About Brent Butterworth

I first talked with Brent several years back when I wanted to get permission to re-print an awesome article he wrote back in 1997, when he was still with Home Theatre magazine. It stuck with me all these years, because this article was dedicated to 8 track tapes, and this was a home theater magazine, written during a time when DVD’s and digital sound was reigning supreme! How cool was that? The article can be found here.

Brent called me back and not only helped me out with this but also made me realize how incredibly down to earth he is, and one of the nicest people you can ever meet. You have to understand that after reading his work for years, I was REALLY nervous talking with him at first but Brent has a way of making people comfortable, and after letting him know what we did here and the common ground we shared, a friendship was born.

Since then, Brent has visited our shop a number of times over the years and built many more friendships with others here along the way. It seems that I was not the only one here in BC that also appreciated his writing! Brent is also on Facebook, and his page can be found here.

The following articles include not only those that Brent has written during his visits here, but also those that relate to the type of products that might be beneficial to those looking to upgrade, add to or just have fun with.


Back on Track

When did you throw out all your 8-track tapes? Mid eighties, right? I remember the day. I’d already switched to cassette and was contemplating a move to CD.  A lot of my 8-tracks had bitten the dust anyway, victims of deformed rollers, tangled tape, or being left too long in my truck under the hot Texas sun.

Turntables – Old vs New

Two vintage record players. One modern turntable. Three copies of the same record. And one answer to the question: How do vintage turntables compare to today’s models?
By Brent Butterworth contributing technical editor of Sound + Vision and former editor-in-chief of Home Theater

Receiver Shoot-out:  Vintage vs High-Tech

A blind test finds out if 1970s receivers can hold their own against the latest stuff
By Brent Butterworth contributing technical editor of Sound + Vision and former editor-in-chief of Home Theater

An Interview with Gordon Sauck

A pioneer in the vintage audio business tells why the older gear is better.
By Brent Butterworth contributing technical editor of Sound + Vision and former editor-in-chief of Home Theater

The Shock of the Old

Why do more and more people prefer the audio gear of yesterday to the state-of-the-art products of today?
By Brent Butterworth contributing technical editor of Sound + Vision and former editor-in-chief of Home Theater

Innovative Audio Cassette Deck Shootout – Take 2

Vintage Cassette Deck Death Match! Can decades-old decks survive modern computer-based measurements?
By Brent Butterworth

Any time you do a comparison test with audio products, someone’s bound to get mad. When you do it with vintage audio products, it’s worse. With new stuff, few people own the products yet. With vintage stuff, lots of people do.

How Much Power do You Really Need?

A lot of audiophiles think you’re better off with just 8 or 10 watts rather than 100. Are they right? Let’s listen and find out!
By Brent Butterworth contributing technical editor of Sound + Vision and former editor-in-chief of Home Theater

In the 21st century, we’ve gotten used to having everything we want. We demand to hear any tune ever recorded right now. We insist on studio-quality sound everywhere, even when we’re on a wilderness hike. But it wasn’t always this way.