The Absolute Sound      October 2022

  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.

Editorial
8 From The Guest Editor: The MoFi Mess
If the company comes clean about what it's done....
Editorial By Jonathan Valin

Cover Story
PS Audio Aspen FR30 Loudspeaker
After nearly 50 years as an electronics specialist,
PS Audio enters the crowded loudspeaker market.
Anthony H. Cordesman explains why the innovative
FR30 was worth the wait, and Robert Harley talks
with Paul McGowan about his company's unusual move.

Letters

Future TAS

New Products on the Horizon

Industry News
Robert Harley looks at the The MoFi digital
mastering controversy.

Industry News
MoFi President Jim Davis on his company's decision
to incorporate a digital step in its LP mastering process.

Loudspeaker Focus
Magnepan LRS+ Loudspeaker
Jonathan Valin reports on a "$1k miracle," the new
and greatly improved version of Maggie's LRS.

Vivid Audio Kaya 12 Loudspeaker
Form follows function in this unusually shaped
stand-mount. Neil Gader reports.

Rogers LS3/5A 15-Ohm Small Monitor
Dick Olsher is captivated by this ultimate realization
of the classic mini-monitor.

Raidho TD2.2 Speaker
Featuring innovative aluminum diaphragms coated
with tantalum and diamond, coupled to Raidho's
celebrated ribbon tweeter, the Danish company's
latest floorstander wows Kirk Midtskog.

Wilson Audio Wilson LōKē Subwoofer
Jacob Heilbrunn explains the unexpected benefits
of adding a subwoofer (or two), and why Wilson's
new compact, self-powered LōKē is just the ticket
to musical nirvana.

YG Acoustics Vantage Live
Can an integrated system that combines streaming,
DACs, and amplification within the speaker be truly
high end? Robert Harley explores that question with
this in-depth look at YG Acoustics' ambitious new
Vantage Live.

Heavenly Soundworks Five17
Robert E. Greene considers a newcomer to the
powered DSP loudspeaker segment.

Graham Audio LS5/5
This British standmount brings to the table a long
and rich legacy, says Paul Seydor.

Equipment Reports
LSA Warp One Power Amplifier
Think you need to spend a bundle for a great-sounding
powerhouse amplifier? Think again, says Steven Stone.

Shunyata Research Sigma V2 Cables
Shunyata ups the ante with its newly improved Sigma
cables and interconnects.

VTL S-200 Power Amplifier
Wayne Garcia revisits one of his favorite tube amps,
now with KT88 output tubes.

AudioQuest Dragon Interconnect
Dragon combines established AudioQuest technologies
with pioneering new thinking to create a groundbreaking
interconnect, says Robert Harley of his new reference.

Manufacturer Comments

Marta Sánchez
The innovative composer-pianist talks to Bill Milkowski
about her latest album.

Topping the Charts without Even Trying
Now that Kate Bush is all the rage, overviews of her
career might appeal to new fans. Greg Cahill has
some recommendations.

Not the Usual Suspects
Andrew Quint evaluates four new titles by
off-the-radar pianists.

All Roads Lead to Avalon
A new batch of half-speed Roxy Music vinyl impresses
Jeff Wilson.

Rock, Etc.
Gaby Moreno, Peter Gabriel, Regina Spektor, A Tribe
Called Quest, Andrew Bird, Liam Gallagher, Grant-Lee
Phillips, Danni Leigh, Heather Maloney, Hank Williams Jr.,
Kraftwerk, and the Cranberries.

Jazz
Ella Fitzgerald, Charles Lloyd, Tony Williams, Barney Wilen,
Melody Gardot, Steve Cardenas, WeFreeStrings, Steve Davis,
and Pasquale Grasso.

Classical
The orchestral music of Richard Strauss, string quartets
by Shostakovich, a symphony by Charles Koechlin,
piano concertos by Liszt, guitar works by Villa-Lobos,
Pauline Oliveros' Accordion & Voice, and the classically-trained
garage band Time for Three.

Q&A Neil Gader chats with Dave Morrison of IsoAcoustics 

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