Cholera in the time of love
I was recently reunited with an old friend from high school. My best friend from high school, in fact. Our families got together, everyone got along, and as the dust of conversation settled toward the rug of companionable silence, talk turned to work. And when the inevitable happened, and my old friend and his wife--classical-music lovers both--asked how much a person had to spend these days in order to get a good music system, I answered their question with a question--a question that, crazily enough, just popped into my head...
Recording of August 2012: Joplin: Treemonisha
The great ragtime composer Scott Joplin had grander ambitions than just the magnificent miniatures for piano he's famous for. When he died, in 1917, he had spent much of the previous 10 years polishing and campaigning for his full-length opera, Treemonisha, the piano-vocal score for which he had published in 1911.
From The Archives: Philips CDR880 CD-R/RW CD recorder
Back when the CD was a pup, I used to hear people say, "I refuse to buy a CD player until they can record." Ha ha, I thought, smart-ass audiophile that I was, they're gonna wait for a long time--that's never gonna happen. I was half right--it has been a long time coming. But I was also, as my football coach used to insist, half-fast. "Never" has arrived.
From The Archives: Jadis Defy-7 Mk.II power amplifier
Owning a powerful tube amplifier is like owning a classic automobile. Great pleasure may be had, but ownership involves a little more care and maintenance than usual.
From The JGH Archives: Workin' on the Railroad
Most audiophiles know Mobile Fidelity as the record company with the philosophy of resurrecting old, important, recorded performances and re-releasing them with (hopefully) the kind of sound they should have had in the first place. Few audiophiles are aware that Mobile Fidelity is also the name of a (different) recording company which collects sound effects in four channels for motion picture and television post-production.
Mike Kay 1923–2012
Michael Kakadelis, known professionally as Mike Kay, the New York retailer who owned and ran Lyric for 45 years, died on Saturday, July 14 at age 89.
Show Report: Capital Audiofest 2012
I said in my first story from this year’s Capital Audiofest, the third overall and the second to be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Rockville, MD, July 13–16, that this wasn’t like other audio shows. On the positive side, CAF had a great atmosphere, friendly and collegial, with great organization from Gary Gill and his team.
2012 Recommended Components
Now available online!
VPI Traveler Turntable and Dynavector 20x2H Cartridge Combo From Music Direct Sweepstakes
Over at AnalogPlanet.com, you can register to win a VPI Traveler Turntable and Dynavector 20x2H Cartridge Combo From Music Direct (MSRP $2,150) we are giving away.
A Fine Art: The Mercury Living Presence Recordings
It is perhaps the most cherished tale from hi-fi's primordial past: In 1951--when music was first being recorded on magnetic tape, when the use of much-improved microphones became a mix of science and art, and when Stereophile's founder, J. Gordon Holt, was still a little nipper, years away from his first martini (though I wouldn't swear to that)--the team of Robert (Bob) and Wilma Cozart Fine began to build a legendary catalog of recordings of classical music.
Listening #115
In the early 1980s, not long after I moved to New York City, I went shopping for a new pair of speakers. I already had a Rega Planar 3 turntable, an NAD 1020 preamp, and an Amber Series 70 amplifier (the second-most-powerful amp I've ever owned); what I now had in mind was to replace my aging EPI 100s with something bigger.
DALI Zensor 1 loudspeaker
I thought I'd review the procedure I typically use to seek out affordable speakers for review as, in the case of the Denmark-designed DALI Zensor, made in the company's facility in China, there was a twist at the end.
NAD M51 Direct Digital D/A converter
Who wants only a digital-to-analog converter when you can have a DAC with benefits? How about if those benefits also come with some high-resolution attitude?
The Entry Level #19
It was unusually warm for early spring, without a cloud in the big, blue sky to tame the sun's dazzling light--far too beautiful a day to be indoors, but Uncle Omar and I had already planned a little listening session, and I was determined to show him that high-end cables would make a difference in his system.
Audio Note CD-4.1x CD player
For a manufacturer to squeeze money from the stone that is my CD-player budget, his products would have to be both exceptional and affordable. And as long as I'm reporting from Fantasyland, I'll ask that they also be obsolescence-proof.
Stereophile Recommended Components iPad App Now Available for Free Download
Stereophile is pleased to announce the availability of the free 2012 Recommended Components iPad app. The app is available right now for free download to your iPad in the iTunes store. In iTunes, search for "Stereophile Recommended Components" or follow this link to the iTunes store from your web browser.
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