The Frugal Audiophile

The Emotiva ERC-4 CD Player While streaming is perhaps now the dominant form to obtain music, not even the best quality is equal to many CDs and many collectors, like me, have a good sized library. So a CD player is valuable. Although certainly more expensive than a typical CD player, or using a Blu-ray player, no ordinary, and I suspect even units costing three times as much, can match the performance and build quality of the ERC-4. What's amazing to me is that several CDs, even when played through my Emotiva UMC-200 using my Panasonic Blu-Ray player, had that harsh, shrill digital sound that critics complain about; I suspected as much before buying and it's gratifying to be proven correct. Now, for example, the voice of soprano Renee Fleming in her CD The Beautiful Voice is almost as lovely as if it had been recorded by Chesky records; warmth, depth, "air" -- all those elements that bring a voice to life; and of course Chesky's " Ultimate Demonstrat

Who's Right? Accuracy or Musicality? I found Who's Right? Accuracy or Musicality accidentally by the late J. Gordon Holt . He makes some interesting points but the question is in the definition of both. He wrote: Stereophile for example feels that, at a time in audio history when superb bass and treble and excellent detail are obtainable from many loudspeakers, the most important remaining consideration is freedom from coloration through the middle range (where, after all, the vast majority of musical activity takes place). We have continued to use and to recommend Fulton Musical Industries J speakers because, despite frequent modifications and manifest weaknesses (ie, low-end and and midrange detail easily bettered by some other systems), they offered what we feel to he the best set of performance compromises of any available speaker system. The FMI Js, in other words, while not quite the equal of some others in some respects, are so markedly superior in their re

Just the other day, I saw the above video on YouTube: Introducing Dolby Atmos Music From the description: Start your mixing in Dolby Atmos today with a free trial of Dolby Atmos Production Suite.  Available now at  https://dolbylabs.co/tryDolbyAtmos  Dolby Atmos Music expands the creative palette for artists and creators. Isolate and articulate instruments and vocals with incredible clarity and make listeners feel like they are inside the music. I wonder what creators of equipment, from Emotiva to PS Audio (I sent them an email and will follow-up if I hear back) think of this statement made in the video? "What happens today when you are in stereo you have all these instruments fighting to be heard. But with Dolby Atmos, each instrument has its own space to breathe, so that all that articulation, detail and clarity can be maintained." I can't evaluate how accurate the Atmos guy is, but I suspect the Audiophile or "High End" i