High end audio is one of those hobbies where there are a seemingly endless number of tweaks and refinements one can add to an existing stereo system, presumably to make it sound better. Who hasn't played around with isolation pucks or cables at some point or another? But often critics of audiophilia start out with... Read More »
Jeremy R. Kipnis & Bob Carver at New York Audio Show - Nov. 2016 As a teenager of 17, I was introduced to CES: The Winter Consumer Electronics Show by a close engineering and audiophile friend, Richard Mintel. Back then, this monumental event, taking place in Las Vegas from January 6-9, 1983 sprawled countless hotels... Read More »
Introduction – The Illusion of "LIVE" Imagine something hard enough and it often materializes. About this time last year, I was engaged in several speaker reviews, most notably the Waterfall Audio Niagara Glass loudspeakers (see my review, HERE) and I thought to myself, "I wonder what effect the digital to analog conversion (DAC) stage and any step-up amplification... Read More »
Kipnis Studio Standard (KSS) - Stereo Loudspeaker & Amplifier Testing Array with (Left to Right) Ologe Model FIVE, Ceratec Effeqct Mk. IV, and Waterfall Audio Niagara, Hurricane, & Elora Evo Glass Loudspeakers being powered by the Golden Cherry Amps from Tommy O'Brien at Digital Amplifier Co. (plus Nero Barky von Schnauzer - my assistant). The tiny... Read More »
"On a cost vs. sound quality basis (alone), Digital Amplifier Company DAC DAC may be the best digital to analog converter to come along in 3 decades; all the way back to the extremely costly & extraordinary $12,000 Stax DAC-X1t Vacuum Tube Output Reference D/A Processor (1989)!" Introduction There are an extremely wide range of choices... Read More »
Common Beliefs "GLASS Speakers? Oh, they MUST sound bright and edgy!" "Anyone using GLASS to make a speaker has to be using it only as a gimmick." "I can see right through the speaker. So it must not be properly engineered since it needs stuff inside." Introduction One of the difficulties with high-end audio is... Read More »
Music & Film, Audio & Video, Learning & Understanding, Art & Life: "The Soundtrack" – A musical accompaniment created by the Gods! Often when I watch a film, the music portion of the soundtrack can take a back seat to the dialog and sound effects, which make up the better portion of what we experience sonically... Read More »
Audiophiles are often use to trying many different methods and ways of thinking to improve the sound of their playback systems. One can find countless varieties of tweaks, accessories, and approaches to produce even small changes in the audibility of our favorite music and sound recordings. But one of the least understood of these is... Read More »
QUESTION: "What cans do you like to listen to? What do you hear as differences between speakers and headphones in terms of how they present sound?" ANSWER: "Good question. For myself, I use an ALO modded Grado 225 and Senn 600 for some recording work but I find the midrange on the Senn is not... Read More »