Copper

First Look (and Listen): A Hi-Def Live Concert ...

I recently attended a press showing (and listening) session at the Beacon Theatre in New York of their new, recently-installed sound system, called Sphere Immersive Sound. It was touted as...

Talking With Dan Mackta of Qobuz

Streaming and downloading audio service Qobuz specializes in delivering high-resolution audio up to 24-bit/192 kHz. Founded in 2007 in France, Qobuz launched in the US in February, 2019 and now...

The Meanings of Life

For though your ship be sturdy No mercy has the sea Will you survive on the ocean of being? – Genesis, “Watcher of the Skies” As long as I gaze...

Analyze This

Written by Frank Doris   Not much is known about this early M&K three-piece satellite/subwoofer system (pictured above and below) found at Audio Classics, but it looks and sounds very...

Around the World In 80 Lathes, Part 21

In the previous episode (Issue 170), we looked at the Hara disk recording lathes, manufactured in Japan in the 1970s. The Vanrock E-101 and the Atom A-101 came a bit...

Pilgrimage to Sturgis, Part 29

  [Editor’s Note: this part of the story took place in the mid-1980s.] A blast of superheated wind hit me in the face as I walked out of that air-conditioned restaurant in...

Lemons Rally: Rust Belt Ramble, Part Three

Day Three: “Steel City, Oil City, Silo City” Good morning! It’s the last day of the Rust Belt Ramble. This is the day of mixed emotions. On one hand, you’re...

Back to My Reel-to-Reel Roots, Part 22: Reel-to...

To noodge is Yiddish for “to pester,” but with a vengeance. It isn’t just whining and nagging. It’s full-blown, incessant, won’t-take-no-for-an-answer annoyance. That’s how I managed to drive RX Reels’...

Amy Winehouse: Soulful Supernova

Once when R&B legend Ronnie Spector was shown a picture of Amy Winehouse, for a moment she thought she was looking at a picture of herself as a young woman....

The Colors of Music: Synesthetic Artist Sees an...

In Issue 170, Melissa McCracken shared with our readership the fascinating experience of creating her artwork as a synesthetic. Here’s an excerpt from Part One of our interview: Melissa McCracken: Synesthesia is a...

Finding Balance Between Artistry and Academia: ...

For young troubadour Sophia Marie, life can be hectic, but through that frenzy, the West Coast native often recoils into a gentle creative balance. Sophia Marie is a new, young...

Silent Movie Fan

Ticket booth at the historic Silco Theater in Silver City, New Mexico. Silco is an anagram of silver and copper, the economic foundations of the community.

Tapped Out

Astrud Gilberto: The Essence of Bossa Nova

She was hardly a powerhouse singer. In fact, her voice was thin, barely more than a whisper. But Astrud Gilberto’s low-key vocal style captured the essence of bossa nova at...

Diagnosing Audiophilia

Patient: Dr. Krebs, I think I have acute audiophilia. Dr. Krebs: Sounds serious. What are your symptoms? Patient: A lack of sound clarity with some distortion. Both my audio system...

Trying to Connect

All That Jazz, Part Two

When I was studying music in college, I thought about learning how to play the double bass. On second thought it seemed impractical: I would have to carry an instrument...

World Music

Written by Frank Doris From the Museum of the Hard to Believe: a 1970s ADC Accutrac 4000, featuring computerized playback of any track, even in random order! The 4000 had...

Under My Skin: An Interview With Journalist Eli...

As a direct representative of an era steeped in glitz and glamor, journalist Elise Krentzel’s journey through the entangled jungle of rock music is one of dreams, determination, and perseverance....

The Colors of Music: Synesthetic Artist Melissa...

We’ll begin this article by having artist Melissa McCracken give us a short introduction to synesthesia and how it inspires her artwork. Melissa McCracken: Synesthesia is a neurological condition in...

The Times They Are a-Changin’!

I’ve been absent for a couple of issues, and I wanted to let everyone know that I haven’t completely faded away…at least, not yet! In previous issues of Copper, I’d...

Confessions of a CD Addict, Circa 1986

File under “what comes around, goes around.” I wrote the following unpublished piece in 1986, found unexpectedly after going through old computer files. The deja vu of my music consumption...

Breaking News: HD Vinyl Enters Bankruptcy (and ...

Over the past 130 years or so, very little has changed in disk recording, mastering and record manufacturing. The shift from acoustic recording to electrical recording took place in the...

High-Quality Audio In Clubland

When was the last time you went to a really trendy dance club? How about one that caters to an in-the-know young crowd? What about one of New York City’s...

