The Absolute Sound      December 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
From the Editor
How Could He Betray Us?
Our allegiance is to our readership.
Robert Harley considers how some manufacturers misjudge the relationship between the industry and the press.
Editorial By Robert Harley

Cover Story
Burmester 159 Monoblock Power Amplifier
The German company's flagship amplifier is a powerhouse with a surprising secret. Robert Harley reports on this monumental new design.

Letters

The Absolute Sound's High-End Audio Hall of Fame
We add three of high-end audio's most important innovators to our Hall of Fame.

Absolute Analog
SME Model 60 Turntable and VA Series Tonearm
Michael Fremer brings you the scoop on the venerable firm's new top-of-the-line 'table and tonearm.

Triangle Art P-200 Phonostage
This all-tube, 60-pound phonostage has tube maven Dick Olsher reaching for superlatives.

Digital Focus
Linn Products Organik DAC in the DSM Network Player
Linn has created an all-new DAC architecture designed and built entirely in-house with no off-the-shelf chips—and made it available as an upgrade to all DSM owners. Robert Harley reports on Linn's long history of digital innovation and how the Organik stacks up against today's best converters.

Metronome DSC Network Player
Alan Taffel discovers a fabulous-sounding and highly capable network player from France that's a joy to live with.

dCS Vivaldi Apex DAC
Longtime Vivaldi owner Jacob Heibrunn reports on dCS' new Apex upgrade to the company's flagship DAC.

NAD C399 Hybrid Digital DAC Amplifier
Paul Seydor provides an in-depth evaluation of this amazing bargain in electronics. Just add speakers.

Theoretica Applied Physics BACCH-SP Adio Stereo Purifier
A Princeton professor of physics has spent decades figuring out how to make stereo sound more realistic. Now, with the "Band-Assembled Crosstalk Cancellation Hierarchy" (BACCH) processor, you can hear stereo imaging as never before. Andrew Quint offers a full assessment of this remarkable technology.

Equipment Reports
Rogue Audio Cronos Magnum III Integrated Amplifier
Wayne Garcia discovers a musical gem in this $3495 all-tube integrated amp.

PS Audio Stellar S300 Power Amplifier
Neil Gader reports on PS Audio's most affordable power amp—and why Class D amplification is coming of age.

Meze Elite Headphones
Steven Stone on the top planar-magnetic model from Polish headphone specialist Meze.

Synergistic Research SRX Speaker Cables, Interconnects, and Power Cords
Jonathan Valin reports on Synergistic Research's latest (and greatest) top-line offerings.

Sonus faber Omnia Tabletop Audio System
Italian style is the hallmark of this great-sounding tabletop system from Sonus faber. 

Sound Anchor FSTT Desktop Speaker Stands
These versatile products are the only desktop stands you'll ever need — even if you change speakers. Steven Stone brings you the good news.

IsoAcoustics zaZen II Isolation Platform
Who says vibration-isolation products are necessarily expensive? Neil Gader reports on a $229 equipment platform that works wonders.

Manufacturer Comments

And More....
Future TAS
New products on the horizon.

'Tis the Season
Andrew Quint is buzzing about the new holiday record by vocalist Lyn Stanley.

Jazz Guitar Summit
Guitarist Julian Lage talks with Greg Cahill about a new collaboration with Bill Frisell.

The Legacy of George Crumb
Peter Burwasser discusses an artist whose innovative approach to composing had a huge influence on classical music.

Rock, Etc.
Jack White, Watkins Family Hour, Bobbie Gentry, Julia Jacklin, Al Basile, Ani DiFranco, Jeff Beck/Johnny Depp, John Primer, the Smile, the Sadies, the Baylor Project, and Tedeschi Trucks Band.

Jazz
Keith Jarrett, Oscar Peterson, Yellowjackets, Steve Tibbetts, Todd Marcus, Elan Mehler, Blossom Dearie, Hampton Hawes, and Trevor Dunn.

Classical
Villa-Lobos, Pauline Oliveros, Florence Price, Jules Massenet, Time for Three, string quartets by Vaughan Williams and Holst, orchestral arrangements of Mozart sonatas, and John Wilson conducting the Sinfonia of London.

Q&A Acoustician Norman Varney of A/V Room Service

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