Discover

An 'audiophile', from Latin ''audire''^[1] "to hear" and Greek ''philos''^[2] "loving," can be generally defined as a person dedicated to achieving high fidelity in the recording and playback of music .

Contents

Overview

Audio system components

Sound sources

Amplifiers

Loudspeakers

Accessories

Headphones

Testing

Difficulty of testing

Objectivist

Subjectivists

Beliefs

Minimalism

Restoration

Digital versus analog

New technology concerns

Marketing practices

See also

References

External links

Objectivist

Subjectivist

Overview

Audiophiles are people who seek to listen to music at a level of quality as close to the original live performance as possible. They use high-fidelity components to try and attain these goals. Most are music lovers who are passionate about high-quality music reproduction. Some hobbyists build their own equipment, especially loudspeakers, but this is less common now.
Audiophile magazines include ''Hi-Fi News'', ''Hi-Fi Choice'', and ''Hi-Fi World'' in the United Kingdom and ''Stereophile'' and ''The Absolute Sound'' in the United States. Hobbyist audio societies also exist. ''Stereophile's website has a list of societies in the United States.[1]
Audiophiles can purchase special recordings made with extra attention to sound quality; some companies specialize in re-issuing recordings for this purpose. Many audiophiles feel that records sound better than compact discs (CDs), and audiophile records are often remastered and pressed on extra-heavy virgin vinyl--180g or 200g. Audiophiles also collect recordings in the so-called high-resolution formats such as Super Audio CD or DVD-Audio.
Audiophile values may be applied at all stages of music reproduction: the initial audio recording, the production process, and the playback, which is usually in a home setting. ''High-end audio'' refers to expensive, high-quality, or exotic products and practices used in the reproduction of music. Electronic gear used by audiophiles is typically sold at specialist shops. Prices range from not much more than mass market electronics to astronomical heights: high-end audio systems can easily cost more than a new automobile and in extreme cases can be hundreds of thousands of dollars. Most of this gear is produced by companies that specialize in high-end gear, although some also produce equipment used by audio professionals such as by recording studios.
The hobbyist will usually have great interest in the gear used, and may travel to listen to equipment not available in his own city, and spend hours in making minor changes to his gear and comparing the results. In Asia, hi-fi ownership and upgrading is often a hobby in its own right, where the pursuit of sound fidelity seems to be almost completely disassociated from the love of music. These "audiophiles" are solely into the gear. The music is just considered incidental or a means of "testing" equipment. The Chinese refer to this hobby as 發燒 or "fever outbreak."
On the other hand, many audiophiles have a true passion for music, and frequently attend live concerts. Audiophiles are more likely to listen to acoustic music, like jazz, classical or vocalists, where it is possible to compare the sound quality of the reproduction to the known sound quality of the original, than to electronic music such as rock music.

Audio system components

An audio system typically consists of a number of components. These include one or more source components, one or more amplification components, and (for stereo), two or more loudspeakers.
In addition, specialty cables or wires are used to link these components. There may also be a variety of accessories. These include equalizers, including digital equalizers, specialized equipment racks, speaker stands, power conditioners, devices to reduce or control vibration, and peripheral devices such as record cleaners, anti-static devices, phonograph needle cleaners, and many others.
The interaction between the loudspeakers and the room plays an important part in sound quality. Sound vibrations are reflected from walls, floor and ceiling, and are affected by the contents of the room. Room dimensions can create standing waves. As a result, audiophiles sometimes design their listening rooms specifically for optimum audio reproduction. There are devices for room treatment that impact the sound quality. Soft materials, such as draperies and carpets, reflect high-frequency sound less than hard walls and floors.
While mass-market electronics is almost always solid state, some audiophiles appreciate the sound of tubed gear and buy audiophile components that use a mix of tubes and solid-state electronics.
In addition to its sound quality, much high-end gear is designed for aesthetic appeal as well. Many devices, however, although striking in appearance, do not have universal appeal. They are often large or must occupy specific locations in the listening room, which may be the living room. This leads to the issue humorously known among audiophiles as the spouse-acceptance factor.
As with many hobbies, audiophiles use a certain amount of jargon. This includes a variety of language describing the sound of a system. Examples include ''bright'' (excessive energy in the upper frequencies), ''dark'' (excessive midbass), or ''lean'' (insufficient midbass).

