A demo of my reel to reel deck

Someone on YouTube posted a really nice demo of the Teac 1000R, a reel to reel tape deck produced in the 1980s.

I have the same version of the deck shown in the demo (with DBX noise reduction) except my model is black and has a wood case.

New book on recording the Beatles

A new book has been released that chronicles, in excrutiating detail, how each of the Beatles's albums were originally recorded. The authors, who have done professional recording themselves, interviewed the original engineers and poured over recording logs to reveal the tricks they used in the studio. And there's lots of pictures of vintage equipment, too.

While the Beatles were certainly innovative in the pop music field and changed how music in the genre could be recorded and presented on an lp, I'd like to see a book that takes the same approach to explaining how some of the great classical lp's were recorded - the early Mercury Living Presence albums, the RCA Living Stereo recordings, or even works like Harry Partch's "Delusion of the Fury".

article at Wired.com

Can China create a real hi-fi?

The SF Chronicle takes a look at the growing presence of Chinese companies producing high end audio products. The industry basically developed out of hi-fi enthusiasts in the country tinkering and coming up with their own designs; they face stiff competition from established companies that turn up their nose at the phrase "Made in China" (even as they sometimes buy Chinese equipment, tweak it, and rebrand it for sale under their own names).

article at sfgate.com