COPPER

A PS Audio Publication

Issue 115 • Free Online Magazine

Issue 115 Opening Salvo

You Can’t Think of Everything

You Can’t Think of Everything

Sometimes even the most perceptive of us can have a blind spot or a complete brain freeze. I’ve been editing Copper for more than eight months and hadn’t realized that, unlike every other magazine, we didn’t have a masthead! My friend Gene Pitts, editor of The Audiophile Voice, pointed this out. Well, duh! So, let’s acknowledge all the terrifically talented people who make Copper possible:

Contributing Writers:
J.I. Agnew, Ivan Berger, Ray Chelstowski, Jay Jay French, Tom Gibbs, Roy Hall, Robert Heiblim, Rich Isaacs, Anne E. Johnson, Don Kaplan, Ken Kessler, Don Lindich, Tom Methans, B. Jan Montana, Rudy Radelic, Wayne Robins, Alón Sagee, Ken Sander, Larry Schenbeck, John Seetoo, Dan Schwartz, Bob Wood, WL Woodward

Cover:
“Cartoon Bob” D’Amico

Cartoons:
James Whitworth

Parting Shots:
James Schrimpf, B. Jan Montana (and others)

Editor:
Frank Doris

I'd also like to thank all the writers and others who contributed to previous issues. You may even see some of them come back...

We’d like to welcome new contributor Ray Chelstowski. He is a contributing editor at record collector’s magazine Goldmine and writes the "Vinyl Finds" column, as well as feature stories and reviews. He is the former publisher of Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly and writes his own music blog, Disciples of Sound.

In this issue: Professor Larry Schenbeck considers Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito and Idomeneo. John Seetoo begins an in-depth interview with John Grado of phono cartridge and headphones maker Grado Labs. Dan Schwartz contemplates the ordinary beauty of rock band Elbow. Ken Sander remembers the future (or was is the past?) with progressive rock icons Nektar. Anne E. Johnson looks at female rocker extraordinaire Pat Benatar and early piano jazz master Jelly Roll Morton. J.I. Agnew asks: are 180-gram vinyl pressings really better?

Ray Chelstowski is on a mission for McIntosh. In “Confessions of a Setup Man Part Seven,” I keep my eye on the prize. You can’t always get what you want – or can you? Tom Gibbs covers new high resolution Rolling Stones re-releases. Don Kaplan listens to the earth’s heartbeat: Native American music. Robert Heiblim launches a series on how audio products are manufactured. Rich Isaacs continues his deep dive into Italian progressive rock. Copper’s AV squad wraps up the issue with some basic hi-fi-manship, a musical contribution to medical science and Mendocino driftwood.