Sound sources

Audiophiles usually play music from compact discs (CDs), records, and frequency-modulation radio (FM). Since the early 1990s, CDs have become the most common source of high-quality music, obliterating the mass market for records. But because of hobbyist record collecting, the extensive back-catalogue of music on records not available on CDs, and the perceived better sound quality of records among some audiophiles, records remain popular among a minority of listeners. Debate is sharp in this area, with analog proponents arguing that analog sound is warmer--has a bit of distortion which they find pleasant--and does not suffer from digital sound's alleged loss of information in the sampling process, while digital proponents decry analog formats as having a smaller dynamic range, greater deviations in frequency response, and greater distortion, which lessens sound quality. Nevertheless, turntables, tonearms, and magnetic cartridges are among the most exotic and lavish high-end audio products despite the difficulties of keeping records free from dust and the delicate set-up associated with turntables.

The 44.1 kHz sampling rate of the CD format, in theory, restricts CD information losses to above the theoretical upper-frequency limit of human hearing--20 kHz, see Nyquist limit. Some believe, however, that the brick-wall filter used by CD players to remove ultrasonic noise can create audible distortion. Newer formats such as DVD-Audio and Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD), with sampling rates of 96 kHz or higher, have been developed in an attempt to address this criticism.
Despite the popularity of MP3 digital-audio players, some audiophiles criticize these devices because of their reliance on lossy-data compression. In MP3 encoding, musical information is lost in proportion to the degree of compression. Audiophiles who use a digital-audio player will often encode their music at higher bit rates to maintain sound quality at acceptable levels for casual listening. Many digital-audio players, however, can also accept uncompressed formats such as WAV (PCM), foregoing compression in order to retain quality. Some players, including iPods, also allow lossless-data-compression algorithms, which can compress audio files without degrading their sound quality. Popular lossless formats include FLAC, WavPack, Monkey's Audio (APE), Apple Lossless, True Audio, Windows Media Audio 9 Lossless, and Shorten.
Although many digital-audio devices have integrated converters, there is a healthy demand for after-market digital-to-analog converters.

Amplifiers

Many audiophile systems separate the functions of the preamplifier from that of the power amplifier. A preamplifier selects among several audio inputs, amplifies source-level signals (such as those from a turntable), and allows the listener to adjust the sound with volume and tone controls, switchable filters, etc. A power amplifier takes the "line-level" audio signal from the preamplifier and drives the loudspeakers; typically the only control on a power amplifier is a gain (level) control (or none at all). Some audiophiles use two monophonic power amplifiers in a 'monoblock' configuration rather than one stereophonic power amplifier. Some use no preamplifier, instead connecting a CD player with a variable output directly to a power amplifier. Some go even further and use multiple amplifiers per loudspeaker to drive the woofer, midrange, tweeter, etc. The terms ''bi-amped'' and ''tri-amped'' are sometimes used to describe these systems. There are, however, those who advocate using integrated amplifiers that combine a preamplifier and power amplifier in one box, arguing the benefits of minimalism.
Audiophile amplifiers are available based on solid-state (semiconductor) technology, vacuum-tube (valve) technology, or hybrid technology—semiconductors and vacuum tubes. Very low power single-ended triode tube amplifiers are often claimed to provide superb sound when paired with appropriately sensitive loudspeakers. On the other hand, there are others who use solid-state amplifiers rated at over 1,000 watts RMS per channel. Some subjectivists believe that tube amplifiers, despite their much higher distortion, produce a more faithful and detailed reproduction in comparison to solid-state amplifiers. Objectivists respond that this is largely a matter of opinion and personal taste, not proper reproduction of sound. Tube amplifiers, however, are heavily used in music ''production'', primarily in guitar amplifiers because of their soft clipping when overdriven, compared to solid-state circuitry.

