COPPER

A PS Audio Publication

Issue 152 • Free Online Magazine

Issue 152 Opening Salvo

Issue 152

Issue 152

All of us at Copper once again wish all of you happy holidays. The past two years have been tougher than anyone could have imagined, but this is a season of hope and renewal after all. Keeping the holiday spirit, however we choose to do so, is perhaps more important than ever. Here’s to a happier, brighter and better 2022.

Just a few days ago, Emiko Carlin, marketing director for audio show T.H.E. Show, announced a new offshoot organization, T.H.E. Group. It’s a membership-based program, and participants will get free passes to T.H.E. Show, access to studio tours, artist performances, an Audio University program, and events including wine tasting, supercar and racing experiences, and other activities. Carlin noted, “Music is for everyone, so hi-fi and audio are for everyone, and we want T.H.E. Group to be an ecosystem people can be part of who love all different genres of music, have different experiences in listening and lifestyle, and who share the same goal: keeping our industry moving forward!” For more information visit www.thegroup.life.

In this issue: In a first for Copper, or maybe anywhere we have a trifecta of contributing editors weighing in on the Beatles Get Back documentary: Tim Riley ("Nobody Told Me There'd Be Days Like These"), Larry Jaffee ("Let It Be: Director Peter Jackson's Get Back Provides Much-Needed Context"), and Jay Jay French ("Get Back, Let It Be and the Boredom of Excellence"). Continuing what has become a Copper tradition, WL Woodward offers a holiday story and a poem, while The Mindful Melophile Don Kaplan deals with not-in-the-spirit shoppers. I cover Octave Records’ latest, Levelland by country-folk duo Bonnie and Taylor Sims. Russ Welton asks – do we really need video for audio streaming? Tom Methans considers the collector as minimalist. Rudy Radelic continues his series on Burt Bacharach with a look at some artists who had him covered. Tom Gibbs digs more deeply into the Gustard X16 and PS Audio Stellar GainCell DACs, and Roon.

Ken Kessler has some advice on buying reel-to-reel tape. Anne E. Johnson gives us the real story, not the movie version, on Antonio Salieri, and the career of soulful hitmakers Hall and Oates. Ray Chelstowski talks with Hollis Brown front man Michael Montali about In the Aftermath, their track-by-track homage to the Rolling Stones album. Andy Schaub serves up a lunch menu. John Seetoo continues his coverage of the Audio Engineering Society’s AES Fall 2021 virtual show. J.I. Agnew spins Part Two of his series, Around the World in 80 Lathes (of the record-cutting variety). B. Jan forges on ahead through South Dakota. Ken Sander has a few laughs at Dangerfield’s. We wrap up this holiday issue with seasonal advice, a fabled midrange, an adventure in sound, and a visit to Louie Lee’s.

Staff Writers:

J.I. Agnew, Ray Chelstowski, Cliff Chenfeld, Jay Jay French, Tom Gibbs, Roy Hall, Rich Isaacs, Anne E. Johnson, Don Kaplan, Ken Kessler, Don Lindich, Stuart Marvin, Tom Methans, B. Jan Montana, Rudy Radelic, Tim Riley, Wayne Robins, Ken Sander, John Seetoo, Dan Schwartz, Russ Welton, WL Woodward, Adrian Wu

Contributing Editors:
Ivan Berger, Steven Bryan Bieler, Jack Flory, Harris Fogel, Robert Heiblim, Steve Kindig, Ed Kwok, Alón Sagee, Andy Schaub, David Snyder, Bob Wood

Cover:
“Cartoon Bob” D’Amico

Cartoons:
James Whitworth, Peter Xeni

Parting Shots:
James Schrimpf, B. Jan Montana, Rich Isaacs (and others)

Audio Anthropology Photos:
Howard Kneller, Steve Rowell

Editor:
Frank Doris

Publisher:
Paul McGowan

Advertising Sales:
No one. We are free from advertising and subscribing to Copper is free.

