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Out of Control
This article was first published in the Dubai-based English daily Gulf News. I’ve written a personal essay for their op-ed page twice a month since 2005. I often write about music and...
Spiking Your Speakers: What’s the Point?
Before we get started, a big IMO should go in front of the next sentence.… Spikes are NOT loudspeaker isolation devices. They are tuning devices. They will always “lean out” the sound. True isolation devices will...
High-End Audio: In Need of Higher Fidelity to I...
Musings from a long-time listener upon entering the hi-fi industry I remember the exact moment the switch flipped. I was in my early twenties when I hit “play” and was...
Controversy Corner ?
Part One: Past 50? Is your hearing still good enough to worry about your system’s sound quality? I’ll never forget these intertwined events. It was in the early 1980s. I...
Has Music All Been Downhill Since 1969?
Some 30 years ago, I was involved in a debate with a younger co-worker on another magazine – let’s call him “Martin T”– about something I had posited, and with...
EQ, DSP, & You: A Cautionary Tale
Some of this info was presented in the Copper Subwoofery series. But it was buried within lots of set-up details, and I have felt that it needs to be addressed on its own....
Montana Goes to the LA Audio Show
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,...
What’s Always the Most Important Component in Y...
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...
Schwartz Tours the LA Audio Show
I had about half a day, Friday, at the Los Angeles Audio Show (the show ran June 2nd-4th at the Sheraton Gateway near LAX).—Well, half a day after attending what Paul McGowan...
A Dedicated Listening Room
Even if you want and can afford a dedicated room, there’s something to consider if you don’t live alone… Going into your own dedicated room to listen to music is...
The Return of Even More Neglected Artists!
Due to a “senior moment,” I missed the “thirties” in my running series of overlooked artists. As my fellow senior citizen, Editor Leebens, missed it, too, I’m relieved: it was...
Audiophile Therapy
Do you remember that special feeling on the way home from a great concert? If you’re like me, you hardly remember the trip home. Do you remember feeling the concert’s emotional...
Axpona: Up Your Game, Exhibitors!
While watching Stereophile’s video of 2017 CES impressions, Peter McGrath of Wilson Audio made a comment (at 1:48) that some of the demo rooms need to “up their game” with the demo music. In his...
Becoming a Curd Nerd
When I was eleven years old, Santa left a fondue machine and half a wheel of stinky French cheese in my stocking at Christmas. Most kids (and plenty of adults)...
More Q & A on Getting Better Sound
Continuing with our questions & answers series, I have two that have always caused some contention. In that respect, I hope you find them interesting: Why you should be sour...
What’s the Warmth in Tube Amps?
Why are we, as audiophiles, entranced by the reproduction of music using vacuum tubes? As it turns out, noise is traditionally thought of as something to be minimized in all...
Professor Schenbeck Goes to a Show
Last month I was in Montréal for a professional meeting when Bill Leebens texted me: “Larry. Listen: there’s a hell of a good audio universe next door!” He was right,...
Simple Acoustics, Complicated Spouses
When I was a teenager, I told a girl that I loved her so much that I would die for her. She replied that if I died, she’d no longer find...
The Answer Man Part 2
Your Questions – My Answers, continued Continuing our look at some of the most discussed topics/questions at my audio seminars – (Example – RMAF 2010 – relevant topics begin at...
The Answer Man
Your questions – My answers Following up from Copper # 26, where readers were asked to pick from a list of popular topics, we will start off with our reply...
Kirin Light at the Buddha Bar
A group of audiophiles were enjoying lunch in La Jolla recently when the subject of personal preferences came up, specifically, what genres of music we were listening to these days. ...
That Cartoon Guy
As we arrive at our first anniversary, it’s fair to acknowledge those who have helped us reach that landmark. The cover of every issue of Copper—27 so far, including this one—has featured...
Something to Talk About
Recently, I was thinking about the many topics that my Get Better Sound audio seminar attendees have liked most over the years. The list is fairly long, but there has been a...
“CNC” Moving Magnet Cartridge Phono Stage Concl...
In issues 21 and 23, we featured a DIY phonostage by Jim Langley known as the “CNC” Phono. After losing our first round of printed circuit boards in the mail, we finally have...
