Opening paragraphs from a Stereophile review:
On the first morning in June I opened all the windows in my listening room and played Classic Records' LP reissue of Dvor?k's Cello Concerto (RCA Living Stereo LSC-2490), with Piatigorsky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The sunny weather put me in a fine mood, and so did the sound of my music system, which made me feel prouder than usual: Was ever a Linn record player more expertly adjusted? Wasn't I smart for keeping those Lamm monoblock amplifiers? Could a pair of Quads possibly sound better than mine?
While I reveled in the otherworldly realism of my hi-fi, a different sound caught my attention: the liquid twitter of a barn swallow, whose nest was under the eave outside my window. He made his call four or five times before taking off again, and from several feet away, even heard through a screen window?the kind of material most audiophiles would reject as a loudspeaker grille, for being too "opaque"?he sounded considerably more real, more there, than the music that was coming from my speakers, which now sounded like wallpaper paste by comparison. My enjoyment of Dvor?k and Piatigorsky wasn't spoiled, but the little bird refreshed my perspective and reminded me that, although this hobby is all about lying to myself, I should hope never to get too good at it.
On the first morning in June I opened all the windows in my listening room and played Classic Records' LP reissue of Dvor?k's Cello Concerto (RCA Living Stereo LSC-2490), with Piatigorsky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The sunny weather put me in a fine mood, and so did the sound of my music system, which made me feel prouder than usual: Was ever a Linn record player more expertly adjusted? Wasn't I smart for keeping those Lamm monoblock amplifiers? Could a pair of Quads possibly sound better than mine?
While I reveled in the otherworldly realism of my hi-fi, a different sound caught my attention: the liquid twitter of a barn swallow, whose nest was under the eave outside my window. He made his call four or five times before taking off again, and from several feet away, even heard through a screen window?the kind of material most audiophiles would reject as a loudspeaker grille, for being too "opaque"?he sounded considerably more real, more there, than the music that was coming from my speakers, which now sounded like wallpaper paste by comparison. My enjoyment of Dvor?k and Piatigorsky wasn't spoiled, but the little bird refreshed my perspective and reminded me that, although this hobby is all about lying to myself, I should hope never to get too good at it.
