Spanning the Globe
Article by Steven R. Rochlin
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VINCENT
...But you
know what the funniest thing about
Europe is?

JULES
What?

VINCENT
It's the little differences. A
lotta the same shit we got here,
they got there, but there they're a
little different.

JULES
Examples?

VINCENT
Well, in Amsterdam, you can buy
beer in a movie theatre. And I
don't mean in a paper cup either.
They give you a glass of beer, like
in a bar. In Paris, you can buy
beer at MacDonald's. Also, you
know what they call a Quarter
Pounder with Cheese in Paris?

JULES
They don't call it a Quarter
Pounder with Cheese?

VINCENT
No, they got the metric system
there, they wouldn't know what the
fuck a Quarter Pounder is.

JULES
What'd they call it?

VINCENT
Royale with Cheese.

JULES
Royale with Cheese. What'd they
call a Big Mac?

VINCENT
Big Mac's a Big Mac, but they call
it Le Big Mac.

JULES
What do they call a Whopper?

VINCENT
I dunno, I didn't go into a Burger
King. But you know what they put
on French fries in Holland instead
of ketchup?

JULES
What?

VINCENT
Mayonnaise.

JULES
G-ddamn!

VINCENT
I seen 'em do it. And I don't mean
a little bit on the side of the
plate, they fuckin' drown 'em in
it.

JULES
Uuccch!

(Above excerpt from the movie Pulp Fiction)

 

  What can be said over the years of traveling through this wonderful world of ours? Well, people are people. They have the same people in Europe as they do in America, only there are little differences. The same can be said about music reproduction products as well. From Atlanta Georgia USA to Athens... From Milan Italy to Malaysia... Never before in the history of audio has there been such a great variety of music reproduction devices! Some say air travel has allowed for a better selection of components while we of the computer generation, of which i am proudly a member of, can report on such things with virtually instant delivery to around the world. No limits to print lead times nor shipping via the "slow boat to China". In fact as i type this i am traveling at approximately 700 mph, thousands of feet above the planet earth.

Spanning the globe for timely news and information on niche markets. Such is the way of this forward-thinking journalist. Virtually instant delivery and distribution of information is made easy via the Internet. While it is vastly superior to limited, and regional legacy print media, the internet also delivers discussion boards. These boards form a type of tightly nit community. While one member may be from France asking a question about the VTA setting of a tonearm/cartridge, another may reside in Japan and help our friend in France. Someone in Germany may be considering the same tonearm/cartridge combination and now learns a new tip when he receives his new setup. Never before has the world seemed to be a smaller place. And this brings me to the subject at hand... Why so many show reports.

As a personal pioneer to delivering show reports "virtually live" through the internet (37 to date), there have been lessons learned, improvements and enhancements made, while also meeting all the wonderful people who are on the "other side of the computer screen". Not just manufacture representatives and distributors mind you. It is in meeting you that makes all these planes, trains and automobiles from Budapest to Brazil, from Las Vegas to London, and of course from Singapore to some place no one has ever reported from before so rewarding.

Great people such as our very own Thorsten Loesch to manufacture representatives such as Sead of 47 Labs to Lew Johnsen of conrad-johnson. After all, it is people that matter most. Many of us have been though various components, various turntables, CD players, 8-track(!) and cassette tape. What brings such joy is in meeting those who have been down their own road to audio nirvana and gladly share their experiences. There is a sense of teamwork within the high-end community. We all pull together and help each other to reach a higher enjoyment of music.

While receiving all the information you desire saves time, i can not help but wonder if it truly is an improvement. In the past decade or so many of us seem to take for granted instant satisfaction. Our desires met within minutes. The microwave, compact disc audio and computers. In many of life's joys faster is not always better. Maybe we need to take a deep breath and step back from instant gratification.

Frankly, there is virtually no truly wonderful food that can be cooked from a microwave (with the possible exception of popped corn). Sure those 5" silver discs that hold digital data are fast and easy, though are they truly better than the more time consuming vinyl alternative? And as for computers, have they truly freed information or made us a slave to it? At what point have we become so dependant on instant gratification that it takes away the joy, the art, the gestalt of musical pleasures and in self discovery? So many questions, so little time. 

Like all magazines whether print or internet, Enjoy the Music.com™ is a guide... or voyeur. We have the ability to learn about other cultures in audio and the products available within their region that may not be seen at your local hi-fi hut. Our recent Emap (Stereophile) Home Entertainment Show featured a special "Secret Agent Man" (Chris Boylan) who without having a Press Pass was able to give many untainted insights to the good, the bad and the ugly concerning shows. A great read indeed! Only days ago we wrapped up our critically acclaimed Frankfurt Germany High-End Society show report. While seven reports have been featured this year alone, we have many more coming soon.

As a fast side note, it saddens me to know Enjoy the Music.com™ is the only magazine to attend and report on the Grammy Awards. The Grammy Awards is by musicians and those in the music industry to celebrate the accomplish of others within the music industry. After all, without great music our audio systems would be little more than space heaters and objects for display purposes. Decorator items as it were.

So next time you attend a show, please feel free to find myself or one of our writers and say hello. Let them know how you feel about our website or the industry in general. Your opinions are very important!

More new faces...

Yes, another month and we proudly announce more new reviewers to join the Enjoy the Music.com™ cast of characters. First up is George Pappas who has not only been a music lover for many years, he is a perfect case study for tweakaholics everywhere in the world. Is there nothing he won't modify? We are also proud to announce Vagelis Lazarou, our new Greek G-d who heralds from Greece (of course). Vagelis is a Physicist (specialized in audio electronics), writer and reporter who also designs gear! In fact he can be credited to designing two phono stages, a tube pre-amplifier, two turntables and four power amplifiers. We welcome his professional insight to further educate the Enjoy the Music.com™ readership.

As we are carefully hiring experienced writers from around the world, it seems Enjoy the Music.com™ has the most extensive and varied rank of writers in the industry! From well-established magazine editors to equipment designers... From tube/horn lovers to an active critically acclaimed recording engineer... From youthful musicians to the well seasoned professionals.... For now over thirty writers grace our pages with more coming before this year ends. Of course in the end what really matters is that you...

Enjoy the music (Roger Waters Amused to Death on vinyl right now),

Steven R. Rochlin

 

"Miraculous you call it babe
You ain't seen nothing yet
They've got Pepsi in the Andes
McDonalds in Tibet
Yosemite's been turned into
A golf course for the Japanese
The Dead Sea is alive with rap

Between the Tigris and Euphrates
There's a leisure center now
They've got all kinds of sports
They've got Bermuda shorts

They had sex in Pennsylvania
A Brazilian grew a tree
A doctor in Manhattan
Saved a dying man for free
It's a miracle

Another Miracle
By the grace of G-d Almighty
And the pressures of the marketplace
The human race has civilized itself
It's a miracle..."