- Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
Two years ago next month, in a feature for sister site SoundStage! Hi-Fi, Doug Schneider posed a question: “Is it time for active speakers?” As Doug noted, audiophiles have traditionally been cool toward active designs, despite their many advantages. This is partly because active speakers take some of the fun out of hobbyist audio. Audiophiles want to choose their own amps and cables, rather than have someone else make those choices for them.
- Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
It’s a common fallacy to believe that things that come easily to you come easily to everyone. But as a recent experience confirmed for me, it’s just not so.
- Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
One of my pet peeves is technology that thinks it knows more than I do. Sometimes, software developers will release a new version that removes a useful feature, supposedly to enhance ease of use, but usually to advance a corporate agenda. Sometimes, they’ll streamline a key function to make it simpler for inexperienced users, at the cost of restricting flexibility for experienced users.
- Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
Keen-eyed readers may have noticed that I recently added a new category to the Associated Equipment section at the end of my reviews. In addition to listing the speakers, sources, and cables used for a review, I’ve started listing my network setup. For most of the products I review, every note I listen to is streamed over a network. That makes the network an important part of my home-entertainment system.
- Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
This fall marked the 10th anniversary of file-based, high-resolution audio playback. The New York City-based website HDtracks opened its virtual doors in March 2008; in October of that year, it added to its catalog 24-bit/88.2kHz and 24/96 FLAC files.
- Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
Sometime soon, hopefully before the end of 2018, North American audiophiles will have their choice of two high-resolution music-streaming services. One of them is a familiar name -- now available in 57 countries, Tidal has been operating in North America since 2015. The other is a relative unknown, at least on the west side of the Atlantic.
- Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
Toronto has a new audio show. The first-ever Toronto Audiofest was held at the Westin Toronto Airport Hotel October 19-21. In one year, it has effectively supplanted the Toronto Audio-Video Entertainment Show (TAVES), which began in 2011 but gradually lost its way.
- Written by: Gordon Brockhouse
A year ago this month, my missus and I made a life-changing decision. We would sell the Toronto home where she had lived for 26 years, and move to a smaller house in the same neighborhood. Our kids had long since left the nest (lucky us!), and that big five-bedroom house was way more real estate than we needed. Downsizing would free up money for our retirements (we are now both, officially, geezers) and simplify our lives.
- Written by: Sathyan Sundaram
Music lovers have been trying to solve a problem ever since they began collecting recordings: How to have convenient access to large music libraries?
Read more: Time to Celebrate: Five Years of Google Chromecast
- Written by: Brent Butterworth
Last month, I talked about the advantages that voice command can bring to audio enthusiasts -- and the complications that limit its applicability to music listening. This month I talk in a bit more depth about the prospects for voice-command technology: How much better can voice-command systems get, and might they someday be the primary user interface for audio systems?
- Written by: Brent Butterworth
I’ve reacted with hostility to many audio writers’ musings about smart speakers. I’m beginning to wonder if I’ve been wrong.
- High End 2018, Simplifi'd
- Is the Smart Speaker a Dumb Idea?
- What's Up with Apple AirPlay 2?
- The Spotify Dilemma
- CES 2018, Simplifi’d
- Farewell, CES
- Room Tunes
- Social Streaming
- CEDIA 2017, Simplifi’d
- Classical Prime Time
- The Röst Reconsidered
- High End 2017, Simplifi'd
- Vinyl: There's an App for That
- Metadata: Life with Roon
- The Internet and Audio: The Good, the Bad, and the Impossible
- The State of Streaming
- CES 2017, Simplifi'd
- Why "Simplifi"
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