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Over the top
When it comes to having company over for dinner my family's general rule of thumb has always been better too much than too little. Too much at the dinner table...
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Start with the basics
There is nothing more basic to our HiFi systems than AC power. Everything starts out as a 50Hz or 60Hz sine wave and then gets converted to whatever form of...
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Reviewing the critics
A stereo reviewer is an audiophile with knowledge, experience, and the chops to write about it. They are essential community assets. Theirs is a tough job. Imagine the challenge of...
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Before taking the plunge
We are all different. When I want to learn something I jump in feet first, immerse myself, learn and do everything I can so that later it becomes easy—second-hand nature....
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Baseline
One of the reasons I created the Audiophile's Reference disc to accompany the Audiophile's Guide is the need for a baseline. In the past, we used our favorite music tracks...
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Feeling naked
Now there's a ghastly thought. Me. In public. Naked. Never fear, ain't gonna happen. I haven't that big of a mean streak in me. But as an expression, I often...
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Varying mileage
Two identical car models will both live up to their performance promise, yet they come with a warning their mileage will vary. Of course, the variance is not in the...
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Walking backwards
The many forms of protection like limiters, fuses, clamps, compressors, and crowbars all have something in common. They don't make things better. They make sure things don't get worse. Very different than a technology that moves the progress bar forward. Which is why it can be confusing when we read about the amazing improvements wrought by protection devices like a multi-hundred dollar beeswax and honeyed fuse. Confusing because we're tempted to believe the object is moving the progress bar forward when in reality, it's just doing less damage. Semantics? Perhaps....
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Technique
have a look at these two very different loaves of sourdough bread. What's remarkable is they are both made from the same three ingredients: flour, water, and salt. The difference,...
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Subwoofer LFE
If you're running a home theater receiver or surround sound processor it's often tricky to get the subwoofer settings correct. Theater processors are almost always different than analog preamplifiers in...
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Cross breeding
Purity is appreciated when it comes to purpose, water, and immorality. It's not so great when it comes to a power amplifier's architecture, where hybrids rule. For many years, amplifier...
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What is standard?
In Australia, the moon is upside down. At least to my eyes. In the United States, the moon is upside down. At least to an Australian's eyes. Our view of...
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Reverb
Reverb is short for the word reverberation. It's a method of adding "life" to an otherwise lifeless recording. You hear reverb mostly on voices. Recording studios add it when the...
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Guide books
In all my years of designing, building, and playing around with stereo systems, when it comes to performance the two constants have always been equipment choices and setup. And setup...
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Hard to imagine
When Stereophile reviewer Michael Fremer writes "on electric bass... the M1200 is a monster", he's not alone. More and more emails daily come across my screen extolling the virtues of...
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Story time
We catalog and explain concepts like careers, hobbies, science, heritage, family, and even our stereo systems as stories. Stories help us wrap our heads around that which is unknown, complex,...
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It's not meant for you
Not everything is going to fit you and your particular needs. Yet sometimes we get the wrong cues about the intended audience for a product or service. When that happens,...
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SACD Transport
The Super Audio Compact Disc was Sony and Philip's follow-up format to the original Compact Disc—itself an innovation that fundamentally changed the world forever. It's hard to get lightning to...
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Closest to accurate
Despite the fact we use some of the most expensive in the world, a microphone's output isn't even close to what I hear in person. And this charade of realism...
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Abstinence
"Total abstinence is so excellent a thing that it cannot be carried to too great an extent. In my passion for it I even carry it so far as to...
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