He Knows Changes Aren't Permanent...
But Change Is!
Article by Steven R. Rochlin
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  The August 2002 edition of the Enjoy the Music.com Review Magazine begins our fourth year in monthly publication. That makes 36, or including this issue, 37 editions. Of course this month marks our Best Of 2002 Awards as well. These are products reviewed by our staff and come with a great recommendation. The advantage of being an Internet publication is it allows you to read the entire review with a simple click of your mouse. Not just a few sentences, but the entire review. While it is easy to wax lyrically about most products when you only have five sentences to write about it, the ability to read the entire review enables you to fully absorb the reviewer's feelings and thoughts of a recommended product.

On a personal note, and to the topic at hand, ch-ch-ch-ch changes (to quote David Bowie). Have recently moved to a new home and have been busy setting up the four, count 'em, four sound systems. This includes, dare i say this in public, a sound system in my bathroom! Moving involves many things. While it may seem simple to box up everything and then unpack it at a different location, there are many more intricacies to this task. Dedicated 20 Amperage power requirements, dedicated grounding schemes, new room acoustics to carefully analyze, etc. Of course a system needs time to settle in regardless of how many hours it may have been played at a previous location.

While i have commented many times that negatively reviewing the sound of any music reproduction system at a show is doing a disservice, today it rings very true on a personal note. As of this writing my main rig has had only 18 hours to settle in. Upon first turning it on last night ever fiber in my soul wanted to run away! It was on the bright side and the upper midrange would get a tad harsh during dynamic material. Furthermore, the lower frequencies were uneven. After nonstop repeat mode on my digital disc transport and DAC, this morning the system showed promise. While the upper frequencies become smoother and the bass more even, i can foresee many hours of careful work ahead.

This whole exercise simply confirms that those who have the thankless job of setting up music systems for shows are battling a very tedious task. If you had to move recently, then you know what i am referring to. Now imagine this task multiplied by three (as the fourth system that resides in the bathroom really does not count). So please do not expect equipment reviews from yours truly for a few months. During the next few months there will be other changes.

While i have not made any real mentions to the Enjoy the Music.com browser over the years, have been tweaking it since the first release back in May of 1999. By the time you read this development will be further tweaked and tuned (to Version 7 status). So what advantage do you have in installing our browser? Basically, it is a subtle tweak to Internet Explorer where audiophile related links are added in your Favorites folder. While no major changes are made to your already tweaked IE browser, it will provide you with many links to worldwide Internet hotspots for audiophiles. If you already use IE, then it only takes a few minutes from a normal 56kbs modem to install the Enjoy the Music.com browser... or much less for those of us with OC12, T3, T1, DSL, or cable modems.

As always, i would like to take a moment to thank you, our loyal readers. For it is you who helps make all this possible. Of course in the end what really matters is that you...

Enjoy the Music (Paul Simon "Have A Good Time" right now),

Steven R. Rochlin

 

"Yesterday it was my birthday
I hung one more year on the line
I should be depressed
My life's a mess
But I'm having a good time

I've been loving and loving
And loving
I’m exhausted from loving so well
I should go to bed
But a voice in my head
Says "Ah, what the hell"

Have a good time..."