Hi Howard, I have a pair of Meridian M1 mk2, I am the original owner . I’ve definitely got it right now modules for the 101. I bought them back a few of years ago but didn’t have the room, time or money to do them justice. They are now sitting in a cupboard rather […]
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A dialogue between audiophile enthusiasts
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https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jan/06/desert-island-discs-75-defining-moments-from-75-years-castaways
When Alon Sagee was a wet behind the ears audiophile he spent his days hanging around stereo shops. Today he is the president of the San Francisco Audiophile Society. “At 20, I bought my first audiophile gear at HiFi Haven, a high-end audio dealer in my college neighborhood in New Jersey. This was definitely not a […]
Fantasy Music League, Group A: The Carpenters I love the Carpenters. Their beautifully crafted songs however, regrettably, remain deeply unfashionable, seemingly imprisoned forever within the impenetrable bunkers of ‘easy listening’ radio stations. Nonetheless, if you listen to ‘Singles 1969 – 1981’ (2005) on hybrid CD/SACD (produced for SACD by Richard Carpenter), it is a stunningly […]
In a recent post I relayed the story of being banned from playing the kind of music I liked on the family stereo. Not to be deterred, I set out to build my own stereo system so I could close the door to my room and play whatever I wanted. I figured all I would […]
FYI: A thread – from a while back – that some might find contains interesting observations, advice and so on. Certainly worth dipping in and out of if you have only a few minutes to spare. Neil / editor in chief =========== I’ve been frequenting various hi fi shops recently, looking for ways to improve […]
I’m desperate to find a full-range driver, horn loaded designed, wood cabinet speaker in the next week or two. I’m depressed since having to sell my beloved Horning Agathon Ultimates and not being able to enjoy my music. I need speakers. Something to get me by for now but still satisfy my spoiled ears. I […]
The audiophile hobby is loaded with myths, like the one about crazy expensive audio isn’t worth it. That’s true some of the time, but trust me on this, a well set up MBL101 X-Treme system that costs $250,000 will stomp all over any $20,000 speaker on the planet. Obviously most of us can’t afford it, […]
Does anyone here have experience with this? Over on my recent “High-End (ahem!) British Amp” thread, I was advised that one solution to a budget ‘Power + SQ’ combo would be using a Studio-brand power amp at home, like Mc2 or Yamaha. Presumably fed by a decent pre-amp as I have multiple sources to connect. […]
If there is an interest I would be happy to provide ways to warm up with a variac, clean potentiometers and generally go about the cleaning and caretaking of a vintage amp to get it up to speed. This is not by any means a cure all but just a guideline for getting old tube […]
Will someone please show illustrate to me why there is no point going beyond 16/44. Personally I cannot discern any difference, I would however appreciate knowing why, in detail. Many thanks.
How different are the reproduction systems of musicians and studios versus those from high-end audio systems and audiophiles? Watch Now
(Slightly revised by the author 22/08/06) When you see the words ‘An era ends’ and ‘Dixon’s’ in the same headline, something unpleasant must be afoot. After all, the mainstream press usually pays attention to home entertainment only when it can sneer, like the time David Beckham spent £10,000 on a home theatre system and the […]
Previously published on July 22, 2012 As is the nature of hi-fi as a hobby, audiophiles choose sides … even when they’d rather not. That’s just the way it is: the audio community is painfully and ludicrously either/or. Me? I’m of the sort who doesn’t find, say, a love for crime novels and a love […]
Horn loudspeakers are considered the most efficient loudspeakers but, they don’t have horns on their woofers. So, how does that work? How can the horn loaded midrange and tweeter ever match the non-horn loaded woofer? Watch Now
[Warning: If you are easily offended, or a Democrat, or earning less than $200,000 per annum and bothered by it, or are inherently antipathetic to those with money even if they’ve earned it by hard work, please skip this month’s column, because no apologies will be forthcoming.] Human nature leads us — no matter how […]
By that I mean kit that has had its 15 Minutes of fame/hype, then the long dark night swallowed it and the manufacturer, never to be seen again, making the piece pretty rare. I don’t mean the high-end silly stuff, with the naming conventions only the deranged could say with a straight face (..yes, the […]
My wife has no interest or input on equipment choices, just the price tag! If I get a new piece she usually asks don’t you already have that or why do I need it. Then I start down the path of why I think I do and she instantly regrets asking, lol. As soon as […]
Have you really studied the options and do you really understand what they can possibly give you in return? I am being very, very honest. I am not at all looking for pedantic, argumentive jabber. Looking past slight compromises you are willing to give up in this journey, what do you really want in a […]
G’day all, increasingly it seems apparent to me that pretty well regardless of playback system quality the ultimate determinent of sound quality is the source (record etc). I have many records the majority of which are preloved/older records all of which are musically meritorious, but often sound ‘ordinary’. Am I correct in assuming that is […]
I have on occasions been exposed to some very pricey Audio Note gear and as a result maintain an open mind on what constitutes “value for money”. In other words, given the hypothetical massive budget, I would certainly entertain spending in excess of £100k. The moot point is at what point does extra cash merely […]
I’m sure we’ve heard this saying. Sadly, it seems many here aren’t humble enough to lay down their dogma and accept this saying as meaningful. I certainly have eaten my dogma and words a lot in audio over the years. At least I’ve learned to think for myself and trust my own ears. We obviously […]
Paul McGowan writes: A couple of readers have asked a good question. ”A digital recording of a live event doesn’t always sound as good as an analog recording of the same, yet you say a digital copy of that analog recording ALWAYS sounds identical. How can that be?” This is a really interesting area and […]
Time for one of those long, boring semi-technical posts that no one here reads… As a few of you know, I bought a rare Kenwood 700M amplifier a few weeks ago on eBay. It arrived with a weak channel which was taken care of by replacing a bypass cap. Since then, I have gone through […]