COPPER

A PS Audio Publication

Issue 189 • Free Online Magazine

Issue 189 Opening Salvo

Table of Contents – Issue 189

Table of Contents – Issue 189

Copper’s Dan Schwartz was a true friend – the kind who told you what you needed to hear, not what you wanted to hear. Sadly, he left us on May 16, 2023 at age 66. He will be deeply missed. My tribute to Dan is in this issue.

We mourn the loss of Tina Turner. Where do we begin about this musical force of nature, the Queen of Rock and Roll? Beginning her career with Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm in 1957, they scored major hits with “Proud Mary,” River Deep – Mountain High” and others – and then Tina Turner went on to an even more dazzling solo career. 1984’s Private Dancer yielded multiple hits, including the smash, “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” She sold more than 100 million records, and received 12 Grammy awards and numerous additional accolades. RIP to a legend.

Also in this issue: Anne E. Johnson appreciates Alan Jackson keeping it country. Ken Kessler has thoughts about the cassette tape…revival? Wayne Robins reviews Paul Simon’s latest album, Seven Psalms. Tom Gibbs gets excited about the Topping E70 Velvet DAC, and Andrew Daly is wowed by If… David Heatley’s new album. I review the new Kinks anthology, The Journey – Part 1. Rudy Radelic drives through another road rally for lemons.

Russ Welton interviews Dr. Sean Olive, senior fellow, acoustic research at Harman International. J.I. Agnew restores a Presto record lathe cutter head. Rich Isaacs picks another desert island disc. Howard Kneller spends time with the Linn Magik DAC in The Listening Chair. Ray Chelstowski talks with singer/songwriter Parker Millsap. We conclude the issue with audio shelving, a request to be seated, a disconnect, and some old timer rock and roll.

Staff Writers:
J.I. Agnew, Ray Chelstowski, Andrew Daly, Harris Fogel, 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, Alón Sagee, Ken Sander, John Seetoo, Dan Schwartz, Russ Welton, Adrian Wu

Contributing Editors:
Ivan Berger, Steven Bryan Bieler, Steve Kindig, Ed Kwok, Ted Shafran, 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.

Copper’s Comments Policy:

Copper’s comments sections are moderated. While we encourage thoughtful and spirited discussion, please be civil.

The editor and Copper’s editorial staff reserve the right to delete comments according to our discretion. This includes: political commentary; posts that are abusive, insulting, demeaning or defamatory; posts that are in violation of someone’s privacy; comments that violate the use of copyrighted information; posts that contain personal information; and comments that contain links to suspect websites (phishing sites or those that contain viruses and so on). Spam will be blocked or deleted.

Copper is a place to be enthusiastic about music, audio and other topics. It is most especially not a forum for political discussion, trolling, or rude behavior. Thanks for your consideration.

 – FD

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#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 #229 The People Who Make Audio Happen: Supreme Acoustics Systems’ Las Vegas Grand Opening by Harris Fogel Apr 06, 2026 #229 Blue Öyster Cult: Tyranny and Expectations by Wayne Robins Apr 06, 2026 #229 Guitarist Rick Vito’s Cinematic New Album, Slidemaster by Ray Chelstowski Apr 06, 2026 #229 Measurements and Observational Listening by Paul McGowan Apr 06, 2026 #229 PS Audio in the News by PS Audio Staff Apr 06, 2026 #229 Back to My Reel-to-Reel Roots, Part 28: The Cassette Strikes Back by Ken Kessler Apr 06, 2026 #229 Are You Receiving Me? by Frank Doris Apr 06, 2026 #229 Hospitality by Peter Xeni Apr 06, 2026 #229 Cantina Gateway by James Schrimpf Apr 06, 2026 #228 Serita’s Black Rose Duo Shakes Your Soul With a Blend of Funk, Rock, Blues and a Whole Lot More by Frank Doris Mar 02, 2026 #228 Vinyl, A Love Story by Wayne Robins Mar 02, 2026 #228 Thrill Seeker by B. Jan Montana Mar 02, 2026 #228 The Vinyl Beat: Donald Byrd, Bill Evans, Wes Montgomery, Eddie Palmieri and Frank Sinatra by Rudy Radelic Mar 02, 2026 #228 Listening to Prestige: The History of a Vitally Important Jazz Record Label by Frank Doris Mar 02, 2026 #228 How to Play in a Rock Band, 21: Touring With James Lee Stanley by Frank Doris Mar 02, 2026 #228 The NAMM 2026 Show: The Music Industry’s Premier Event by John Volanski Mar 02, 2026 #228 The Earliest Stars of Country Music, Part Two by Jeff Weiner Mar 02, 2026 #228 From The Audiophile's Guide: A Brief History of Stereophonic Sound by Paul McGowan Mar 02, 2026

Table of Contents – Issue 189

Table of Contents – Issue 189

Copper’s Dan Schwartz was a true friend – the kind who told you what you needed to hear, not what you wanted to hear. Sadly, he left us on May 16, 2023 at age 66. He will be deeply missed. My tribute to Dan is in this issue.

We mourn the loss of Tina Turner. Where do we begin about this musical force of nature, the Queen of Rock and Roll? Beginning her career with Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm in 1957, they scored major hits with “Proud Mary,” River Deep – Mountain High” and others – and then Tina Turner went on to an even more dazzling solo career. 1984’s Private Dancer yielded multiple hits, including the smash, “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” She sold more than 100 million records, and received 12 Grammy awards and numerous additional accolades. RIP to a legend.

Also in this issue: Anne E. Johnson appreciates Alan Jackson keeping it country. Ken Kessler has thoughts about the cassette tape…revival? Wayne Robins reviews Paul Simon’s latest album, Seven Psalms. Tom Gibbs gets excited about the Topping E70 Velvet DAC, and Andrew Daly is wowed by If… David Heatley’s new album. I review the new Kinks anthology, The Journey – Part 1. Rudy Radelic drives through another road rally for lemons.

Russ Welton interviews Dr. Sean Olive, senior fellow, acoustic research at Harman International. J.I. Agnew restores a Presto record lathe cutter head. Rich Isaacs picks another desert island disc. Howard Kneller spends time with the Linn Magik DAC in The Listening Chair. Ray Chelstowski talks with singer/songwriter Parker Millsap. We conclude the issue with audio shelving, a request to be seated, a disconnect, and some old timer rock and roll.

Staff Writers:
J.I. Agnew, Ray Chelstowski, Andrew Daly, Harris Fogel, 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, Alón Sagee, Ken Sander, John Seetoo, Dan Schwartz, Russ Welton, Adrian Wu

Contributing Editors:
Ivan Berger, Steven Bryan Bieler, Steve Kindig, Ed Kwok, Ted Shafran, 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.

Copper’s Comments Policy:

Copper’s comments sections are moderated. While we encourage thoughtful and spirited discussion, please be civil.

The editor and Copper’s editorial staff reserve the right to delete comments according to our discretion. This includes: political commentary; posts that are abusive, insulting, demeaning or defamatory; posts that are in violation of someone’s privacy; comments that violate the use of copyrighted information; posts that contain personal information; and comments that contain links to suspect websites (phishing sites or those that contain viruses and so on). Spam will be blocked or deleted.

Copper is a place to be enthusiastic about music, audio and other topics. It is most especially not a forum for political discussion, trolling, or rude behavior. Thanks for your consideration.

 – FD

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