As <I>Stereophile</I>'s Equipment Reports Editor, I get a <I>lot</I> of calls from readers asking how we choose the gear we review, and from manufacturers asking how to get their products reviewed. So I told JA to take the month off from writing this column so that I could talk about <I>Stereophile</I>'s Equipment Reports section.
NPR has four of 'em up, including a good 'un by Neil Gaiman. All of them are 30 seconds long.
I like Halloween as much as the next guy, but this grisly repast is way beyond my gag factor.
Speaking of fun, please be sure to visit the redesigned SonicFlare. I met SonicFlare's Josh Ray at CES a couple of years back and I was impressed by his enthusiasm and energy. The dude exists to share the magic of hi-fi. The updated SonicFlare offers entertaining and informative articles on how to make sense of measurements, how to pimp your system, and how to use your speakers to get laid. They've even come up with a new way of describing the various sonic characteristics of components and systems. The "Sonic Circle" breaks hi-fi down into three major categories (Precise, Emotional, and Refined) and three related sub-categories (Vivid, Intense, and Smooth).
Jeremy Clarkson rightly rogers the Volvo S80 SE Sport. This is auto reviewing as a contact sport.
Bill Wyman (no, not <I>that</I> one) calculates the sell-out factor for when musicians whore out—um, I mean, lease—their muse.
I was raised in Virginia, so for me, the perfect ham is a Smithfield-cured ham. I think I was 21 before I ever tasted that bland concoction sold at delis as "ham." It might be pork, but ham it am't.
There are many nights when being a music writer comes down to the whining about the stark question: why am I dragging my ass out on the town again? What reason do I really have to see this act? Or to see this act one more time?
