J. Gordon Holt

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Why Pay More?
As We See ItJ. Gordon Holt
J. Gordon Holt  |  Jul 30, 2010  |  First Published: Dec 01, 1979  |  1 comments
A very popular myth among the audio unwashed—and one still perpetuated by the pop hi-fi writers—is that nothing is to be gained by paying more than $1000 for a stereo system (footnote 1). Members of the general public, including masses of people who enjoy live, unamplified music, have the impression that more money simply buys one wider and wider frequency range, and defend their $500 "compact" systems with the lame excuse that their ears aren't all that good, and who needs to hear what bats hear anyway? This is no doubt a soothing emollient for one's disinclination to invest more money in audio gear, but it is a supreme self-deception.
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Workin' on the Railroad
FeaturesJ. Gordon Holt
J. Gordon Holt  |  Jul 19, 2012  |  First Published: Jan 01, 1987  |  0 comments
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.
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Yamaha CD-X1 & CD-2 CD players
CD Player/Transport ReviewsJ. Gordon Holt
J. Gordon Holt  |  Jun 09, 2016  |  First Published: Oct 01, 1984  |  1 comments
CD player prices continue to go down and, surprisingly, sound quality goes up; the Yamaha CD-X1 is an example of both. It's a front-drawer loader with some interesting innovations. Pushing the Open/Close button opens the drawer; it can be closed either by pushing the same button again or by pressing lightly against the end of the open drawer. (We understand this was done because many such players have been damaged by users trying to force the drawer shut by hand.)

The unit has three operating modes: Auto, Manual and Single. In Auto, play begins as soon as the drawer is closed, or as soon as the AC is turned on if a disc is already loaded. In Manual, play begins only when you press the Play button. Single is the same as Manual except that the unit goes into Pause after playing a single selection. Pressing Pause then plays the next selection.

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Yamaha NS-1000 Loudspeaker
Stand Loudspeaker ReviewsJ. Gordon Holt
J. Gordon Holt  |  Oct 08, 2009  |  First Published: Aug 01, 1976  |  7 comments
Every engineer has known for years that, while beryllium has excellent physical qualities for use as a speaker radiator—light weight, rigidity, and a remarkable degree of internal damping—it is not usable as such because it cannot be stamped out like most other materials. It will not stretch, and any attempt to shape it simply causes it to split.
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