<I>McIntosh: "...for the love of music..."</I><BR>by Ken Kessler. McIntosh Laboratory, Inc., 2006. $150.00. Hardcover, 12" by 12" by 1.25", 315 pp. ISBN 0-9787236-0-0.<BR>Available from McIntosh dealers and <A HREF="http://www.mcintoshlabs.com">McIntosh Laboratory</A>, Inc., 2 Chambers Street, Binghamton, NY 13903. Tel: (800) 538-6576.
I have not seen <I>Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan</I>, and I am not likely to. But the phrase <I>cultural learnings of America</I> is a good jumping-off point for an important topic: cultural literacy.
One of the engrossing and rewarding things about the study of history is that, every now and then, someone comes up with a plausible solution to a historical mystery—or some aspect of a historical mystery—that is decades, or even centuries, old. It often is the case that all the evidence was right there under everyone's noses all along. It's just that no one had yet managed to put all the pieces together properly and look at them from the right angle.
It's the time for giving gifts, so here's my plan: I will start off by telling you about some great new things, then remind you about some old favorites. Okay?
The single most enduring <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/406awsi">controversy</A> in audio is: What method or methods should we use to evaluate the performance of audio equipment?
The Ultimate Audio Toy—Or, if you will, the apotheosis of the iPod.
While you might have been paying attention to other matters, there has been a quiet revolution in affordable recording technology. What if I told you that I've been making pure Direct Stream Digital (DSD), SACD-quality two-channel recordings using equipment that, from soup to nuts, costs less than $6000? Read on.
<B><I>Sound Bites: 50 Years of Hi-Fi News</I></B><BR>By Ken Kessler and Steve Harris. London, IPC Media, 2005; paperback, 224 pages, 8.25" by 5.75", indexed. $29.95. Available in the US from Music Direct, <A HREF="http://www.musicdirect.com">www.musicdirect.com</A>, (800) 449-8333.
High-end audio is not a rational construct. It is a sensory experience that leads to emotional engagement. In slightly different words: High-end audio is not about a <I>concept</I>, but about the <I>experience</I> of having our emotions engaged. The difference between reading about a high-end audio system and hearing great recordings played on one is almost as big as the difference between reading a love poem and falling in love.
Were I trying to make a living by giving piano recitals, David Stanhope's new CD, <I>A Virtuoso Recital</I> (Tall Poppies TP184), just might tempt me to wash down a fistful of pills with a bottle of Scotch. The saving grace being that Stanhope seems to have enough things to occupy himself with in his native Australia. The risk of his showing up in New York City and playing a recital, thereby giving a lot of people existential crises and sleepless nights, seems remote.