HiFi Thoughts

Two pieces of similar news have been circulating around the virtual water coolers of late and even a cursory glance at what’s being ‘reported’ tells a tale of schadenfreude, telephone, and interpretation.

We’re told all kinds of things by hifi extremists. One thing these things have in common is a level of certainty coupled with bullying bravado that makes any amount of disagreement an act of war.

Before I dig into the reviews of the 8 phono stages that have been living in Barn, I thought I’d share my approach in tackling a gaggle of phono preamps. Let’s begin with what to call ’em.

If a new piece of hifi gear brings more enjoyment, is it worth it? Some people think the answer depends on a number.

I had to know. How would it work to have my rack between the speakers?

What better way to spend the time between December 25th and January 1st than listening to one’s own hifi?

Picture this: You’re alone in your home listening to that new favorite record, slowly easing out of the cares of the day and into the effortless weightless beauty that is the music experience.

I always kinda cringe when an audio reviewer calls the thing they’re reviewing a DUT (Device Under Test). First off, it sounds horrible and secondly reviewing hifi gear is not a test.

When it comes to picking pieces for my system, I like to take my time.

Of all the Darko.Audio podcasts I’ve had the pleasure to be a part of, The Real Value of Measurements is among my favorites. Why?

Let’s have a look around the Barn, the place where I spend my days (and some nights) living with the gear I review here at Twittering Machines.

“Why you can’t trust audio measurements” is the title of GoldenSound’s latest video and it handily illustrates, in exquisite detail, how and why measurement results don’t match and why they cannot be trusted out of hand. Is it my birthday? Christmas in May?

I sat in on a seminar at Axpona 2022 called Reviewers on Reviewing. After moderator Julie Mullins (Stereophile) finished her questions for Marc Phillips (Part-Time Audiophile), Greg Weaver (the audio analyst), and I, Julie opened the discussion up to questions from the audience.

In the course of human endeavors, we make choices. Lots of choices most days, and we use any number of internal criteria to inform these decisions.

My dear friend and colleague Herb Reichert’s recent piece for Stereophile got me thinking. I love when that happens.