June 2018

New Site Layout, New Partner Magazine, And New Writers
New and improved! Now with more of what you want!
Editorial By Steven R. Rochlin

  Hmm, that's a bold title up there huh? Not the typeface, I mean what it says. Really? How many times does the word "new" need to appear? Ok, ok, you get it; we've been a bit busy doing things and stuff here at Enjoy the Music.com. Please allow me to humbly welcome you to June's Review Magazine. You might have noticed something changed a bit. We've redesigned the site to (basically) adhere to what seems to be current high-end audio magazine 'layout standards'. Perhaps it is due to many other sites using WordPress, SquareSpace and other such easy-to-use online website services, yet for whatever the reason we've updated our layout accordingly to simply join the crowd. Yes it took a bit of hand coding with a fun 36 hours stint... This site's 'basic core code' is done by Yours Truly. With our new visual styling complete, am 100% sure Enjoy the Music.com's web pages will load extremely fast and efficiently, have virtually the same layout no matter the OS, device you use, screen layout... which has been my personal goal since the very first line of code was written back in 1995.

We're also expanding our magazine partnership and are extremely happy to announce that Headphone.Guru has come aboard! More on that within the official press release of Headphone.Guru partnering with Enjoy the Music.com.

New writers now have gear and we'll soon be introducing to some new faces. And yes, we're still hiring so come join us! Send us an e-mail, plus we pay for reviews of course.

As many of you have been following along, we're currently at 12 updates plus a CanJam and Showgirls section within our HIGH END 2018 show report from Munich. Have personally been a bit busy to count up all the pics, yet as you can tell this is perhaps my most expansive HIGH END report to date! HIGH END was incredibly well attended! While their numbers say attendance was down, could easily see why the great weather kept some people away. Of course those of us who cherish major high-end events, there was far more to see (and do) than could possibly be accomplished within only a few days. There's no doubt HIGH END in Munich is 'the new' CES. As for CES....

Within this month's edition Roger Skoff writes about hi-fi jewelry and how looks can be a deciding factor. He says, "I think, as do a goodly number of other Hi-Fi Crazies of my acquaintance, that the sound of a product must be the ultimate determinant of its quality, and that "better" means "better-sounding". Even so, if a product doesn't meet at least some reasonable standard of appearance, I (and they) would have a hard time buying it." Roger has vast experience within our industry so listen well to his words.

Our first Headphone.Guru partner article features a review of Beyerdynamic's new Wireless Aventho on-ear headphones. Peter Pialis Of Headphone.Guru says, "A complex work with some truly brilliant musicianship, this album really has it all and when listened through the Aventho wireless headphones, I can easily say that you will get a wonderful presentation that is worthy of this magnificent album. As soon as the venerable classic "Stardust" started, I was in audiophile bliss. The Aventho offered a very transparent and balanced sound that was definitely tilted towards a warm and inviting sound signature."

Our very own, and longtime reviewer, Dwayne Carter gets his ears around Bryston's BP17³ preamplifier and Bryston 7B³ monoblock amplifier combo and comes away amazed. Taking about this one-two combo, Dwayne writes, "Sonically, there was an overall cohesiveness to the sound stage. A very solid, sonic fit (and finish) to the room. The combination of the Bryston BP-173 Preamplifier, the Bryston 7B3 Mono Amplifiers, and the Bryston BDP-3 Digital Player; resulted in a formidable audio infrastructure, akin to a brick house. Think of Bryston 7B3 Mono Amplifiers as the buildings foundation. Solid, and un-moveable."

Core Power Technologies Equi=Core 1800 power conditioner is said to do nothing, and maybe everything. Rufus Smith says it's not your average power conditioner. He feels "the Equi=Core 1800 does exactly what it is designed to do. It provides clean power that reduces background noise and does no harm to the musical signal. The nice thing about reviewing a power conditioner is that they are easy."

Editor Tom Lyle takes a spin with his World Premiere Review of Gryphon Audio Design's Sonett MM / MC phono stage preamplifier. "I came away loving this piece of equipment. It allowed me to get to the meaning of the music that etched into the grooves of the records. This was due to it giving me the impression that I was hearing exactly what was recorded, and the Sonett somehow knew what real instruments sound like, and what the musicians, engineers and producers intended," says Tom.

Last, and certainly not least, is Tom Lyle once again as he brings you a North America Premiere Review of Nagra's impressive Classic Preamp. When it comes to build and component quality, he says "Of course the first-rate sound quality of the Nagra Classic Preamp is due many factors. On the Nagra website is an explanation of the Classic Preamp's technical features, some of which I understand more than others. But one of the Classic Preamp's key internal features includes custom-made polypropylene capacitors used for decoupling and are separated from the other internal components to aid in delivering its improved performance, which Nagra characterizes as having a wider frequency response and a more linear phase response. They also use in-house, hand-wound transformers, and "ultra"-low noise right and left channel power supplies, which they claim result in a larger and more realistic soundstage."

On a personal note, my Muse Heather and I are getting married on June 14^th in Las Vegas. I know, what took me so long to... Be gentle please, Heather will be/is my very first wife. Anywho, you're cordially invited to our wedding at the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel on June 14, 2018 at 8 pm within the Main Chapel. Come celebrate with Heather and Steven as we get married with glorious specially-chosen music welcomes the next step in our life together. Music, fun and of course an abundance of champagne will hallmark our official marriage together. If you can't join us in person, relax at home, on the beach, or anywhere there's Internet access as our wedding will be live streamed online! BYOB with your fave online device and celebrate with us virtually! Whether you're with us in Las Vegas or at home, a fun time is assured for all.

Remember: When the ceremony is done, well look at that, you're in Las Vegas!

Not to be missed is the special 'show' planned both before and after our wedding nuptials. Those attending in Las Vegas may participate with us during this special entertainment extravaganza too!

Where: The Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel within the Main Chapel.
When: June 14, 2018 at 8 pm

Please RSVP / PM / e-mail if you plan on attending in Las Vegas as seating is limited. A hyperlink to the live stream will be provided within our social media / website on the wedding day.

See our announcement, and let us know if you want to attend, at Facebook events page. 
Well, that wraps up my editorial for June.

Have a great summer holiday and look forward to seeing everyone in Las Vegas in a few weeks... or in October for Denver's outstanding Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. As always, in the end what really matters is that you...

Enjoy the Music,

Steven R. Rochlin