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Roger Skoff writes about the ongoing war over cables and what really matters Roger Skoff at the LAOC Audio Society Gala Banquet, 2018:  a portrait by David W. Robinson I've said it before, and you've seen it before:  We audiophiles, unlike any other group of fans or hobbyists that I know of, are always at... Read More »

Ye Olde Editor, late summer 2018:  a portrait by John Robinson A late-year glance backwards. Memory, music, people, associations… "No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had... Read More »

Okay so the article below is from way back in June 2002 when David Robinson and his wife Lila Ritsema, Carol Clark and I (Dave Clark) decided to merge our two print publications into one web publication, well for the first two years or so, so sorta two. This article ran not only in the last... Read More »

Ye Olde Editor:  a portrait by John Robinson Numbers. I don't usually get too hung up on round numbers and anniversary metrics…they happen all the time. But as we get ready to launch our next issue and go into 2019, I wanted to stand up, take a stretch, and note two things that are at... Read More »

Photo credit: Geoff Zagarola of La Naranja eBay auctions. I find it hard to believe that 2018 marks the 30th anniversary of the recording session for Arturo Delmoni's legendary 1988 Water Lily solo-violin recital. Recorded at night in a monastery chapel, Delmoni's compelling performances combine thrilling technique with thought-provoking musical insights. This minimalist-audiophile, two channels from two... Read More »

Ye Olde Editor with pipe weed. Portrait by John Robinson. This seems to be a season for culminating projects. Given that autumn is upon us now, I reckon that the time matches the season, and the mood matches the moment. Having finished my summing up of the Audionet STERN and HEISENBERG reference products, it is... Read More »

George Klissarov and David W. Robinson George Klissarov, AXPONA 2017 exaSound's new flagship device, the PlayPoint DM Dual-Mono D/A Converter and Network Audio Server, is the high point of my life-long obsession with audio and eight years of research, design, and the making of DACs and streamers. We entered the audiophile market with the introduction... Read More »

Ye Olde Editor:  a portrait by John Robinson Audionet's STERN and HEISENBERG:  Back to the mountaintop again! Fair warning:  This is yet another one of my evaluations that is not going to be a typical "review." No, not with these designs. This is going to be more of a culminating mediation on my experiences with... Read More »

Nelson Pass:  a portrait. Sea Ranch, CA, 2018. Photograph and image processing by David W. Robinson. Introduction – Why do we care about 2nd harmonic? Historically, audio amplification has been about the elimination of all forms of distortion. Early on, the premise has been that low distortion is one of the keys to audio quality... Read More »

A couple of weeks back, I arose on an otherwise unremarkable Sunday morning, had my coffee and checked my losing lottery numbers. I then proceeded downstairs to remove and replace the Hana EL cartridge that's been the recent mainstay of my analog playback system. The Hana SL (with its Shibata stylus) had recently arrived from... Read More »

In a discussion with Managing Editor Dave Clark in regards to what may be slated for review, it was noted that my loudspeakers may prove difficult for the readership to connect with since I design, build, test, and measure my own. Crossover design is a particular fascination of mine. Dave then challenged me to write... Read More »

I just back from a quick (two day) trip to Chicago, courtesy of the good folks at Linn in Scotland. On Tuesday, September 18, a very limited number of audio press representatives received an important briefing about new developments at the company. In addition to myself, my longtime audiobud Greg Weaver of The Absolute Sound... Read More »

The Beat MagDrive™ Turntable with Schröder Linear-Tracking (LT) Tonearm Ye Olde Editor, in medias puffus (photograph by John Robinson) Me, I call it "Big Red." Here was a real mountaintop moment for me with turntables earlier this year. It came in two parts:  First, getting to meet Steve Dobbins, the creative master turntable craftsman at... Read More »

Steve Dobbins of Xact Audio and Dr. David W. Robinson I asked Steve Dobbins to give the background story of the design of the remarkable Schröder LT tonearm for his The Beat reference turntable, which I have reviewed elsewhere in this issue. He sent along the following comments for your benefit. Dr. David W. Robinson, Ye... Read More »

Dr. David W. Robinson and Steve Dobbins This sidebar article is by Steve Dobbins of Xact Audio, the designer of The Beat turntable that I've reviewed else in this issue. I asked Steve to provide the tale of how he ended up doing what he does in the wild world of turntables. He has generously sent... Read More »

One of the most important international competitions for young (ages 16 to 29) violinists takes place in the United States every four years. (The other top-tier classical-music competitions that include violinists, Moscow's International Tchaikovsky and Belgium's Queen Elizabeth, also run on four-year cycles.) While one might expect the US entry on that list to be... Read More »

Open Goldberg Variations, Werner Schweer, editor. Listening to "happy" music can make one feel happier. However, instead of always making people feel worse, listening to sad music often brings on a state of "paradoxical pleasure." I am not saying that listening to sad music in and of itself makes people happier, what I am saying is that... Read More »

The late George Walker was old school, a kindly gentleman with Southern-style manners and an immense musical talent that took many forms, most notably as composer and pianist. I was once honored to hear him perform a Beethoven sonata movement in his home on his own concert grand. It was grand! How I came to know Mr.... Read More »

All right, so I am a digital file playback guy and I admit it. My confession. I apologize and please forgive me for my regressions in audio… digital as opposed to analog. Oh screw that... digital is right fine, just different. For sure we buy as many LPs as we can, but truth is we... Read More »