Summer!COVID-19 not-withstanding, summer—warmth, flowers, leaves on trees—has descended on Greenwich Village, my New York City home for the past 30 years. What hasn’t descended are tourists, belching motorcycles, behemoth sports cars, beer drinkers, and the usual summer hell-raisers, the sort that would’ve sent legendary Village bohemians Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Burroughs running back to their cold-water flats.
With these absences comes something unique to my downtown experience: peace and quiet. As I write this, in early June, the streets are mostly empty, birdsong seems pleasantly amplified, and my neighbors seem more relaxed and convivial. The famous 93-year-old Caffe Reggio, whose customers have been moved out to the street in obeyance of the city’s Phase 3 reopening rules, can breathe.
This diminution of noise and increase in quiet makes high fidelity listening to a more relaxed indulgence. I can immerse myself in listening, for work and pleasure, to a degree that seemed impossible here a few months ago. Into this solace and sanctuary comes the Polk Audio Legend L100 book shelf speaker ($1199/pair).
When Polk Audio was founded, in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1972, I was barely a teenager, but I already considered myself an audiophile. My audio buddies lusted after (and occasionally possessed) brands such as NAD, KEF, Phase Linear, Bang & Olufsen, and JBL, including its famous L-100 studio monitor. In those days, Polk Audio’s hyphenless L100 loudspeaker was still decades in the future, but company founders Matthew Polk, George Klopfer, and Sandy Gross (who later founded Definitive Technology and GoldenEar Technology) began their company by designing a PA system for a bluegrass concert.
Denne historien er fra October 2020-utgaven av Stereophile.
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Denne historien er fra October 2020-utgaven av Stereophile.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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My last Far East trip
First comes the anticipation, that initial jet of warm water, that miraculous searching, finding the sweet spot, then heaven on earth as it cleans and caresses.
Riding the Common Wave
In the e-commerce era, brick-and-mortar dealerships must give customers compelling reasons to stop by. Los Angeles hi-fi dealership Common Wave's owner Wesley Katzir keeps customers coming through the door with a simple idea: that music matters in our everyday lives and that what he enjoys, other people will enjoy, too.
Mind Games to the bottom of the rabbit hole
After a wild decade in the biggest pop music group ever, John Lennon's post-Beatles years were spent in protest, in various kinds of therapy, in immigration court, and in search of a new musical identity.
Trane meets the Motor City
Detroit became a destination for migrating African Americans early, starting with the Underground Railroad; the city's proximity to Canada was convenient for those seeking to escape Southern slavery.
Vital art never rests
At this late date, it seems impossible that there could still be \"lost\" albums lingering in the vaults by musicians as important and successful as Johnny Cash and Paul McCartney.
DUKE IN 10
TO COMMEMORATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF DUKE'S DEATH, ROBERT BAIRD SELECTS A DOUBLE HANDFUL OF EXEMPLARY TRACKS FROM PERHAPS AMERICA'S GREATEST MUSICAL GENIUS.
Piega Coax Gen2 811
It's funny how we discover some music in unexpected, twisting ways.
Pass Laboratories XP-27
One of the pleasures of reviewing-and also using-products from Pass Laboratories is an encounter with Nelson Pass's writing, which can usually be found in the owner's manual and is always competent, insightful, and sometimes funny.
EMT 928 II
Modern turntables are a paradox.
Dynaudio Contour 30i
Ah, Denmark. Land of the Vikings and blue-eyed, blond-haired folk with faces sculpted just so.
