COPPER

A PS Audio Publication

Issue 133 • Free Online Magazine

Issue 133 Opening Salvo

Oh, Look!

Oh, Look!

Copper has a new look! So does the rest of the PS Audio website, the result of countless hours of hard work. There's more functionality and easier access to articles, and additional developments will come. There will be some temporary glitches and some tweaks required – like high-end audio systems, magazines sometimes need tweaking too – but overall, we're excited to provide a better and more enjoyable reading experience.

I now hand over the column to our esteemed Larry Schenbeck:

Dear Copper Colleagues and Readers,

Frank has graciously asked if I’d like to share a word or two about my intention to stop writing Too Much Tchaikovsky. So: thanks to everyone who read and enjoyed it – I wrote it for you. If you added comments occasionally, you made my day.

I also wrote the column so I could keep learning, especially about emerging creatives and performers in classical music. Getting the chance to stumble upon something new and nourishing had sustained me in the academic world – it certainly wasn’t the money! – and I was grateful to continue that in Copper. 

So why stop? Because, as they say, there is a season. It has become considerably harder for me to stumble upon truly fresh sounds and then write freshly thereon. Here I am tempted to quote Douglas Adams or Satchel Paige, who both knew how to deliver an exit line. But I’ll just say (since Frank has promised to leave the light on), goodbye for now.

The door is open, Larry, and we can’t thank you enough for your wonderful contributions.

In this issue: Larry Schenbeck delves into the Bach's St John Passion. Ken Sander makes friends with Roye Albrighton of Nektar and beyond. Ray Chelstowski interviews Allman Brothers, Rolling Stones and Sea Level keyboardist extraordinaire Chuck Leavell. Alón Sagee scales the heights of Nepal. Adrian Wu gets even deeper into reel to reel tape. I try some unsuccessful audio experiments. Rudy Radelic gets his Hampster Dance on with Four80East.

Anne E. Johnson appreciates the legendary jazz singer Dinah Washington and one of Canada’s greatest, The Band. John Seetoo visits the storied United Recording Studios. Tom Gibbs looks at reissues from the under-appreciated Ronnie James Dio-era Black Sabbath. J.I. Agnew continues with the biggest move of his life. Cliff Chenfeld recommends some contemporary rock artists. Russ Welton ponders how musical experiences influence gear purchases. Audio Anthropology gives a lot of sound for a nickel, while Peter Xeni undergoes environmental impact, James Whitworth experiences auditory masking and our Parting Shot from Rich Isaacs gets up close and personal.

