September 2007

Audiophile Equipment Awards
New Writer And
The Online Music Evolution
Article By Steven R. Rochlin
Click here to e-mail reviewer

  This issue marks Enjoy the Music.com's 7th annual Best Of 2007 Blue Note Awards, we welcome Clarke Robinson, plus have a detailed article concerning online music! Color me especially pleased as this International website continues to grow at an impressive rate. There is so much happening within our industry that my time and efforts are filled to the point of having to decide exactly which items are most important. It is a hard job, yet you are rewarded with more content than we have ever generated during the same time period. The industry appears to be growing all around the world and have personally tripled the effort within the Industry News page, as am now posting more news articles than virtually all other online audiophile magazines.

Best Audiophile Components Of 2007 

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 100 products we reviewed and worked the list down to 16 plus the Naim X system. As we are a very picky bunch, there was no need to work virtually ever 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 $80 to $15,000, 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 2007 Blue Note Award, can be seen by clicking here.

Best Audiophile Music Of 2007 

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. We have carefully selected the best recordings we reviewed in 2007 and now have them all neat and tidy within the Best Of 2007 Blue Note Music Awards page, which can be seen by clicking here.

Welcome Clarke Robinson

Clarke loves music first and is an audiophile second. To me, this is the way it should be. Music is what drives us, sooths out senses, and brings us to the highest of highs. Clarke loves bands such as ELO, Foreigner, Rush, Led Zeppelin plus early punk, reggae and ska. On the other side he also likes baroque chamber music and 20th Century classical. He readily admits that jazz is what he keeps coming back to, with Coltrane, Dolphy, Miles, Mingus, Monk and others. "I've never met a walking bass line I didn't like (or a scratching, scraping bass exploration either, for that matter)," says Clarke.

Of course one needs equipment and Clarke admits to drooling over half-inch thick aluminum faceplates! Don't worry, we will keep him properly fed in that regard, just hope he wipes off the gear before he return it to the manufacturer! He also loves glowing 300Bs, yet keeps it all in check as he seeks affordable sub-$1000 gear. Feel free drop Clarke Robinson an e-mail if you hear of something he should take a close listen to.

Online Music Developments

It is hard to keep up with the frantic pace of change with the online music scene. Now that consumers are buying many millions of songs via iTunes, Emusic, Rhapsody and others, the industry is trying to find a viable sales model. Generating revenue from their copyrighted music has been hit and miss, though there is progress. Instead of DRM files at 128kbs, we now have DRM-free sings at 256kbs and it was just announced that London-based 7digital is selling

The good news is that 128kbs files may be a thing of the past as 256kbs is becoming the norm. It might not be perfect lossless, yet it is progress. Add to that, the prices are not changing that much and other ways of delivering music such as watermarking are being explored. Read my editorial that covers quite a bit of the history and today's developments of protected music by clicking here.

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

Enjoy the Music [Dead or Alive You Spin Me Around (Like a Record) right now],

Steven R. Rochlin

 "...You spin me right round, baby right round
Like a record, baby right round round round
You spin me right round, baby right round
Like a record, baby right round round round..."