1st Edition
The Great Rocky Mountain Audio Fest Starts Friday
Herb Reichert, Tom Norton, John Atkinson, and Jason Victor Serinus will be reporting on RMAF's exhibits and happenings, both during the show and for many days after we return home.
The New Standard (and Joe Ferla's last thing)
Joe Ferla is the preeminent jazz recording engineer of our time--or, I should say, was, as he recently decided to retire from the profession, after more than 42 years and nearly 400 albums, to run his attention to playing guitar.
Meridian Audio Prime D/A headphone amplifier
A reader recently asked if I preferred listening to loudspeakers or to headphones. There is no easy answer: Although I do most of my music listening through speakers, about 10% of that listening, for various reasons, takes place in the privacy of my headphones. I
Denver Retailer Soundings to have Open House Before and During RMAF
Audiophiles who need something to do before RMAF begins on Friday October 10 should check out Soundings Fine Audio and Video. Situated just two blocks from the Marriott DTC, the Denver retailer is having a party Friday night, and all showgoers are invited.
MartinLogan BalancedForce 212 subwoofer
Some folks put a pair of bookshelf speakers on stands in their room and are happy as clams. I imagine that they imagine the missing bass and never give it another thought. Not me, and perhaps not you. Some of us want to hear it and feel it, just as we would real instruments. We want sex in the room.
Listening #142
". . . with faithfully replicated artwork." That's how a press release, dated June 16 of this year, described the manner in which the next wave of Beatles LPs--mono releases claimed to be mastered direct from the original analog mixdown tapes, and not the 44.1kHz digital files that Apple Records and Universal Music Enterprises (which now owns EMI) considered good enough for their last wave of Beatles LPs--are being packaged for sale.
[[http://www.stereophile.com/content/gramophone-dreams-1|]Gramophone Dreams #1]
My best old friend, "David Ray of Today," dropped out of school when he was 15 so that he could stock vegetables on the night shift at the IGA in a small Illinois farm town. By the time he'd turned 25, he owned five houses, 25 Cadillacs, and a barn full of knickknacks.
NY Audio Show 2014
John Atkinson and Art Dudley provide complete coverage live from New York!
Happy Together
Singer Howard Kaylan and guitarist/singer Mark Volman were part of Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention. They added their distinctive harmonies to T. Rex’s “Get It On (Bang a Gong)” and Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart.”
Dynaudio Excite X14 loudspeaker
In the March 2010 issue I reviewed Dynaudio's Excite X12 bookshelf speaker ($1200/pair), then the least expensive speaker in Dynaudio's line. It mightily impressed me, and I wrote that it had "become my new benchmark for speakers costing under $2000/pair."
Naim Audio NAIT 5si integrated amplifier
Some among us remember a time when audio was divided into rival interests. On the left side of the pond was the New World, where left-brainers believed that vanishing harmonic distortion meant that "all amplifiers sound the same," and that good loudspeakers are a high-fidelity audio system's most important components.
2nd Edition
The Great Rocky Mountain Audio Fest Complete Coverage!
Herb Reichert, Tom Norton, John Atkinson, and Jason Victor Serinus report live from RMAF's exhibits and happenings with photos, commentary and fun facts.
Recording of October 1983: The Stranger
JGH Archives: This is one of four recordings we now have on hand in both the CD and digital-mastered LP formats, and all reviews of these will be parallel reviews. In the case of the CBS discs, there is no "conventional" version, as all of their recent LP releases are CX-encoded. Thus, I will be comparing decoded CXed CBS LPs with their CD equivalents.
On the Beach: New LPs from Universal Music
The story is familiar. The British Invasion caused a deadly tsunami in the American music scene. Established stars, from Elvis to John Lee Hooker to Tony Bennett, saw their careers swept away in a matter of months in 1964.
Siltech SAGA power amplifier
Among the biggest buzzes at the January 2013 Consumer Electronics Show, and at Munich's High End Show the following May, was the sound in the room of Siltech BV, a Dutch company best known for its high-end cables.
The Fifth Element #87
"The Guitars of Rachel Rosenkrantz" is perhaps not quite as evocative a title as The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Nevertheless, there are parallels. I met the young, French luthier through mutual friends, and was pleasantly surprised to learn that she is very serious about her art, and rather obsessive about her craft.
Transfiguration Proteus MC phono cartridge
I've lost track of how many Transfiguration cartridges I've reviewed over the years. In all that time I've never met their designer, Immutable Music's Seiji Yoshioka, but every year he sends me an exceptionally tasteful holiday greeting card. I've never reciprocated. The truth isn't always pretty.
November's Here!
"Is it wrong to love it for its physical beauty?" asks Michael Lavorgna of Astell&Kern's extraordinary (and expensive) AK240 portable file player, which gets the star treatment on the November 2014 issue's cover. But as he also found it a joy to listen to, the question becomes moot.
A Conversation Between Kenny Barron & Dave Holland
I know folks, dedicated jazz fans no less, who cannot be dragged into piano and bass duo gigs. Something about not having a drummer spells boredom for them. Not enough going on I guess. Or more likely, there isn't a horn at work.
Source Stereophile
