Copper


Retro-Introspection?

Issue 35Opening Salvo

Welcome to Copper #35! Lately, I've been blathering a lot about aging, even right here in this space last issue. I'm afraid that Dan Schwartz's piece in this issue about Harry Pearson has further fueled that...

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Montana Goes to the LA Audio Show

Issue 35FEATURED

The LAX Sheraton (shown above with my good friend Jim Lindstrom, whose enthusiasm for audio knows no bounds) was a good choice as venue for the LA Audio Show (LAAS,...

Believing Our Ears

Issue 35THE AUDIO CYNIC

There are times when I regret having named this column “The Audio Cynic”. Some days, “Skeptic” would be more appropriate. Other days, my younger coworkers would likely vote for “The...

Jófríður Ákadóttir

Issue 35... AND INDIE FOR ALL

It’s tempting to picture Björk as the only singer-songwriter in Iceland, wandering alone over the frozen tundra with only her swan-shaped dress for company. Satisfying as that image may be,...

Getting to Know György

Issue 35TOO MUCH TCHAIKOVSKY

György Kurtág (b. 1926) is old. Really old. If his music sounds young—somehow new—that may simply be due to his having labored in the shadows of Messiaen, Ligeti, Cage, et al. all these...

B & O Sells Czech Factory to Tymphany

Issue 35INDUSTRY NEWS

Bang & Olufsen completes divestiture of its Czech subsidiary and announces non-cash adjustments to the balance sheet [Full disclosure: I have a lifelong fondness for B&O, and have done a...

Horns, Part 4

Issue 35VINTAGE WHINE

We wrapped up our last installment with the end of World War II, the formation of Altec-Lansing after the break-up of Western Electric, and the arrival of permanent magnet drivers (including Alnico)....

Life on the Rocks

Issue 35PARTING SHOT

In a harsh environment, life thrives.

What’s Always the Most Important Component in Y...

Issue 35FEATURED

I’ve lost count of the number of homes I’ve visited where the resident audiophile had assembled an expensive sound system from highly reviewed components. The number of these visits is...

Lute!

Issue 35SOMETHING OLD / SOMETHING NEW

One of the defining factors of High Baroque music is the explosion in the number of instrumental pieces being composed. It’s easy to think of the 17th century and earlier as...

Southern Rock and The Allman Brothers: The ReRe...

Issue 35MUSIC TO MY EARS

In March 1971 the Allman Brothers started a three day gig at Bill Graham’s Fillmore East with Mountain opening, then the Bros., and headlined by Johnny Winter And.  I did a Copper column a few months ago...

Long Island, Part 2

Issue 35TWISTED SYSTEMS

The following Monday morning after the delivery and installation of the $100k system that was used just to listen to Grateful Dead live bootleg cassettes and burned CD’s (referred to...

Wild About Harry (Pearson)

AND OTHER ILLNESSESAUDIOIssue 35MUSIC

Some time ago, I wrote, first for Paul McGowan, and re-published in PFO a couple years ago, about why I left The Absolute Sound.  But I didn’t really write about Harry Pearson. Many...

Long Island, Part 2

Issue 35

The following Monday morning after the delivery and installation of the $100k system that was used just to listen to Grateful Dead live bootleg cassettes and burned CD’s (referred to...

Why Moore's Law Should Blow Your Mind

Issue 35QUIBBLES AND BITS

Most of you will be familiar with Moore’s Law, formulated by Gordon E. Moore, the founder of Intel, waaaaay back in 1965.  Imagine, if you can, the state of electronics components technology...