Copper


The Great 78 Project

There was a time, in the first half of the 20th century, when several-minute segments of music were served up on giant black platters. This was the era of the 78s,...

The Great 78 Project

Issue 44SOMETHING OLD / SOMETHING NEW

There was a time, in the first half of the 20th century, when several-minute segments of music were served up on giant black platters. This was the era of the 78s,...

Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2017

Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2017

RMAF this year was back to full size, with the memories of tents and blocked-off rooms behind us. The show seemed particularly busy Friday morning, as you can see from...

Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2017

Issue 44FEATURED

RMAF this year was back to full size, with the memories of tents and blocked-off rooms behind us. The show seemed particularly busy Friday morning, as you can see from...

Satchmo

The Roaring 20’s changed life in America in radical ways.  The 18th Amendment  passed on January 16, 1919, and prohibited “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors ” within the...

Satchmo

Issue 44MUSIC TO MY EARS

The Roaring 20’s changed life in America in radical ways.  The 18th Amendment  passed on January 16, 1919, and prohibited “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors ” within the...

Celisse Henderson

Sometimes indie songwriters also write theater pieces. Much rarer are those whose talents are so wide-ranging that they perform in Broadway shows and hit TV sitcoms. Celisse Henderson is in...

Celisse Henderson

Issue 44AND INDIE FOR ALL

Sometimes indie songwriters also write theater pieces. Much rarer are those whose talents are so wide-ranging that they perform in Broadway shows and hit TV sitcoms. Celisse Henderson is in...

Stereo at Sixty

We’ve heard a lot about anniversaries in 2017, with it being the 50th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper, the Summer of Love, the Stones’ Their Satanic Majesties Request, and much more. One anniversary that’s received...

Stereo at Sixty

Issue 44VINTAGE WHINE

We’ve heard a lot about anniversaries in 2017, with it being the 50th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper, the Summer of Love, the Stones’ Their Satanic Majesties Request, and much more. One anniversary that’s received...

Wilmore!

“Where is Roy Hall? Roy Hall? Stand up.” My heart sank. A lifetime ago I worked for the now defunct department store called Abraham & Straus. As manager of the...

Wilmore!

Issue 44MUSIC'AL NOTES

“Where is Roy Hall? Roy Hall? Stand up.” My heart sank. A lifetime ago I worked for the now defunct department store called Abraham & Straus. As manager of the...

Cables? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Cables!

In the world of high end audio there is probably no subject as controversial then the retail cost of high end cables vs. what they really bring to system. While...

Cables? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Cables!

Issue 44TWISTED SYSTEMS

In the world of high end audio there is probably no subject as controversial then the retail cost of high end cables vs. what they really bring to system. While...

Brothers In Arms

While I’ve been contemplating my next piece, I’ve been thinking about my last one, and about the man who introduced me to audio, my father. I would be very much...

Brothers In Arms

Issue 44MUSIC AUDIO AND OTHER ILLNESSES

While I’ve been contemplating my next piece, I’ve been thinking about my last one, and about the man who introduced me to audio, my father. I would be very much...

Confessions of a Beleaguered Music Fan

While most Copper readers are fans of different types of audiophile gear, the one love that I would lay odds that is universal for all of us is the love of music. While...

Confessions of a Beleaguered Music Fan

Issue 44FEATURED

While most Copper readers are fans of different types of audiophile gear, the one love that I would lay odds that is universal for all of us is the love of music. While...

Of Mirrors, and Combs

Mirror, mirror, on the wall… Here’s a quick challenge for you.  When you look at something in a mirror, why is the image always reversed left-to-right, and never top-to-bottom?  Think...

Of Mirrors, and Combs

Issue 43QUIBBLES AND BITS

Mirror, mirror, on the wall… Here’s a quick challenge for you.  When you look at something in a mirror, why is the image always reversed left-to-right, and never top-to-bottom?  Think...

Classic Album Sundays

Classic Album Sundays

The heart of Classic Album Sundays is built around a deep love for music, involving listening to entire albums on vinyl and on an amazing hi-fi. We feature vinyl for the warmth...

Classic Album Sundays

Issue 43FEATURED

The heart of Classic Album Sundays is built around a deep love for music, involving listening to entire albums on vinyl and on an amazing hi-fi. We feature vinyl for the warmth...

Analogic

A wise man once said “the most difficult thing that there is to do in the world, is to separate a man from his suffering”. Had I heard that earlier...

