COPPER

A PS Audio Publication

Issue 113 • Free Online Magazine

Issue 113 Opening Salvo

Peonies en Regalia

Peonies en Regalia
This issue’s cover: Joni Mitchell (1943 –). Riding on the carousel of time along with the rest of us on the merry-go-round. Every year my wife plants peonies in the back yard. They usually come and go inside of a couple of days. They’re beautiful while they bloom, but then they quickly fade, until around the same time the year after. This year, they’ve been blooming for a week, and there are more of them than usual. My wife tells me the same thing has been happening around the neighborhood and that the peonies are more abundant than ever. The fact that this is happening while the world is in the state it’s in is interesting. A cosmic sign of hope? Mother Nature trying to tell us something? Why are the peonies stronger this year than they’ve been in more than a decade? I don’t know. Sometimes we observe things and need others to figure them out. Sadly, the audio world has lost two more giants. Albert von Schweikert (75) was a brilliant speaker designer whose creations earned worldwide acclaim. They were a familiar sight at audio shows, often paired with Valve Amplification Company (VAC) electronics, and usually sounding absolutely sensational. Allen Boothroyd (76), co-founder of Meridian Audio (along with Bob Stuart), and renowned industrial designer, contributed his considerable talents to not only Meridian but also KEF, Celestion, Russound and others, and even designed computers and coffee machines. RIP gentlemen; the world is richer for your talents. In this issue: Anne E. Johnson riffs on bass great Marcus Miller and one of music’s most legendary figures: Johnny Cash. Tom Gibbs looks at new and reissued music from Rush, Jason Isbell, Dire Straits and Shostakovich. Professor Larry Schenbeck smiles over four Figaros. Roy Hall thinks about smuggling. Dan Schwartz notes the beautiful ordinariness of the band Elbow. John Seetoo continues his series, Songs of Praise from Unlikely Artists. PS Audio has launched a new record label! Octave Records is here. John Seetoo does an interview with mastering maestro Steve Hoffman. Rich Isaacs’ third installment on Italian progressive rock features Sensations’ Fix and Arti & Mestieri. Wayne Robins basks in a Pacific Breeze of Japanese pop. J.I. Agnew concludes his Q & A on vinyl polarity. Jay Jay French realizes it’s never too late to start over. Ken Sander hangs with Labelle. The issue wraps up with cartoonist James Whitworth taking a stand, a tangerine dream and Bonnie bringin’ it.

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#232 What came first: Art or Music? A Conversation With Artist Jose Acosta by Joe Caplan Jul 06, 2026 #232 Blow By Blow: The Jeff Beck Story: An Insightful Book About a Guitar Icon by Ray Chelstowski Jul 06, 2026 #232 Creed Over Camaraderie? by B. Jan Montana Jul 06, 2026 #232 Chronicles of a Sound Pilgrim at the 2026 Montreal Audiofest by Hugues Morin Jul 06, 2026 #232 The Vinyl Beat: Summer Grooves by Rudy Radelic Jul 06, 2026 #232 Hibbing Hillbilly Dylan's Acoustic Rock by Wayne Robins Jul 06, 2026 #232 Quad Quads and Plasmatronics Tweeters: An Extraordinary System Comes to Life by Frank Doris Jul 06, 2026 #232 In Praise of Live Music, Once Again by Ted Shafran Jul 06, 2026 #232 Allnic Audio’s L-9000 Preamplifier: Design and Engineering Innovation by Howard Kneller Jul 06, 2026 #232 “Best Of” Lists and Rage Bait: Enough Already by Frank Doris Jul 06, 2026 #232 Quick Takes: Bud Shank, Paulo Almeida, Jakob Dreyer, Tim Eriksen and Peter Irvine by Frank Doris Jul 06, 2026 #232 My Impressions of AXPONA 2026, Part 2 by Frank Doris Jul 06, 2026 #232 How to Play in a Rock Band, 25: Encounters With Famous Musicians, Part Three by Frank Doris Jul 06, 2026 #232 Budgets, and Systems From Small to Outrageous by Paul McGowan Jul 06, 2026 #232 PS Audio in the News by PS Audio Staff Jul 06, 2026 #232 Hand It Over by Frank Doris Jul 06, 2026 #232 Difference of Opinion by Peter Xeni Jul 06, 2026 #232 Wabi-sabi Tree by James Schrimpf Jul 06, 2026 #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

Peonies en Regalia

Peonies en Regalia
This issue’s cover: Joni Mitchell (1943 –). Riding on the carousel of time along with the rest of us on the merry-go-round. Every year my wife plants peonies in the back yard. They usually come and go inside of a couple of days. They’re beautiful while they bloom, but then they quickly fade, until around the same time the year after. This year, they’ve been blooming for a week, and there are more of them than usual. My wife tells me the same thing has been happening around the neighborhood and that the peonies are more abundant than ever. The fact that this is happening while the world is in the state it’s in is interesting. A cosmic sign of hope? Mother Nature trying to tell us something? Why are the peonies stronger this year than they’ve been in more than a decade? I don’t know. Sometimes we observe things and need others to figure them out. Sadly, the audio world has lost two more giants. Albert von Schweikert (75) was a brilliant speaker designer whose creations earned worldwide acclaim. They were a familiar sight at audio shows, often paired with Valve Amplification Company (VAC) electronics, and usually sounding absolutely sensational. Allen Boothroyd (76), co-founder of Meridian Audio (along with Bob Stuart), and renowned industrial designer, contributed his considerable talents to not only Meridian but also KEF, Celestion, Russound and others, and even designed computers and coffee machines. RIP gentlemen; the world is richer for your talents. In this issue: Anne E. Johnson riffs on bass great Marcus Miller and one of music’s most legendary figures: Johnny Cash. Tom Gibbs looks at new and reissued music from Rush, Jason Isbell, Dire Straits and Shostakovich. Professor Larry Schenbeck smiles over four Figaros. Roy Hall thinks about smuggling. Dan Schwartz notes the beautiful ordinariness of the band Elbow. John Seetoo continues his series, Songs of Praise from Unlikely Artists. PS Audio has launched a new record label! Octave Records is here. John Seetoo does an interview with mastering maestro Steve Hoffman. Rich Isaacs’ third installment on Italian progressive rock features Sensations’ Fix and Arti & Mestieri. Wayne Robins basks in a Pacific Breeze of Japanese pop. J.I. Agnew concludes his Q & A on vinyl polarity. Jay Jay French realizes it’s never too late to start over. Ken Sander hangs with Labelle. The issue wraps up with cartoonist James Whitworth taking a stand, a tangerine dream and Bonnie bringin’ it.

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