Loudspeakers

Audiophile loudspeakers use a wide variety of technologies and range greatly in size and cost. Starting at prices well under $500 budget audiophile loudspeakers are often the beneficiaries of more advanced technologies developed for higher priced flagship designs. Exotic loudspeaker designs and flagship models are some of the most extreme audiophile components and it is possible to spend more than $100,000 USD on a pair of high-end loudspeakers.
In contrast to the more exotic audiophile speakers, monitor speakers used by professional audio engineers are seldom priced at more than $5,000 per-pair.
The cabinet the loudspeaker is made from is referred to as the enclosure. There is a wide variety of loudspeaker enclosure designs, including sealed, ported, transmission line, infinite baffle, horn loaded, and aperiodic.
The drivers are the actual sound-producing elements, commonly referred to as tweeters, midranges, woofers, and subwoofers.
Driver designs include dynamic, electrostatic, magneplanar, ribbon, planar, ionic, and servo-actuated. Drivers are made from various materials, including paper pulp, polypropaline, kevlar, aluminum, magnesium, berillium, and vapor-deposited diamond.
The direction and intensity of the output of a loudspeaker, called dispersion or polar response, has a large effect on its sound. Various methods are employed to control the dispersion. These methods include monopolar, bipolar, dipolar, 360 degree, horn, waveguide, and line source. These terms refer to the configuration and arrangement of the various drivers in the enclosure.
The positioning of loudspeakers in the room and of the optimum listening position (referred to as the "sweet spot") is of great importance in producing optimum sound. Loudspeaker output is influenced by interaction with room boundaries, particularly bass response, and high frequency transducers are directional, or "beaming." In addition, audiophiles care a great deal about accurate stereo representation of sound. A typical placement is for the loudspeakers and the listening position to form roughly an equilateral triangle, with the loudspeakers a few feet from the back wall.

Accessories

Audiophiles use a wide variety of accessories and fine-tuning techniques, known as "tweaks", to improve the sound of their systems. These tweaks include: filters to clean the electricity, equipment racks to isolate components from room vibrations, power cables, interconnect cables (e.g. between preamplifier and power amplifier), high quality speaker cables and stands (and footers to isolate the speakers from the stands), as well as room treatments, to name but a few. Among the most controversial of these tweaks are expensive, high-end shielded audio cables used for electrical power, line-level, loudspeaker, and digital-signal connections.
Room treatments typically consist of sound-absorbing materials placed strategically within a listening room to reduce the amplitude of early reflections. Room treatments can be expensive and difficult to optimize, but are considered by many to be the least tweaky of the many available tweaks because their effectiveness is easily measured and grounded in verifiable science. Some tweaks do work, and much of the fun of the hobby is to squeeze more performance out of an already excellent-sounding component.

Headphones

Another, less expensive, practice of some audiophiles is the use of premium headphones. Most audiophiles-standard headphones retail in the region of $60-$500, although it is certainly possible to spend upwards of $20,000 (e.g. the Sennheiser HE-90^[3]). Most headphones marketed to audiophiles are a tiny fraction of the cost of comparable speaker systems, and do not require any room adjustment for music enjoyment. Newer canalphones, while as expensive as their larger counterparts, can be driven by less powerful outputs like portable devices and are increasingly used by audiophiles.