T.H.E. Show 2022 Report, Part Two

The reasons for audio shows are basically to sell product. Am I being too cynical? Perhaps, but almost everyone involved needs to have a positive ROI (return on investment), a...

Back to My Reel-to-Reel Roots, Part 21: The Bes...

With the myriad changes which have inevitably affected audio pursuits over the years – the return of vinyl, the decline in the numbers of print magazines and hi-fi shops –...

Duncan Sheik: From Barely Breathing to Broadway...

Some of the most interesting paths in music (and in life for that matter) come with winding turns and heading into peaks and valleys. Few know that better than Duncan...

Floating Over CES

It was explained to me that Penthouse magazine would not be using manufacturer’s product shots, because they did not want “Technomania’s” content to look like any other magazines. (The story of how they...

On The Road: Recording The Stars in a Golden Er...

When it comes to live albums, many music fans have a wide variety of personal favorites. A large cross-section of top choices would likely include recordings from David Bowie, Jackson...

Digital in an Analog World

We are greatly saddened to report the passing of Chris Sommovigo on August 15, 2022, from a cardiac event. He was most recently associated with Black Cat Cables, and had...

Pure Distortion

Timing Error

Where the Streets Have No Name

You want me to go where? Taken at Fort Bragg, California.

My Retail Customers: Of Chalk and Cheese

Working in retail perhaps may better be thought of as a portal to another world, another dimension of possibilities and unexpected outcomes. I thought it would be fun to share...

Octave Records Releases The Complete Bach Cello...

PS Audio’s Octave Records label is honored to tell everyone that The Complete Bach Cello Suites by world-renowned cellist Zuill Bailey is now available as a four-LP vinyl box set...

Pilgrimage to Sturgis, Part 28

Written by B. Jan Montana     It was after 10 when Chip shook me awake the next morning. “Take a shower, Montana, Candy will soon have breakfast ready.” I...

Around the World In 80 Lathes, Part 20

By the 1970s, disk recording had pretty much disappeared from all sectors, with the sole exception of cutting masters for the industrial manufacturing of vinyl records. Radio stations had moved...

Talk Talk Talking About the Psychedelic Furs

Part of post-punk’s essential nature was to acknowledge that musical genres were not generated spontaneously but developed through history. The Butler brothers – Richard on vocals and Tim on bass...

Lemons Rally: Rust Belt Ramble, Part Two

Day Two: “Big Bucket, Big Bridges, Big Tree, Big Day” A big day indeed, as we would travel through parts of three states today. As it turned out, the bulk...

Orlande de Lassus: Magnificent Music for Voice

One of the most astonishing periods of European music history was the 16th century, when composers like Josquin Des Prez and Giovanni Palestrina rocketed polyphonic vocal writing to new levels...

Tape Versus Vinyl

In my previous articles, I have alluded to the fact that there are many factors that determine the sound quality of an LP. The quality of the original recording is...

Blue In Green

A Sansui 2000x receiver, made from around 1971 to 1975. Delivering 30 watts per channel, these older receivers used to be looked down upon by high-enders, but have gained cachet...

Musical Roots: A Trip Around the World

The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM), located in Phoenix, Arizona, is the foremost musical instrument museum in the world with 350 exhibits, 200 of which are country-specific. I described it in a previous Copper article (Issue 168),...

Around the World In 80 Lathes, Part 19

Those among our readers with an interest in photography will certainly be familiar with Rollei, a company that started in 1920 in Braunschweig, Germany, manufacturing optics and photographic equipment. Even...

Back and Revitalized: T.H.E. Show 2022, Part One

One of the first audio shows I attended after what is hopefully the end of the pandemic was T.H.E. Show 2022, held at the Hilton Long Beach Hotel in California...

Confessions of a Setup Man, Part 15: Avoiding B...

We’ve all experienced burnout in one form or another, exacerbated by living in the COVID-19 era. Merriam-Webster defines burnout as “exhaustion of physical and emotional strength or motivation usually as...

Tommy Emmanuel: Casting a Spell on Guitar

When guitar great Chet Atkins names you as one of only five guitarists he considers a “Certified Guitar Player,” you know that you have reached the top of your game....

Kloss Encounter

A 1988 portrait of legendary audio designer Henry Kloss, who co-founded Acoustic Research with Edgar Villchur in 1954. He was also involved in KLH, founded Advent Corporation and Kloss Video...

Tale of the Tape

Thieves, Golden Boys, and Trust in the Retail S...

Some of you may have read in my previous articles that part of my background originates in musical instrument retailing. As a result of my experience, one of my catchphrases...