Reputation

Reputation


  • One Small Throw for Townshend, One Giant Fall for Moon

    Rock โ€˜nโ€™ roll is full of nights that teetered on the edge of disaster, but few reached the level of legendary mayhem that erupted in Flint, Michigan, on August 23, 1967. It was the night Pete Townshendโ€™s guitar took flight, Keith Moon got himself banned from the entire Holiday Inn chain, and The Who cemented

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  • The Roots of Rock and Roll (Sort Of), Part 1

    A much-debated topic in popular music is the origin of rock and roll music. Writer Jeff Weiner tries to sort it all out in his new series.

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  • Winnipegโ€™s Altitudo Audio: Reaching New Heights in Sound

    In Winnipeg, two brothers turned passion into precisionโ€”Altitudo Audio delivers curated, appointment-only listening sessions that redefine the audiophile experience.

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  • This is Seoul! Mon Acoustic, The Korean Hi-Fi Brand Making Waves

    South Koreaโ€™s Mon Acoustic ditches hype for honesty, crafting AMT-equipped speakers in aluminum shells to deliver pure, uncolored sound now making waves in North America.

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  • Paul McCartney’s Unexpected Japanese Detour โ€” From Wings to Jail Wings

    January 16, 2025, marks the 45th anniversary of a moment that shook rock โ€˜nโ€™ roll to its core and almost put Paul McCartney behind bars for seven years. The worldโ€™s most famous bassistโ€”Beatle, hitmaker, and knight-to-beโ€”was arrested at Tokyoโ€™s Narita International Airport for smuggling nearly half a pound of marijuana. What couldโ€™ve been just another

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  • Monitor Audio: A Legacy of Sonic Excellence, Brought to You by Kevro

    Monitor Audioโ€™s five-decade legacy of sonic innovation lives on in Canada, where Kevro brings its acclaimed Bronze to Platinum series to discerning ears.

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  • Louis Armstrongโ€™s Death Valley Portrait

    In the scorching desert of Death Valley in 1958, Art Kane, then a relatively unknown photographer, found himself tasked with capturing Louis Armstrong in a way the world had never seen. At that moment, Armstrong wasnโ€™t just a jazz legendโ€”he was one of the most recognizable figures in global pop culture, thanks to hits like

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  • Girl, You Know It’s False: The Milli Vanilli Lip-Sync Scandal

    In the glittering circus of pop music, where smoke, mirrors, and synthesized beats reign supreme, few scandals hit harderโ€”or landed messierโ€”than the Milli Vanilli debacle of 1990. This wasnโ€™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,

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  • Gradology 101: The Life of Joseph Grado

    From Brooklyn watchmaker to audio legend, Joseph Grado transformed precision craftsmanship into the iconic โ€œGrado soundโ€ that audiophiles still obsess over today.

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  • Sidney Harman: A Harmony of Innovation and Mastery

    Sidney Harman and Bernard Kardon revolutionized home audio in postwar America, merging business vision and engineering brilliance to create Harman Kardon. This short biography of Harman traces his journey from Signal Corps to stereo legend, civic leader, and cultural patron.

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  • Compton’s Finest: N.W.A.’s Explosive Debut and Its Impact on Music and Society

    When N.W.A. released Straight Outta Compton on August 8, 1988, it marked a seismic shift in music, culture, and the way America viewed hip-hop. The album was a raw and unfiltered portrayal of life in the streets of South Central Los Angeles, delivered with an urgency and authenticity that had never been heard before. Not

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  • Chi-Fi: The Harbinger of Doom, or Bringing High-End Sound to the Masses?

    Tom Gibbs defends the value of Chi-Fi in high-end audio, spotlighting PrimaLunaโ€™s EVO 300 tube amp and budget marvels from Vera-Fi, Gustard, and Toppingโ€”while calling out the fearmongering and hypocrisy in anti-Chinese gear rhetoric.

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  • The Patents of… Paul W. Klipsch

    Paul W. Klipsch wasnโ€™t just a loudspeaker legendโ€”his inventive genius spanned acoustics, firearms, and geology. From folded horns and crossover filters to seismic sensors and rifle stabilizers, Klipschโ€™s legacy is innovation in every frequency.

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  • Inside the Rolling Stones’ First US Tour

    The Rolling Stonesโ€™ inaugural U.S. tour in 1964 was a wild ride of rock โ€˜nโ€™ roll chaos and cultural clashes. Hereโ€™s a deeper dive into the anecdotes and adventures that marked this historic tour, setting the stage for the bandโ€™s legendary status. The Flight That Almost Didnโ€™t Happen Before the Stones could even set foot

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  • Rock Chronicles, Part 10 โ€” From Badfinger to Bangladesh

    George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh was an unqualified success, and the first-ever pop concert for charity.

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