Auto-Tune for Rooms
Whether consciously or intuitively, everyone realizes that rooms have a huge effect on sound. If someone blindfolded you and led you first into the Village … Read More “Auto-Tune for Rooms”
Brent Butterworth
Brent Butterworth has been a professional audio journalist since 1989, and has evaluated and measured thousands of audio products. He is currently a writer at Wirecutter and editor of the SoundStage Solo headphone site; served as an editor at such magazines as Sound & Vision and Home Theater; and worked as marketing director for Dolby Laboratories. He also plays double bass with several jazz groups in Los Angeles.
Brent Butterworth on social media
Audio Files: The Best Gear of 2022
Despite lingering COVID concerns and supply-chain constrictions, the audio industry somehow managed to come up with a whole new slew of appealing products. While 2022 … Read More “Audio Files: The Best Gear of 2022”
Audio Files: The Best Stereo System for Jazz Fans
Ask an audiophile what kind of stereo system a rock fan is likely to have, and they’ll probably describe a JBL setup with muscular amps … Read More “Audio Files: The Best Stereo System for Jazz Fans”
Audio Files: Bluetooth’s Sound Quality Gets Better
Rarely has a technology been so ubiquitous yet so despised as Bluetooth. It delights many listeners by eliminating the need for audio cables. But audiophiles … Read More “Audio Files: Bluetooth’s Sound Quality Gets Better”
Audio Files: Recording Gear for Musicians
Jazz musicians spend years mastering their instruments, but when it comes to recording their instruments, many don’t know where to begin. In the eras of … Read More “Audio Files: Recording Gear for Musicians”
Audio Files: The Best Audio Gear for Traveling
We travel (for pleasure, at least) to leave our world behind for a while. Still, bringing along the things we love most is often a … Read More “Audio Files: The Best Audio Gear for Traveling”
Audio Files: Active Speakers vs. Passive Speakers
Visit a pro audio retailer and almost every studio monitor speaker you see will have amplification built in. But visit a high-end audio store and … Read More “Audio Files: Active Speakers vs. Passive Speakers”
Audio Files: Can “Chi-Fi” Earphones Deliver Real Hi-Fi?
In audio as in jazz, some of the most interesting trends happen far outside the mainstream. Hop onto internet forums dedicated to headphones, and you’ll … Read More “Audio Files: Can “Chi-Fi” Earphones Deliver Real Hi-Fi?”
Audio Files: Should You Buy a Subwoofer?
When it comes to stereos, acoustic jazz fans have it easy. The deepest tones in traditional jazz come from the double bass, which in most … Read More “Audio Files: Should You Buy a Subwoofer?”
Audio Files: What Noise-Canceling Headphones Can and Can’t Do
The work-from-home trend has brought families and roommates closer than ever … for better or worse. On the worse side, many professionals are finding it … Read More “Audio Files: What Noise-Canceling Headphones Can and Can’t Do”
Best Audio Gear of 2021
With demand for new gear at an all-time high, colossal container ships waiting weeks to get unloaded, and supplies of integrated circuit chips and workers … Read More “Best Audio Gear of 2021”
Audio Files: Party Speakers Pack Hidden Benefits
It’s usually unwise to generalize about the fans of any music genre, but I think it’s safe to say that jazz fans aren’t known for … Read More “Audio Files: Party Speakers Pack Hidden Benefits”
Audio Files: Streaming Services Step Up
Music streaming services debuted about 15 years ago—and audiophiles’ criticisms of music streaming services debuted the very next day. Their complaints mostly ceased a few … Read More “Audio Files: Streaming Services Step Up”
Audio Files: How to Get Multiroom Audio in Your Home
It’s great to listen to Miles Smiles in the living room—but even better to keep listening to it when you head into the kitchen to … Read More “Audio Files: How to Get Multiroom Audio in Your Home”
Audio Files: What Product Specs Actually Mean
It’s impossible to shop for audio products without confronting specifications—numbers included in web pages, brochures, and ads to lend scientific cred to marketing claims. In … Read More “Audio Files: What Product Specs Actually Mean”
Audio Files: All-in-One Turntables Are Starting to Sound Better
Vinyl enthusiasts love to brag that last year, the dollar volume of record sales surpassed that of CDs for the first time since the 1980s. … Read More “Audio Files: All-in-One Turntables Are Starting to Sound Better”
JazzTimes 10: Great Jazz Albums to Test Your Stereo With
If you want to find out how good your sound system is, the worst way to do it is to play your favorite jazz albums. … Read More “JazzTimes 10: Great Jazz Albums to Test Your Stereo With”
Audio Files: The Return of Tone Controls
Back in the 1960s, tone controls were considered a must-have feature for audio gear. But in 1974, their reputation sank when famed audio entrepreneur Mark … Read More “Audio Files: The Return of Tone Controls”
Audio Files: Is Vintage Gear Any Good?
Old hardware of any sort often carries a certain cachet. But vintage audio gear, produced from the 1950s through the 1980s, has become an obsession … Read More “Audio Files: Is Vintage Gear Any Good?”
Audio Files: Making Your Room Sound Better
Every jazz fan knows that intimate clubs like the Village Vanguard sound different from large venues like Carnegie Hall. Clearly, the space we listen in … Read More “Audio Files: Making Your Room Sound Better”
Audio Files: For the Lack of a Jack
I got a shock when I visited a T-Mobile store last May after losing my smartphone. I asked for the latest Samsung Galaxy S-series model—but … Read More “Audio Files: For the Lack of a Jack”
Audio Files: Audio Products of the Year 2020
The year 2020 was a terrible one for jazz fans, with listeners forced to settle for YouTube and Facebook streams instead of the live performances … Read More “Audio Files: Audio Products of the Year 2020”
Audio Files: Getting Better Sound from Livestreamed Events
Thanks to COVID-19, and artists and venues shifting their focus to online streams, we may be seeing more jazz performances than ever before. What we’re … Read More “Audio Files: Getting Better Sound from Livestreamed Events”
Audio Files: Headphones That Help You Hear Better
For jazz fans, hearing loss can be as devastating as a chronic injury is to an athlete, because it makes it more difficult to enjoy … Read More “Audio Files: Headphones That Help You Hear Better”
Audio Files: The New Generation of Extreme Speakers
Visit your local Best Buy, and you’ll get the idea that traditional loudspeakers are all but gone, replaced by wireless models from Sonos, Bose, Sony, … Read More “Audio Files: The New Generation of Extreme Speakers”
Audio Files: Getting Serious About Soundbars
For the last decade, soundbars—simple, elongated speakers designed to fit elegantly under a TV screen—were considered a poor man’s home theater. But thanks to technological … Read More “Audio Files: Getting Serious About Soundbars”
Audio Files: True Wireless Earphones
Drummer Jo Jones famously reacted to 16-year-old Charlie Parker’s playing by throwing a cymbal at his feet. Audio critics were almost as harsh in their … Read More “Audio Files: True Wireless Earphones”
Audio Files: Class D Amps
Traditional stereo systems sound better than wireless all-in-one speakers like Sonos, but they’ve largely fallen out of favor—no surprise when you can get a good … Read More “Audio Files: Class D Amps”
Audio Files: Headphones and the Harman Curve
Jazz and headphones are both around 100 years old. But while jazz is codified to the point that four players who’ve never met can play … Read More “Audio Files: Headphones and the Harman Curve”
Immersive Technologies Help Music Hit the High Notes
Stereo and conventional surround sound capture the width and depth of a recording venue, but as anyone who’s ever heard live music knows, reflections from … Read More “Immersive Technologies Help Music Hit the High Notes”