Radio Jimbo

In one of Kurt Vonnegut's novels St. Peter tries to convince poor people hoping to get into heaven that they could have been rich if they'd only tried harder: if only they'd known there was oil in the backyard! That Uncle Ed had $500,000 in Coca Cola stock in the garage! "Sorry you missed it!" says St. Pete. "Not our fault!" I paraphrase, but you get the gist. Your feckless argument that artists should "look within" strikes me the same way. You seem to blame the artists for record label executives inability to realize they were in a burning building. Really: It would be "nice" if artists could make a living? Artists and songwriters are "culprits"? Wow. Some of these artists make less in a year than the cost of some of the gear you review. People who can appeal to mass taste will usually make money. Those who don't, but still make valid music, won't. What happens to them? Consumers have spoken, you say. Of course they have. They want all the music in the history of recording available to them for $10 a month. Who wouldn't? But an artistic community needs to be sustained, or it will wither and die. What are you going to listen to on your megabuck system then? Further, as artists and labels fail, what happens to sonics and fidelity, the whole point of this website? As record companies fade, so do budgets and time in REAL studios? Artists will always make music, whether or not they get paid, but do you want everyone to wind up recording in "Garageband" ? How's that gonna sound on your $5000 DAC? Record labels and Streaming companies have colluded to manipulate outdated intellectual property laws to their advantage. They've done this willfully. They continue to lobby congress to avoid paying terrestrial radio royalty rates. Why? Because they "expose new artists"! The cynicism on display here would be hilarious if it weren't heartbreaking. Abbie Hoffman used to say Nancy Reagan's telling drug users to "Just say no" was like telling a schizophrenic to "just cheer up". Do you really believe that all of this trouble would just blow over if artists went back to their plantation owners and asked "Please sir, may I have some more?" Doubtful. The streaming financial battle has likely already been lost for artists. The companies have won. But that doesn't make it right.

Thanks for your review of the Perfect Wave Dac II (though it did induce a wee bit of paranoia--I'll have to rush home now to make sure I have mine set to use the "X" lens)... And God bless you (and your daughter) for listening to Miles and Joni together. I did that with my own kids and now with my grandchildren and absolutely believe it makes a huge difference. I don't post much but have been reading C.A. since it's beginnings. best, Jamie New London, CT

Just to add to your confusion, don't assume that Pure Music is the only way to go in Mac-land. I own Pure Music/Vinyl, and have liked it, but have recently come to prefer Audirvana, at least in my set-up. And it's less dinero.

I've owned the Grace 903 for 2 months, and think it's a remarkable DAC. I've owned 3 iterations of the various Benchmark gear, and find the Grace superior in every way. In my own system the 903 is highly resolving both as a pre for my Mac mini based server and as a headphone amp. No one's taste, hearing, equipment and room acoustics can ever be identical, and Chris in his review made the point several times that any potential listener should actually AUDITION the piece before making a decision. No offense intended, but I think it's goofy to read a single review and then say "I'm not going to buy this now". Audio isn't baseball, unless you have the wealth of George Steinbrener. I bought my 903 for $1500, and like it a lot. That doesn't mean it's fair to compare it to a $5000 piece of gear. sheeze. Try one out, you may actually find what you're looking for. Or not. It's the thrill of the hunt.....