Something Other Than Salsa
J Mascis' soaring solo comes to a sudden end. Elizabeth walks into my office, tentatively.
Stephen Mejias
For Your System-Analyzing Pleasure, or: Screwing the Definite Standards of Quality!
Busy here in Stereophile HQ. As the salsa blares ("Clavo saca clavo!"), we're happy to be working on Issue Number 1 of Volume 31. That's January 2008. And I just sent the 2007 Article Index to our copy editor, Richard Lehnert. Having compiled this list of every equipment report, column, interview, and feature we've published over the past year, I can confidently say:
Congrats to SonicFlare
Speaking of fun, please be sure to visit the redesigned SonicFlare. I met SonicFlare's Josh Ray at CES a couple of years back and I was impressed by his enthusiasm and energy. The dude exists to share the magic of hi-fi. The updated SonicFlare offers entertaining and informative articles on how to make sense of measurements, how to pimp your system, and how to use your speakers to get laid. They've even come up with a new way of describing the various sonic characteristics of components and systems. The "Sonic Circle" breaks hi-fi down into three major categories (Precise, Emotional, and Refined) and three related sub-categories (Vivid, Intense, and Smooth).
An Anti-Audiophile?
I was visited yesterday by Steve Krampf, CEO of Chestnut Hill Sound and designer of the George sound system. As we walked from our 6th floor lobby down the long hall to my office, the conversation somehow turned to various loudspeaker drivers. (That's just something that happens when you're in our office.)
We will only always just come close.
The very first issue of The Stereophile appeared 45 years ago, in October 1962. It had been founded by a guy named J. Gordon Holt. The "J." is for Justin. I've never met him, never even exchanged e-mails with him.
89.9 On the Dial
Though it was a sort of sanctuary for me as a kid, these days, I almost never listen to the radio. This day, however, has been spent listening to lots of WKCR's Dizzy Gillespie 90th Birthday broadcast.
SALSA MEANS SOUL 1: The Mother-Effing Mega-Mix
The casual interest soon transformed into an addiction and an obsession. Does obsession come before addiction, or after? I'm not sure. Either way, the salsa didn't seem to mind. It started in early August with two albums: Siembra by Ruben Blades and La">http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/la_gran_fuga/">La Gran Fuga by Willie Colon. These two led me to several others which led me to more still. I read one pretty crappy Hector Lavoe biography, sent dozens of fiery e-mails to my family in Puerto Rico, devoured tons of liner notes, and watched a gazillion YouTube videos. I've now collected over 20 albums (all on CD), have lured one uncle into sending me rare and classic songs from his library of MP3s, coerced another into donating to my cause his entire LP collection (we'll see about that), and uncovered an entire world of really deep, incredibly hot tracks. The addiction is not fading.