Copper

Spica, Part 2

In the last issue of Copper we briefly looked at loudspeaker manufacturer Spica, the company’s founder John Bau, and the company’s speakers, which are still used and revered by many, decades after the company’s demise. Luckily, founder/designer Bau is still alive and well; I spoke at length with John on February 7th, 2017. What follows is a transcription of that conversation, edited for brevity and clarity (C= Copper, JB=John Bau). C: For a company that’s been out of business for 20 years, there’s certainly a wealth of material on the ‘net about Spica. JB: Yeah. There’s a... Read more...

Persistence of Memory

Uncle Jim was a chemist who worked for General Mills for over forty years, developing food products (I know, I know—the organic-eating Coloradan in me shudders a bit at that idea, but let’s move on). I recall my professorial-looking unk ranting about “the kids”—probably PhDs in their 30’s and 40’s—who came up with brilliant ideas that, surprise, surprise, he had investigated and rejected decades before. And of course, “kids” being kids, they wouldn’t believe him, wouldn’t listen to “the Old Man”, couldn’t conceive that they weren’t the first to arrive at a... Read more...

Issue 27

It honestly, really, truly came as a shock to me when I realized that Copper's first anniversary was just ahead. Copper #1 went live on March 3rd, 2016---so this will have to serve... Read more...

You Got to Funkifize

I started to write a column about Tower of Power, a band that had a huge influence on all of us, and realized quickly I couldn’t start that story without some of the history of Funk, which naturally begins with James Brown. JB had started his singing career in the early 1950’s with a gospel group and an R&B group called the Flames, then the Famous Flames, and as Brown started to find his pipes and leadership jones James Brown and the Famous Flames. The Flames with Bobbie Byrd didn’t consider themselves a backup group and there were... Read more...

MQA Signs Deal with Universal Music Group; More Woes for Samsung

MQA and Universal Music Group to Collaborate on Advancing Hi-Res On-Demand Streaming [MQA was introduced via an AES paper by Bob Stuart and Peter Craven in 2014; the paper had the daunting title of ” A Hierarchical Approach to Archiving and Distribution”. Since that time, MQA has been the subject of both acclaim and debate. Warner Music signed an agreement with MQA last May; now that UMG is on board, Sony Music is the only unsigned major label. —Ed.] LONDON AND SANTA MONICA, FEBRUARY 16, 2017 – Music technology company MQA and Universal Music Group (UMG), the world-leader in music-based entertainment, announced today that the companies... Read more...

Blimey, It’s the ’70’s!

Not the best pictures, but here’s one of our vintage systems that took a few years to acquire. Two turntables- a Gale GT2101 turntable with SME II Improved/Shure V15, and a Transcriptors Skeleton with Vestigal... Read more...

Kirin Light at the Buddha Bar

A group of audiophiles were enjoying lunch in La Jolla recently when the subject of personal preferences came up, specifically, what genres of music we were listening to these days. ... Read more...

That Cartoon Guy

As we arrive at our first anniversary, it’s fair to acknowledge those who have helped us reach that landmark. The cover of every issue of Copper—27 so far, including this one—has featured... Read more...

Preposterous Nonsense!

Back in Issue 22, in response to my column “Purer, More Perfect Sound”, reader tortuga_Bob made mention of the ‘Crown Jewels’ argument often put forward by the majors to describe their Studio Master “tapes” (which these days are files, rather than tapes). Bob was absolutely right, and whenever I hear this Crown Jewels idea being spouted it makes my blood boil, because it is nothing but preposterous nonsense. Imagine this. German car-maker BMW recently unveiled the latest incarnation of their iconic 5-series luxury sports sedan. I expect if you wanted one, and... Read more...

The Restless Mind: At Last, At Rest

I had begun to write about my early years listening to another pillar of minimalism, Philip Glass, when word broke out on Facebook that Larry Coryell had died in his sleep after a show at Iridium, in NY — apparently of a heart attack. For the most part, I’ve stayed away from writing about every single notable death during the past year — this would have been an obituary column otherwise. But Coryell cuts hauntingly close to my humble beginnings. I had just started playing music when his album Spaces came out. Now he’s... Read more...

Style, With Sprinkles

Dear Friends, Congratulations! Copper’s readers, writers, faithful Editor, and visionary Publisher have all played a part in getting us to Year Two of this worthy enterprise. For me, the best way... Read more...

Number 13

Still deep in the cold of winter, our thoughts turn to the warmer days of spring and summer. I pulled from the archives this photo originally labeled Corner Roses. Photographed... Read more...

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