Were you ever ‘blown away’ by sound?

Steve Guttenberg writes: Before multitasking, sound was a big deal, so it was easier to be blown away by it. CNET’s Geoff Morrison used the above image from a Maxell tape ad in his “Music multitasking: How ‘background’ listening enhances life” blog post a few weeks ago, and that image really took me back. Maxell’s […]

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MARTIN LOGAN: Electromotion ESL X

They say ….. MartinLogan, the world’s leader in electrostatic and Folded MotionTM loudspeaker technology, proudly announces the introduction of the bigger, bolder ElectroMotion ESL X model (EM-ESL X). The ElectroMotion Series is the perfect introduction to the high performance electrostatic concept. The new ElectroMotion ESL X features a larger electrostatic transducer and dual woofers, with […]

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A Good Reviewer…What Does That Mean – asks Roger Skoff

In Part 1 of this continuing series on audio reviews and reviewers I asked the question “Are Audio Reviews and Reviewers Really Necessary?” and concluded that they were, if only because there are so many possible combinations of the equipment available to us that, if  equipment interactions affect the sound of our systems (as everybody, […]

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6 Free Software Every Audiophile Should Download

Originally published December 2013 How often is it that you can get something for your system for nothing? Almost never. Below are six of our favorite free pieces of software that we think every audio enthusiast should download and try out. From CD ripping to improving your ability to critically listen, this list has something […]

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First Graphene Audio Speaker Easily Outperforms Traditional Designs

The world’s first electrostatically driven graphene speaker matches or outperforms commercially available earphones, say physicists. Most loudspeakers work using a diaphragm that creates pressure waves in air by mechanically vibrating. “For human audibility, an ideal speaker or earphone should generate a constant sound pressure level from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, i.e. it should have a […]

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ESSENTIAL READING: How we made the compact disc

Jacques Heemskerk, research scientist: ‘When the CD came in, I got rid of all my old Rolling Stones and Beatles vinyl. It still hurts’ Interviews by Dave Simpson (The Guardian) Jacques Heemskerk, research scientist, Philips In the 1970s, Philips felt that the vinyl disc was coming to the end of its lifetime, because it was cumbersome, […]

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Death of a sales model

Stereophile has turned a critical eye to Light Harmonic’s “Geek “crowd-funding campaigns (the “Geek Out” and the “Geek Pulse”). After a very nice article covering Geek in the January issue, things turned for the worse by the time February rolled around. Rocks started to get thrown. As Stephen Mejias writes on page 43: “Essentially they […]

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“When it comes to vinyl, we’ve barely scratched the surface”

Jimmy Stamp writes: The first time I heard the White Stripes, I remember thinking, “This is high quality rock and roll. Pure and simple.” There’s something undeniably authentic about the unabashed, heart-on-sleeve music of the White Stripes. It fits seamlessly into the continuum of music history, bridging the past with the present, somehow sounding like […]

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PS Audio: I think the answer is simple because the quest for better performance in our audio and music systems is an ongoing one that is similar to peeling an onion

  Paul McGowan writes: In the process of answering the many comments I receive (which are much appreciated) one was made that really struck home.  Here is the comment from frequent contributor Mark Fisher that was made after I wrote “it’s amazing what it has done for the system.” “This seems to happen every time […]

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Ask Mr. H: IS IT POSSIBLE: To set-up a thriving new business selling audio equipment of good quality?

  The thread starts: Is it possible to set-up a thriving new business selling audio equipment of good quality? ‘Richer Sound’ have got the low and midrange pretty well sewn-up. And can the ‘high-end’ survive, apart from a handfull of already well-established dealers? Personally, I doubt it. The market is shrinking,costs are rising. Dealers get […]

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