The Absolute Sound      April 2023

  The Absolute Sound is the world's preeminent source of expert product reviews, features, and commentary on high-performance audio. Since 1973, TAS has set the standard for quality audio and music journalism, helping to shape the industry and guiding audio enthusiasts and music lovers to components and recordings that faithfully reproduce the sounds one might hear in a good concert hall. The Absolute Sound's editors and reviewers, many of whom have been writing about music and high fidelity for better than three decades, bring unparalleled enthusiasm, expertise, and insight to the magazine's readers.

From the Editor
The Sweet Spot
The listening position exactly between a pair of speakers.
Editorial By Robert Harley
Just about every audiophile knows that the "sweet spot" is the listening position exactly between a pair of speakers and equidistant from each. That's the location where the sound from each speaker arrives at your ears at about the same time, allowing your brain to create a three-dimensional soundstage with a centrally placed image (if those qualities exist in the recording). Move the listening position slightly to the left or right, and the center image loses its tangibility and the glorious three-dimensional soundstage collapses. The sanctity of the sweet spot is vividly embodied in the description by a 45-year industry veteran, who likened sitting in front of a pair of speakers to "worshipping at the triangular altar."
---> The Sweet Spot.

Letters

Industry News
Wayne Garcia shares an advance listen to the new Magico S3 speaker.

Cover Story
Focal Stella Utopia EVO Loudspeaker
The storied French speaker specialist pulled out all the stops in this update of its next-to-top model. Andre Jennings brings you a full report, and Robert Harley explains the Stella Utopia's electromagnetically driven woofer.

Absolute Analog
Thorens TD-124 DD Turntable and TP-124 Tonearm
Retro Design, Modern Engineering
The look may be retro, but the technology is all new in this modern interpretation of a classic. Paul Seydor brings you the details, along with a look back on Thorens' rich history.

Linn Products Majik LP12 Turntable
Wayne Garcia, whose history with Linn turntables dates to the 1970s, evaluates the company's latest and most affordable record player with the venerable "LP12" designation.

Loudspeaker Focus
YG Acoustics Peaks Tor Loudspeaker
Colorado-based YG Acoustics, known for its ultra-high-end loudspeakers, brings unique technologies to its new, more affordable Peaks Series. Andrew Quint lives with the company's entry-level speaker, the stand-mount Tor.

Living Voice Auditorium R25A Loudspeaker
This ultra-high-sensitivity speaker from England celebrates 25 years in production with this anniversary edition. Robert E. Greene offers an in-depth analysis of its unusual design.

Acora Acoustics SRB Loudspeaker
Heart of Stone
With an enclosure made from solid granite, the SRB delves into uncharted territory in loudspeaker design. Alan Taffel reports on the results.

Tidal Piano G3 Loudspeaker
Flagship-Level Performance for Smaller Spaces
Anthony H. Cordesman evaluates Tidal's newly revised Piano G3, a speaker that is laser-focused on its mission.

Equipment Reports
Siltech Royal Crown Interconnects and Loudspeaker Cables
Jacob Heilbrunn drops these reference-level cables, made in part of pure silver, into his mega-system. Read what 40 years of cutting-edge cable design coupled with today's most advanced materials sounds like.

Furutech 
This cubical six-outlet "power distributor" reduces noise and distortion as successfully as a dedicated line says Neil Gader—and for a lot less money.

Manufacturer Comments 

Future TAS

Video Preview
A look of the newest videos on The Absolute Sound's YouTube channel.

Music
Farewell to a Guitar King
No one else played the guitar like Jeff Beck, and he'll be sorely missed. Jeff Wilson reports.

Newly Recorded Classical Music on Vinyl
There's a lot of classical music coming out on LP — more than most classical fans realize — and Stephen Estep has some great-sounding recommendations.

Total Immersion
New multichannel mixes from Pink Floyd and Franco Ambrosetti impress Andrew Quint.

Trumpeter On Fire
Jeff Wilson has nothing but good things to say about a new Freddie Hubbard compilation on Mosaic Records. 

Rock, Etc.
Tom Petty, R.E.M., Bert Jansch, Teresa James, Joe Henry, The Greeners, Steve Hill, Bill Callahan, and Hawktail.

Jazz
Art Ensemble of Chicago, Dave Liebman, Chris Potter, Jo Lawry, Lakecia Benjamin, The Heavy Hitters, and Arild Andersen.

Classical
Beethoven's "Pastoral" Symphony reimagined for piano trio, symphonies by Carl Nielsen, a Schubert song cycle, chamber music by Richard Carr, and Rachmaninoff's Third Symphony.

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