Of course, while the typical consumer might not care, and indeed welcomes the convenience of streaming, 'philes are rightfully distressed. Once again, the battle of convenience versus quality must be fought. And 'philes know how that battle always ends. It ends in a chat room in some very sub, subforum of aficionados and diehards with a late night discussion of exactly when we reached, then pulled back from, the high water mark. Eventually, the discussion devolves into an argument over whether that Japanese store that still sells “the good stuff” is real, or only a myth. In that very cold place, we vainly try to warm ourselves over a neatly wired complication of 12AX7s, glowing ruddy red in the darkness. - Ken C. Pohlmann

Favorite stuff: JBL L100 century / L100 classic, Mirage M5si / OMD28 / OM5, Hifiman HE6 og / HE500, Audio Technica ATH AD2000 / ADX5000, Abyss 1266 / Diana TC. Parasound and QUAD. Reliability.