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#231 Piano Prodigy Jude Kofie Releases His Debut Album On Octave Records by Frank Doris Jun 01, 2026 #231 Underappreciated Artists, Part Two: City Boy by Rich Isaacs Jun 01, 2026 #231 Music and the Art of Creation: Talking With Saxophonist Rob Scheps by Joe Caplan Jun 01, 2026 #231 How to Play in a Rock Band, 24: Further Adventures at the 2026 Montauk Music Festival by Frank Doris Jun 01, 2026 #231 Courtney Barnett: Creature of Habit by Wayne Robins Jun 01, 2026 #231 Angine de Poitrine: Interstellar Guitar Rock Saviors Headed for Late-Night TV Pop Stardom? by Mark Lepage Jun 01, 2026 #231 My Impressions of AXPONA 2026, Part One by Frank Doris Jun 01, 2026 #231 2026 La Jolla Concours d'Elegance: Another Aesthetic Feast by B. Jan Montana Jun 01, 2026 #231 Country Music Icon Jo Dee Messina’s Bridges: A New Beginning by Ray Chelstowski Jun 01, 2026 #231 The Luxury Dispatch Hosts a Video Podcast With Ken Kessler by Ken Kessler Jun 01, 2026 #231 The Vinyl Beat: Tracking in the Motor City by Rudy Radelic Jun 01, 2026 #231 Lots of Fun With DSP: The Ferrum Audio WANDLA DAC and Its Tube Mode by Frank Doris Jun 01, 2026 #231 From The Audiophile's Guide: Digital Source Components and Streaming Audio by Paul McGowan Jun 01, 2026 #231 Onkyo’s Monster M-510 power amplifier by The Staff at Just Audio Jun 01, 2026 #231 PS Audio in the News by PS Audio Staff Jun 01, 2026 #231 Naming Convention by Peter Xeni Jun 01, 2026 #231 Les Invisibles by Frank Doris Jun 01, 2026 #231 Wildlife Scene by James Schrimpf Jun 01, 2026 #230 Camaraderie by B. Jan Montana May 04, 2026 #230 AXPONA 2026: A Family Gathering by Paul McGowan May 04, 2026 #230 Pianist Ryan Benthall Explores Jazz Realms and Far Beyond With Divine Sky by Frank Doris May 04, 2026 #230 The Vinyl Beat in AXPONA-Land by Rudy Radelic May 04, 2026 #230 Teddy Thompson’s Musical Growth Deepens With Never Be the Same by Ray Chelstowski May 04, 2026 #230 More Fun in the Sun: Florida Audio Expo, Part Two by Frank Doris May 04, 2026 #230 CanJam NYC 2026 Show Report: Heady Sound, Part Two by Frank Doris and Harris Fogel May 04, 2026 #230 Sonic Youth On Murray Street by Wayne Robins May 04, 2026 #230 Graffeo Coffee: A Symphony of Sensory Experience by Joe Caplan May 04, 2026 #230 The Saul Authority: The Story of Hi-Fi Pioneer Saul Marantz by Olivier Meunier-Plante May 04, 2026 #230 How to Play in a Rock Band, 23: Encounters With Famous Musicians, Part Two by Frank Doris May 04, 2026 #230 An Outlier in the Rack: A Vintage BIC Beam Box by The Staff at Just Audio May 04, 2026 #230 PS Audio in the News by PS Audio Staff May 04, 2026 #230 A Cautionary Tale by Rich Isaacs May 04, 2026 #230 Reel-to-Reel Roots, Part 33 (Revised): Ken Kessler Reports On the 2026 (British) AudioJumble by Ken Kessler May 04, 2026 #230 Text Messaging by Frank Doris May 04, 2026 #230 The Audiophile Rat Race by Peter Xeni May 04, 2026 #230 On the Rocks by Rich Isaacs May 04, 2026 #229 The Earliest Stars of Country Music, Part Three by Jeff Weiner Apr 06, 2026 #229 The Healing Power of Music and Sound at the Omega Institute by Joe Caplan Apr 06, 2026 #229 CanJam NYC 2026 Show Report: Heady Sound, Part One by Frank Doris Apr 06, 2026 #229 Florida Audio Expo 2026: Warming Up to High-End Audio, Part One by Frank Doris Apr 06, 2026 #229 Quick Takes: Anne Bisson, Sam Morrison, The Velvet Underground, and the Stooges by Frank Doris Apr 06, 2026 #229 The Vinyl Beat: New Arrivals, and Old Audio Show Demo Scores to Settle by Rudy Radelic Apr 06, 2026 #229 Harvard Gets a High-End Audio Education by Frank Doris Apr 06, 2026 #229 No Country for Old Knees by B. Jan Montana Apr 06, 2026 #229 How To Play in A Rock Band, 22: Encounters With Famous Musicians, Part 1 by Frank Doris Apr 06, 2026 #229 The Soulful Grooves of Guinea-Bissau by Steve Kindig Apr 06, 2026 #229 Four-Hand Piano Performance at Its Finest by Stephan Haberthür Apr 06, 2026

Oh, Look!

Oh, Look!

Copper has a new look! So does the rest of the PS Audio website, the result of countless hours of hard work. There's more functionality and easier access to articles, and additional developments will come. There will be some temporary glitches and some tweaks required – like high-end audio systems, magazines sometimes need tweaking too – but overall, we're excited to provide a better and more enjoyable reading experience.

I now hand over the column to our esteemed Larry Schenbeck:

Dear Copper Colleagues and Readers,

Frank has graciously asked if I’d like to share a word or two about my intention to stop writing Too Much Tchaikovsky. So: thanks to everyone who read and enjoyed it – I wrote it for you. If you added comments occasionally, you made my day.

I also wrote the column so I could keep learning, especially about emerging creatives and performers in classical music. Getting the chance to stumble upon something new and nourishing had sustained me in the academic world – it certainly wasn’t the money! – and I was grateful to continue that in Copper. 

So why stop? Because, as they say, there is a season. It has become considerably harder for me to stumble upon truly fresh sounds and then write freshly thereon. Here I am tempted to quote Douglas Adams or Satchel Paige, who both knew how to deliver an exit line. But I’ll just say (since Frank has promised to leave the light on), goodbye for now.

The door is open, Larry, and we can’t thank you enough for your wonderful contributions.

In this issue: Larry Schenbeck delves into the Bach's St John Passion. Ken Sander makes friends with Roye Albrighton of Nektar and beyond. Ray Chelstowski interviews Allman Brothers, Rolling Stones and Sea Level keyboardist extraordinaire Chuck Leavell. Alón Sagee scales the heights of Nepal. Adrian Wu gets even deeper into reel to reel tape. I try some unsuccessful audio experiments. Rudy Radelic gets his Hampster Dance on with Four80East.

Anne E. Johnson appreciates the legendary jazz singer Dinah Washington and one of Canada’s greatest, The Band. John Seetoo visits the storied United Recording Studios. Tom Gibbs looks at reissues from the under-appreciated Ronnie James Dio-era Black Sabbath. J.I. Agnew continues with the biggest move of his life. Cliff Chenfeld recommends some contemporary rock artists. Russ Welton ponders how musical experiences influence gear purchases. Audio Anthropology gives a lot of sound for a nickel, while Peter Xeni undergoes environmental impact, James Whitworth experiences auditory masking and our Parting Shot from Rich Isaacs gets up close and personal.

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