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Decades of hi-fi tweaks taught Paul Bowes that optimizing gear—not endless upgrades—unlocks music’s full potential. From speaker placement to EMI fixes, these methods elevate performance dramatically.
There’s a peculiar weight to history when it happens in real-time. December 5, 1965, at the Liverpool Empire Theatre wasn’t just another stop on The Beatles’ UK tour—it was a homecoming charged with energy, nostalgia, and, unbeknownst to most, a bittersweet farewell. For the 2,550 fans lucky enough to score tickets from a pool of…
The FTC’s 2024 Amplifier Rule aims for transparency but sparks backlash for outdated testing, unrealistic standards, and a loophole echoing pre-1974 marketing chaos.
Imagine it’s a chilly December 1 evening in 1957. TV screens across America flicker to life with that iconic Ed Sullivan introduction: “And now, ladies and gentlemen… Buddy Holly and the Crickets!” For just a few minutes, Buddy Holly—only 21 at the time—commands the national stage, bringing rock ‘n’ roll into America’s living rooms like…
Tom Gibbs didn’t just like the performance of the US$ 1000/pair XSA Labs Vanguard monitors—he was gobsmacked!
From courtly halls to Zen temples, the shakuhachi evolved from a Tang Dynasty import into a meditative tool and global musical icon, resonating with timeless beauty.
Frank Doris continues to mine his experience accrued over 50 years of playing in bands, offering insight into brand identity, having a set list, and playing music you don’t like for the sake of entertaining the crowd!
Affordable hi-fi tweaks like ferrite cores, Sorbothane pads, and mains conditioners offer subtle but measurable improvements, tackling interference, vibrations, and noise in your audio setup.
November 21, 1955, wasn’t just another Monday. For Elvis Presley, it was the day a $35,000 contract (equivalent to $400,000 in 2024) pulled him out of a regional spotlight and thrust him onto the global stage. RCA Records, sensing that the young singer from Tupelo, Mississippi, was more than just a passing trend, purchased his…
After a visit to My Little Bar in Seoul, South Korea, writer Jonson Lee contemplates the enduringly strong relationship South Koreans have with McIntosh gear.
In the late 1930s, when Hollywood was still refining synchronized sound, Walt Disney had an audacious idea. He wanted to create an animated film that not only brought classical music to the masses but did so in a way that allowed audiences to feel like they were immersed in the music itself. Enter Fantasia—a revolutionary…
Welcome to the November Vinyl Beat! This month at Casa Rudy we’re enjoying a couple of Doobies, being overrun by Rhinos, wearing a Tutu, adding some salsa to life’s recipe, and operating under an assumed identity.
In the glittering circus of pop music, where smoke, mirrors, and synthesized beats reign supreme, few scandals hit harder—or landed messier—than the Milli Vanilli debacle of 1990. This wasn’t just a little hiccup in the pop machine. This was a full-on implosion, a moment when the flashy veneer of the music industry was peeled back,…
The Mojo Audio Mystique Y DAC appears to have most if not all the sound quality of the established Mystique X model; Howard Milstein gives it an in-depth review.
Frank Zappa was never one to tread lightly, especially when it came to tearing down cultural idols. So when he and the Mothers of Invention decided to parody The Beatles’ iconic Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band cover for We’re Only In It For The Money, they went all in, crafting a visual riot that…