Copper


Classic and Post-Modern Jazz Meet: Octave Recor...

Issue 186Octave Pitch

Octave Records offers a richly-varied musical and sonic jazz excursion with its latest Pure DSD release, Bishop’s Lair by the Tom Amend Octet. Keyboardist and composer Tom Amend and his...

An Audio Crime Scene Investigation

Issue 186Revolutions Per Minute

Some years ago, I purchased some rather expensive pieces of professional studio equipment from a well-known shop in Europe. One of them was handcrafted and the top of the line,...

A Visit to Wilson Audio: Tour of an American Hi...

Issue 186Deep Dive

Copper has an exchange program with FIDELITY magazine (and others), where we share articles between publications. Here we are honored to present an article from FIDELITY about a tour of...

Parallel Lineup

Issue 186Parting Shot

Sometimes, things just line up. Taken at the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument in Mimbres, New Mexico.

Beyond Face Value: The True Cost of Ticket Pricing

Issue 186Featured

Not so long ago, businesses lived and died by the price tag, that sticker affixed to an item served as a contract between the customer and purveyor. But what if...

xDuoo's Versatile TA-30 Headphone Amp/DAC

Issue 186From the Listening Chair

You might have seen the term “Chi-Fi” lately. It’s a mashup of "Chinese" and "high-fidelity,” and I suggest that the term can refer to bargain-priced, often tube-based electronics from China...

Atomic Transmutation: Australian Guitar Alchemi...

Issue 186Idle Chatter

Australian guitarist Luke Stamenkovich has been hard at work lately. If the in-demand axe-wielder isn’t in the studio contributing sessions to other artists’ recordings, he can be found on stage...

Stereo Buying for Audio Idiots: Three Quick Tips

Issue 186FROM THE SWEET SPOT

I once bought two hefty speakers at a yard sale and stuffed them into the backseat of my four-door Mazda. It was like loading R2D2 into an X-wing fighter –...

The Musical Instrument Museum: Another Trip Aro...

Issue 186New Vistas

The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM), located in Phoenix, Arizona, features 350 exhibits with instruments from around the globe. It is considered to be the foremost musical instrument museum in the...

A One, and a Two...(Part Two)

Issue 186The Mindful Melophile

“A One, and a Two (Part Two)” continues the exploration started in Issue 184 of pieces that are often overlooked because the usual suspects (large orchestral works, string orchestras, vocal...

CTI Records, Part Six: The Keys to CTI

Issue 186Featured

Keys – keyboards, and their players – play a big part in CTI’s many recordings, both as sidemen and as musicians featured on their own CTI or Kudu albums. Here,...

An Exciting and Inexpensive Device to Improve S...

Issue 186To Be Determined

Early February I was sitting around, surfing the net, and happened to come across a Facebook post from a group I belong to, SACD, DVD-A, & Blu-ray Audio Audiophiles. This...

Confessions of a Tube Collector, Part Two

Issue 186Featured

In Part One of this series (Issue 183), I discussed the history of the of the vacuum tube. Since it all started with the development of the diode, we might...

Christian McBride: A Master of Jazz Bass and Be...

Issue 186Off the Charts

At the age of 50, bassist Christian McBride already has eight Grammy Awards and over 300 album credits. It helps that he got an early start. He was playing in...

Exploring Rossini’s Works for Small Ensembles

Issue 186Something Old / Something New

Gioachino Rossini (1792 – 1868) is universally and rightly celebrated for his dozens of operas. But not everything Rossini wrote required massive forces; several recent recordings act as a guide...

Octave Records Debuts Audiophile Masters, Volum...

Issue 163

Octave Records has expanded its series of reference-quality music-sampler discs with the release of Audiophile Masters, Volume VI. The new compilation offers an eclectic selection of music by a diverse...

Table of Contents – Issue 185

Issue 185Opening Salvo

Copper’s gone to a new web platform, as many of you have undoubtedly noticed. We’ve got new features like a search bar (yay!), and others – but there are also...

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The Bangles: Hitmakers from the Paisley Undergr...

Issue 185Off the Charts

Susanna Hoffs, Vicki Peterson, and her sister Debbi Peterson started a band in 1981, adding Annette Zilinskas on bass. They first called themselves the Colours and then the Bangs. But...

Between the Buttons, UK Version: The Rolling St...

Issue 185Wayne's Words

England swings like a pendulum doBobbies on bicycles two by two“England Swings,” Roger Miller, 1965 There was a time when if you asked me to name my favorite Rolling Stones...

The DAM NYC Conference: Why Digital Asset Manag...

Issue 185Show Report

Q: What did the fish say when it bumped its head? A: DAM! So, I used to tell this kids’ joke to my students in digital imaging when speaking about...

Sierra Levesque: Up-and-Coming Canadian Guitarist

Issue 185Idle Chatter

Now more than ever, young women feel empowered to pick up a guitar and roar. But it wasn't always that way; in truth, in years past, the rock and guitar...

Tailor-Made Listening Pleasure

Issue 185Audio Anthropology

Here's a Denon DP-500M direct-drive manual turntable. It has old-school features like quartz lock servo speed control, a large wooden base, and a die-cast S-shaped tonearm. We found a variety...

Signature Style

Issue 185The Listening Chair

I’ve been Jonesing for an Acoustic Signature turntable for a very long time now. This German company, which employs their own CNC machines in the production process, does high-mass 'table engineering just...

Remembering Producer Phil Ramone, 10 Years Later

Issue 185Featured

The 10th anniversary of the passing of Phil Ramone at the age of 79 is upon us. A giant of the music industry, he was at the helm for a...

