Audio File: Snap, crackle and pop
Ever wonder why there's a button called "loudness" on old receivers? Why would a feature that has to do with loudness be a simple button with only one setting? The...
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Audio File: Seek the knowledge of a master
Like a meandering stream, we've wandered this way and that through the land of tube audio in recent weeks. We've touched on a bunch of points, but we've only begun...
Audio File: One benefit of interchangeable tubes is the ability to customize your sound
"Hamdangler" was the only thing written on the back of the Atlanta Falcons jersey, in a screenshot of the preview photo at the NFL's custom jersey shop online. I will...
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Audio File: Balance is the secret to producing noise-free music
We’re going deeper today into the world of audio cables, like a pearl diver testing her limits. Let’s see if I can keep this entertaining! Continuing our series on symptoms...
Audio File: Material makeup of cables, arrangement of wires can have big effect on sound
Talking about cables and their effect on the sound of music is tricky, in part because of the thick scientific explanations, but also because nearly everyone who is alive right...
Audio File: The music runs through it
Neil Sullivan is one of my favorite area guitarists, and he just released a single called “27,” which marks his breakout as a solo artist. I got to know his...
Audio File: A symptom of a serious system is a powerful bass foundation
The word “graduation” surely means a lot to some folks at this time of year. For many, the word is spelled with a capital G; it’s circled on the calendar...
Audio File: Give your speakers room to breathe
Back in 1968, Bose, then a 4-year-old company named after its MIT-educated founder, went way out on a limb and created a speaker design that looked and acted like nothing...
Audio File: At the deafening show
So there I was, age 14 or 15 or so, at an outdoor punk rock show featuring Dynamite Boy and Pennywise.
Audio File: Don’t ignore the pain
Signal-to-noise ratio is something audio engineers know all about. When they're designing an amp, a preamp, a network streamer or digital-to-analog converter, this measurement figure of the final product tells...
Audio File: Snap, crackle and pop
Ever wonder why there's a button called "loudness" on old receivers? Why would a feature that has to do with loudness be a simple button with only one setting? The...
Audio File: Membrane, hairs and goo
Temptations are all around us. If you're an adult in this country, you're expected to know which things are not good for you and you make personal decisions about those...
Audio File: Some have ability to hear everything — but it has little to do with their ears
Ever heard the one about the audiophile with two hearing aids? I'm kidding — there's no joke for that setup. I've actually seen it enough times to know it's entirely...