Ramblings.

Welcome to Issue 95, which features our annual compilation of recommended recordings from our contributors. This is always my favorite issue of the year, for several reasons. Indeed, recordings are what got me interested in equipment in the first place. What has always exciting about getting some newer and better piece of audio equipment is not the component or loudspeaker itself, but rather the way it makes my recordings sound better. Once you have built up a good-sounding audio system, the joy of the hobby is musical and sonic stimulation that you achieve through auditioning recordings--most of us have only one audio system, but hundreds or even thousands of recordings!

How fun it is to get the lists form the contributors and put them together for this issue! How fascinating it is to see what kinds of music that various contributors enjoy. Take David Rich, for example. David is known to most people in the audio community as a very astute technical expert with an intimate knowledge of circuit design. But have you ever wondered what sorts of recordings David Rich listens to? Now you can find out. Then think of John Puccio, who auditions and reviews so many, many recordings throughout the year. Of all those recordings, which are his favorites? Now you can find out.

You might read in our pages of a piece of equipment that really strikes your fancy. You think that it would be wonderful to have that particular amplifier of loudspeaker system in you own audio system, but because of the price, you can only think and dream about it. But when you read about a recording that you think you would find interesting, you can usually purchase it without giving much thought at all to the effects it will have on your budget. Perhaps it is a recording by a composer with who you are not familiar. You give a recommended recording a try, decide that you really like it, and then purchase more recordings of the composer's music. You seek out other reviews of music by that composer, and you do some research on his life and work. Soon, ...