21 AUDIO MYTHS

READERS OF STEREO REVIEW and, later, Sound & Vision, have been blessed through the years with the reviews, columns, and features of a great many superstar experts. The list of prolific writers who have graced the magazine’s masthead as either a full-time or freelance editor is a who’s who of audio industry celebrities. Their collective contribution to the hobby simply cannot be overstated. If you’re a loyal reader for some time you’ll recognize these names: Julian Hirsch, David Ranada, Larry Klein, Ivan Berger, Tom Nousaine, and even longtime current contributors Ken Pohlmann and Daniel Kumin. Peter Mitchell, whose work we reproduce here, is another member of this accomplished group. At one time a contributor to several audio publications and the president of the Boston Audio Society, Mitchell brought a fact-based, engineering approach and a refreshingly clear writing style to both his feature stories and, later, his “High End” column that graced the back inside page of SR until his untimely passing. This article, which appeared in the July 1983 issue, was in the vein of so many of the helpful how-to and shopping stories in SR and S&V that attempted to teach while debunking the misinformation rampant among audiophiles. You’ll note that while some of Mitchell’s “myths” address dated technologies and constitute a nostalgic walk down memory lane, others—even his comments about vinyl—remain both relevant and timeless. Especially this: “To choose audio components, listen to them, not to theories and claims about them.” A real pearl, that one.

Shopping for hi-fi components can be confusing enough even when