Ariel Bitran

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Ariel Bitran
Now on Newsstands: Stereophile, Vol.35 No.4
Ariel Bitran  |  Mar 22, 2012  |  4 comments

It has been a strange winter. Now approaching what is formally known as spring, I’m not sure if we ever even made it out of autumn! Forty-five degrees Fahrenheit in the middle of February in New York City? What in the hell is going on?

Similar to how the seasons from 2011 to 2012 have melded together into the longest autumn, the shipping out of each issue of Stereophile becomes a blur as well. As I discussed in my last on newsstands March article, we are never really sure what month we are living in here at the Stereophile office, much less the month of the issue we are working on, except for when we are compiling April Issue. We always know when we’re working on the April.

Why’s that?

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Ariel Bitran
Now on Newsstands: Stereophile, Vol.35 No.5
Ariel Bitran  |  Apr 26, 2012  |  0 comments

Wabaam! Another month, another Stereophile. My how time flies when you are reviewing hi-fi.

Compared to the enormous April issue that hosts our chunky Recommended Components listing, May is petite but still packs a powerful punch loaded with insights and audio enhancers. Enhancers you ask? What might those be? Well how about bell bronze gongs! And magic fuses! And audio to make you cream…I mean, P.W.B.’s Electret Cream, which according to AD, just might work if you rub it in the right place.

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Ariel BitranNY Audio Show 2013
NY Audio Show 2013: Getting There From Brooklyn
Ariel Bitran  |  Apr 13, 2013  |  0 comments
It had already been a long week at Stereophile. I trucked through three thirteen-hour workdays plugging in code for the Recommended Components iPad app and had my first dentist appointment in five years. Holes had been burned through my eyes and scraped through my teeth. Luckily, my ears were still there dangling. But the rain, the rain, THE RAIN! I could have done without the rain this morning.
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Ariel Bitran
NYC Concert Ticket Giveaway from Logitech | UE
Ariel Bitran  |  Aug 24, 2012  |  4 comments
Logitech | UE have some big surprises in store for Fall 2012, and if you are in the New York City area, you could be one of the first audiophiles to hear them. Comment on this post for your chance to win a pair of tickets to the Logitech | UE promoted Milo Greene concert at the Bowery Ballroom (6 Delancey St, New York, NY) on Wednesday, August 29th. Milo Greene play airy indie-pop with ambient choruses of background vocals, spacious piano, and relaxed snare drums accents. Not only will you be able to tread into Milo Greene’s easy-flowing songs, you’ll also get a sneak peak at just what Logitech | UE have in store for the new season. Concert ticket winners will be emailed further details. Remember to comment on this post if you would like to win!
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Ariel Bitran
Paperclip Transmission
Ariel Bitran  |  Aug 26, 2008  |  10 comments

“Good news!” Stephen exclaimed, the second I walked into his office. I saw my Usher S-520s plopped lovingly in my cubicle. “Check your email,” he instructed.

An email from JA read:

I couldn't find anything wrong, Ariel. I measured both speakers and also listened to them…they match very closely—as well as the individual responses of the tweeter and woofer of the sample that didn't have the biwiring jumpers connected.*

Could that have been the problem?

Could this have been the problem…

Could this have been the problem?

COULD THIS HAVE BEEN THE PROBLEM?!

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Ariel Bitran
Passion
Ariel Bitran  |  May 30, 2013  |  9 comments
This guy cares a lot about his headphones. Though ludicrous, the Beats tattoo is admirable. He's saying, “Music runs through my veins and the Beats pumps that blood.” Would you tattoo “Vandersteen” in cholo lettering in an arch across your back? Would you inscribe “S-O-U-N-D” and “S-T-A-G-E” on each of your knuckles so that if someone insulted your system, your beat-down would arrive in stereo?

How much do you care about your hi-fi?

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Ariel Bitran
Passion of the Hi-Fi: Part I - Unlistenable
Ariel Bitran  |  Mar 21, 2013  |  First Published: Dec 31, 1969  |  9 comments
Photo by Lalupa, Wikimedia Commons

There sat the hi-fi. Untouched. Unplayed. Unlistenable. Bass resonances continued to torment my sound. Geddy Lee, Paul McCartney, and Sting all produced loose and exaggerated bass energies in unnatural ways. I was constantly perplexed with the unevenness in my bass response. Despite hours of tinkering with speaker placement hindered by random obstructions, namely a queen-size bed, a poorly positioned radiator, and stacks of guitar amps, the bass resonances remained.

