Have you ever asked yourself how you ended up an audiophile? I certainly have, and I haven't been able to figure it out. Other audiophiles tell me that their father, uncle, neighbor, or whoever introduced them to quality home music reproduction and the equipment needed to achieve it, but that was never the case for me. My fascination with music and gear goes back further than I can remember: My mom once told me that by age 3 I was climbing the bookcase to put records on the turntable and already knew how to operate the whole hi-fi rig by myself.
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.
Although it may seem like it sometimes, not all the exhibitors at an audio show play the same typical audiophile fare, which sounds great but rarely challenges the power and dynamic reserves of their systems. Mark Jones, of Ontario-based retailer Audio by Mark Jones, is one of those exceptions to the rule. The first track he played for me was Led Zeppelin's chord-crunching, drum-whacking "Moby Dick," at high volume.
Corner Club Cathedral Cocoon, by Sasha Frere-Jones harpers.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from harpers.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
After the audiophile vinyl community was upended with the news that Mobile Fidelity (MoFi) concealed it had been releasing records that used digital source materials, it became a case study of public relations vs. crisis communication.