When he grew sick of the car-because it made him look "like a frickin' ad for Ikea"-I paid him 600 Dutch guilders for the old heap, the equivalent of about $300 US.
Nothing worked as it should. The stalk for the blinkers was missing; I substituted a screwdriver. The radio was like a wavering zombie: dead one day, sputtering to life the next. I got well acquainted with jumper cables. One day, I opened the trunk and found tiny mushrooms sprouting from the carpet.
On the plus side, I never received a speeding ticket: The engine smoked if you drove faster than 45mph, so I didn't.
Years later, when I got into hi-fi, I thought of that car and subsequent ones. What stood out to me most about high-end audio was: separates. Rather than gravitate toward worthy one-box solutions, audiophiles seemed obsessed with splitting things apart. They had to have a standalone power amp, preamp, sources, speakers, cables. "What if you bought a car that way?" I thought to myself. A suspension from one manufacturer, a chassis from another, wheels from a third-and yes, a used blue hood from a junkyard. Seems pretty mental. No thanks.
It's not a precise analogy, I realize. When you have to get from point A to point B, you buy a one-box automotive solution. Bolting together mismatched car parts wouldn't work at all. Audio, on the other hand, is more or less standardized. Most components are easily connected, and they work together reasonably well. Still, even if you forgo 1950s all-in-one consoles, '70s receivers, and (ugh) '80s boomboxes, why can't the desire for great sound be sated with a single-box fix, just like transportation? Just please give me something that works better than my French jalopy did.
Everything you need (almost)
Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av Stereophile.
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Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av Stereophile.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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My last Far East trip
First comes the anticipation, that initial jet of warm water, that miraculous searching, finding the sweet spot, then heaven on earth as it cleans and caresses.
Riding the Common Wave
In the e-commerce era, brick-and-mortar dealerships must give customers compelling reasons to stop by. Los Angeles hi-fi dealership Common Wave's owner Wesley Katzir keeps customers coming through the door with a simple idea: that music matters in our everyday lives and that what he enjoys, other people will enjoy, too.
Mind Games to the bottom of the rabbit hole
After a wild decade in the biggest pop music group ever, John Lennon's post-Beatles years were spent in protest, in various kinds of therapy, in immigration court, and in search of a new musical identity.
Trane meets the Motor City
Detroit became a destination for migrating African Americans early, starting with the Underground Railroad; the city's proximity to Canada was convenient for those seeking to escape Southern slavery.
Vital art never rests
At this late date, it seems impossible that there could still be \"lost\" albums lingering in the vaults by musicians as important and successful as Johnny Cash and Paul McCartney.
DUKE IN 10
TO COMMEMORATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF DUKE'S DEATH, ROBERT BAIRD SELECTS A DOUBLE HANDFUL OF EXEMPLARY TRACKS FROM PERHAPS AMERICA'S GREATEST MUSICAL GENIUS.
Piega Coax Gen2 811
It's funny how we discover some music in unexpected, twisting ways.
Pass Laboratories XP-27
One of the pleasures of reviewing-and also using-products from Pass Laboratories is an encounter with Nelson Pass's writing, which can usually be found in the owner's manual and is always competent, insightful, and sometimes funny.
EMT 928 II
Modern turntables are a paradox.
Dynaudio Contour 30i
Ah, Denmark. Land of the Vikings and blue-eyed, blond-haired folk with faces sculpted just so.