 – FD

More from Issue 152

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#227 Seth Lewis Gets in the Groove With Take a Look Around: a Tribute to the Meters by Frank Doris Feb 02, 2026 #227 Passport to Sound: May Anwar’s Audio Learning Experience for Young People by Frank Doris Feb 02, 2026 #227 Conjectures on Cosmic Consciousness by B. Jan Montana Feb 02, 2026 #227 The Big Takeover Turns 45 by Wayne Robins Feb 02, 2026 #227 Music and Chocolate: On the Sensory Connection by Joe Caplan Feb 02, 2026 #227 Singer/Songwriter Chris Berardo: Getting Wilder All the Time by Ray Chelstowski Feb 02, 2026 #227 The Earliest Stars of Country Music, Part One by Jeff Weiner Feb 02, 2026 #227 The Vinyl Beat Goes Down to Tijuana (By Way of Los Angeles), Part Two by Rudy Radelic Feb 02, 2026 #227 How to Play in a Rock Band, 20: On the Road With Blood, Sweat & Tears’ Guitarist Gabe Cummins by Frank Doris Feb 02, 2026 #227 From The Audiophile’s Guide: Audio Specs and Measuring by Paul McGowan Feb 02, 2026 #227 Our Brain is Always Listening by Peter Trübner Feb 02, 2026 #227 PS Audio in the News by PS Audio Staff Feb 02, 2026 #227 The Listening Chair: Sleek Style and Sound From the Luxman L3 by Howard Kneller Feb 02, 2026 #227 The Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society Celebrates Its 32nd Anniversary, Honoring David and Sheryl Lee Wilson and Bernie Grundman by Harris Fogel Feb 02, 2026 #227 Back to My Reel-to-Reel Roots, Part 26: Half Full – Not Half Empty, Redux by Ken Kessler Feb 02, 2026 #227 That's What Puzzles Us... by Frank Doris Feb 02, 2026 #227 Record-Breaking by Peter Xeni Feb 02, 2026 #227 The Long and Winding Road by B. Jan Montana Feb 02, 2026 #226 JJ Murphy’s Sleep Paralysis is a Genre-Bending Musical Journey Through Jazz, Fusion and More by Frank Doris Jan 05, 2026 #226 Stewardship by Consent by B. Jan Montana Jan 05, 2026 #226 Food, Music, and Sensory Experience: An Interview With Professor Jonathan Zearfoss of the Culinary Institute of America by Joe Caplan Jan 05, 2026 #226 Studio Confidential: A Who’s Who of Recording Engineers Tell Their Stories by Frank Doris Jan 05, 2026 #226 Pilot Radio is Reborn, 50 Years Later: Talking With CEO Barak Epstein by Frank Doris Jan 05, 2026 #226 The Vinyl Beat Goes Down to Tijuana (By Way of Los Angeles), Part One by Rudy Radelic Jan 05, 2026 #226 Capital Audiofest 2025: Must-See Stereo, Part Two by Frank Doris Jan 05, 2026 #226 My Morning Jacket’s Carl Broemel and Tyler Ramsey Collaborate on Their Acoustic Guitar Album, Celestun by Ray Chelstowski Jan 05, 2026 #226 The People Who Make Audio Happen: CanJam SoCal 2025, Part Two by Harris Fogel Jan 05, 2026 #226 How to Play in a Rock Band, 19: Touring Can Make You Crazy, Part One by Frank Doris Jan 05, 2026 #226 Linda Ronstadt Goes Bigger by Wayne Robins Jan 05, 2026 #226 From The Audiophile’s Guide: Active Room Correction and Digital Signal Processing by Paul McGowan Jan 05, 2026 #226 PS Audio in the News by Frank Doris Jan 05, 2026 #226 Back to My Reel-to-Reel Roots, Part 25: Half-Full, Not Empty by Ken Kessler Jan 05, 2026 #226 Happy New Year! by Frank Doris Jan 05, 2026 #226 Turn It Down! by Peter Xeni Jan 05, 2026 #226 Ghost Riders by James Schrimpf Jan 05, 2026 #226 A Factory Tour of Audio Manufacturer German Physiks by Markus "Marsu" Manthey Jan 04, 2026 #225 Capital Audiofest 2025: Must-See Stereo, Part One by Frank Doris Dec 01, 2025 #225 Otis Taylor and the Electrics Delivers a Powerful Set of Hypnotic Modern Blues by Frank Doris Dec 01, 2025 #225 A Christmas Miracle by B. Jan Montana Dec 01, 2025 #225 T.H.E. Show New York 2025, Part Two: Plenty to See, Hear, and Enjoy by Frank Doris Dec 01, 2025 #225 Underappreciated Artists, Part One: Martin Briley by Rich Isaacs Dec 01, 2025 #225 Rock and Roll is Here to Stay by Wayne Robins Dec 01, 2025 #225 A Lifetime of Holiday Record (and CD) Listening by Rudy Radelic Dec 01, 2025 #225 Little Feat: Not Saying Goodbye, Not Yet by Ray Chelstowski Dec 01, 2025 #225 How to Play in a Rock Band, Part 18: Dealing With Burnout by Frank Doris Dec 01, 2025 #225 The People Who Make Audio Happen: CanJam SoCal 2025 by Harris Fogel Dec 01, 2025 #225 Chicago’s Sonic Sanctuaries: Four Hi‑Fi Listening Bars Channeling the Jazz‑Kissa Spirit by Olivier Meunier-Plante Dec 01, 2025