Analogic

Issue 43FEATUREDweb-2517

A wise man once said “the most difficult thing that there is to do in the world, is to separate a man from his suffering”. Had I heard that earlier...

Lord of the Ring

Sir Georg Solti was one of the preeminent conductors of the latter half of the 20th Century.  Many conductors are polarizing figures, particularly among the musicians over whom they hold...

Lord of the Ring

Issue 44QUIBBLES AND BITS

Sir Georg Solti was one of the preeminent conductors of the latter half of the 20th Century.  Many conductors are polarizing figures, particularly among the musicians over whom they hold...

RMAF Preview

RMAF Preview

In a year that’s seen some ups and downs in the show world—a new show in LA, and longtime reliable venue THE Show cancelled, at least for this year—it’s good...

RMAF Preview

Issue 43FEATURED

In a year that’s seen some ups and downs in the show world—a new show in LA, and longtime reliable venue THE Show cancelled, at least for this year—it’s good...

Digital vs. Analog, Ad Nauseum

“What If Digital Had Never Happened?” writes Steve Guttenberg in the October 2017 issue of Stereophile. It’s a thoughtful, well-written piece. I just wonder why the audiophile community needs another piece glorifying analog...

Digital vs. Analog, Ad Nauseum

Issue 44FEATURED

“What If Digital Had Never Happened?” writes Steve Guttenberg in the October 2017 issue of Stereophile. It’s a thoughtful, well-written piece. I just wonder why the audiophile community needs another piece glorifying analog...

Revenge, Audio Style

I hope you all had a great summer. I missed you! This first story in my second season of writing for Copper is about… revenge. It is also about audio....

Revenge, Audio Style

Issue 43TWISTED SYSTEMS

I hope you all had a great summer. I missed you! This first story in my second season of writing for Copper is about… revenge. It is also about audio....

Issue 43

Issue 43

Issue 43

Issue 43
Confidence

Confidence

Confidence

Issue 44FEATURED

Tainted Judgment

Tainted Judgment

Tainted Judgment

Issue 43FEATURED

Hi-Fis, Cars, and Planes

Through the years my idea of listening to a stereo has evolved, to where I’m now at the point where I expect  to be totally transported and blown away by a sound...

Hi-Fis, Cars, and Planes

Issue 45FEATURED

Through the years my idea of listening to a stereo has evolved, to where I’m now at the point where I expect  to be totally transported and blown away by a sound...

When Is It Time For the Next One?

The most famous line about making comedy gets quoted a lot. Lorne Michaels says, “Saturday Night Live doesn’t go on at 11:30 because it’s ready. It goes on at 11:30 because...

When Is It Time For the Next One?

Issue 44HOBGOBLIN

The most famous line about making comedy gets quoted a lot. Lorne Michaels says, “Saturday Night Live doesn’t go on at 11:30 because it’s ready. It goes on at 11:30 because...

The Pleasure of Buying Bad Records

The Pleasure of Buying Bad Records

One doesn’t generally expect a bargain at a Brooklyn flea market. After all, if it were any good, some hipster would have gotten it before I even got a chance....

The Pleasure of Buying Bad Records

Issue 43HOBGOBLIN

One doesn’t generally expect a bargain at a Brooklyn flea market. After all, if it were any good, some hipster would have gotten it before I even got a chance....

British & Irish Music

I want to talk about British and Irish folk music. And I’d like to start with Henry Purcell. Wait, what? If you look at the entire history of music, it’s...

British & Irish Music

Issue 42SOMETHING OLD / SOMETHING NEW

I want to talk about British and Irish folk music. And I’d like to start with Henry Purcell. Wait, what? If you look at the entire history of music, it’s...

Woodsmoke and Oranges

Woodsmoke and Oranges

Welcome to Copper #42! An all-too-brief vacation in the smoky Pacific Northwest brought to mind that classic album by Paul Siebel (which still holds up pretty well, unlike many albums...

Woodsmoke and Oranges

Issue 42Opening Salvo

Welcome to Copper #42! An all-too-brief vacation in the smoky Pacific Northwest brought to mind that classic album by Paul Siebel (which still holds up pretty well, unlike many albums...

Read more

Dippermouth

January 1, 1901 was a Tuesday in steamy New Orleans.  There were folks, mostly muttering vagrants and journalists, who would say it was Wednesday in China, but these people were...

