It began when my oldest brother, 13 years my senior, returned from military service and told me about "hi-fi." Until then, all I'd known was our ancient tabletop radio-phonograph with its insatiable appetite for osmium styli. Back then, in the early 1950s, audio componentry was scrappy, still evolving from World War II military electronics and public-address systems. I began reading the electronics magazines and learned that, to get started, I needed a record player connected to an amplifier and a speaker. I toured the shops and stalls on old Cortlandt Street, before the building of the World Trade Center, and made my selections based on appearance, reputation, and specifications rather than on sound. Still, compared to what we were used to, the results sounded hair-raisingly good.

"Are You a Sharpener or a Leveler?" was the title of my "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/are_you_a_sharpener_or_a_leveler">… We See It</A>" in the February 2009 issue. The terms <I>sharpening</I> and <I>leveling</I> come from work in the field of perception by the early Gestalt psychologists, <I>sharpening</I> referring to the exaggeration of perceived differences, <I>leveling</I> to the minimization of those differences.

"Are You a Sharpener or a Leveler?" was the title of my "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/are_you_a_sharpener_or_a_leveler">… We See It</A>" in the February 2009 issue. The terms <I>sharpening</I> and <I>leveling</I> come from work in the field of perception by the early Gestalt psychologists, <I>sharpening</I> referring to the exaggeration of perceived differences, <I>leveling</I> to the minimization of those differences.

"Are You a Sharpener or a Leveler?" was the title of my "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/are_you_a_sharpener_or_a_leveler">… We See It</A>" in the February 2009 issue. The terms <I>sharpening</I> and <I>leveling</I> come from work in the field of perception by the early Gestalt psychologists, <I>sharpening</I> referring to the exaggeration of perceived differences, <I>leveling</I> to the minimization of those differences.

"Are You a Sharpener or a Leveler?" was the title of my "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/are_you_a_sharpener_or_a_leveler">… We See It</A>" in the February 2009 issue. The terms <I>sharpening</I> and <I>leveling</I> come from work in the field of perception by the early Gestalt psychologists, <I>sharpening</I> referring to the exaggeration of perceived differences, <I>leveling</I> to the minimization of those differences.

"Are You a Sharpener or a Leveler?" was the title of my "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/are_you_a_sharpener_or_a_leveler">… We See It</A>" in the February 2009 issue. The terms <I>sharpening</I> and <I>leveling</I> come from work in the field of perception by the early Gestalt psychologists, <I>sharpening</I> referring to the exaggeration of perceived differences, <I>leveling</I> to the minimization of those differences.

"Are You a Sharpener or a Leveler?" was the title of my "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/are_you_a_sharpener_or_a_leveler">… We See It</A>" in the February 2009 issue. The terms <I>sharpening</I> and <I>leveling</I> come from work in the field of perception by the early Gestalt psychologists, <I>sharpening</I> referring to the exaggeration of perceived differences, <I>leveling</I> to the minimization of those differences.

"Are You a Sharpener or a Leveler?" was the title of my "<A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/are_you_a_sharpener_or_a_leveler">… We See It</A>" in the February 2009 issue. The terms <I>sharpening</I> and <I>leveling</I> come from work in the field of perception by the early Gestalt psychologists, <I>sharpening</I> referring to the exaggeration of perceived differences, <I>leveling</I> to the minimization of those differences.

I was sitting in the main listening room of In Living Stereo, a small Manhattan hi-fi shop nestled between Greenwich Village and the East Village, when my conversation with store owner Steve Mishoe turned to the economy's current dismal state. In the face of slow sales, Mishoe had noted an encouraging trend: Because we have less money to spend, we want to make sure that what money we do spend goes for products that not only deliver the thrill of something new, but also promise enduring <I>quality</I>. If this is true, then we have reason to celebrate. By shifting our focus from the so-called "latest and greatest" to that which will provide <I>lasting</I> enjoyment, we set ourselves up for some real happiness and fun. Editor John Atkinson had this in mind 17 years ago, when he began our "Products of the Year" ritual. He felt it important to distinguish the truly good products from all the flashy pretenders that too often win the affections of our capricious hearts.

I was sitting in the main listening room of In Living Stereo, a small Manhattan hi-fi shop nestled between Greenwich Village and the East Village, when my conversation with store owner Steve Mishoe turned to the economy's current dismal state. In the face of slow sales, Mishoe had noted an encouraging trend: Because we have less money to spend, we want to make sure that what money we do spend goes for products that not only deliver the thrill of something new, but also promise enduring <I>quality</I>. If this is true, then we have reason to celebrate. By shifting our focus from the so-called "latest and greatest" to that which will provide <I>lasting</I> enjoyment, we set ourselves up for some real happiness and fun. Editor John Atkinson had this in mind 17 years ago, when he began our "Products of the Year" ritual. He felt it important to distinguish the truly good products from all the flashy pretenders that too often win the affections of our capricious hearts.