New Yorkonomics
<I>New York</I> magazine asked Edward Glaeser to examine how profitable a variety of New York businesses might be. My favorite line: "Best ways to make money: Underpay writers."
LATEST ADDITIONS
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Crumble and Pick Me Up
To tell the truth, I didn't want to come into the office today. Amazing, I know. And it didn't have all to do with the rain and the wind and the unusually cool June air, though those were factors. Mostly, it had to do with <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/010207everything/">a hummingbird</a>. I wanted to stay home and strum the guitar in tune with all those sounds that were happening outside. But I did the next best thing.
Psychology of Disgust
Studying the universal concept of "touch transference." That's professor talk for cooties.
World's Most Expensive Whiskies
Much to my surprise, I've actually tasted a few that made the list—a few of the cheapest, of course. And I'm not at all sure that <I>Forbes</I> is correct that Sazerac 18-year-old is the most expensive rye at $55. I believe that Old Potrero at $90/bottle has that honor.
Fly Boys and Guinea Pigs
Who taught us the facts of life? Jim Enderby's <I>A Guinea Pig's History of Biology</I> argues that it was close observation of just a few species.
Inside Sushi
I was happily learning more than I ever thought I'd want to know about sushi, when it occurred to me to check out the article's byline. Who on earth writes 10 pages about shopping for fish in Tokyo's Tsukiji market? Oh, Nick Tosches, that's who.
The Horse's Mouth (Stereo Review's 1983 cable tests)
It's not often that you get a chance to have extensive discussions with the horse's mouth, but we recently had that opportunity. Since July of this year there has been extensive discussion in the audio community, particularly the high-end segment, of Larry Greenhill's <A HREF="http://bruce.coppola.name/audio/Greenhill.pdf">article on speaker cable listening tests</A> in the August, 1983 issue of <I>Stereo Review</I> (footnote 1). From recent talks with author Greenhill we've learned that the most interesting story was <I>not</I> in <I>Stereo Review</I>; instead it can be found in the varying reactions from different quarters, and what they say about the high-end industry in general.
Book Review: McIntosh: "...for the love of music..."
<I>McIntosh: "...for the love of music..."</I><BR>by Ken Kessler. McIntosh Laboratory, Inc., 2006. $150.00. Hardcover, 12" by 12" by 1.25", 315 pp. ISBN 0-9787236-0-0.<BR>Available from McIntosh dealers and <A HREF="http://www.mcintoshlabs.com">McIntosh Laboratory</A>, Inc., 2 Chambers Street, Binghamton, NY 13903. Tel: (800) 538-6576.
Conrad-Johnson MF2500 power amplifier
Rumor had it that if the MF2500 amplifier had gotten any better in development, Conrad-Johnson would have had to include it in their "Premier" series. However, C-J's intention was to hold to the lower price of their established MF series, and so they have. Rated at 240Wpc and retailing for $3495, the '2500 is the core model of Conrad-Johnson's current range of "MF" power amplifiers. Its companion MF2250 offers 120Wpc, while the MF5600 delivers 120Wx5 for multichannel home-theater applications.
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Theta Jade CD transport
Many pundits in our industry say that CD is under threat from <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/164">Super Audio CD</A>, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/270">DVD-Audio</A>, and dual-layer CD/DVD technologies. Conflicting stories abound, and even though I'm supposed to be well-informed, I've found some of them hard to sort out! For example, Michael Fremer, concluding a fine review of the $7500 Bow Technologies ZZ-Eight integrated CD player in August, compared its notable 16-bit/44.1kHz achievement with a DVD-based disc originally mastered at 24/96kHz and replayed on an inexpensive DVD player. He found the Bow wanting in some respects. What is the world coming to?