Barry Willis

Opinion
Cover story
Barry Willis  |  Aug 12, 2026  |  Published: Oct 01, 2026  |  0 comments

While some music fans pledge fealty to original recordings, Barry Willis enjoys discovering new interpretations of familiar songs, be they Chuck Berry classics or the prog rock of Pink Floyd

Some years ago I wandered into a little shop in the bucolic town of Mill Valley, California and was stopped dead in my tracks by the most riveting version I had ever heard of 'I Left My Heart In San Francisco'.

Continue Reading >
Opinion
Built to last?
Barry Willis  |  Jul 15, 2026  |  Published: Sep 01, 2026  |  0 comments

When it comes to product longevity is hi-fi a hobby built on hearsay? Barry Willis goes beyond the brochure to make the case for Consumer Reports-style reliability ratings in high-end audio

Continue Reading >
Opinion
Format of the future
Barry Willis  |  Jun 24, 2026  |  Published: Aug 01, 2026  |  0 comments

Vinyl remains a hi-fi stalwart, but Barry Willis believes the next steps in music playback should be towards affordability, ease of use, configurability and – yes – the end of physical media

Continue Reading >
Opinion
Facts not fiction
Barry Willis  |  May 24, 2026  |  Published: Jul 01, 2026  |  0 comments

While hi-fi is always about trusting your own ears, Barry Willis is a firm believer that you should also trust scientific reasoning – particularly when looking for a quick system fix

Continue Reading >
Opinion
Midrange magic
Barry Willis  |  Apr 27, 2026  |  Published: Jun 01, 2026  |  0 comments

The peaks and dips in any loudspeaker’s frequency response may contribute to its musical signature, say Barry Willis – which is why he prefers to trust his ears over his calibration toolbox

Continue Reading >
Opinion
EQ controls
Barry Willis  |  Apr 08, 2026  |  Published: May 01, 2026  |  0 comments

EQ controls are a vital part of any mixing console but have fallen out of favour in hi-fi – leaving Barry Willis stumped when audiophile friends ask for help in fine-tuning their system sound

Continue Reading >
Opinion
Machine music
Barry Willis  |  Mar 07, 2026  |  Published: Apr 01, 2026  |  0 comments

An AI-generated song has topped the country charts in the US. Barry Willis, who grew up reading comic books warning of a dystopian future, knows exactly where this is headed...

Continue Reading >
Opinion
A new level of insanity
Barry Willis  |  Feb 05, 2026  |  Published: Mar 01, 2026  |  0 comments

Startled by the price tags in recent product announcements, Barry Willis believes that some quarters of the high-end audio trade are aping the shock and awe tactics of contemporary art

Continue Reading >
Opinion
Enjoyment comes first
Barry Willis  |  Feb 01, 2026  |  0 comments

Suffering from Critical Listening Syndrome? To be fully engaged in your music, says Barry Willis, you need to stop worrying about every aspect of the system sound – or you’ll never be happy

Continue Reading >
Opinion
Flawed by design
Barry Willis  |  Dec 09, 2025  |  Published: Jan 01, 2026  |  0 comments

No matter how meticulously engineered, any product is likely to suffer a failure at some point. Which is why Barry Willis believes designers should pay more attention to ease-of-repair

Continue Reading >

Pages

X