I Did Record Store Day
- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: For the Record
It’s embarrassing for me to admit this, but adversity builds character: This year will mark my first participation in Record Store Day. There. I said it. While the idea of dragging buyers back to bricks-and-mortar stores to buy records, find community, and actually look each other in the eye is, in every respect, a great idea, and one that should be championed by all fans of vinyl, with me the concept has fallen flat. I’ve never been fond of crowds, and this event always made me think I’d have to line up in hopes of getting any of those limited editions.
Andy Sheppard Quartet: "Romaria"
- Written by: Joseph Taylor
- Category: Recording of the Month
ECM 2577 (578 6780)
Format: CD
ECM 2577 (6730185)
Format: Vinyl
Musical Performance: ****
Sound Quality: ****
Overall Enjoyment: ****
British saxophonist Andy Sheppard has recorded extensively as a sideman over the last 30 years, appearing on albums by Carla Bley, Gil Evans, Keith Tippett, and George Russell, among many others. He co-led three sessions with Carla Bley and Steve Swallow, and has released 14 recordings as a leader. Romaria, his newest, is his fourth for ECM. It’s his second outing with his current quartet, which comprises guitarist Eivind Aarset, double bassist Michel Benita, and drummer Sebastian Rochford. Their previous release, Surrounded by Sea (2015), also appeared on ECM.
Furutech NCF Booster Cable Holder
- Written by: Howard Kneller
- Category: Full-Length Reviews
I’ve said it before: No matter what type of audiophile you are, Furutech probably makes a product you’ve lusted after. In addition to power distributors and filters, and finished interconnects, speaker cables, and power cords, they make DIY bulk cables and component parts, and accessories that include the stainless-steel and silver-plated FI-50 NCF power-cord connectors, the Destat III Static Charge Eliminator for LPs and CDs, the DF-2 LP Flattener, Nano liquid contact enhancer and PC-α (Alpha) cleaning solution for CDs, the SK-III Electrostatic brush for discs and A/V gear, and a variety of AC outlets, cover plates, and fuses.
Jeff Buys a New (Used) Amp
- Written by: Jeff Fritz
- Category: Opinion
Last month I discussed how buying used audio gear can be a great option for any audiophile, even reviewers who have access to industry accommodation pricing (usually a discount of about 50%). This month, I put my money where my ears are.
I bought an amp.
Raidho Acoustics XT-5 Loudspeakers
- Written by: Jeff Fritz
- Category: Full-Length Reviews
Back in May 2012, I reviewed the Raidho C2.1, a smallish, three-driver, floorstanding loudspeaker from Denmark that retailed for $28,000 USD per pair. A lot has changed since then for the manufacturer of that speaker, Raidho Acoustics. The primary designer of the C2.1, Michael Børresen, has left the company to helm Aavik Acoustics along with his partner, Lars Kristensen. Aavik makes some very expensive amplifiers and a DAC-preamplifier.
GoGo Penguin: "A Humdrum Star"
- Written by: Joseph Taylor
- Category: Recording of the Month
Blue Note B0027806601
Format: LP (2)
Musical Performance: ****
Sound Quality: ****
Overall Enjoyment: ****
The jazz of GoGo Penguin, a trio based in Manchester, England, takes in all manner of influences, from electronica to the atmospheric rock of Radiohead. Hints of Brian Eno and of current minimalist composers, such as John Adams, also pop up, but this music isn’t slapdash or scattered. It has the improvisational excitement of jazz, while using carefully constructed themes and studio technology to create its sound. The group was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2014, and the following year signed with Blue Note France.
Waversa Systems WDAC3 Mk.II Digital-to-Analog Converter
- Written by: Vade Forrester
- Category: Full-Length Reviews
Part of the fun of being an audio reviewer is to discover new gear unknown to the general public. Such a device is this DAC from Waversa Systems, a Korean manufacturer previously unknown to me. Their founder, CEO, and lead design engineer, Dr. Collin Shin, draws on 30 years’ experience in developing low-noise, jitter-canceling chips for precision medical and military applications, to design circuits that will allow the listener to be enveloped by digitally encoded music. In designing this version of the WDAC3, Shin was assisted by legendary American audio engineer and SoundStage! Network equipment-measurement engineer Bascom H. King.
Buying Used: An Option Even for Reviewers
- Written by: Jeff Fritz
- Category: Opinion
In my last “Opinion” article I wrote about some audio lessons I’ve learned over the years, including this one: “newer isn’t always better. In fact, these days, newer might come about only because the product can be made more cheaply or efficiently. I’ve seen that, too. I don’t need the latest and greatest.”
Rethm Maarga Loudspeakers
- Written by: Tom Mathew
- Category: Full-Length Reviews
Rethm’s polymath founder, CEO, and designer, Jacob George, is based in Cochin, in southwest India. He brings to loudspeaker design a nontraditional vision informed by his love of wide-frequency-band, high-efficiency, single-driver speakers, vacuum tubes, his trainings as an architect and engineer, and a musician’s ear. His passions for audio and speaker design were driven by his pursuit of a type of sound reproduction that existed in his imagination: fast, coherent, highly detailed, yet nonfatiguing. The products of that pursuit have been steadily refined, and have culminated in the latest Rethm loudspeaker, the Maarga ($9750 USD per pair).
I Love My Turntable
- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: For the Record
This morning, I polished my turntable with Speed Wax, from Tirox, which makes cleaning and maintenance products for motorcycles. Speed Wax smells like vanilla and, when buffed off with a microfiber cloth, leaves a wonderful, streak-free shine.
Yes, I polish my turntable. I’m proud of the thing. I smile at it. We understand each other.
- Thomas Strønen/Time Is a Blind Guide: "Lucus"
- Audience Au24 SX powerChord Power Cord
- Lessons I've Learned
- McIntosh Laboratory MA9000 Integrated Amplifier-DAC
- Marshall Crenshaw: "Field Day"
- VPI MW1 Cyclone Record-Cleaning Machine
- When a Brand Is Forgotten
- Esoteric Grandioso G1 Master Clock Generator
- An Introduction
- Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings: "Soul of a Woman"
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