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Whether the subject is hi-fi equipment, films, restaurants, power tools, or condoms (see the April 2005 "Listening"), reviewing should be off-limits to the perennially unhappy. I'm reminded of that dictum by the flap over the recent film Identity Thief, which was savaged by reviewer Rex Reed—not because the film is weak, but because its star, Melissa McCarthy, is heavy. Reed, whose career as the Paul Lynde of film reviewing was punctuated by a starring role in a flop called Myra Breckenridge, mentioned in his review McCarthy's size not once but numerous times, thus exposing himself as a…
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Audio reviewing has gone through its share of unpleasant phases. The most notorious was, ironically, its boom era, when an unquestioning adherence to specsmanship—executed without contemplation, written without passion, and fixated on frequency response to a degree nearly suggestive of mental illness—succeeded in actually destroying all but the high-end segment of this hobby. Yet for me, an even rougher patch was that period of time in the early to mid-1980s, when high-end reviewing "stars" hitched their critical wagons to the pet theories of one or two designers, by which…
Audio reviewing has gone through its share of unpleasant phases. The most notorious was, ironically, its boom era, when an unquestioning adherence to specsmanship—executed without contemplation, written without passion, and fixated on frequency response to a degree nearly suggestive of mental illness—succeeded in actually destroying all but the high-end segment of this hobby. Yet for me, an even rougher patch was that period of time in the early to mid-1980s, when high-end reviewing "stars" hitched their critical wagons to the pet theories of one or two designers, by which…
Sidebar: List of the Month
The Top Nine Stupid Audiophile Tricks My attitude toward the Strangest Tweaks on Earth has long been motivated by a simple axiom: As long as insane amounts of money aren't involved, then surely there's no harm in trying. Yet even I have to admit that some efforts at improving sound are so patently dumb, so titanically ignorant of the way things actually work, that they wound the very concept of human intelligence: That's where the goddam harm is. Thus my list of the Top Nine Stupid Audiophile Tricks, in no particular order of imbecility:
1) Removing all…
The world is catching up with Darcy James Argue. Two years ago, he was known mainly for having the strangest name in jazz since Ornette Coleman. Now he's a double winner in Downbeat's 2013 Critics' Poll—the top pick for Best Arranger, and tied with Maria Schneider for Best Big Band Leader.
By no stretch is Argue "rich and famous." This is jazz, after all. But he's making it within the realm of his choosing, and the band he created—in its vibe and its music—has crossover potential.
His 18-piece ensemble, which he calls Secret Society, isn't your granddad's big band. The liner…
Last night, AudioStream.com's Michael Lavorgna and I attended Jenny Hval's performance at the Mercury Lounge on Houston Street in Manhattan's Lower East Side. Because we first made stops to: browse LPs and chat with Daniel at Other Music, enjoy cask-conditioned ales at d.b.a., and devour some incredibly delicious pies at Rizzo's, we were primed for a memorable evening of music.
Jenny Hval did not disappoint. My only criticism of the performance was the lack of people in attendance. Jenny Hval should be seen and heard by many. Then again, to see her so close, so intimately, was a distinct…
It ain’t easy being 59 and living with the fact that what are arguably your best records are now 30 years old. Okay, King of American from `86 is another career highlight. Yet to his credit, Elvis Costello has, unlike many of his contemporaries, thankfully followed the Neil Young model of still giving a damn about being artistically relevant, no matter how much lucre he has stashed or how young his children are. He continues to explore ways to cover new artistic ground and find new modes of musical expression. He remains open to almost any idea, any new way to showcase his voice. This…
In what may be a record period for audio show acquisitions. Connecticut-based trade show company JD Events has acquired AXPONA (Audio Expo North America). The announcement follows on the heels of UK-based The Chester Group's announcement that it has bought Montreal's Salon Son et Image, and gotten out of the way of AXPONA Chicago by moving its New York Show to a fall date in Brooklyn.
In its own words, JD Events "is dedicated to the creation of targeted and innovative industry-leading events that deliver results. The company brings together highly qualified buying audiences, education-…
Everyone's favorite audio show is about to get underway. The Rocky Mountain Audio Fest returns to the Denver Marriott Tech Center on October 11–13.
RMAF may not be the biggest consumer audio show in North America—that honor recently passed to T.H.E. Show Newport Beach—but even without a cigar show, car show, wine show, and airport right across the street, RMAF's 440 brands spread over 138 hotel rooms, 25 big rooms (and three more at the Hyatt across the street), a CANJAM headphone ballroom hosting a record 37 exhibitors, 14 software vendors (CDs, LPs, etc.), and 26 lobby exhibits is…
David Thornberry of Pearland, Texas is the very lucky winner of our VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine from Soundstage Direct Sweepstakes, but he almost didn't get his prize. Once the package hit Mesquite, Texas, it went missing.
At Stereophile, we're no strangers to UPS troubles, but this was something we'd never seen before. The package vanished mid-shipment! Thornberry sent me an email, "I’m going to just guess that it has been damaged or lost." While I was shocked, I assured him to not lose hope. We filed a missing package report.
The next day, the record cleaner showed up…
Tubes?
In a CD player?
Century-old technology embedded in a modern digital design?
I realize that Aesthetix's Saturn Romulus is not the first disc player or D/A processor with tubes, nor will it be the last—but does combining these technologies even make sense? Are audiophiles working at cross purposes to themselves, looking for modern perfection but preferring a little old-school sweetening here and there?
To date, I've stuck with purely solid-state DACs and disc players, but I was curious enough to jump at a chance to audition the Aesthetix Romulus DAC/CD…