Actually, there's another problem: I am an audiophile who only minimally comprehends what accurate and neutral…
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Like baking bread or watering my garden, playing records in my monk's cell is an expression of my devotion to living mindfully. It is part of my search for identity and comfort. It shows me how my thoughts, feelings, and poetic imagination fit in with yours, Keith Jarrett's, and everyone else's. The only problem: Often, the stereo components that most enhance my experiences of devotion and identity are not those that I can sincerely declare to be the most accurate or neutral.
In the 1960s, musical giants walked the earth. I vividly remember the first time I heard a song called "Expecting to Fly," in a UK record store. The vast, reverberation-drenched sound was extraordinary; the frail, shaky alto voice of the singer riveting.
"Who is that?" I asked the clerk.
"It's a new American band, Buffalo Springfield . . . but they've already broken up."
I bought all I could find of the Springfield, which wasn't much, and learned that the singer and composer of "Expecting to Fly" was a Canadian, Neil Young. Young's first solo album, released in 1969, had…
Robert Schryer
John Fogerty: Revival
Fantasy FCD-30001 (CD). 2007. John Fogerty, prod.; Robert Ludwig, Kevin Dean, Dave Colvin, engs. DDD.? TT: 40:41
This album's title works as both a nod to Creedence Clearwater Revival's legacy and to truth in advertising. Revival was a return to form for John Fogerty—to the sort of catchy, barroom-friendly tunes he became famous for but could no longer write. Add to its musical themes equal parts nostalgia and political outrage, and you've got a country-rock album to revitalize the troops. Revival reflects a comfortable…
Anxious to prolong my mono-maniacal buzz, I reached for an early LP version of soprano Bidú Sayão's 1945 recording of Villa-Lobos's Bachianas Brasileiras 5, with the composer conducting an ensemble of eight cellos and one double bass (LP, Columbia Masterworks ML 5231). With the Mr. T, her voice was more human and compelling than without. Again, tempos seemed steadier, and the plucked notes of the cellos had greater apparent force. It was here that the word Wow made the first of many appearances in my notes.
My Shindo Monbrison preamplifier and Shindo Haut-Brion power amp were beginning to…
What can you tell about the intrinsic sound quality of a loudspeaker if you've heard it only at an audio show? Arguably, not much. If it sounds bad, there may be a number of reasons for that, only one being the speaker itself. It may be the acoustics of the room, problems with speaker setup, poorly matched associated equipment, insufficient break-in/warm-up, or poor choice of demo recordings. Other conditions may not be conducive to the speaker revealing its potential, such as not being able to sit in the sweet spot, being distracted by people talking throughout the demo, etc. You might…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Due to some logistical issues, I couldn't measure the Focus 10s auditioned by Jason Victor Serinus. Instead, I tested samples that had been shipped to me from Denmark by Dynaudio. The serial numbers were 10033212 (Primary, left) and 10033213 (Client, right).
I followed the manual's instructions to set up the Dynaudio Focus 10s, first installing the Dynaudio Connect and Control app on my iPhone 11 then connecting the Primary speaker to my Wi-Fi network. Once the speaker was connected to the network, it automatically updated its firmware to version 1.2.77.…
In the summer of 2021, MoFi Distribution's Jonathan Derda emailed me about the South Korean HiFi Rose brand. "This brand strikes me as being the spiritual successor to the original SlimDevices Transporter and Squeezebox Touch," he wrote. "We're all really excited about it."
I bought a Wi-Fi–connected Slim Devices Squeezebox at the beginning of 2006, to experiment with streaming. When Slim Devices released the high-performance Transporter, I was sufficiently impressed that I purchased the review sample after measuring it for Wes Phillips's review in the February 2007 issue. I used the…
LELAND RUCKER
BOB DYLAN: World Gone Wrong
Columbia CK 57590 (CD). 1993. Bob Dylan, prod.; Micajah Ryan, eng. AAD. TT: 43:58
BOB DYLAN: World Gone Wrong
Columbia CK 57590 (CD). 1993. Bob Dylan, prod.; Micajah Ryan, eng. AAD. TT: 43:58
They're calling this the worst economic period since the Great Depression. Fifteen years ago Bob Dylan channeled the Mississippi Sheiks, popular among Great Depression audiences because, as he observes, "their songs are faultlessly made for these modern times." And so they are: Songs of hypocrisy, lust, and economic and political turmoil. Songs blaming the other guy. Songs, written decades ago, that show that, as a species, we haven't changed much.…
T. Rex: Electric Warrior
Reprise RHF1 6466081227806538 (180gm LP). 2026. Tony Visconti, orig. prod.; Rik Pekkonen, Malcolm Cecil, others, orig. engs.; Patrick Milligan, reissue project supervision.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****½
Reprise RHF1 6466081227806538 (180gm LP). 2026. Tony Visconti, orig. prod.; Rik Pekkonen, Malcolm Cecil, others, orig. engs.; Patrick Milligan, reissue project supervision.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****½
Once Marc Bolan uttered the famous line "You're dirty sweet and you're my girl" (from "Get It On (Bang a Gong)"), it was clear that Electric Warrior had transformed the former Tolkien-enthralled folkie into a luminous star. Suddenly wearing glitter eye shadow and tight trousers, Bolan personified the snarling, scrumptious androgyny and costumed excess…
PSB’s Paul Barton, proud designer of the new Imagine Mini. Photo: Bob Deutsch.
I complain—a lot—about Vegas. I have to apologize to my family, friends, and colleagues for all the whining I’ve let loose over the last couple of weeks. I’m sorry.
I should apologize to you, too, Las Vegas, because there must be more to you than all your neon lights and annoying buzzers and piped oxygen and smoky casinos, your fancy facades and empty promises—everything in Las Vegas looks beautiful from afar, but the closer you get, the uglier it becomes, the clearer its lies and flaws, the more…