Testing

Many people involved in the development or use of audio gear have an engineering background and attempt to bring a scientific perspective to evaluating audio gear. They are concerned with measurements using test equipment and would ideally like to see double-blind testing used to compare competing products. On the other hand, some audiophiles believe that not all of the characteristics that produce excellence in sound reproduction are measured by the current tests. Audio reviewers in this camp also claim that double-blind testing does not provide the kind of relaxed extended-listening environment needed to evaluate an audio component; they typically listen to a component for several months before giving an opinion. The engineers have sometimes referred to such reviewers as ''golden ears'' or ''subjectivists.''
Objectivists, however, are often harshly dismissed by subjectivists as meter men—people who simply refuse to recognize what the subjectivists consider obvious. The debate is rather heated in certain quarters, and even the well-known skeptic James Randi chimed in on the issue.^[4]

Difficulty of testing

It is difficult, but very important, to match sound levels before comparing systems, as minute increases in loudness—more than 0.15 dB^[5] or 0.1 dB^[6]—have been demonstrated to cause perceived improvements in sound quality.
Listening tests are subjected to many variables, and results are notoriously unreliable. Thomas Edison, for example, showed that large audiences responded favorably when presented both live performances by artists and reproductions by his recording system,^[7] which today would be regarded as primitive in quality.
Similarly, results of component evaluation between various listeners or even the same listener under different circumstances cannot be easily replicated or standardized.
Similarly, the acoustic behavior of the listening room—the interaction between loudspeakers and the room's acoustics—and the interaction between an electromechanical device (loudspeaker) and an electronic device (amplifier) are subjected to many more variables than between electronic components. Thus the "difference" in sound quality between amplifiers is actually the ability of an amplifier to interface well with loudspeakers or a lucky combination of loudspeaker, amplifier, and room that works well together^[8].
The introduction of switching apparatus, with either metal connection (mechanical switches) or electronic processing (solid-state switches), may, some believe, obscure the differences between the two signal sources being tested.
Nonetheless, this is often a point of heated discussion within the audiophile community, and examples are given in the sections below. The two opposing factions are called 'objectivists', who are skeptical of the benefits achieved with exotic or fanciful equipment set-ups and 'subjectivists', who believe that hearing is believing and that the slightest changes can make gear sound different—even the same power amplifier or preamplifier when compared to itself.^[9]

Objectivist

Objectivists believe that audio components, accessories, and treatments must pass rigorously-conducted double-blind tests and meet specified performance requirements to meet the claims made by their adherents.
Some audiophile-equipment designers and consumers are obsessed over seemingly irrelevant details. Many components, for instance, are able to reproduce frequencies higher than the limit of human hearing—20 kHz.^[10] Some sources, such as FM radio, will not reproduce frequencies higher than 15 or 16 kHz.
Several criticisms have been made against the subjectivist testers:

★ Every properly conducted and interpreted double-blind test has failed to support subjectivists' claims of significant or extremely subtle sonic differences between devices if measurements alone predict that there should be no sonic differences between the devices when listening to music.^[11][12]

★ Many of the most outspoken subjectivists, including reviewers, columnists, and "pundits," lack engineering training, technical knowledge, and objective credentials, and most will fully admit a lack of understanding as to the technical merits of what they are analyzing, but nevertheless praise a product's innovation and performance [2] based on perceptual jargon.

★ Some subjectivists' claims, while superficially based on accepted physical principles, apply them to circumstances where they are irrelevant. The skin effect, for instance, which relates the efficiency of cables to the frequency transmitted, is often applied to audio frequencies where it is insignificant [3].

★ Counterintuitively, subjectivists claim, but cannot substantiate, that wires are directional and therefore give better sonic performance in one direction.

★ Objectivists believe that some subjectivists' practices seem driven by fashion—e.g., the late eighties' vogue for marking the edges of CDs with a green felt marker^[13] or suspending cables above the floor on small racks—and bear no relation to well-known laws of physics.