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#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 #228 A Bone to Pick With Streaming Audio by Frank Doris Mar 02, 2026 #228 Blast Off With Bluesman Duke Robillard by Ray Chelstowski Mar 02, 2026 #228 A Visit to the Marten Loudspeaker Factory in Göteborg, Sweden by Ingo Schulz and Sebastian Polcyn Mar 02, 2026 #228 Pure Distortion by Peter Xeni Mar 02, 2026 #228 A Nagra Factory Tour by Markus "Marsu" Manthey Mar 02, 2026 #228 Back to My Reel-to-Reel Roots, Part 27: Noodge and Ye Shall Receive, Part Two by Ken Kessler Mar 02, 2026 #228 PS Audio in the News by PS Audio Staff Mar 02, 2026 #228 90-Degree Stereo by Frank Doris Mar 02, 2026 #228 The Keys to Art by Rich Isaacs Mar 02, 2026 #227 Seth Lewis Gets in the Groove With Take a Look Around: a Tribute to the Meters by Frank Doris Feb 02, 2026 #227 Passport to Sound: May Anwar’s Audio Learning Experience for Young People by Frank Doris Feb 02, 2026 #227 Conjectures on Cosmic Consciousness by B. Jan Montana Feb 02, 2026 #227 The Big Takeover Turns 45 by Wayne Robins Feb 02, 2026 #227 Music and Chocolate: On the Sensory Connection by Joe Caplan Feb 02, 2026 #227 Singer/Songwriter Chris Berardo: Getting Wilder All the Time by Ray Chelstowski Feb 02, 2026 #227 The Earliest Stars of Country Music, Part One by Jeff Weiner Feb 02, 2026 #227 The Vinyl Beat Goes Down to Tijuana (By Way of Los Angeles), Part Two by Rudy Radelic Feb 02, 2026 #227 How to Play in a Rock Band, 20: On the Road With Blood, Sweat & Tears’ Guitarist Gabe Cummins by Frank Doris Feb 02, 2026 #227 From The Audiophile’s Guide: Audio Specs and Measuring by Paul McGowan Feb 02, 2026 #227 Our Brain is Always Listening by Peter Trübner Feb 02, 2026 #227 PS Audio in the News by PS Audio Staff Feb 02, 2026 #227 The Listening Chair: Sleek Style and Sound From the Luxman L3 by Howard Kneller Feb 02, 2026 #227 The Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society Celebrates Its 32nd Anniversary, Honoring David and Sheryl Lee Wilson and Bernie Grundman by Harris Fogel Feb 02, 2026 #227 Back to My Reel-to-Reel Roots, Part 26: Half Full – Not Half Empty, Redux by Ken Kessler Feb 02, 2026 #227 That's What Puzzles Us... by Frank Doris Feb 02, 2026 #227 Record-Breaking by Peter Xeni Feb 02, 2026 #227 The Long and Winding Road by B. Jan Montana Feb 02, 2026 #226 JJ Murphy’s Sleep Paralysis is a Genre-Bending Musical Journey Through Jazz, Fusion and More by Frank Doris Jan 05, 2026 #226 Stewardship by Consent by B. Jan Montana Jan 05, 2026 #226 Food, Music, and Sensory Experience: An Interview With Professor Jonathan Zearfoss of the Culinary Institute of America by Joe Caplan Jan 05, 2026 #226 Studio Confidential: A Who’s Who of Recording Engineers Tell Their Stories by Frank Doris Jan 05, 2026 #226 Pilot Radio is Reborn, 50 Years Later: Talking With CEO Barak Epstein by Frank Doris Jan 05, 2026 #226 The Vinyl Beat Goes Down to Tijuana (By Way of Los Angeles), Part One by Rudy Radelic Jan 05, 2026 #226 Capital Audiofest 2025: Must-See Stereo, Part Two by Frank Doris Jan 05, 2026 #226 My Morning Jacket’s Carl Broemel and Tyler Ramsey Collaborate on Their Acoustic Guitar Album, Celestun by Ray Chelstowski Jan 05, 2026 #226 The People Who Make Audio Happen: CanJam SoCal 2025, Part Two by Harris Fogel Jan 05, 2026 #226 How to Play in a Rock Band, 19: Touring Can Make You Crazy, Part One by Frank Doris Jan 05, 2026 #226 Linda Ronstadt Goes Bigger by Wayne Robins Jan 05, 2026

You Can’t Think of Everything

You Can’t Think of Everything

Sometimes even the most perceptive of us can have a blind spot or a complete brain freeze. I’ve been editing Copper for more than eight months and hadn’t realized that, unlike every other magazine, we didn’t have a masthead! My friend Gene Pitts, editor of The Audiophile Voice, pointed this out. Well, duh! So, let’s acknowledge all the terrifically talented people who make Copper possible:

Contributing Writers:
J.I. Agnew, Ivan Berger, Ray Chelstowski, Jay Jay French, Tom Gibbs, Roy Hall, Robert Heiblim, Rich Isaacs, Anne E. Johnson, Don Kaplan, Ken Kessler, Don Lindich, Tom Methans, B. Jan Montana, Rudy Radelic, Wayne Robins, Alón Sagee, Ken Sander, Larry Schenbeck, John Seetoo, Dan Schwartz, Bob Wood, WL Woodward

Cover:
“Cartoon Bob” D’Amico

Cartoons:
James Whitworth

Parting Shots:
James Schrimpf, B. Jan Montana (and others)

Editor:
Frank Doris

I'd also like to thank all the writers and others who contributed to previous issues. You may even see some of them come back...

We’d like to welcome new contributor Ray Chelstowski. He is a contributing editor at record collector’s magazine Goldmine and writes the "Vinyl Finds" column, as well as feature stories and reviews. He is the former publisher of Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly and writes his own music blog, Disciples of Sound.

In this issue: Professor Larry Schenbeck considers Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito and Idomeneo. John Seetoo begins an in-depth interview with John Grado of phono cartridge and headphones maker Grado Labs. Dan Schwartz contemplates the ordinary beauty of rock band Elbow. Ken Sander remembers the future (or was is the past?) with progressive rock icons Nektar. Anne E. Johnson looks at female rocker extraordinaire Pat Benatar and early piano jazz master Jelly Roll Morton. J.I. Agnew asks: are 180-gram vinyl pressings really better?

Ray Chelstowski is on a mission for McIntosh. In “Confessions of a Setup Man Part Seven,” I keep my eye on the prize. You can’t always get what you want – or can you? Tom Gibbs covers new high resolution Rolling Stones re-releases. Don Kaplan listens to the earth’s heartbeat: Native American music. Robert Heiblim launches a series on how audio products are manufactured. Rich Isaacs continues his deep dive into Italian progressive rock. Copper’s AV squad wraps up the issue with some basic hi-fi-manship, a musical contribution to medical science and Mendocino driftwood.

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