Peter Bates
has been listening to classical music for over forty years. At his junior prom, instead of singing “Johnny Angel” in his date’s ear while slow dancing, he hummed the "Marche au supplice" from Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique. In college he reviewed musical performances for the Bates College Student. For about five years he wrote reviews of classical recordings for Classical disCDigest. On his web site Stylus (www.stylus.batescommunications.net), he reviews local performances of classical music and jazz of such groups as the Boston Symphony, the Boston Philharmonic, the Boston Chamber Music Players, and solo performers. He has been writing for Audiophile Audition since its inception in 1998. He works as a technical consultant for Analog Devices, plays the recorder, is an avid photographer and an often outrageous poet. He listens to music everywhere, in his car, on his Sandisk Sansa MP3 player while elliptically cross-training, on his JVC RX-8040B AV receiver, Pioneer DV-676A DVD player, Snell 5.1 surround speaker system, and Grado Reference Series headphones.


Tom Gibbs
A Journalism major with a minor in Commercial Art, his early experience with newspapers soon transitioned toward the advertising field; is currently with publishing giant R.R. Donnelley (last eighteen years). Handles the creative and presentation needs of the Chamblee (Atlanta, GA) division, and also function as a Prinergy-qualified senior electronic prepress operator. For the last seven years has moonlighted at Delta Air Lines, working on publications of Delta’s Corporate Communications division. He currently holds staff reviewer positions with both Audiophile Audition and Positive Feedback Online.

A lifelong lover of music, Tom’s first exposure came at an early age from the Henry Mancini and Bert Kaempfert records his mom played; not too long after, his older siblings began spinning early Beatles and Stones. When his older brother returned from a stint in the armed forces with a truckload of audio gear, he was transformed into something of a hardware geek as well. That fascination with all things electronic continues to this day and has now morphed into a listening room/home theater. He has recently been dabbling in the black arts of iPods and MP3s. Tom is a lifelong outdoorsman of sorts, and enjoys hiking and backpacking. He and his wife are in the early planning stages of an excursion to the Nepal/Bhutan/Tibet region, with a mandatory trek to the Everest base camp.


Jeff Krow
has been a jazz fanatic for over 30 years. Graduated from California State University, Chico, did a KCSC-FM college jazz radio show. Has 5000+ CD Jazz collection. His jazz genre favorites are hard bop, big band, West Coast jazz (50s-60s), soul jazz, and small group swing era. He attends many live sessions and his favorite jazz instrument is the trumpet.


Gary Lemco
B.A. & M. A., SUNY Binghamton, NY; M.A. & PH.D., GA State University. Music studies with Carmine Arena, Philip Friedheim, Emanuel Winternitz, and Jean Casadesus. Host of The Music Treasury, WHRW-FM 1966-68 & 1970-75; Guest critic on WQXR’s nationally-distributed First Hearing, 1984-1999; Writer, Musical America and Classical DisCDigest; Contributor to Audiophile Audition & Classicalmusicguide.com. Member, Music Critics Association of North America. Author: Nietzsche as Educator; articles on Hemingway, Hawthorne, Bellow, Shelley, Fitzgerald, H. James, Orwell, D. H. Lawrence, Ellison. Specialist in reviewing reissues of great performers of the past.


Robert Moon
Robert Moon is a freelance classical music journalist who wrote the internationally recognized book on London/Decca early stereo classical records, Full Frequency Stereophonic Sound. He writes for Strings Magazine, San Francisco Classical Voice and Audiophile Audition. He holds an MA Degree in Arts Administration from University of Wisconsin. The arts organizations he has served in administrative capacities include the National Endowment for the Arts, the Kansas Arts Commission and the Minnesota Orchestra. Listening to his extensive record and CD collection and attending concerts in the San Francisco Bay Area reminds him that music is an essential force that integrates mind, heart and spirit.


John Nemaric
has been involved with classical music and to some extent early jazz since 1947. He has attended several hundred live concerts since that time. He received his B.A. in Anthropology at the University of California Santa Cruz and his Ph.D. in Archeology from Tudor College in the UK. Within anthropology he specialized in human complex systems, computerized modeling/simulation and ethnomusicology with particular emphasis in musical forms from Africa, Europe and South America. He has also reviewed classical music for a number of years. Presently he is researching the history of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the life of its former conductor William Steinberg. He also teaches (PT) courses related to the history of classical music, opera and ballet at Carnegie Mellon University. His favorite instrument is the Wagner B-flat tuba.

System: Yamaha HTR-5940 6.1 AV receiver, Pioneer DV-578A SACD/CD/DVD player, custom-modified full range 3-way speakers for surround, makes all his own cables from pure copper or silver.


Steven Ritter
Studies at Indiana University with Eugene Rousseau (sax) and University of North Carolina at Greensboro with Raymond Gariglio (clarinet and winds), composition (Jack Jarrett), and Peter Paul Fuchs (conducting). B.A. in Music History and Theory. Writing professionally for 20 years now with American Record Guide, Fanfare, and Audiophile Audition. A priest in the Orthodox Church (which has a continuing tradition of excellence in its musical heritage), and has also developed a great love for ancient church chants of all kinds, and choral music in general - aside from the great symphonic and chamber music treasures of the world. Contributed to many publications musical and theological, and authored a book: That Your Joy May Be Full - Crossroads of Orthodox Faith and Life. Steven is a composer and arranger of Orthodox Church music.

System: Onkyo TZ-DS494 receiver, Sony DVP-NC875V SACD/CD/DVD player, Mirage M595ls tower frontal speakers, Boston Acoustic surrounds, Infinity sub, and a large 18’ x 25’ listening room with 15’ ceiling and hardwood floor.