Dippermouth

Issue 42MUSIC TO MY EARS

January 1, 1901 was a Tuesday in steamy New Orleans.  There were folks, mostly muttering vagrants and journalists, who would say it was Wednesday in China, but these people were...

Cairo

“Is Israel a good country?” asked the captain. I was the sole passenger on a fifty-seat tourist boat sailing the river Nile some miles north of Cairo. In 1991, accompanied...

Cairo

Issue 43MUSIC'AL NOTES

“Is Israel a good country?” asked the captain. I was the sole passenger on a fifty-seat tourist boat sailing the river Nile some miles north of Cairo. In 1991, accompanied...

CEDIA

CEDIA

The Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association — better known as CEDIA — holds an annual show for audio/video installers and custom home integrators.  It’s a great place to learn about custom...

CEDIA

Issue 42FEATURED

The Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association — better known as CEDIA — holds an annual show for audio/video installers and custom home integrators.  It’s a great place to learn about custom...

Hedges Family Estate, Washington

Hedges Family Estate, Washington

Hedges Family Estate, Washington

Issue 44PARTING SHOT
Columbia River Gorge

Columbia River Gorge

Columbia River Gorge

Issue 43PARTING SHOT
Issue 42

Issue 42

Issue 42

Issue 42

Massive Layoffs at Harman Pro

Back in Copper #27, we reported legal woes at Samsung  and made mention of that company’s purchase of Harman International. As is to be expected when any company is sold to a monolith like...

Massive Layoffs at Harman Pro

Issue 42INDUSTRY NEWS

Back in Copper #27, we reported legal woes at Samsung  and made mention of that company’s purchase of Harman International. As is to be expected when any company is sold to a monolith like...

Value For Money?

Upgrading your Hi-Fi equipment can be both deeply satisfying, and deeply unsatisfactory, and both at the same time. Satisfying, because you have invested in something that you have either wanted...

Value For Money?

Issue 42QUIBBLES AND BITS

Upgrading your Hi-Fi equipment can be both deeply satisfying, and deeply unsatisfactory, and both at the same time. Satisfying, because you have invested in something that you have either wanted...

Wood

Back in Copper #31, I wrote about the subject of Tone, and how it seems to have vanished as a topic of audio discussions—and really, from consideration as a vital element of audio design....

Wood

Issue 42VINTAGE WHINE

Back in Copper #31, I wrote about the subject of Tone, and how it seems to have vanished as a topic of audio discussions—and really, from consideration as a vital element of audio design....

Alice Phoebe Lou

At the ripe old age of 17, Alice Phoebe Lou decided she’d had enough of life in her native South Africa. She slung her guitar across her back and headed...

Alice Phoebe Lou

Issue 42AND INDIE FOR ALL

At the ripe old age of 17, Alice Phoebe Lou decided she’d had enough of life in her native South Africa. She slung her guitar across her back and headed...

Conrad-Johnson Sold

Conrad-Johnson Sold

Bill Conrad and Lew Johnson were government economists who happened to be dedicated audiophiles—dedicated enough to build their own gear. In 1977 the pair introduced a vacuum tube preamplifier whose...

Conrad-Johnson Sold

Issue 41INDUSTRY NEWS

Bill Conrad and Lew Johnson were government economists who happened to be dedicated audiophiles—dedicated enough to build their own gear. In 1977 the pair introduced a vacuum tube preamplifier whose...

Meetings With Remarkable Men, Part 3

In the previous two articles, I wrote about encountering Jack Casady and Phil Lesh as a teenager. Of course, I could write pages and pages about the influence of my father (and my brothers)....

Meetings With Remarkable Men, Part 3

Issue 42MUSIC AUDIO AND OTHER ILLNESSES

In the previous two articles, I wrote about encountering Jack Casady and Phil Lesh as a teenager. Of course, I could write pages and pages about the influence of my father (and my brothers)....

Issue 41

Issue 41

Welcome to Copper #41! The title isn't to announce a James Taylor retrospective---sorry to crush your hopes--- but is just what I see in today's weather reports. The Pacific Northwest, where I'm...

Issue 41

Issue 41Opening Salvo

Welcome to Copper #41! The title isn't to announce a James Taylor retrospective---sorry to crush your hopes--- but is just what I see in today's weather reports. The Pacific Northwest, where I'm...

Read more

LP Playback: Is It Really Reference-Quality?

