Neil, have you been surprised by the effects of different types of mains cable and IEC termination on the sound that comes from electronics driving speakers? I have been rather surprised because I don’t reckon I have anything like the acuity of some of my friends for acoustic things, I will usually arrive at conclusions; […]
Neil McCauley
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It seems to us that small innovative British makers really don’t receive much editorial coverage in the paper magazines. It’s easy to speculate why this might be. Possibly those that are marginalised suffer because they don’t have a marketing / advertising budget. Our suspicions though are that: The interests of the ‘big boys’ i.e. those […]
The CD from Joan Armatrading: “Into The Blues” Damn good it is too! Earlier today was Suzanne Vega’s “99.9F” CD. All of it. Twice! Terrific!
Three interesting items spotted on ebay April 7th 2017 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222435246883?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222456800382?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282416796480?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Neil —//— Hi. I’m Howard Popeck, features editor here. The team hope the this post was interesting. Would you like to be a talent scout? If so, then please contact me at features@hifianswers.com with links to anything VINTAGE you think the tens of […]
Three interesting items spotted on ebay April 6th 2017 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stunning-Accuphase-E-350-Integrated-100wpc-Audiophile-Amplifier-Fully-Boxed-/122418795001?hash=item1c80ba91f9:g:f0UAAOSwdGFYsEUI http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Benchmark-DAC1-USB-DAC-Headphone-Amplifier-/122431566679?hash=item1c817d7357:g:9kYAAOSwB-1YrLDD http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sansui-TU-X1-Supper-Tuner-With-Upgrade-By-Joseph-Chow-/222457836404?hash=item33cb853374:g:1PMAAOSwA29Y3gn7 Neil —//— Hi. I’m Michael Vronsky – the Commercial Manager here. If you’d like details of where to buy this brand AT SPECIAL PRICES (but only for our members) then please contact me at commercial@hifianswers.com Thanks. Michael. —//— Hi. I’m Howard Popeck, features […]
Three interesting items spotted on ebay April 5th 2017 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252838562961?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/-/401301542164?roken=cUgayN http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rotel-RC-5000-Pre-Amplifier-Perfect-Working-Order-No-Reserve-/222461491729?roken=cUgayN Neil —//— Hi. I’m Howard Popeck, features editor here. The team hope the this post was interesting. Would you like to be a talent scout? If so, then please contact me at features@hifianswers.com with links to anything VINTAGE you think the tens of […]
Neil McCauley asks Howard Popeck: What were the best reproduced sounds you ever heard in the early days? Not easy to answer. Depends on one’s definition of best. If you take just listenability i.e. the customer’s sound is so good right now that I’m not going to unpack my demo gear, then it would have […]
Neil, do you have thoughts re the anticipated demise of FM radio? Yes I have. I’m very distressed by it because I’ve never heard a digital tuner that came close to the Sansui tuner that I have and I’m not saying the Sansui tuner I have is the last word, because my good friend Howard […]
Neil McCauley / editor in chief There’s an old saying that you can judge a person by the company they keep. It’s a truism and a cliché but that doesn’t mean it’s incorrect. Applied to the hi-fi industry, you can make a reasonable stab at the true nature (behind the carefully crafted façade) of the […]
This is the next in an occasional series of recorded brief conversations between Howard and myself during snatched time between deadlines and other time issues. Neil: Howard? Howard: Yes! (faking irritability) N: it’s that time again! (faking sarcasm) H: Oh …… good (faking sarcasm) N: So, whatever happened to tone controls? You know, the bass […]
Richard who? A reader has just pointed out that we’ve been name-checked by a Mr. Richard Dunn (above, apparently. Yes – your guess is as good as ours and probably better) of NVA. On his site he writes “Many are trying Pig, Wigwam, Hi-Fi Answers, numerous blogs, they will all lose credibility and finally fail. […]
You’ll have to scroll down a bit to reach the comment at http://www.hifisubjectivist.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=44759&start=14760 Worth dipping in and out occasionally if only to smell the passion. —//— Hi. I’m Howard Popeck, features editor here. The team hope the this post was interesting. Would you like to be a talent scout? If so, then please contact me […]
You’ll have to scroll down a bit to reach the comment at http://www.hifisubjectivist.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=44759&start=14740 Worth dipping in and out occasionally if only to smell the passion. —//— Hi. I’m Howard Popeck, features editor here. The team hope the this post was interesting. Would you like to be a talent scout? If so, then please contact me […]
Neil McCauley / editor in chief Why no images? Because the test review that follows here are of a pre-production pair in casework that doesn’t properly represent the finished product which, so we are told, should be available in early March 2017. Priced, including VAT @ £4.6k per pair. A bit of history Please note […]
The internet radio station calmradio.com Tchaikovsky 128 kbps Wonderful music via this free station.
Neil McCauley asks Howard Popeck Howard, Historically, what did you mean by ‘accidental magic’? Well …….. a combination of equipment that previously you’d not encountered and which sounds right immediately. Unusual combinations. Amps and speakers that just by chance sound magical together – even though the makers probably hadn’t used each other’s equipment. That kinda […]
Neil McCauley asks Howard Popeck: So what gear did you like that you didn’t stock? Rega. Great sounding, hassle-free, great value. We got a few Planar 2 and Planar 3s traded in and they always marched out the door. We wanted to get the agency, but they always turned us away. They seemed dead miserable […]
Hmm. Okay So anyway, a little while later were ushered into the listening room and were confronted by man-sized monoliths we later came to know as The Apogee, from Apogee. And a pair of the previously mechanically buzzing power amps, powered up with the preamp at max without a source playing and mechanically silent. Seeing […]
So no, we aren’t coming to the end. Not yet. (Long pause) Okay. I used to sell the Albarry monoblocs. Damn fine sound. Clever designer. Still sounds good today. Not a hero as such but worthy of an honourable mention. Then whoever designed the A&R A60. A truly great product. In its way a classic. […]
http://hifisubjectivist.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=45189 starts as follows: This forum room is going to go through *yet another* spate of attacks by the look of it, so perhaps it is time to make its purpose plain. The purpose is to shine a light on the bullshit, conmen, egotists et al who populate this industry and are also trying to […]
Editor McCauley in conversation with Howard Popeck: So there are more figureheads than gifted designers. Is that what you’re saying? Not quite like that. In my direct personal experience I’ve met more figureheads than gifted designers. But that’s not to say that my experiences are representative of the entire industry. One has to take into […]
Bear with me on this please; first – a little background. I bought my wife a watch online. She took it to a jeweler to pay to have the strap adjusted and she got mildly scolded for buying online. How could they tell just by looking at it wasn’t clear, but they knew – and […]
If you are selling from home and a potential buyer wants to visit to see/hear the item, then you might want to consider my safety tips: 1. When a person phones, gently quiz them on what they know about the brand. If they know little, then ask them how the came to select it. If […]
The hard (but fun) work behind the scenes in our editorial office becomes more enjoyable through listening to music in the background. Our playlist varies of course, depending on the prevailing mood. Sometimes it’s predominantly blues, rarely jazz, occasionally Mozart, and so on. And sometimes like today, a bit of a mixed bag. The music […]