Eric D. Johnson of Fruit Bats: Pushing the Musi...

Issue 185Disciples of Sound

I recently received a CD in the mail from an established artist who wanted me to review it for another outlet I contribute to. What struck me as I popped...

A Window Into the Past

Issue 185Parting Shot

A window shopper at an antiques store in Bisbee, Arizona.

Scott Smith and Tadd Swanlund of Comply: High-T...

Issue 185The Copper Interview

In our second part of our interview with Scott Smith and Tadd Swanlund of Comply (Part One appeared in Issue 183) we discover their approach to effective passive noise cancellation...

Repairing a Westrex Record Lathe Cutter Head

Issue 185Revolutions Per Minute

Some time ago we were asked to repair a vintage Westrex 2B feedback cutter head at Agnew Analog Reference Instruments. As with all Western Electric and Westrex products, their disk...

Eccentric Records (and How to Fix Them)

Issue 185Featured

We are talking here about physical, not psychological or emotional, eccentricity (that could be a whole ‘nother article). In Issue 184, fellow writer (and parts fabricator extraordinaire) J.I. Agnew wrote...

Dave Rusan of Rusan Guitarworks: Builder of Pri...

Issue 185Frankly Speaking

Dave Rusan is the proprietor of Rusan Guitarworks of Bloomington, Minnesota. He built the iconic “Cloud” guitar for Prince and is also an audiophile. His clients include the Rolling Stones, Sheryl Crow,...

CanJam New York 2023: The Audiophile and Pro Au...

Issue 185Show Report

The CanJam NYC 2023 headphones show at New York’s Marriott Marquis hotel in Times Square was a much-anticipated event. Well attended, although somewhat smaller in the number of exhibitors and...

Always Something There to Remind Us

Issue 182Opening Salvo

Burt Bacharach has passed away at 94. This hits especially hard. Bacharach was a hero to me and one of the greatest songwriters ever – along with lyricist Hal David,...

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Issue 184

Issue 184Opening Salvo

Mike Kuller, former writer for The Absolute Sound, has a new book, The Lucky Audiophile. It’s the story of Mike’s lifelong journey through music and audio, and has lots of details about high-end...

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Octave Records Releases Gabriella by Miguel Esp...

Issue 184Octave Pitch

Octave Records has released one of its most musically satisfying and emotionally powerful albums yet: Gabriella by Miguel Espinoza Fusion. It’s a dazzling blend of flamenco, Latin, Indian, fusion jazz, world music and...

Dave Rusan of Rusan Guitarworks: Builder of Pri...

Issue 184Frankly Speaking

Dave Rusan is the proprietor of Rusan Guitarworks of Bloomington, Minnesota. He built the iconic “Cloud” guitar for Prince, does a brisk business in guitar repairs, and has many stories to tell....

And a One, and a Two…(Part One)

Issue 184The Mindful Melophile

Concert programs normally consist of the usual suspects like music written for large orchestras, small orchestras, string orchestras, or choruses. You won’t find any of them in today’s Melophile, or any...

Tár (This Is Spinal Tárp)… a Movie Review

Issue 184Twisted Systems

In case you missed it, Cate Blanchett takes an Academy Award-nominated star turn in the movie Tár. She plays Lydia Tár, the first American and the first female conductor of the...

Pilgrimage to Europe, Part One: Good Luck

Issue 184New Vistas

When I was in college during the late ’60s, many of my fellow students spent their summers traveling through Europe. As their parents paid for their education, anything they had...

Precise Vinyl Record Centering for Turntables

Issue 184Revolutions Per Minute

Many vinyl records are manufactured with an oversize spindle hole, and some turntables have undersized spindles. These conditions can result in pitch variation from not being able to center the...

Heinrich Schütz: Composing the Foundation for G...

Issue 184Something Old / Something New

Before J.S. Bach, Germany did not produce a lot of earthshaking composers. Among the few Bach predecessors who make the cut is Heinrich Schütz (1585 – 1672), primarily a composer...

Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis: A Firm Grasp on Saxophon...

Issue 184Trading Eights

Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis (1922 – 1986) was often just called “Jaws,” a sign of respect for his mastery of the tenor saxophone as well as a description of the way...

Last of the Free Birds

Issue 184Featured

Lynyrd Skynyrd began in 1960s Jacksonville, Florida. For those unfamiliar with Florida, Jacksonville is about 20 miles from the Georgia border, a few hours’ drive from Alabama, and a quick...

A Visit to the Florida Audio Expo 2023, Part Two

Issue 184To Be Determined

During the Florida Audio Expo (FLAX), I basically live-posted capsules on Facebook from notable rooms I visited each day. Little did I know when I posted about Focal/Naim’s room that I was...

An Interview With Guitarist Michael Jurin, Form...

Issue 184Idle Chatter

At the turn of the century New York City was bristling with droves of young bands looking to make their mark. Much of the era was defined by music that...

Magnetic Attraction

Issue 184Audio Anthropology

A pair of Mariah Acoustics speakers. Manufactured in Arkville, New York, these were made in the 1980s, according to an old forum post from the original owner. A few models...

Bache Audio’s Elegant Sonata EX2 Speakers

Issue 184From the Listening Chair

Greg Belman of Brooklyn, New York’s Bache Audio recently dropped off a pair of his rear-ported Sonata EX2 speakers ($2,780 per pair). Rated at 91 dB sensitivity, this speaker features a 3-inch bamboo cone...