HiFi Thoughts

I want to begin with an admission—I do not have the time it takes to properly respond to emails asking for system/gear recommendations.

Every so often, an idea rattling around the WWW about our beloved hifi hobby sticks in my head like a jingle.

In a word, Roon.

Tidal recently sent an email to industry members, e.g. reviewers like me, who had been enjoying a free Tidal account to let us know the free ride would end on December 12, 2023.

Here’s wishing you (all) a happy healthy Holiday season.

If nothing else, hifi shows are filled with cliches.

I’ve looked at hifi from both sides now / From bad and best and still somehow / It’s hifi’s illusions I recall / I really don’t know hifi at all.

Here’s the full title of DeVore’s video: John rants on measurements in HiFi, what they mean, limits, and how easy they are to weaponize.

I read this statement often enough that it bears some scrutiny—Aural memory is short. Is it?

I get asked this question on occasion by people who’ve read a review of mine but believe I’ve left out what I really think. Are they right?

I recently asked this very question on our Instagram page and received over 70 replies. As the range of responses show, the answer is a highly personal matter.

I’ve received some interesting feedback from My Thoughts on Music Delivery Formats and The Biggest Advance in HiFi as well as from Darko’s latest Podcast. Interesting because some people completely missed my point.

We’ve all heard about The Next Big Thing when it comes to music delivery formats. And with every Next Big Thing comes a promise of some kind of revelatory experience that more often than not is claimed to obsolete the current Big Thing.

I’ve been reading about ‘subjective reviews’ for a while and admit I was initially like, WTF? But I’ve recently come around. Let me explain.

The website World Radio History is a treasure trove of information, containing scores of PDF copies of old audio publications too numerous to count.