Stereophile is the ugliest audio mag out there. But I still enjoy reading it for CONTENT. There are things to learn every month if you fight through the fine print.
By ugly I mean, it always has tiny pictures and even tinier captions. I don’t need glasses to read. But with Stereophile, it’s GETTING CLOSE! Sometimes it’s hard to even be sure that the caption you’re reading goes with the photo it claims to be tied to. Visit p 32-33 to get a glimpse of this mess. We know they can do better because virtually every advertisement is high quality. Let’s move on.
ARC
ARC went into receivership this year. I am happy to read on p.15 that the assets have been purchased by Acora Acoustics. While I don’t sell ARC, it isn’t good for the audio biz when a manufacturer with lots of gear in the field goes bust. Customers need support. I trust that Acora will be properly capitalized to support ARC products. It’s good for us audiophiles and the biz in general.
Bartok Apex DAC $21k
Stereophile spends 3p on this $21k DAC. It’s certainly fine to review SOME uber high end gear in mags. But you’ll soon learn, this is virtually mid-fi for Stereophile. And I have to tell you, the Mytek Liberty 2 at $1500 is an absolutely amazing DAC. You don’t need to spend $21k.
HiFi Man
Wood cup mania. Lots of phones with wood cup backing. How do the wood cups NOT COLOR the sound? They DO. To each his own- but their semi open design sure makes more sense to me. At least these products aren’t insane money.
Acoustic Signature
Five pages on German made, uber expensive tonearms and tables. Hey, if a $13k arm is what you’re looking for, this might be one to consider. But for me, no thanks. I’m not even a little interested.
Raidho TD3.8 Speakers
$103k per pair in black, $117k per pair in walnut
Six full pages on speakers for $100k plus. Really guys? My Stereophile subscription runs $13 per year. I’m not adverse to “high end” gear, but $100k plus speakers and $13k tonearms should receive once in a blue moon attention. Oh, and there’s more coming! Read on.
SME Model 60 Record Player $72k
Four full pages on a $72k turntable. Ya know, I can’t even read this. I literally couldn’t care less about a $72k turntable. Let’s hope for better luck ahead.
Ifi Neo Stream $1300
Ah, finally there is something a guy who works for a living can afford. But, I have to tell you,
I did a little biz with iFi when they started offering affordable gear and I wasn’t impressed. Perhaps times have changed.
Neo is a $1300 Streamer-DAC made in China that weighs 2.2 lbs. I’m worried already. It has every connection option you can think of- except maybe a couple you’d like- that they DIDN’T include. 7P on Neo.
Their first sample was defective. No surprise. They got a replacement. It did better but was buggy. The writer needed his expert tech buddy (you have one of these guys on retainer too- don’t you?) to visit to help straighten this out.
On p44 the writer tells us his ARC preamp literally blew up! Well, what the hay, it was only $17k. What can you expect for that anyway? He called his other buddy who owns a stereo store- who LOANED HIM an $8500 Mac tube preamp to use- while he deals with getting his ARC fixed. At least now Acora gives him hope that it can indeed be repaired properly.
After much anguish the reviewer says Neo punches above its retail price and brings complex high end audio down to earth. Um, but, your first unit was defective and the second was a bag of cats. Please guys, when it comes to streaming, save yourself all of this heartache/headache and buy Bluesound for $600-750!
Acelec Model 1 Speakers $6500 Per Pair
The writer spends 5p on this speaker which is fine. It isn’t crazy money. Yet, what you learn is the speaker is built around a 5.9” sliced-paper ScanSpeak Revelator bass/mid driver. You can buy it for $200 (one at a time, I assume these fellows get a much better price) from Madisound. The Mundorf ribbon tweeter runs about $500 from the same source. While this company is using good drivers, its secret sauce is largely its cabinet design. That’s fair. Such things matter.