Audio Myths
I’ve been involved with audio technology since the 1960s, and I’m still surprised—and a bit dismayed—to see the same myths repeated again and again. How “wire” functions is understood fully,...
In Praise of Domestic Tranquility
You’d think I had promoted Two Buck Chuck over Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Some of the lads looked disappointed, others just looked downcast. The ambience went flat like Sunday morning Champagne. ...
Vinyl: Vivid or Veiled?
You probably know that the vinyl LP is enjoying an incredible regeneration in interest. Not that it was ever dead in many of the circles that I encounter. Quite the contrary, in...
CES: Images Only
I’ve editorialized about CES in the past, starting way back in Copper #1. I’m still recovering from the dreaded CES Crud, and so as to avoid saying something intemperate–here are a few...
Science vs. Soul
When do the best measurements NOT yield the best musical involvement? I had originally wanted to write about how I chose my personal speakers, and how I voiced them, but...
ACK Attack is BACK!!
ACK Attack for serious listeners, part one – [You may want to refer to Jim’s original piece on the ACK Attack, in issue #12 of Copper—Ed.] Why you should be sour on a wide...
Revenge of Son of Forgotten Artists Strikes Back!
No fear of running out of great musicians who may or may not have slipped below your radar … or never been on it. This bunch brings us up to...
DPT: Three Critical Steps To Maximize Musical ...
It was about 7 years ago. I was voicing a system to his room for a Get Better Sound owner. Not sure if I had started calling these sessions RoomPlay yet. Anyway, he had...
Objective? Subjective? Who Cares? Part 2
Part 2: Testing 1, 2, 3. Forget the stories and debates about “objective testing,” or its failings, that you read about in consumer magazines or hear about on audio internet...
Subwoofery: The Finale
Electronic Adjustments Ok, now that we’ve accomplished the bassic (pun intended, sorry!) steps, we are on the home stretch. These final steps require personal choice/taste as well as some technical adjustments. In...
Understanding the Analog Obsession
“I don’t need no bike that don’t need me!” Harley Mike proclaimed. He was responding to a question asking why anyone would choose to ride a motorcycle that was so...
Do You Even DIY, Bro?
Darren Myers’ Make It Yourself articles, run in Copper issues 15, 16, and 17, are among the most popular articles we’ve ever run. Unfortunately, projects take time to develop: plotting, postulating, obtaining parts, documenting the project, building...
That Listening Thing
I’ve been thinking lately about close listening, and the way it tends to be categorized as an “audiophile thing.” It conjures up images of someone in a darkened room, sitting...
Subwoofery: The Basics
In Copper #18, we addressed the critical importance of getting the smoothest bass from our main (full-range speakers). This step is foundational for properly integrating our subs to the main speakers....
Objective? Subjective? Who Cares?
Part 1: Human Nature. We just don’t get no respect, us audio engineering types. After all, we were the kids who founded audio clubs, spent our free time at whatever...
Talking Direct
Back in my pre-teen youth, I had an undying love for the brand Technics. My uncle owned a Technics cassette deck , the local hi-fi store seemed to stock nothing...
Subwoofery: ...
The Listening Position: This series was implemented to assist music-loving audiophiles in gaining much more musical involvement with their systems that feature “full-range” loudspeakers. As such, it is not about...
Subwoofery: Smooth Operator?
Our last entry ended with this statement – “No matter how excellent the subs, no matter how much effort went into their placement, the results will never be satisfying if...
Wait A Minute!
We interrupt our regularly scheduled Subwoofery series for a Special Announcement! In the past couple of weeks, as I voiced several systems around the country and conducted set-up classes at my RoomPlay...
Amplified & Equalized
Having generated a few milli- or micro-volts by our humble little cartridge, we now have to equalize by applying the inverse of the RIAA curve that was applied when the...
Subwoofery: Trick or Treat?
Part 2 – “Fast” bass? Really??? … … Just when I think some errant audiophile terminology is finally extinct, it rears its ugly head again. I am still amazed when...
Who Are The Modern Audiophiles?
I recently read this piece on industry website Dealerscope Magazine, and felt that Gary Yacoubian very clearly stated the rite of passage that appears to be taking place. I’ve struggled in...
Points Of Pickup
The point of contact between the cartridge’s generator system and the actual moving vinyl record is of course the stylus, mounted on to the cantilever. The stylus has to cope...