J. Gordon Holt

The Last Word on Fidelity

J. Gordon Holt Dec 13, 2007 First Published: May 01, 1989

Last October, in Vol.11 No.10, Stereophile's Founder and Chief Tester J">http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/66">J. Gordon Holt stated, in his acerbic editorial "The">http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/111">The Acoustical Standard," that, in his opinion, only recordings for which there is an original acoustic reference—ie, typically those of classical music—should be used to evaluate hi-fi components. And that in the absence of a consensus over such a policy, high-end component manufacturers were losing their way over what does and does not represent good sound quality.

As We See It J. Gordon Holt

45 Years of Stereophile

John Atkinson, J. Gordon Holt Nov 10, 2007 First Published: Nov 10, 2007

It was 45 years ago this month that the first issue of Stereophile, just 20 pages in length, went in the mail. It had been founded by one J. Gordon Holt. Gordon had been technical editor of High Fidelity magazine in the 1950s, and was tired of being asked to pander to the demands of advertisers. "I watched, first with incredulity and then with growing disgust, how the purchase of a year's advertising contract could virtually insure a manufacturer against publication of an unfavorable report," he said in a 1974 article looking back at those dark times. And if a company didn't buy advertising, they didn't get reviewed at all. The Stereophile, as it was then called, was Gordon's answer to audiophiles' need for an honest, reliable source of information. "Okay, if no one else will publish a magazine that calls the shots as it sees them, I'll do it myself," he later wrote.

As We See It J. Gordon Holt

Digital Revenge

J. Gordon Holt Nov 04, 2007 First Published: Aug 01, 1982

Many audiophiles will look back on the summer of 1982 as the year the creeping cruds invaded their hallowed halls of hi-fi. In the Conrad Hilton hotel, where most of the high-end contingent gathered at the June 1982 Consumer Electronics Show, one exhibitor was featuring a videodisc presentation with wide-range audio and insisting that this was the way of the future. And at least three others had managed to smuggle in digital tape recorders (all Sony PCM-F1s), and were giving many CES visitors their first taste of real, unadulterated, digital reproduction.

As We See It J. Gordon Holt

The Listening Room: the Forgotten Factor

J. Gordon Holt Nov 03, 2007 First Published: Mar 03, 1983

Question: What is it that almost every audiophile takes for granted, yet has more effect on the sound of his system than does any single component in that system? Answer: His listening room.

Solid State Preamp Reviews J. Gordon Holt

Harman/Kardon Citation Eleven preamplifier

J. Gordon Holt Oct 28, 2007 First Published: Apr 28, 1979

This is not a new component, but like most others that aspire to very high standards of performance, it has undergone some changes (for the better) since it first went into production.

As We See It J. Gordon Holt

The Truth About High End

J. Gordon Holt Jun 09, 2007 First Published: Oct 09, 1982

The October 1982 issue of Stereo Review published what must be hailed (or derided) as the first reasoned assessment of high-end audio ever presented in a mass-circulation hi-fi publication. We disagreed with a few of the author's points, but our main gripe about the piece prompted a letter to Stereo Review. This is what we wrote:

As We See It J. Gordon Holt

Transparent, My Dear Watson

J. Gordon Holt Jun 09, 2007 First Published: Apr 09, 1986

Much of the descriptive">http://www.stereophile.com/reference/50">descriptive terminology used in subjective reporting describes things we hear in live music, and expect—or, rather, hope—to hear from reproduced music, too. I'm referring to terms like width, depth, perspective, spectral balance, and tonal accuracy. If you read our reports, you know these terms as well as I do, and since they are (for most people) self-explanatory, I will devote no more time to them.

Historical J. Gordon Holt

The Big Announcement

Larry Archibald, J. Gordon Holt Jun 01, 2007 First Published: Apr 01, 1986

The rumors have been flying, and his arrival is imminent—a couple weeks after you read this—so it's time our readers know: John Atkinson, for the last four years Editor of Britain's prestigious Hi-Fi News & Record Review (left), is joining the staff of Stereophile as Managing Editor and International Editor.

Solid State Preamp Reviews J. Gordon Holt

Threshold FET 10 preamplifier

J. Gordon Holt Feb 03, 2007 First Published: Sep 03, 1987

This product is a pre-trol. What, you may well ask, is a "pre-trol?" Well, Threshold Corp. calls its FET-10 a preamplifier, but it isn't, really. In fact, it isn't an It at all; it's a Them. Only half of Them is a preamp, and you can buy each half separately. If that sounds a little confusing, maybe it's because some of the old, familiar language of audio is starting to lose its relevance.

Solid State Preamp Reviews J. Gordon Holt

Klyne Audio Arts SK-5A preamplifier

J. Gordon Holt Feb 03, 2007 First Published: Sep 03, 1987

Klyne Audio Arts has an almost Zen-like approach to the design of its products. Like the best Japanese designs, Klyne's preamps are aesthetically pleasing in appearance, do exactly what they're supposed to, and their controls are not only where you would expect them to be, but have an almost sensually smooth action. Internal construction, too, is a work of art—the kind of design which, transferred to a tapestry, would grace the wall of any listening room. You have to see the insides of a Klyne preamp to appreciate how attractive-looking an audio component can be. But physical beauty is only one aspect of Stan Klyne's designs; of all the electronics manufacturers I know of, Klyne Audio Arts also makes products more adjustable than any others, so as to appeal to the needs of what I call compulsive tweaks.