The Absolute Sound      July / August 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.

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From The Editor
Fifty Years Of The Absolute Sound
Robert Harley considers this historic milestone.
Editorial By Robert Harley
This issue marks 50 years since Harry Pearson published the first issue of The Absolute Sound and sparked a revolution in audio and music reproduction. Harry couldn't have known in 1973 that the audio industry was on the cusp of a once-in-a-generation transformation, let alone that the magazine he created would be a driving force behind that transformation. That first issue — more a stapled booklet than a magazine — laid the foundation for what The Absolute Sound would very quickly become — a cultural touchstone for an entire generation of music enthusiasts. It is impossible to overstate TAS' influence on the rise and trajectory of high-quality audio beginning in the early 1970s. TAS was the place where dreams were created and sometimes realized, where worthy manufacturers rose from garage operation to establishment players, where a new aesthetic complete with its own unique vocabulary was created, and the community gathering place for those of us who love music and care about the quality of its reproduction.
---> Fifty Years Of The Absolute Sound.

Future TAS
New Products on the Horizon

TAS' YouTube Channel
A survey of the latest videos on our new YouTube channel.

Half A Century Of The Absolute Sound
We celebrate this historic anniversary with a look back on classic reviews and covers, a modern perspective on how TAS shaped high-end audio, and retrospectives by our longest tenured writers on what TAS meant to them as readers and how they became TAS writers. Our 31-page special feature begins on page 87.

Absolute Analog
Acoustic Signature Invictus Neo Turntable and TA-9000 Neo Tonearm
Jonathan Valin on the most absolute-sounding turntable and tonearm he's had the pleasure of reviewing. Plus, Acoustic Signature founder and chief engineer Gunther Frohnhoefer gives you an illustrated tour of the improvements in the Invictus Neo's design.

Ortofon Verismo Phono Cartridge
Analog expert Andre Jennings takes a close look at this advanced design from Denmark's premier cartridge manufacturer.

EAT C-Dur Turntable
Neil Gader discovers a gem of a mid-priced turntable with the C-Dur from the European Audio Team.

Pro-Ject T1 SB Turntable
How much performance can you get from a $450 turntable?
Plenty, if that 'table is the new Pro-Ject T1 SB, says Drew Kalbach

Equipment Reports
Cabasse Murano Alto Loudspeaker
The French manufacturer packs advanced technology and great sound into this mid-priced floorstander. Neil Gader reports.

Krell KSA-i400 Stereo Power Amplifier
This all-new powerhouse — 400 Wpc into 8 Ohms, 800 Wpc into 4 — combines classic Krell virtues with advanced new circuitry to bring Class A operation and sonics to a cool-running dreadnought design. Matt Clott can't contain his enthusiasm.

Chord Electronics Ultima Pre 3 Preamplifier And Ultima 5 Power Amplifier
This all-new pair of separates brings Chord Electronics' 40 years of cutting-edge design expertise to gorgeous industrial design and build quality. Rives Bird reports on the Chord's myriad sonic virtues.

Wireworld Platinum Series 8 Digital Cables
Andrew Quint explores the newest version of designer David Salz' range of digital interconnects.

Manufacturer Comments

A Legacy Reimagined
Greg Cahill reports on how U2's latest album of remakes gives a new spin on the band's music.

The Remarkable Carmell Jones
Joe Harley discusses Carmell Jones and the Tone Poet series with Jonathan Horwich.

Bucking Tradition
Hannah Blanchette recommends 10 acoustic guitar albums from the past 10 years.

You Never Know Who You'll Run Into At AXPONA
A chance encounter with Bob James launches a revealing and soul-searching interview. Jeff Wilson reports.

The 2023 AXPONA Show
The Chicago expo has emerged as the biggest, best, and most important North American event. Jonathan Valin, Alan Taffel, Andre Jennings, and Robert Harley report on all the latest new gear.

Music
Rock, Etc.
Tommy Emmanuel, Barbra Streisand, Yo La Tengo, Boygenius, Moby, The Hold Steady, Billy Nomates, John Primer, and Natalie McMaster / Donnell Leahy.

Jazz
Chet Baker, Bill Evans, Christian McBride, Ralph Towner, Henry Threadgill, David Murray, Mark Guiliana, Jesse Davis, and Pilc Moutin Hoenig.

Classical   
The music of Stravinsky, Mahler, and Messiaen. Puccini's Turandot, early American Romantic music, guitarist Raphaël Feuillâtre, coronation anthems, a lieder collection, ballet music by Carlos Surinach, and classical Indian music by Debashish Bhattacharya.

Q&A Neil Gader chats with Frank Doris, HP's longtime assistant.

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Previous Issues

2023
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2022
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