★ Subjectivists often reject attempts to categorize differences in sound using measurements despite strong evidence of its effectiveness. The audio engineer Bob Carver, for example, has shown that by tailoring the transfer function of a particular amplifier, he was able to make it sound indistinguishable from another.^[14]

★ Measured-audio distortion is immensely higher in electromechanical components such as microphones, turntables, tonearms, phono cartridges, and loudspeakers than in purely electronic components such as preamplifiers and power amplifiers, making it logically more difficult for objectivists to accept that very subtle differences in the latter can have an appreciable effect on overall musical-reproduction quality.
English audio equipment designer Peter Baxandall, who may be considered an objectivist, has written, "I ... confidently maintain that all first-class, competently designed amplifiers, tested under completely fair and carefully-controlled conditions, including the avoidance of overloading, sound absolutely indistinguishable on normal programme material no matter how refined the listening tests, or the listeners, may be; and that when an inferior amplifier is compared with a very good one and a subjective quality difference is genuinely and reliably established, it is always possible, by straightforward scientific investigation, to find a rational explanation for this difference." Baxandall also proposed a "cancellation test", which he claimed would prove his point.^[15]

Subjectivists

One statement that has influenced some audiophiles' values is from Harry Pearson, long-time editor of ''The Absolute Sound'':^[16]

''"We believe that the sound of music, unamplified, occurring in a real space is a philosophic absolute against which we may judge the performance of devices designed to reproduce music."''

Subjectivists will rely on demonstrations and comparisons, but believe there are problems in applying double-blind methods to comparisons of audio devices. They believe that a relaxing environment and sufficient time measured in days or weeks is necessary for the discriminating ear to do its work.^[17]
Subjectivists, however, believe that careful individual listening is an appropriate tool for discovering the true worth of a device or treatment, and will generally acquire equipment that suits their own listening or style preferences as opposed to measurable equipment performance.
Experienced listeners can be relied upon for valid subjective advice on how equipment sounds. British Hi-fi critic, Martin Colloms, writes that "the ability to assess sound quality is not a gift, nor is it the feature of a hyperactive imagination; it is simply a learned skill", which can be acquired by example, education and practice^[18]. In any event, the eventual purchase decision will be made by the end-user, whose "perception is reality" and can be influenced by factors other than the equipment's actual performance.
Many subjectivists admit that, like with many other hobbies, their pastime contains a measure of cultish behavior. They may also admit that there is charlatanry among some vendors.

Beliefs

Minimalism

Even though there is general agreement on the goal, opinions vary widely among designers and listeners on how best to achieve high fidelity. One design principle is minimalism. Given that each step in capturing, storing, and playing back music may degrade it, some audiophiles believe that the fewer and simpler the stages, the better. Many audiophile components, for example, lack tone control circuits, since it is felt that these may degrade the audio quality while moving the sound away from the ideal. The minimalist subjectivist assertion is that music contains elements which cannot be measured by electronic instruments,^[19] so the less one alters the original signal, the more likely it is that this unmeasurable quality is preserved. Thus subjectivists believe that objective measurements are irrelevant or misleading.
Objectivists, however, want to reasonably quantify and specify the effects of input source, amplifier set-up, system power, speaker configuration, etc. on the listening experience. This desire is complementary to purely subjective preferences in quantifying the perceptible effects of different equipment set-ups.

Restoration

While minimalists strive to keep the signal unmodified from studio rendition to final listener output, a non-minimalist desires the opposite, and attempting to either restore the original environment or, in some cases, enhance the original rendition. DSP algorithms such as real-time mono-to-stereo conversions, Sound Retrieval System (SRS), and Environmental Audio Extensions (EAX) manipulate the signals to enhance listener experience. EAX, for example, can simulate a room environment or simulate a stadium environment by using mathematical acoustical algorithms to add echo or reverb to the signal, taking a rendition of a song and placing it in the simulated environment. For example, a recording could be sent through a DSP algorithm mimicking outdoor echo effects, which would not be present if the recording was captured directly from the instrument or in a studio designed to dampen any acoustical effects. Non-minimalists may also choose to manipulate the sound with an equalizer in order to enhance certain frequency ranges that may have been lost during recording or that are not reproduced during playback. Minimalists would argue that these devices alter the natural quality of the sound.

Digital versus analog

Some believe that digital technology's absence of clicks, pops, wow, flutter, audio feedback, and rumble make it superior to records. Digital technology also has a higher signal-to-noise ratio, has a wider dynamic range, has less total harmonic distortion, and has a flatter and more extended frequency response.^[20][21] Other audiophiles, ^[21] however, make strong claims for the allegedly superior quality of analog music reproduction from records played on turntables compared to digital music reproduction from CDs played on CD players.

