Mid-May 2008

hi-fi+ & DIY + More!
Article By Steven R. Rochlin
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  This spring is going to lead into a white-hot summer here at Enjoy the Music.com! At the time of this writing, i am awaiting final text to then post announcing a partnership with hi-fi+ magazine! Add to that, Enjoy the Music.com will soon be launching a new DIY magazine. But wait, there's more! Chesky Records' HDtracks is working with Enjoy the Music.com to give away free high-resolution music downloads! There is more on the horizon, yet for now these three key items should provide some idea to how this site is expanding and growing in the upcoming months.

Since its inception, hi-fi+ has been an excellent European print magazine for audiophiles. While i was asked to join in as a writer in those early days, my schedule was such that there was no time to contribute. They already had an impressive roster of journalists back then and over the years have grown to become of the leading forces in high-end audio European print journalism. With a staggering 57 issues under their belt, they have indeed been delivering the goods! About a year ago Absolute Multimedia purchased hi-fi+ and is expanding the magazine's ability to reach a wider audience. With a very strong web presence and digitally downloadable online version, hi-fi+ can be read in either ye ol' dead tree or digi-delight anywhere in the world. Enjoy the Music.com is working in concert with Absolute Multimedia to further the awareness of the high-end audio industry and the many publications that offer excellent articles and reviews. This new partnership is an expansion of the continuing efforts, as Enjoy the Music.com is the only site to have partnered with The Absolute Sound, The Audiophile Voice and The $ensible Sound. Together, we can help expand the awareness of greater musical pleasures through high-0end audio products, while also educating the public why these products are outstanding and in ways to achieve greater sound within the home environment.

Allow me to be the very first to announce the new Enjoy the Music.com DIY Magazine! The May issue of this section of the site was a test to see how well a DIY (do-it-yourself) issue would be received. Judging from the e-mails received, it appears there is great interest for the DIY enthusiast part of the high-end audio hobby. As many loyal readers know, my very first 'real' job was working for Heathkit Electronics. My love for DIY grew over the years as dad taught me to solder at the rip ol' age of five, as he was an audio enthusiast and loves music and magnificent music reproduction. Back in his 'glory days' it was generally via DIY kits for those on a budget. As a side note, dad had the usual tube amplifiers and had us hand carry back from England on the plane the then new Tannoy 12-inch dual-concentric Gold monitors. He proceeded to design and have built custom cabinetry that is truly impressive even to this day! Dad still has them, will not sell/trade them to me, and yes they sound incredible.

Back to the point, as there are already many DIY articles spread across Enjoy the Music.com, it made sense to bring them all under one magazine. It also made sense to hire uniquely talented writers who could bring their excellent knowledge to our worldwide readership. They can help educate you about the how's and why's of audio while you can learn just what makes that black or silver box tick. These new writers will cover everything from kits to unique designs and various tweaks.

For the bean counters out there, Enjoy the Music.com does pay our writers — there are no freeloaders or profiting off the backs of others here — so this will indeed be a bean counter's nightmare. My feelings are that it is an invaluable service to audiophiles worldwide for many reasons. It is also why you see very few DIY 'mainstream' magazines and few large publications that are willing to regularly tackle such endeavors. My deepest hopes are that each Enjoy the Music.com reader at least tries their hand once at building a kit. For me, there is great joy in building a speaker or amplifier and using it for the first time knowing i made it come to life. It also helps educate me in what parts make it live and breathe, and armed with such knowledge to perhaps begin tweaking it with different parts for higher quality music reproduction. Who knows, you could take this newfound knowledge and begin tweaking equipment you already have in your home! Fact is, many of today's high-end companies were guys who built kits and are nothing more than an early DIY'er gone mainstream with their own unique designs. We all began somewhere, and the Enjoy the Music.com DIY Magazine could be your entry into a new business!

While this site has partnered with MusicGiants in offering high-resolution music downloads, this does not mean it is the limit of offering music to our readership in one form or another. There are a few great online music sites now available online where DRM-free lossless downloads are available and it brings me great joy in announcing our working with HDtracks in sponsoring their free music disc giveaway! This is open to music lovers worldwide who want to experience high quality music downloads in various file download types and enjoy the disc's liner notes. This is unique and a great service. i sincerely hope you take the time to download this upcoming (as of this writing) free music offer and enjoy the music.

More!

There is more coming your way from Enjoy the Music.com in the months ahead, yet for now this should keep you quite busy in combination with our daily industry news, monthly Review Magazine, bi-monthly editions of Superior Audio plus each new issue from The Absolute Sound, The $ensible Sound, The Audiophile Voice and now hi-fi+. (Thinking in my mind and doing a check list) New hi-fi+ magazine partnership (check), new Enjoy the Music.com DIY Magazine (check), free HDtracks high-resolution music (check)... Let everyone know that Enjoy the Music.com is the key sponsor to the Enjoy the Track race team for the 2008 SCCA Formula 2000 open wheel track car? Oops, maybe i shall cover that in my June editorial.

As always, in the end what really matters is that you...

Enjoy the Music,

Steven R. Rochlin