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Stereo Times Five
Some audiophiles go all in on a single, hyper-sophisticated sound system. Listening becomes something of a ritual, prepared and planned and carried out in a dedicated room with precisely-positioned chairs and acoustic wall treatment. And that's just fine and dandy for those who want it, but that just isn't me. I love a good listening session, but I don't have to build a cathedral in my house to do it. That's because I prefer to have listening opportunities all over the house,
Dec 4, 20254 min read


Conspicuous Consumption
That's about the only phrase that applies to the latest issue of a major audiophile magazine. In this time of people worrying about money, of families doing without, of inflated grocery prices and all the rest, I almost can't stand to look at this particular magazine without a feeling of near-disgust creep over me. It has gone far beyond any notion of good sound or better sound or any kind of sound. It's all about conspicuous consumption at this point. They've been criticized
Nov 2, 20251 min read


The No-Fly Zone
Over the course of my lifetime as a low-key audiophile I have bought a fair amount of audio equipment. Most of it is well-made, reliable,...
Sep 20, 20253 min read


Oh, for Heaven's Sake
Here I go again on the subject of a ridiculously overpriced audio component. In this case it's an integrated amplifier – meaning it...
Sep 13, 20252 min read


Roon for the Win
My fit of summertime audiophilia nervosa is officially over. I hope. Despite a fair amount of equipment change – well, OK, it was...
Aug 31, 20252 min read


IMHO
My niece once bought herself a Maserati Ghibli. My word, what a beautiful car ... long and low, faster than all get-out, tricked out with...
Aug 31, 20255 min read


One Step Back Before the End
My previous post discussed the final form of my downstairs 'big' sound system. I had every reason to think that I had it knocked....
Aug 22, 20253 min read


I Think This is the End
I believe my fit of audiophilia nervosa has played itself out. I added a HiFi Rose RS130 streamer, not really because I felt any real...
Aug 9, 20251 min read


Doodz
There's a big whopping problem in the audiophile world, and I'm hardly the first to point it out. The problem isn't only that it's an...
Jul 22, 20253 min read


Trickledown, Audiophile-Style
I have a big enough house to make full use of two quite good sound systems. My 'main' system is downstairs in my...
Jul 20, 20252 min read


Look Backwards
We're living in an absolutely amazing time for sound reproduction. Audio has never been better than it is right now. The average Joe has...
Jul 12, 20254 min read


Vinyl vs. Digital
This afternoon I got out my Philips LP of George Szell conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra in the Sibelius 2nd Symphony. This is...
Jul 12, 20253 min read


Service With a Smile
My collection of recordings is so large as to be daunting. It takes up about six terabytes of disc space, all either FLAC or Apple...
Jun 28, 20253 min read


Step It Up Another Level
I've been fiddling with my main sound system for some time. Check here , and here , and here , and here . Not that there's been anything...
Jun 18, 20254 min read


Sometimes It's Immediately Obvious
In a previous post I described how I was disappointed in one of my new acquisitions – the Kara F preamplifier from Schiit Audio, after...
Feb 20, 20251 min read


Fiddle Back
In my most recent post I described how I have been fiddling with my main sound system. All has gone along well, but one component hasn't...
Feb 18, 20252 min read


Fiddle, Fiddle
Audiophilia is a cyclic phenomenon that goes through long periods of stability, then erupts into fits of fiddling. I'm in the fit of...
Feb 15, 20255 min read


Audiophilia Nervosa, I Guess
I suppose I should slap the 'audiophile' label on myself. I'm reluctant to do it. Not because I'm embarrassed in any way by being devoted...
Feb 9, 20254 min read


Toes and No Toes
In the wacky and arcane world of audiophilia, there is a little something known as "toe-in." Even if that sounds like some kind of nifty...
Dec 12, 20242 min read
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