In my first article, I wrote about those wizened beings who occasionally materialise from the ether, intent on stretching the boundaries of plausibility with their over-active imaginations. These people would have us believe that a generous sprinkling of their particular flavour of fairy dust on your hi-fi will transport it to the realms of godliness. […]
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Howard Popeck writes: One of the emerging trends I’m seeing is customer desire to have people like me build their systems for them so they don’t have to do the work. Possibly the era of the pre-made system is coming back into vogue? If so, then good! A few of the many emails to me […]
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Howard Popeck writes: Following a frankly disturbing demonstration courtesy of Musical Fidelity at a recording studio recently I’m now listening to music via my £18k system in a totally different and increasingly unflattering light. Some of my cherished preconceptions have been overturned. Moreover I foresee implications for how the public and dealers might in future […]
From our archives Calum Slingerland: Though its market share of music sales is still relatively small, the resurgence of the vinyl record is very much a recognizable music retail trend that doesn’t seem to be slowing. Now, an Austrian music distribution company is looking to push the format in a new direction by revolutionizing the […]
Leonard Patel writes … One of those Japanese audio engineering companies that have been making quality arms mostly for the home market. The predecessors to the current 4400 and 3300 were the 4000 (12″) and 3000 (9″), while structurally similar to the current versions they are not as configurable and were of an inferior build […]
Hi Howard. What’s your part in the Musical Fidelity story. And what do you think of their current offers? Thanks. Ronnie Hmm. Interesting question. Thank you. In a nutshell … It’s all too easy to associate the brand with the man (or woman) behind the brand. Easy, but unproductive. The point being that currently, and […]
From our archives Robert Harley (The Absolute Sound) writes …. British turntable and tonearm maker Helius Designs added a second turntable to its line, the upscale Viridia. Based on the company’s Alexia ‘table, the Viridia features the same double-wishbone suspension but adds a magnetic bearing, new platter mat and clamp, magnetically suspended motor, and a […]
Howard Popeck writes: In the course of dumping the majority of my audio magazine collection, while retaining the occasional review of something I might buy in the future I noticed something odd. Or rather I was reminded of something I’d known for years and forgotten, namely that unlike their US counterparts, UK magazines do not […]
Paul McGowan / PS AUDIO When we think of the analog sound we’re inevitably referencing a reproduction. This is because we experience analog sound through our stereo systems which, of course, are reproduction playback systems. And every analog reproduction is either captured on vinyl or magnetic tape. This of course means everything we associate with […]
First published in June 2008 Interesting day, yesterday. Got my first (of many I hope) Benchmark DAC-1 preamp. Looked good straight out of the box., Can it be as good as Ken Kessler said in Hi-Fi News recently? Err, yes, and then some! Hooked it up to my North Star 192 Transport (Philips PRO2 […]
Tony Bolton (HiFi World) writes: Updating a tried and trusted product can be a risky thing to do, especially when an item has enjoyed nearly half a century of production. In the world of hi-fi, Quad have been successful with their updates of the old Quad ll amplifiers and SME have now joined this select […]
The trouble with being an engineer is that one is born with a natural tendency to look at the world through critical eyes and consider how differently you might have designed the things around you had been have been given the job. But then, if ever you feel inclined to prompt such a discussion, most […]
Howard Popeck: Douglas Adams was one of our most gracious, humorous, gentle and fun customers at Subjective Audio. Coincidental with him getting a “serious” advance from his publishers for Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, he commissioned me to put together “almost” the best system money could buy. It was, apart from the turntable, a full […]
Is it supposed to be the same as the tracking force or less ? MORE
https://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?64418-Upgrade(s)-for-Zeta-Tonearm
Gentlemen; other than the Yamaha NS1000, have the Japanese every built credible loudspeakers? I guess you are speaking historically, right? Well, yes, they did. Sony in fact. In the very early 1980s they released the SSG1 Series 2. It wasn’t cheap. Around £200 from memory, which was a small fortune then. However … This isn’t […]
Lloyd Walker has a new tweak: the black diamond crystal for cartridges. It’s a crystal you put on either the tonearm or the cartridge that [I KID YOU NOT] transforms the sound! I know, I know, [don’t ask me to explain it,I can’t] it can’t be all that, but i’m tellin you try this thing […]
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The idea that a power distribution strip, even a heavily built one like the LAT can make a difference to the sound, let alone an improvement is ridiculous. Where’s the science behind the claims? LAT power distribution block have in my experience always made a positive difference. The degree of improvement, in terms of background […]