Issue 152

Issue 152

All of us at Copper once again wish all of you happy holidays. The past two years have been tougher than anyone could have imagined, but this is a season of hope and renewal after all. Keeping the holiday spirit, however we choose to do so, is perhaps more important than ever. Here’s to a happier, brighter and better 2022.

Just a few days ago, Emiko Carlin, marketing director for audio show T.H.E. Show, announced a new offshoot organization, T.H.E. Group. It’s a membership-based program, and participants will get free passes to T.H.E. Show, access to studio tours, artist performances, an Audio University program, and events including wine tasting, supercar and racing experiences, and other activities. Carlin noted, “Music is for everyone, so hi-fi and audio are for everyone, and we want T.H.E. Group to be an ecosystem people can be part of who love all different genres of music, have different experiences in listening and lifestyle, and who share the same goal: keeping our industry moving forward!” For more information visit www.thegroup.life.

In this issue: In a first for Copper, or maybe anywhere we have a trifecta of contributing editors weighing in on the Beatles Get Back documentary: Tim Riley ("Nobody Told Me There'd Be Days Like These"), Larry Jaffee ("Let It Be: Director Peter Jackson's Get Back Provides Much-Needed Context"), and Jay Jay French ("Get Back, Let It Be and the Boredom of Excellence"). Continuing what has become a Copper tradition, WL Woodward offers a holiday story and a poem, while The Mindful Melophile Don Kaplan deals with not-in-the-spirit shoppers. I cover Octave Records’ latest, Levelland by country-folk duo Bonnie and Taylor Sims. Russ Welton asks – do we really need video for audio streaming? Tom Methans considers the collector as minimalist. Rudy Radelic continues his series on Burt Bacharach with a look at some artists who had him covered. Tom Gibbs digs more deeply into the Gustard X16 and PS Audio Stellar GainCell DACs, and Roon.

Ken Kessler has some advice on buying reel-to-reel tape. Anne E. Johnson gives us the real story, not the movie version, on Antonio Salieri, and the career of soulful hitmakers Hall and Oates. Ray Chelstowski talks with Hollis Brown front man Michael Montali about In the Aftermath, their track-by-track homage to the Rolling Stones album. Andy Schaub serves up a lunch menu. John Seetoo continues his coverage of the Audio Engineering Society’s AES Fall 2021 virtual show. J.I. Agnew spins Part Two of his series, Around the World in 80 Lathes (of the record-cutting variety). B. Jan forges on ahead through South Dakota. Ken Sander has a few laughs at Dangerfield’s. We wrap up this holiday issue with seasonal advice, a fabled midrange, an adventure in sound, and a visit to Louie Lee’s.

Staff Writers:

J.I. Agnew, Ray Chelstowski, Cliff Chenfeld, Jay Jay French, Tom Gibbs, Roy Hall, Rich Isaacs, Anne E. Johnson, Don Kaplan, Ken Kessler, Don Lindich, Stuart Marvin, Tom Methans, B. Jan Montana, Rudy Radelic, Tim Riley, Wayne Robins, Ken Sander, John Seetoo, Dan Schwartz, Russ Welton, WL Woodward, Adrian Wu

Contributing Editors:
Ivan Berger, Steven Bryan Bieler, Jack Flory, Harris Fogel, Robert Heiblim, Steve Kindig, Ed Kwok, Alón Sagee, Andy Schaub, David Snyder, Bob Wood

Cover:
“Cartoon Bob” D’Amico

Cartoons:
James Whitworth, Peter Xeni

Parting Shots:
James Schrimpf, B. Jan Montana, Rich Isaacs (and others)

Audio Anthropology Photos:
Howard Kneller, Steve Rowell

Editor:
Frank Doris

Publisher:
Paul McGowan

Advertising Sales:
No one. We are free from advertising and subscribing to Copper is free.

 – FD

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