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Opinion

Jeff’s New Room

Written by: Jeff Fritz
Category: Opinion
Created: 01 September 2018

In May of this year I wrote about “Jeff’s New Temporary Audio System” -- a modest stereo setup in the rental house my family moved into after the sale of our previous home of 14 years. In that article I mentioned that we’d bought a piece of land and planned to build a new house from the ground up, including a new listening room. That plan fell through due to that property’s topography. Long story short: Drainage problems made building the house we wanted too expensive. We broke our purchase contract and the plan was scrapped.

Read more …

Five Things High-End Manufacturers Could Do to Improve Their Press Releases

Written by: Jeff Fritz
Category: Opinion
Created: 01 August 2018

These days there seems to be a lot of activity in the audio industry -- lots of new product launches -- and in the past week I’ve probably read ten press releases from manufacturers. But just as all audiophile products aren’t created equal, neither are the press releases that attempt to attract customers and reviewers to those products. When a company circulates a press release, and I’m deciding if I want to get its subject product in for review, by me or by someone else in the SoundStage! Network, I often see things that bother me. I wonder if they bother you, too.

Read more …

Trying Not to Be That Guy

Written by: Jeff Fritz
Category: Opinion
Created: 01 July 2018

“Ask yourself the tough questions.” “Challenge your belief systems.” These notions are often bandied about on audio forums. Yet over and over I see audiophiles reinforcing buying decisions they’ve already made, and supporting those audiophiles whose purchases are similar to their own. High-end audio is largely about buying, and it’s natural to think that someone who’s invested in a particular brand of gear would want to defend that brand. Folks like to feel good about what they’ve bought -- when they hear “You made a good choice; maybe I should consider the same,” such validation is comforting to the ego.

Read more …

The Music Vault's Greatest Hits

Written by: Jeff Fritz
Category: Opinion
Created: 01 June 2018

By the time you read this, what was the Music Vault will be no more than what you’ve read in the pages of the old Ultra Audio, now SoundStage! Ultra. The new owners of my old house have ripped off its roof and are adding a full second story. The remains of the Music Vault are in some dumpster somewhere.

If those shattered walls could talk . . .

Read more …

Jeff's New Temporary Audio System

Written by: Jeff Fritz
Category: Opinion
Created: 01 May 2018

The T+A Elektroakustik PA 3100 HV integrated amplifier was the last audio product to be reviewed in my Music Vault listening room. In fact, as you read this, the new owners of my old home have probably deconstructed the space formerly known as the Music Vault, and begun renovating it to make it theirs.

Read more …

Jeff Buys a New (Used) Amp

Written by: Jeff Fritz
Category: Opinion
Created: 01 April 2018

Last month I discussed how buying used audio gear can be a great option for any audiophile, even reviewers who have access to industry accommodation pricing (usually a discount of about 50%). This month, I put my money where my ears are.

I bought an amp.

Read more …

Buying Used: An Option Even for Reviewers

Written by: Jeff Fritz
Category: Opinion
Created: 01 March 2018

In my last “Opinion” article I wrote about some audio lessons I’ve learned over the years, including this one: “newer isn’t always better. In fact, these days, newer might come about only because the product can be made more cheaply or efficiently. I’ve seen that, too. I don’t need the latest and greatest.”

Read more …

Lessons I've Learned

Written by: Jeff Fritz
Category: Opinion
Created: 01 February 2018

The months I’ve spent thinking about and writing the series of “Jeff’s Getting a New Stereo System” articles have taught me some valuable personal lessons. For one, I don’t seek out trophy hi-fi gear anymore. I’ve had more than a few manufacturers tell me in private that they make some models priced in the six figures simply because some rich guys want to spend that much. The practice is commonplace, but I no longer aspire to be one of those rich guys, or to own or even be loaned for review the kind of gear designed for them. If you do, more power to you -- but it’s not me.

Read more …

When a Brand Is Forgotten

Written by: Jeff Fritz
Category: Opinion
Created: 01 January 2018

This year I break with my annual take on the SoundStage! Products of the Year awards -- Doug Schneider gives you the complete list over on SoundStage! Hi-Fi -- to tackle another subject that’s been on my mind lately: the safety -- or, in some cases, the false sense of security -- that comes with shopping by brand.

Read more …

Jeff's Getting a New Stereo System: Part Six

Written by: Jeff Fritz
Category: Opinion
Created: 01 December 2017

Last month I established an upper limit ($10,000 USD) on what I’d spend on a DAC with a built-in volume control. For my present system I can’t justify an analog preamplifier, with its banks of analog inputs of which I’d use precisely one -- though I do miss, on some sentimental level, the very last analog preamp I owned: an Ayre Acoustics KX-R Twenty. But unless you have multiple analog sources (I don’t), there’s no need for the extra box and interconnects an analog preamp would require. But I do have multiple digital sources, so I need digital switching and, of course, the ability to adjust volume.

Read more …

  1. Jeff's Getting a New Stereo System: Part Five
  2. Jeff's Getting a New Stereo System: Part Four
  3. Jeff's Getting a New Stereo System: Part Three
  4. Jeff's Getting a New Stereo System: Part Two
  5. Jeff's Getting a New Stereo System: Part One
  6. The Failure to Compare
  7. The Myth of Continual Improvement
  8. Some Personal Best-Ofs
  9. Will the Real Ultra Products Please Stand Up?
  10. An Ugly Secret: When Reviews Are Not Really Reviews

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