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Spotheim: Well, think about an ice-skater spinning a pirouette on one skate. When he wants to slow down, what does he do? He drops the other skate to the ice and controls the spin, turning more slowly until he stops. But it doesn't mean that he couldn't continue turning. He would just lift the other skate back off the ice, you see? That is the basic idea of how the two pivots work.

Scull: They have to be close to each other?

Spotheim: Yes, so the second pivot doesn't hinder the travel of the main pivot. You must understand…

Scull: Say, Judy, you're not an old hippie too, are you?

Spotheim: [laughs] Nooooo...

Scull: Let me ask you—when we listen to our high-end systems, should we be listening for the re-creation of the absolute sound in a real space, or a faithful reproduction of the master tape? Or something else?

Spotheim: What the microphones picked up. It can sound very faithful, it can be very flattering....It depends on how the microphones were placed, their frequency response, how the tape was cut, and even what cutter head was…

Spotheim: Well, you can say that the old man Sugano knows about me. I've actually received photographs from him. He knew me when I was living in Israel. At that time I hadn't yet designed the SpJ tonearm, and I'd made a tonearm from bamboo...

Scull: What? [laughs] You're so casual about it...

Spotheim: Don't laugh! [laughs] It was a so-called unipivot. It was working fantastic with a...how do you call it, a sewing needle?

Scull: What?

Richard Goode is, by any and all standards, a remarkable pianist. His recording of the complete sonatas of Beethoven, released in 1993, became an instant classic and was nominated for a Grammy. His CDs of Schubert and Chopin are as handsome as they are insightful, and he has recorded, for Nonesuch, five discs of…

One of the big problems analog fans face today is in the preamp department.…

Description: Moving-coil/moving-magnet phono preamplifier, available with or without front-panel level control. Input sensitivity for 1V output at 1kHz: 2.2mV (MM), 220µV (MC). Maximum output level: 30V. S/N Ratio: 80dB (IHF, unweighted).
Dimensions: 5" W by 4" H by 11" D.
Serial number of units reviewed: 0911596 (auditioning), 97081016 (measuring).
Price: $895–$1295 (1997–2003). Approximate number of dealers: 9.
Manufacturer: Esoteric Audio Research, Huntingdon, UK. US Distributor: EAR USA, 1624 Sunset Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90405. Tel./Fax: (310…

The LP front end used in the preparation of this review consisted of a Goldmund Studio/Syrinx PU-3 Revised/Koetsu Urushi LP front-end feeding the EAR's MC input. Other reference equipment included an Audible Illusions L1 line-stage preamplifier, Audio Research Classic 60 and VT100 power amplifiers, and Acarian Alón V Mk.II speakers. Interconnects were MIT Digital Reference and MIT CVTwin Terminator 350, with tri-wired Acarian Systems Black Orpheus speaker wire.—Robert J. Reina

The EAR 834P we received from Bob Reina arrived defective (it had extremely low gain). Since he'd clearly had no problem with it, we can only assume that it was damaged in shipment. EAR sent us a second, more recent sample. It was slightly different from the original unit: The front-panel level control had been deleted, and the front panel itself was far better finished. The interior layout was nearly identical, though the main circuit board (screen-printed with a "1996" copyright date as opposed to BJR's sample's "1995") was somewhat larger (with a larger case to…

I've been meaning to review this Tim de Paravicini design for years. Finally, egged on by readers, here goes.

Double your money and more than double your pleasure with EAR's now venerable but still vital 834P, a three-tube (12AX7) moving-magnet stage that also has, for moving-coil use, a pair of step-up transformers (3–50 ohms) available at the push of button. The 834P in basic black will set you back $995; the chrome Deluxe version costs $1295 (I've seen it discounted to $995).However, I can't guarantee…

The relationship between audio reviewers and equipment designers is tricky at best. Reviewers judge a company's products and report their impressions to equipment-buying readers, often with significant consequences---positive or negative---for the manufacturer. Conflicts often arise because the manufacturer and reviewer have completely different agendas; the reviewer is responsible to his readers, the designer to his company.

This relationship is even more complex when a reviewer and manufacturer establish a friendship. With…