September 2008

Audiophile Equipment Awards
Article By Steven R. Rochlin
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  This issue marks Enjoy the Music.com's 8th annual 'Best Of' Blue Note Awards! During the past month i have had the privilege to see some great live music. Albeit it was amplified, yet at a teen and studio musician (drummer/percussionist) of the 1980's it was great to see Elvis Costello, The Police, Cheap Trick, Heart and Journey. The music brought me back to those days, perhaps better described and daze, when during high school i had three hours of music that consisted of concert band, jazz band, and music theory. After school, we would all meet at the large parking lot for a few hours of marching band practice for half-time show rehearsal. It brings me joy to say i shall once again ramp up my personal efforts of drumming, with plans to expand my Roland V-Session electronic drumkit with a full-fledged acoustic setup.

For me and audiophiles, music is more than just background noise. It creates deep emotions, a fluid atmosphere... At times you might find yourself 'playing' the air guitar while listening to your favorite solo riffs. Music is the message and the equipment is way to (re)produce it. For me, there are times when listening to music is like playing a driving game on the Xbox. Driving simulation video games are a step removed, whereas my Enjoy the Track efforts consist of road racing on an actual track. This is not to diminish my long hours of deep listening sessions, far from it! Many times i find late hour music to bring deep joy in a way that is different, yet equal to that of actively playing along. It takes a great system to transmit the musical artists' message. And for this we need top-flight equipment.

Best Audiophile Components Of 2008

This month we celebrate some of the best products that have come out way in the past 12 months. Our staff of over 20 writers chimed in on the total of approximately 150 products we reviewed and worked the list down to 20. As we are a very picky bunch, there was no need to work every single product we review into a category, as this could be a bit misleading. Instead, in taking the high road, am truly confident in the abilities of each audiophile product we recommend. While the price varies from free(!) to $18,000, there is plenty of attractively-priced items for those on a budget and of course reference prices at their appropriate price level. Our complete list of recommended audiophile equipment, which earns out Best of 2008 Blue Note Award, can be seen by clicking here.

Best Audiophile Music Of 2008

Naturally our equipment is virtually useless without great recordings. For it is music that keeps us coming back for more! i want to thank classical music editor Wayne Donnelly, Jazz/Bluegrass/etc. editor Steven Stone and the entire music reviewing staff. We have reviewed hundreds of titles this year and this is expressed in the variety of music within our archives section. This coming year i expect to add high-resolution digital downloads to the mix, so keep an eye out for those reviews in the coming months. For now, we have carefully selected the best classical recordings we reviewed in 2008 and now have them all neat and tidy within the Best Of 2008 Blue Note Music Awards page, which can be seen by clicking here.

Of course in the end what really matters is that we all....

Enjoy the Music [Roger Waters "Who Needs Information" right now),

Steven R. Rochlin

 "Me and Benny went out last night
Looking for fun
Supping ale in the moonlight
Waiting for the dawn to come
Benny pointed at a hi-fi shop
He said, hey man, look at all the stuff they've got
How'd you make a have out of a have not
Hmmmm..."