When he grew sick of the car-because it made him look "like a frickin' ad for Ikea"-I paid him 600 Dutch guilders for the old heap, the equivalent of about $300 US.
Nothing worked as it should. The stalk for the blinkers was missing; I substituted a screwdriver. The radio was like a wavering zombie: dead one day, sputtering to life the next. I got well acquainted with jumper cables. One day, I opened the trunk and found tiny mushrooms sprouting from the carpet.
On the plus side, I never received a speeding ticket: The engine smoked if you drove faster than 45mph, so I didn't.
Years later, when I got into hi-fi, I thought of that car and subsequent ones. What stood out to me most about high-end audio was: separates. Rather than gravitate toward worthy one-box solutions, audiophiles seemed obsessed with splitting things apart. They had to have a standalone power amp, preamp, sources, speakers, cables. "What if you bought a car that way?" I thought to myself. A suspension from one manufacturer, a chassis from another, wheels from a third-and yes, a used blue hood from a junkyard. Seems pretty mental. No thanks.
It's not a precise analogy, I realize. When you have to get from point A to point B, you buy a one-box automotive solution. Bolting together mismatched car parts wouldn't work at all. Audio, on the other hand, is more or less standardized. Most components are easily connected, and they work together reasonably well. Still, even if you forgo 1950s all-in-one consoles, '70s receivers, and (ugh) '80s boomboxes, why can't the desire for great sound be sated with a single-box fix, just like transportation? Just please give me something that works better than my French jalopy did.
Everything you need (almost)
This story is from the July 2023 edition of Stereophile.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 2023 edition of Stereophile.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
AURAL ROBERT
Another \"outlaw\" country artist
Nina Simone: Wild Is the Wind
By all accounts, Eunice Kathleen Waymon, aka Nina Simone, who passed in 2003, was a troubled person and a brilliant artist. Why she was not more acclaimed during her lifetime is a question several recent film projects have tried to answer. Did her fierce stand on civil rights lose her fans?
Vintage hi-fi, old and new
Many audiophiles and serious music lovers are passionate about vintage. Vintage has become a popular \"way in\" to the hobby, especially popular among younger folks.
Tekton Moab Be
LOUDSPEAKER
ARCAM Radia A25
INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER
Wharfedale Heritage Series 90th Anniversary Dovedale
LOUDSPEAKER
Technics Grand Class SL-1200/1210GR2
RECORD PLAYER
Thrax Audio Siren
Based in Bulgaria, European audio company Thrax has been active since 2009.
EMM Labs MTRS
STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER
SPIN DOCTOR
Alternative phono cartridge technologies and the DS Audio DS-W3 optical cartridge system