Reflections of an RMAF First Timer
Photo: John Atkinson
The 2016 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest has come and gone, and here I find myself, back in the quiet comfort of Brooklyn.
Back with a glass of red wine in my hand, a table full of hot Indian takeout, and a dreamy Chet Baker serenading me through my modest system: a Technics SL 1200 Mk. II turntable with an Audio Technica AT440MLa cartridge (on a Technics headshell), a Fisher 800-C stereo receiver, and a pair of Rogers LS3/5a monitors sitting atop Skylan Speaker Stands.
What more is there to life?
. . . Or so I had thought . . .Remembering Jim Hall: a Jim Hall/Red Mitchell ArtistShare Project
A fleeting memory:
Hazy.
Early morning.
I'm sitting outside Penn Station.
Next to me sits Jim Hall.
A boy with an upright bass walks past us.
"Is that a walking bass?" Jim chuckles.
The boy, in passing, raises an eyebrow, glances over.
Keeps walking, doesn't think twice.
Oh, the irony. If you are a lover or a maker of jazz (or any music at all) you must be a fan of the legendary guitarist Jim Hall. At least, that is the hope I have seared into my mind, as to not completely lose all faith in humanity.
Early morning.
I'm sitting outside Penn Station.
Next to me sits Jim Hall.
A boy with an upright bass walks past us.
"Is that a walking bass?" Jim chuckles.
The boy, in passing, raises an eyebrow, glances over.
Keeps walking, doesn't think twice.
Oh, the irony. If you are a lover or a maker of jazz (or any music at all) you must be a fan of the legendary guitarist Jim Hall. At least, that is the hope I have seared into my mind, as to not completely lose all faith in humanity.
Reviewer Profile Video: Tyll Hertsens
In this video, we visit Tyll Hertsens, Editor of Stereophile's sister site InnerFidelity.com, in Bozeman, Montana. Tyll is a connoisseur of headphones and portable audio products, and is somewhat of a YouTube sensation within the headphone community. (Truthfully: Having spent most of my "early audiophile" years experimenting on headphone mods and lurking on headphone forums, I'd been watching Tyll's headphone review videos long before I ever knew about Stereophile's existence.)
Reviewer Video Profile: Art Dudley
In this video, we visit Stereophile's Deputy Editor, Art Dudley, in his home in Cherry Valley, NY.
Who is Art Dudley? A devout Listener, a friend to all bunniesand some humansJohn Atkinson's right-hand man, and an invaluable voice, not just within Stereophile, but within the industry as a whole.
Reviewer Video Profile: Herb Reichert
When we released the "Thoughts on CES 2017" video, we received an overwhelming amount of feedback from readers who were pleased to finally be able to associate faces to the writers they had long read and revered on paper.
This video attempts to capture the essence of Stereophile writer and audio industry veteran Herb Reichertat least as much as is possible in a 10-minute, streamed video.
Reviewer Video Profile: Jason Victor Serinus
In this Reviewer Video Profile, Jason gives us a tour of his listening room, introduces us to his adorable dogs, and shares some thoughts on life. Ohand, of course, this video would not be complete without a little whistling!
Reviewer Video Profile: Michael Fremer
In this video, we visit Michael Fremer, Senior Contributing Editor to Stereophile, Editor of AnalogPlanet.com, and an unparalleled guru of all things analog.
Reviewer Video Profile: Michael Lavorgna
Who is Michael Lavorgna?
What is AudioStream.com? This video is the answer to all of your questions.
What is AudioStream.com? This video is the answer to all of your questions.
Same As It Ever Was
The year was 2116, and the Earth was finally great again.
War, poverty, global warming, starvation, racial inequalitythese, among many others, were all trivial, long overcome matters of the past.
Generation ZZZZers glided around in auto-piloted, eco-friendly, space/time ships. They communicated with each other via holographic telekinetic mind messages. (Though there was always the occasional hippie, of course, who'd pull out a vintage, non-functioning wePhone 2000 or whatever technological dinosaur was making a comeback these days. Lame, if you ask me.)
She Lit Up a Candle and She Showed Me the Way
It's a Sunday in suburbia. Sunny, 95°"sweltering," some would say. The kind of heat where, you grab that cold can of Guinness, and the moment it leaves the cold comforts of the fridge, it's dead on impact.
You invite your good ole non-audiophile pal Stan over. You use a ruse you know Stan will fall for, like "Let's flip some burgers and listen to the cool commercials on Spotify's free tier," or "I just mastered the piña colada and torrented David Bowie's entire discography" (as if the piña colada alone wouldn't be enough to lure that sucker Stan), or "You left your phone at my place, want to come pick it up?" (In this last scenario, you would have to steal his phone first.)