in 15 Records Robert Baird’s “1975 in 15 Records” was music to my ears; ’75 is my favorite year in music. But how in the world could he have left out Red Octopus, Diamonds & Rust, and Still Crazy After All These Years? Ken Motamed Lynnwood, Washington Why the music we love feels different now Thanks to Rogier van Bakel for his wonderful piece in the January My Back Pages. So timely, so appropriate, and so beautifully written. Now I need to watch The Pianist. Rick Seaman Jacksonville, Florida Just read Rogier van Bakel’s My Back Pages article from the January 2026 issue. Bravo! Even with the cover-your-ass disclaimer, the piece was a perfect appraisal of this sad time in the history of the US. Thank you. Anthony Forcione…
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. United States FLORIDA ■ Friday–Sunday, February 20–22: The eighth annual Florida International Audio Expo will take place at the Sheraton Tampa Brandon, 10221 Princess Palm Ave. in Tampa. Visit floridaaudioexpo.com for details. 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 more than 10,000 visitors each year and showcasing 700+ hi-fi brands in more than 200 listening spaces. This year’s show incorporates a record fair, the headphone-focused Ear Gear Experience, and…
CAMBRIDGE AUDIO: NEW US DISTRIBUTOR, NEW WIRELESS SPEAKERS Tom Fine UK-based Cambridge Audio has closed its US subsidiary and partnered with Fidelity Imports, based in Manalapan, New Jersey, and Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania. According to a Cambridge press release, “Fidelity Imports will handle sales, operations, marketing and dealer support across the US.” Fidelity Imports has an extensive roster of hi-fi brands that includes Acoustic Energy, Audia Flight, AVM, Diptyque, Opera Loudspeakers, Perlisten, Primare, Ruark, Unison Research, Wilson Benesch, and now Cambridge Audio. James Johnson-Flint, owner and CEO of Cambridge Audio, explained: “This is a proactive move designed to unlock Cambridge Audio’s full potential in the US … The American market is unique in scale and character, and it rewards brands that are deeply embedded locally … That led us to Fidelity Imports,…
On the front page of its owner’s manual, Greek amplifier manufacturer Lab12 describes the Melto2 ($4995) as a “Remote Controlled, Fully Adjustable Phono Preamplifier.” I’d describe it as a clear-speaking, fun-to-use, cartridge- and record-collector’s dream. Plus: It’s got tubes. Apart from delivering an uncanny level of silence and transparency, the #1 special thing Lab12’s tube phono stage can do is allow users to fine-tune resistance, capacitance, and gain to create maximally effective loads for both moving coil and moving magnet cartridges. These diverse capabilities allowed me to coax maximum performance out of the widest possible range of phono cartridges. Which makes it just the kind of phono equalizer I’ve been looking for. The front panel of the Melto2 reads as both timeless and price defiant. It looks neither expensive nor…
It’s difficult to put a positive spin on moving. A recent survey ranked it as life’s most stressful event, ahead of divorce, losing a job, or becoming a parent. Forty-two percent of respondents said it brought them to tears. Thirteen percent said it was worse than a week in jail. There’s no point in listing the well-documented hassles, humiliations, and expenses involved in changing homes, or point out the ample opportunities for things to go from predictably stressful to memorably horrific. It’s the less obvious aspects that strike me as interesting. At the risk of sounding maudlin, I keep coming back to the sudden knowledge that the part of your life spent in your former home is now over and can no longer be rebranded, reimagined, or negotiated with. And…
