Copper

A few days ago, Hobbes, our creamsicle-colored fur-ball of 12 years was eaten by a hungry coyote. I’m trying my best not to be angry at the coyote (bastard!) that... Read more...

Elvin Jones: Hall of Fame Drummer

There must have been some great music at home when drummer Elvin Jones was growing up in Pontiac, Michigan. He and his brothers, trumpeter Thad and pianist Hank, all turned... Read more...

A Tale of Two Different Systems

I was recently asked by two friends (independently of one another) to help them build their new audio systems. Other than replacing my phono cartridge with another of the same... Read more...

Fun With YouTube

YouTube is an amazing place. You can see stuff there that you never imagined. You can also spend the rest of your life chasing videos that come up as suggestions... Read more...

Bobbie Gentry: Enjoying Fame…and Solitude

Born in 1942 as Roberta Streeter, country singer Bobbie Gentry was raised by her father and grandparents in rural Mississippi. She wrote her first song, about the family dog, when... Read more...

Pilgrimage to Sturgis. Part 11

Melody was at my cabin door at 7 am just like the morning before. We enjoyed another great breakfast with her parents and their guests at the trout fishing lodge.... Read more...

Choosing New Speakers: Power-Handling Considerations

In Part Two of this series (Issue 149), we examined the reality that accurate speaker sensitivity ratings have a direct bearing on how suitable the ratings may be when considering varying room... Read more...

Reeling 'Em In

Simple design, good sound: A Dynaco Mark III mono power amplifier, in Dynakit kit version. Introduced in 1957, Dynaco was known to some as the "poor man's Mcintosh." Rear and... Read more...

The Future Sound of London

Vinyls

To the tune of “Royals” by Lorde I’ve never seen a diamond except on a stylusI cut my teeth on Discwasher and ZerostatAnd I’m not proud of my streaming DACIn... Read more...

Octave Records Releases The Moon Leans In by Singer/Songwriter Thom LaFond

Octave Records’ newest release is The Moon Leans In by singer/songwriter/guitarist Thom LaFond. The album offers a broad range of moods and styles, from stripped-down acoustic instrument-based songs to upbeat,... Read more...

Around the World in 80 Lathes, Part Three

In previous installments (Issue 151 and Issue 152), J.I. Agnew presented a historical overview of record-cutting lathes, and looked at some models from Neumann.) The suspension unit of the... Read more...

AES Show Fall 2021 Highlights, Part Three

In the fourth quarter of 2021, the Audio Engineering Society (AES) held its annual fall show online in October, because of the pandemic still being in effect. The show seminars... Read more...

Back to My Reel-to-Reel Roots, Part Six: Rock On (or Not)

After the last issue’s epic coverage of the Beatles’ Get Back film, and my diatribe about the British mono open-reel tapes, you may have overdosed on the Fab Four. Please allow me... Read more...

Welcome to the Pleasure Dome

This streamlined dome lounge car was built for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. They were known as "Pleasure Domes," named for the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem "Kubla Khan."... Read more...

Issue 153

Happy New Year! I have a perhaps selfish New Year’s wish – that 2022 will be an easier year. The Grammy Awards are coming up on January 31, 2022. But if it wasn't for... Read more...

Marshall Crenshaw: Songwriting Mastery Revisited with #447

Marshall Crenshaw’s career began in perhaps the most poetic of fashion – he played John Lennon in the Broadway musical Beatlemania. From there his career was propelled with a steady stream of... Read more...

New Year's Resolution

Purchase or Audition Locally