It’s interesting to see that Acelec’s designer doesn’t think Magico and the other guys using
all aluminum cabinets is the way to go. He says they ring way too much, and his solution is to join cabinet edges with a rubberized glue. It’s fun to read a different TAKE on the design because Magico is a big name and would have you believe that all aluminum is the only way to fly- it’s just better. I’m open to Acelec’s opinion that it isn’t in fact- just better. There’s still room to look for a better mouse trap.
Fezz Audio Silver Luna Prestige Integrated Amp $3000
The Fezz is rated at 35×2. Stereophile actually tests amplifiers and this guy wasn’t even close. The measurement at clipping was so bad Stereophile wouldn’t even tell us what it is. So they gave up on the clipping (1% THD) test and went to an absurd 10% THD test- where the amp did 29 w/ch. That’s…awful. Oh, and they checked the channel balance. The right channel was 3dB lower than the left. He swapped tubes from one channel to the other. No improvement. He ran the Fezz into some efficient Klipsch LaScala speakers. He could hear a steady obnoxious hum from ten feet away. He continued with the audition because he had the unit on hand and if the music you’re playing is loud enough, you don’t notice the hum. He likes George Strait- not Chopin.
This thing is a HOT MESS! I have to tell ya guys, if you’re thinking tubes, please buy Mac or Rogue. They’re quieter, don’t have channel imbalance, and don’t blow up. They are very solid companies if you do end up with a problem. I’ll be the first to tell ya, nothing’s perfect. Further, the Rogue Cronus Magnum 3 is made in the US and runs only $3500.
CH Precision Integrated Amp $38-53k
This follow up review runs about 3p on an integrated amp that runs $38-53k, depending on which configuration you order. It is built in Switzerland with a 3 year warranty. I read the review and couldn’t find any reference to a power rating. I infer that if you’re gonna spend $50k, they think it’s gosh to ask about power. I think NOT. I looked it up in their initial review. It’s rated at 100×2. It clipped above the rated power. You get 120×2 for your $50k. Oh boy.
Gee, can’t you find me a MORE EXPENSIVE integrated, with LESS POWER and a SHORTER WARRANTY?
Klipsch RP600 II Speakers, $750 Per Pair
Audio Emporium sells this fine value stand mount speaker. I was happy to see Stereophile even consider including such an affordable speaker.
The writer brags that he was an early proponent for the original 600. He properly says that at 94.5 dB SPL, you can drive these boys with ANY amplifier. He points out that this upgraded Mk II version has a deeper cabinet, better binding posts and even a better 6.5” driver- supported by better construction (larger voice coil & Farady rings). It’s a nice catch to pay attention to these details on such a fairly priced speaker. The writer admits that this inexpensive rascal performs much closer to his high end stuff than he would have dreamed.
By the way, each reviewer lists gear he has in his house to work with. On p 80 I took a look at what this fellow has. If you even start to do the math you’ll see at least a quarter mil on hand. Just like your house, right? Some of the other reviewers have up to $2m in house! I am not picking on this writer. I give him credit for recognizing that $750 can buy you worthwhile speakers.
Summary
You and I like music and the gear that makes it. We’re geeky enough to be interested in the nuts & bolts of what makes A different, and maybe better, than B.
I enjoyed reading that the Acelec guys (whom I’ve never heard of) have a different spin on cabinet design. They do NOT fall in line with all aluminum cabinetry. They’re “standing up” to what amounts to “accepted” talking points. Yet they’re buying their drive units out of a bin.
I enjoyed reading that Klipsch, who makes products we can all afford, cares enough to make improvements in modestly priced speakers. They improved 600 to 600 II.
I also give credit to Stereophile for printing that their reviewer’s $17k preamp just decided to blow up when connected to the iFi Neo, which was defective out of the box. It should remind buyers to buy from companies with good reputations- and from dealers who will support you when these knuckle balls land in your living room.
I’m into this hobby to enjoy music easily- and with good sound. I have no appetite for fighting with components that are basically computers with a boatload of problems. I also have no use for companies who make gear that is too noisy to enjoy and has notorious reliability problems.
We avoid such hassles with the gear we offer at Audio Emporium.