Laura Dearborn

Overall, a mixed read. Certainly some useful parts, such as a recipe for vinyl cleaning fluid, but also lots of pseudo-science. However, I found it a worthwhile read, as long as you take the common "audiophile" dicta (microphonic vibrations, the importance of silver wire, etc.) with an appropriate bit of skepticism. I originally had intended to rate this a three out of five, but the following passage earned the additional star:

Page 355, speaking of the inherent compromise in buying a specific component, "Which compromise you make depends on the kind of music you like to listen to the most. Rock demands power and bass to sound really authoritative. One pair of mono tube amps listened to for a while was pretty unimpressive until it was used to play rock. Then, at 200 watts a channel, it made the Cream's live version of "Spoonful" on Wheels of Fire just spring alive. You could almost smell the Fillmore's dusty old seats, the dope- and incense filled air, the ... you fill in the rest."… (mehr)