As it has for the last 10 years, <A HREF="http://www.fatwyre.com/">The Cable Company</A>, along with many of its vendors, is dedicating August to help some of "the poorest people in the most ravaged regions of the world."
I am a Revel junkie. Their <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/302">Ultima Studio</A>s have been my reference loudspeakers for years, and I've spent many happy hours with their <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/244">Performa F-30</A>s and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/89">Ultima Gem</A>s. They're all great speakers. When the original Gem was launched, it was made clear that all the corporate and economic weight of Revel's parent company, Harman International, was behind the development of this new line. When I visited Revel some years back, I saw cutting-edge design and development, in-house manufacturing of the most critical parts under the tightest scrutiny, and quality control of nearly compulsive meticulousness. All of this was reflected in the speakers' prices, which were reasonable for their quality and performance.
When I review an affordable loudspeaker, first impressions are important. Once I've unpacked the speaker, noted the quality of its construction and finish, and have complimented or grumbled about the ergonomics of its five-way binding posts, I fire 'er up and give 'er a first listen. Occasionally, the sound will put a smile on my face, either because I'm impressed with the amount of uncolored detail emanating from such an affordable product, or because the speaker sounds so sweet that I'm intoxicated.
If you review hi-fi long enough, you get to the point where you've heard it all before. Actually, there are several versions of that point: One is where you've heard all the claims before, and the other is where you could have sworn you've actually heard <I>this component</I> before.
<I>In his June, 2006 "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/artdudleylistening/606listening">Listening</…; column, Art Dudley discussed the original Quad ESL loudspeaker, and started to describe the task of refurbishing a 47-year-old pair of them; this month, Art fries a pair of transformers and nearly ruins his new wall oven—but finishes the job nevertheless. Please remember that sharp tools, solder flux fumes, and the high voltages typically present inside an electrostatic loudspeaker can sicken or kill you if you don't proceed with caution, and neither </I>Stereophile<I> nor its parent company, Primedia, can be responsible for the suffering or loss that may befall readers who follow Art's advice. Thank you.</I>
You're absolutely right, Christian: I <i>do</i> have the bug. I do! I'm not ashamed to admit it, though it does come as a small surprise. Next thing you know, I'll begin to wonder silly wonders:
Based on the chap with the season tickets next to my concert seats, I'd say so! Hermione Eyre weighs in.
Bagheera displays a languor not unlike that of a Modigliani nude.
Huckleberry says it's too hot to be cute or amusing this week. Some other time, maybe.
At last, a theory that explains that I probably do have more readers than Stephen Mejias, John Atkinson, Buddha, Adam Sohmer, Alan in Victoria, Jeff Wong, Al Marcy, my wife, and Monty. According to the 1% rule, I actually have almost <I>one hundred</I> readers!