Is it truly superior if it has not one, but two iterations of eq; an extra gain stage; a signal-to-noise ratio that is definitely not so superior; inner-groove distortion; variable performance; and...

LP Playback: Is It Really Reference-Quality?

Issue 41FEATURED

Is it truly superior if it has not one, but two iterations of eq; an extra gain stage; a signal-to-noise ratio that is definitely not so superior; inner-groove distortion; variable performance; and...

Show on Show on Show

The title is of course an allusion to “In the Bleak Midwinter”.  Make of that what you will; it just came to mind, unbidden, while thinking yet again about audio...

Show on Show on Show

Issue 41THE AUDIO CYNIC

The title is of course an allusion to “In the Bleak Midwinter”.  Make of that what you will; it just came to mind, unbidden, while thinking yet again about audio...

Anohni

British singer-songwriter Antony Hegarty now uses a “spirit name,” Anohni. She also now prefers female pronouns, although she has always considered her gender to be fluid. As she told the Guardian,...

Anohni

Issue 41... AND INDIE FOR ALL

British singer-songwriter Antony Hegarty now uses a “spirit name,” Anohni. She also now prefers female pronouns, although she has always considered her gender to be fluid. As she told the Guardian,...

Not Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting

The popularity of martial arts has grown exponentially in the US in recent years. The sale of the UFC for $4 billion last summer only demonstrates the huge demand for...

Not Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting

Issue 42FEATURED

The popularity of martial arts has grown exponentially in the US in recent years. The sale of the UFC for $4 billion last summer only demonstrates the huge demand for...

Burl, San Francisco

Burl, San Francisco

Burl, San Francisco

Issue 42PARTING SHOT
Maybe You Should Pick THAT One....

Maybe You Should Pick THAT One....

Maybe You Should Pick THAT One....

Issue 42FEATURED

Always Be Closing

Always Be Closing

Always Be Closing

Issue 41FEATURED

Bang & Olufsen, Part 2

Bang & Olufsen, Part 2

Continuing from Part 1 , we’ll look at more legacy Bang & Olufsen products in the city museum of Struer, Denmark, B&O’s home for nearly a century. In the last issue, we...

Bang & Olufsen, Part 2

Issue 41VINTAGE WHINE

Continuing from Part 1 , we’ll look at more legacy Bang & Olufsen products in the city museum of Struer, Denmark, B&O’s home for nearly a century. In the last issue, we...

MQA Just Ruined My Stereo

[Please note: this piece was originally run in Copper #6,  when distribution of MQA and MQA-encoded files was still very limited. Seth wrote in anticipation of things to come, and was looking forward to not...

MQA Just Ruined My Stereo

Issue 42HOBGOBLIN

[Please note: this piece was originally run in Copper #6,  when distribution of MQA and MQA-encoded files was still very limited. Seth wrote in anticipation of things to come, and was looking forward to not...

Immersion

You’ve probably already figured this out, but I am innately distrustful of fads, buzzwords, and whatevers du jour. I never read a book while it’s on the NYT bestsellers list....

Immersion

Issue 42THE AUDIO CYNIC

You’ve probably already figured this out, but I am innately distrustful of fads, buzzwords, and whatevers du jour. I never read a book while it’s on the NYT bestsellers list....

Right on the Edge of Disaster

Here’s a simple question: which is more fun to drive down a winding country road at 30 miles an hour? A new Bentley or a 1969 Jaguar? Most car fans...

Right on the Edge of Disaster

Issue 41HOBGOBLIN

Here’s a simple question: which is more fun to drive down a winding country road at 30 miles an hour? A new Bentley or a 1969 Jaguar? Most car fans...

The Beauty of Song Part 2

[In the last issue of Copper, Jason Victor Serinus introduced us to the beauty and communicative power of art song. That story paves the way for what follows below.—Ed.] One of the great...

The Beauty of Song Part 2

Issue 42FEATURED

[In the last issue of Copper, Jason Victor Serinus introduced us to the beauty and communicative power of art song. That story paves the way for what follows below.—Ed.] One of the great...

Justice

“I don’t know why I am telling you this. “ said the large woman who a short while ago had hurriedly sat down beside me and fastened her seatbelt. She...

Justice

Issue 42MUSIC'AL NOTES

“I don’t know why I am telling you this. “ said the large woman who a short while ago had hurriedly sat down beside me and fastened her seatbelt. She...