These are the first interconnects and speaker cables I have reviewed for <I>Stereophile</I>. Each of us has his little niche, and editor John Atkinson likes us to play in the sandboxes we most enjoy. For me, that has usually meant inexpensive speakers and expensive tube electronics. But there's another reason I've tended to shy away from cables.

These are the first interconnects and speaker cables I have reviewed for <I>Stereophile</I>. Each of us has his little niche, and editor John Atkinson likes us to play in the sandboxes we most enjoy. For me, that has usually meant inexpensive speakers and expensive tube electronics. But there's another reason I've tended to shy away from cables.

These are the first interconnects and speaker cables I have reviewed for <I>Stereophile</I>. Each of us has his little niche, and editor John Atkinson likes us to play in the sandboxes we most enjoy. For me, that has usually meant inexpensive speakers and expensive tube electronics. But there's another reason I've tended to shy away from cables.

<I>Stereo Review</I>, the world's most popular audio magazine during most of its time on Earth, was a common target of derision from the hobby's so-called <I>high-end</I> press, not least of all from me. We criticized its nerdy, boring prose, its uniformly positive reviews, and, most of all, its shameless pimping of the notions that measurements reveal all there is to know about a component, and that all competently engineered components sound equally fine.

<I>Stereo Review</I>, the world's most popular audio magazine during most of its time on Earth, was a common target of derision from the hobby's so-called <I>high-end</I> press, not least of all from me. We criticized its nerdy, boring prose, its uniformly positive reviews, and, most of all, its shameless pimping of the notions that measurements reveal all there is to know about a component, and that all competently engineered components sound equally fine.

I live by the axiom, “So many records to listen to, so little time.” That’s not an excuse; just reality. And it has nothing to do with being a music writer. If you’re a voracious music fan, there’s no way, no matter how many records per day you slug through, that you can hear it all. If today, I started listening to just my Beethoven Symphony cycles, it would literally be months before I could come up for air.

Audio shows are tough. As a member of the press and, more specifically, as a representative of <i>Stereophile</i> magazine, I feel an extreme amount of pressure to do as thorough a job as physically and mentally possible. (I should emphasize that I put this pressure on myself.) It would be outstanding if a single person could cover an entire show, spending quality time with manufacturers, dealers, and readers, while also actually having the opportunity to <i>listen</i> to the gear being presented. But no audio show is ideal&#151not even this year's <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/rmaf2008/">Rocky Mountain Audio Fest</a>, which was, by all accounts gleaned so far, a great, great success.