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Most-Read Opinion Articles (Last 365 Days)

Digging in the Dirt

Details: Written by Matt Bonaccio Matt Bonaccio; Category: Monthly Column Monthly Column; Created: 01 October 2023 01 October 2023

I found it awkwardly stuffed between a Mormon Tabernacle Choir recording and an LP by the likes of Burt Bacharach or Herb Alpert. It was a copy of A Hard Day’s Night—the American pressing from United Artists with the caution-sign red-orange cover and a different track listing than the UK version. The black disc was naked inside, pressed thick in early-1960s fashion, its surface replete with tiny marks and scratches. Within its grooves lay a dozen jangly teen pop ditties preserved in glorious monaural sound. On the front cover, the cheeky black-and-white closeups of the band’s mop-top hairdos had faded to a dusty gray. The crusty, worn sleeve had suffered sufficient abuse over the past 60 years that only the bottom edge still held together—the others had split apart entirely. Oh man, I thought. Score!

Evaluating a Stereo System’s Sound with a Single Song

Details: Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider; Category: Monthly Column Monthly Column; Created: 01 September 2023 01 September 2023

As followers of my personal social-media pages know, I post something almost daily (Doug SoundStage Schneider on Facebook, Doug Schneider on LinkedIn). Sometimes I’ll deliberately choose a provocative topic that’s sure to stir up emotions to spur a lively discussion. Anything about MQA, analog versus digital, tubes versus transistors—these and such other topics fire audiophiles up. Other times I’ll choose a product, a company, or a person to write about. I recently wrote a complimentary post about Taylor Swift’s success on Facebook, for instance. Occasionally, though, I’ll post a question simply to get people’s thoughts and opinions on a subject.

Canadian Hi-Fi Trilogy: Axiom Audio, Bryston, and Magnum Dynalab—All Under One Expanding Roof

Details: Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider; Category: Monthly Column Monthly Column; Created: 01 August 2023 01 August 2023

First came Axiom

Colquhoun Audio Laboratories Limited and Axiom Audio, its sole brand at first, were founded in 1980 by Ian Colquhoun. In 1983 the company moved from its place of birth, near Toronto, to Dwight, Ontario, about 150 miles north. This is where Colquhoun (pronounced co-hoon) grew up and where he and his company remain.

The Best of High End 2023

Details: Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider; Category: Monthly Column Monthly Column; Created: 01 July 2023 01 July 2023

I can’t say for sure that the annual High End show in Munich, Germany, is the largest hi-fi show in the world, because I know that there are a couple of very big shows in Asia, but I’ve never been to them. I can confidently say High End is considered the most important hi-fi show in the world. What gives High End that status is that it attracts an enormous number of exhibitors and attendees from around the world.

The Best of Montreal Audiofest 2023

Details: Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider; Category: Monthly Column Monthly Column; Created: 01 June 2023 01 June 2023

This feature has been a longer-than-normal time coming. Montreal Audiofest 2023, which Jason Thorpe and I covered for SoundStage! Global, ran from March 24 to 26. We typically run an article highlighting the show’s best products on the first day of the month following the show. But two days after Audiofest, I flew to England to visit Monitor Audio and Vivid Audio. So there wasn’t enough time for me to write a best-of-show report in time for publication on April 1. My backup plan was to write it up in time for May 1. But almost as soon as I got home from the UK, I got sicker than hell. My doctor told me that it was only a bad cold, but the damn thing lasted almost three weeks, and I didn’t want to do much but lie in bed.

For Beginners: Four Reasons Why You Should Get into Vinyl

Details: Written by Matt Bonaccio Matt Bonaccio; Category: Monthly Column Monthly Column; Created: 01 May 2023 01 May 2023

I’m not sure if my story is typical of younger audiophiles, but vinyl was my introduction to this hobby. The vinyl resurgence began around 15 years ago. I have a formative memory of getting introduced to the medium as a teenager via a pitiful Crosley suitcase record player and a copy of the Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975). Thankfully, I’ve since moved on to more capable equipment; but if I hadn’t been bitten by the vinyl bug, I might never have become an audiophile.

For Beginners: Take Ten Minutes to Read These Four Warnings before You Get into Vinyl

Details: Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider; Category: Monthly Column Monthly Column; Created: 01 April 2023 01 April 2023

Vinyl is in fashion these days. Vinyl is what the cool kids listen to. Vinyl is what some people don’t actually listen to but do hang on their walls. Vinyl is what I used to listen to as a teenager—decades before it became fashionable, cool, or decorative. That’s because vinyl was how music was primarily distributed in those days. But when the Compact Disc came along, I happily turned to digital because of vinyl’s drawbacks, four of which I’m going to mention.

The Best of Florida International Audio Expo 2023

Details: Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider; Category: Monthly Column Monthly Column; Created: 01 March 2023 01 March 2023

Florida International Audio Expo 2023 was held from February 17 to 19 in Tampa, at the Embassy Suites By Hilton Tampa Airport Westshore. That’s the same hotel it’s been held at since the first show, in 2019, when it was named Florida Audio Expo. Except for 2021, when it was canceled due to COVID-19, I’ve been to this event every year—and have been able to witness it improving with each successive year.

The RME ADI-2 DAC FS and NAD Masters M23—Transparent Sounding, State-of-the-Art Measurements, and Rich Feature Sets for Real-World Prices

Details: Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider; Category: Monthly Column Monthly Column; Created: 01 February 2023 01 February 2023

It’s natural to assume that a more expensive product is better than a cheaper one, which is why many people use the price tag to determine quality. If it sells for more, it must cost more to make, right? And that alone should make it superior. But with many products—hi-fi and otherwise—that’s simply not the case. Price can be a ruse.

The Two Most Impressive Speakers I Heard During 2022

Details: Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider; Category: Monthly Column Monthly Column; Created: 01 January 2023 01 January 2023

In 2022, I traveled to more countries to visit more hi-fi companies and hi-fi shows than in any previous year. I went to the Netherlands and England twice, three times to Germany, once to Poland, all the way across Canada, and to several places in the United States. In doing so, my purported “standing” with a couple travel-related companies blossomed—I regained Silver Elite status on Air Canada, and achieved Gold Elite status at Marriott for the first time.