New technology concerns

Solid-state amplifiers are often not used for guitars due to the harsh sound created by an overdriven solid-state amplifier compared to valve. In the high-fidelity debate, some prefer vacuum-tube electronics over solid-state electronics, because despite inferior measured performance, some claim a warmer or more musical sound. Vacuum-tube amplifiers are often attacked as inferior because, in addition to their substantially higher total harmonic distortion, they require rebiasing, are less reliable, generate more heat, are less powerful, and are often more expensive.^[11]
For marketing purposes, subsequent introductions of newer components often claim to lack the problems existing with prior components even though every properly conducted and interpreted double-blind test has shown that no audible differences have ever been detected. Even so, some audiophiles continue to have concerns. For instance:

★ In audio filtering, the process of converting a bit-stream to an analog waveform requires heavy filtering to remove spurious high-frequency information, and such filtering is believed by some audiophiles to degrade some of the signal due to loss of information and potentially a large amount of phase shift in the upper reaches of the passband. Commonly-used consumer-grade digital-to-analog converters (DACs) exhibit very poor linearity at low levels. Both concerns, at first dismissed, were then addressed by digital filtering, oversampling, and the use of DACs operating at 20-bits or higher resolution. The introduction of the new higher-bandwidth so-called high-resolution music formats is an attempt to address this concern of some audiophiles. Musician Neil Young, for example, is a harsh critic of the sound of the original CD format, but has approved of the sound of the newer SACD format.

★ Some believe that higher-quality capacitors, such as those made with tantalum, improves sound quality when large electrolytics or paper capacitors are replaced or bypassed with these capacitors in the signal path. These audiophiles believe that the capacitors were inferior due to significant inductance caused by their spiral-wound construction which interferes with the passage of the highest audio frequencies.

★ Some have long believed that sound quality was degraded by large levels of negative feedback in amplifiers; while this is generally false, poorly-designed feedback systems can produce poor sound quality. Thus the association of feedback with poor sound quality is likely a reflection of poorly-designed power amplifiers that use feedback incorrectly^[24].

Marketing practices

Some audiophile products’ prices strain credulity. It is possible to spend over a hundred thousand dollars for loudspeakers, tens of thousands of dollars for amplifiers and CD players, and more than a thousand dollars for a power cable ^[25][26]
Some vendors of products destined for the most obsessed audiophile make fanciful and unscientific claims for their products. Tice Audio, for example, once sold what appeared to be an ordinary clock radio which, it was claimed, would change "electron energy levels," thereby improving the quality of a playback system if plugged into the same electrical circuit.^[27] Peter Belt (PWB Electronics) [4] once marketed pebbles which were claimed to improve sonic performance when placed anywhere in rooms where audio components are present.
To help market expensive high-fidelity components, another fanciful claim made by some audiophiles is that home-theater sound is inferior to high-fidelity sound. ^{[28] [29] [30]}

See also

★ Analog sound vs. digital sound Brief discussion of differences.

★ Audio system measurements

★ DIY audio Enthusiasts make their own equipment.

★ European triode festival

★ High-end audio High-end and Audiophile gear and internal links to high-end audio companies.