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Ariel Bitran
Passion of the Hi-Fi: Part II - Dimensions
Ariel Bitran  |  Mar 28, 2013  |  6 comments
At the end of April, it will be time to renew the lease on my quaint Kensington duplex. Over the past three years, a cast of typical New Yorkers rotated residency within these plaster walls: stand-up comedians, chefs, and real-estate agents; art handlers and opera singers; venue managers and musicians. Claiming residential seniority over this home of interchanging misfits, it was time to stake claim on the room my system most deserved.
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Ariel Bitran
Passion of the Hi-Fi: Part III - Balance and Control
Ariel Bitran  |  Apr 04, 2013  |  1 comments
The promise of happiness is elusive. Is it found in the 10-hour workday? Maybe it’s spotted sunbathing on the Portuguese shoreline. Or is it found in a wider soundstage? Sartre teaches, "In life, a man commits himself and draws his own portrait, outside of which there is nothing." So if your actions define who you are, and if you love what you do, then will you find content?
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Ariel Bitran
Passion of the Hi-Fi: Part IV - Why Boombox?
Ariel Bitran  |  Apr 09, 2013  |  3 comments
I scuttled furiously from bedroom to living room. DVDs without cases, puzzles with missing pieces, and random pairs long Ragnell scissors (why do we even have these???) strewed across a cascade of coffee tinted MDF shelves. This hand-me-down Brobdingnagian entertainment center would be the new home for my hi-fi, chipped away but yearning for gear. Like any man on a mission, I needed my soundtrack, my “Eye of the Tiger”, my “Don’t Stop Believing”, my “Bootylicious”, but what would be my source?
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Ariel Bitran
Passion of the Hi-Fi: Part V – Imbalance
Ariel Bitran  |  May 05, 2013  |  3 comments
My hi-fi basked in morning sunshine. The sparkling white finish of the Usher 520s reflected angular glints of yellow light across plaster walls. Birds chirped as I hoped for the best. Would my bass bloat be gone? Would I have an evenly dispersed image?
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Ariel Bitran
Passion of the Hi-Fi: Part VI - Resolution
Ariel Bitran  |  May 15, 2013  |  6 comments
JA guffawed, “It sounds like you need a tweeter-ectomy.”

“I hope that’s all I need.” After buying a replacement tweeter for my Usher S-520s, I asked Stan Tracht, US representative for Usher, a pair of questions.

“Will I need to solder anything?”

“No soldering needed,” Stan advised.

“Do I need to buy a second tweeter to ensure the speakers match?”

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Ariel Bitran
Petition for Better Sound
Ariel Bitran  |  Nov 20, 2012  |  7 comments
“A change is gonna come, oh yes it is,” said once the wise prophet Samuel. What the prophet failed to foretell was that change never just comes, change is made. Well audiophiles, this is your opportunity to make a change. Valiant Stereophile forum poster sometimesuk2012 started a petition on Change.org to “Stop the Loudness Wars and Release High Definition Music Downloads”. You can find out more about the petition and sign your name here. Here’s your chance to stop whining about that over-compressed pap—see Jason Victor Serinus' report from the 133rd AES Convention—and start enjoying some well-recorded pop. It all starts with your signature.
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Ariel BitranNY Audio Show 2013
Photo Exhibit: The Reception Hall and Trade Booths at NYAS
Ariel Bitran  |  Apr 17, 2013  |  1 comments
Peter Ledermann of Soundsmith is a nice guy, I promise.

The Reception Hall was teaming with audiophiles and exhibitors expressing hellos and chatting about gear and music. Here’s a look:

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Ariel Bitran
Pop Music.
Ariel Bitran  |  Feb 03, 2012  |  2 comments

Here at the Stereophile office, we listen to lots of different tunes ranging from Bach to Fucked Up to Sylvester, but in the Bitran/Mejias cubicle, there has been a recent resurgence in our passion for POPULAR music.

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