Added to the Archives This Week:
Our first article this week is Illusions">http://www.stereophile.com//features/78/">Illusions, Riddles, & Toys, in which Barry Willis explains what Zeno's paradox has to do with audio nirvana. "We audiofools face just such a riddle in our relentless pursuit of musical realism. I can hear you now: No, say it isn't so. Surely our technology is equal to the task. I'm sorry to tell you that it isn't, and probably never will be."
Added to the Archives This Week:
Our first new archive article this week is "Building">http://www.stereophile.com//musicrecordings/82/">Building a Library: The Grateful Dead," in which past AES chairperson Elizabeth Cohen reveals her thoughts about what the band has meant to a musical generation. Also included is a complete Dead discography, lots of lyrics, and a little history.
Added to the Archives This Week:
You think we've got format problems these days? Take a peek back to 1963, when J. Gordon Holt ripped apart the then-new record technology from RCA in "Down">http://www.stereophile.com//asweseeit/95/">"Down with Dynagroove". Next, Wes Phillips writes an ode to his own Mr. Holland in "A">http://www.stereophile.com//asweseeit/94/">"A Passion for Music".
Added to the Archives This Week:
Newcomer Revel has been on a roll lately, piling up accolades all around for its new line of loudspeakers. Larry Greenhill takes a look at the recently unveiled Revel">http://www.stereophile.com//loudspeakerreviews/96/">Revel Salon and explains how it compares to the Sydney Opera House. "Did the Salon meet its design goals of timbral accuracy, low distortion, and lack of dynamic compression?" Read all about it in Greenhill's report.
Added to the Archives This Week:
Ethics and high-end audio have always been a tangled web---especially when it comes to deciding whether to purchase equipment from a helpful local dealer or trying to find the best price possible. In the web reprint of February 1999's "The">http://www.stereophile.com//thinkpieces/98/">The Final Word," Stereophile's publisher emeritus, Larry Archibald, examines a recent high-end purchase of his own to shed a little light on the dilemma faced by the audiophile grinding for a great deal. Also included are some choice reader responses.
Added to the Archives This Week:
A good reference work on a subject like audio can help speed the understanding of complicated terms and develop the reader's grasp of the hobby's more arcane reaches. Unfortunately, not all audio books serve the audiophile equally well. Read about one such mishap in Book">http://www.stereophile.com//reference/101/">Book Review: High Fidelity Audio/Video Systems: A Critical Guide for Owners.
Added to the Archives This Week:
A surreal event took place at the 1991 Audio Engineering Society Convention when loudspeaker cables were put on the witness stand. Robert Harley details the amazing event as it unfolded, along with many unexpected twists and turns, in "Audio">http://www.stereophile.com//asweseeit/107/">Audio McCarthyism."
Added to the Archives This Week:
Step all the way back to issue number one of Stereophile, in which Lucius Wordburger proffers some sage advice on How">http://www.stereophile.com//historical/108/">How to Write an Ad. Learn about The Endorsement (hint: don't use Fidel Castro), The Calculated Omission, and The Junk Product.
Added to the Archives This Week:
We posted an updatehttp://www.stereophile.com/news/10415/">update; on Peter Belt and his activities earlier in the month, but the saga began many moons ago. If you're curious about where it all began, or just need to know more, then J. Gordon Holt's "L'Affaire">http://www.stereophile.com//asweseeit/110/">L'Affaire Belt" is for you. Stranger than fiction? Guaranteed.
Added to the Archives This Week:
Strange but true: Stereophile editor John Atkinson once sold a tweak amplifier after being startled by not being able to identify it in a blind listening test. "Convinced by these results of the validity of the Consumer Reports philosophy, I consequently sold my exotic and expensive Lecson power amplifier, with which I had been very happy, and bought a much cheaper Quad 405---the biggest mistake of my audiophile career!" says JA of the experience.