★ Valve sound

★ Videophile

References

1. "audio", Compact Oxford Dictionary, Accessed 2007-05-11
2. "phile", Compact Oxford Dictionary, Accessed 2007-05-11
3. Sennheiser HE 90 Headphones
4. The audio world is aroused, James Randi Educational Foundation
5. "Our Last Hip Boots Column," Peter Aczel, ''The Audio Critic,'' issue number 29, Summer/Fall 2003, page 5 (PDF page 6), accessed 2007-07-05.
6. "The Amp/Speaker Interface: Are Your Loudspeakers Turning Your Amplifier into a Tone Control?" E. Brad Meyer, ''Stereo Review,'' June 1991, page 54, accessed 2007-07-05.
7. The History of the Edison Disc Phonograph
8. The Amp/Speaker interface, Brad Meyer, Sound & Vision Magazine, Accessed 2007-05-11
9. "Basic Issues of Equipment Reviewing and Critical Listening: Our Present Stance," Peter Aczel, ''The Audio Critic,'' issue number 16, page 31 (PDF page 25), accessed 2007-05-18.
10. Hearing Loss
11. The Ongoing Debate about Amplifier "Sound"
12. Paste This in Your Hat! - What Every Audiophile Should Know and Never Forget, Peter Aczel, Biline.ca, Accessed 2007-05-11
13. Bewaring of the Green
14. Interview with Sunfire's Bob Carver Gordon Brockhouse, Audio Ideas Guide, Accessed 2007-05-11
15. Baxandall, Peter J. ''Audible amplifier distortion is not a mystery''. Wireless World, November 1977, pp. 63.
16. The Absolute Sound
17. The Objective Subjective Review Debate, Martin Colloms, 1991, Retrieved on 2007-05-09 from hificritic.com
18. Working in the Front Line:An approach to equipment reviewing, Martin Colloms, Stereophile, Vol.14 No.1, January 1991 Retrieved on 2007-05-09 from hificritic.com
19. ''Stereophile''
20. The Decline of Vinyl and Its Timely Death
21. Vinyl Hooey
22. Vinyl Hooey
23. The Ongoing Debate about Amplifier "Sound"
24. "A Future Without Feedback?" Martin Colloms
25. Audio Specialties X-1/Grand SLAMM loudspeaker system, Martin Colloms, Stereophile Magazine, December, 1994, Accessed 2007-05-11
26. JPS Labs Kaptovator Power Cord, Grant Samuelsen, Soundstage magazine, June 2000
27. Flights of High-End Audio Fancy
28. "Home Theater, Music, or Both?",
Robert Harley, ''Stereophile,'' October 1993.
29. "Hi-Fi VCR's Hidden Audio Capabilities", Ian G. Masters, accessed 2007-08-15.
30. "So What is MP3, Anyway?", Ian G. Masters, accessed 2007-08-15.

External links

Objectivist

★ The Audio Critic - Thirty-year publication, now online only, with in-depth independent verification of vendors' claims.

★ The Audio Press - Criticism of industry, subjectivist magazines, and reviewers. Written by a subjectivist, but makes many points objectivists agree with.

★ Boston Audio Society - Scientific approach to the hobby.

★ The Dark Side of the Disc - Black CD myth.

★ Dispelling Popular Audio Myths.

★ Lies, Damn Lies, and Cables - The wire controversy.

★ Science and Subjectivism in Audio Technically-detailed article by Douglas Self.

★ Speaker Wire.

★ The Ten Biggest Lies in Audio.

Subjectivist

★ ''Audiophilia'' - Online magazine featuring high-end audio equipment and music reviews.

★ ''The Absolute Sound'' - Second-oldest high-end magazine.

★ The Advanced Audiophile - Free tweak ideas and articles on advanced audio products, forums, tests.

★ Avid Listener: Audiophile Bookmarks - Directory of high-end audio manufacturers, distributors, stores, and information.

★ Enjoy the Music.com - High-end audio equipment, music reviews, show reports, and information.

★ Fedeltà del Suono - Italian magazine dedicated to high fidelity and high-end equipment.

★ Positive Feedback Online - Print magazine that merged with ''audioMUSINGS'' and morphed into an online forum for the audio arts.

★ 6Moons.com - Online magazine.

★ ''Stereophile'' - Largest, oldest, and most read subjectivist magazine includes online reviews and articles.

★ ''StereoTimes'' - Equipment reviews and articles of general interest to audiophiles.

★ TNT-Audio - Non-profit, Internet high-fidelity review.

★ TONEAudio - PDF-downloadable magazine, free subscription, equipment and music reviews.