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T.H.E. Show Newport 2011

Let the Games Begin!

Michael Lavorgna Jun 03, 2011

To kick off the first ever T.H.E. Show Newport Beach, we have a true reach across the aisle (admittedly involving scissors). Pictured here from left to right are some of hi-fi's genuine celebritiesRobert Harley author of The Complete Guide to High-End Audio, Stereophile's own Michael Fremer keeping a safe distance from the cutting Harry Pearson, founder of The Absolute Sound while T.H.E. Show's President Richard Beers enjoys the show.

Rooms opened to the public at noon today (PST). Stay tuned for further reports!

Stephen Mejias

Monster's Miles Davis Trumpet in-ear headphone

Stephen Mejias Jun 03, 2011

Monster partnered with members of the Miles Davis family, Sony, and J&R Electronics to commemorate music icon Miles Davis’ 85th birthday at J&R’s downtown New York City location. Pictured (left to right): Rachelle Friedman, J&R Electronics co-founder; Erin Davis, Miles Davis Properties, LLC; Greg Pedersen, Monster Marketing & Brand Alliances; Anthony Ellis, Sony VP Urban Sales & Marketing; Noel Lee, “Head Monster”; Vince Wilburn, Miles Davis Properties, LLC. Photo: Dan Dion.

Last Thursday, May 26th, I attended an excellent dinner at the Tribeca Grill, hosted by the Miles Davis Family, Sony, J&R Electronics, and Monster, in celebration of Miles Davis’ 85th birthday. During the event, which included a heartfelt remembrance from Miles’ nephew, drummer Vince Wilburn, members of the press were given an introduction to Monster’s Miles Davis Trumpet in-ear headphone. (We were also treated to birthday cake!)

Wilburn offered a simple yet charming sketch of his uncle: “Miles was the type of guy who would change his clothes six times a day just because he got bored. He was never satisfied, always on to the next thing,” he said, with a chuckle and a sigh.

He then talked about the genesis of his family’s relationship with Noel Lee, Monster’s CEO, “The Head Monster”:

Robert Baird

The Eye in the MMJ Sky

Robert Baird Jun 03, 2011

If you measure success as confusing people, provoking discussions, evoking strong feelings, keeping listeners off balance, creating opposing camps, having the same record hated and loved by equal minorities, then Circuital by My Morning Jacket is already a big hit.

News T.H.E. Show Newport 2011

T.H.E. Newport Beach Show 2011

Jason Victor Serinus Jun 01, 2011

With well over 115 individual exhibits and hundreds of high-end audio and home theater brands making music just steps away from a wine show, auto show, a cigar show, and live jazz, T.H.E. Show: Newport promises to raise the bar for consumer audio shows in Southern California.

Scheduled for next Friday through Sunday, June 35, in the Newport Hilton, adjacent to Orange County's John Wayne International Airport, T.H.E. Show: Newport is the brainchild of Bob Levi, President of the successful Los Angeles & Orange County Audio Society, and Richard Beers, President of T.H.E. Show. Levi came up with the idea, selling Beers on the notion of a new show that would open the audiophile fiefdom to the area's 24 million inhabitants. Beers in turn summoned forth over a decade of knowledge on show organization, and provided the infrastructure to make the event possible. . .

Stephen Mejias

The Meatloaf Recipe

Stephen Mejias Jun 01, 2011

In our May issue (see “The Entry Level,” page 47, or just click right here), I discussed the Music Hall USB-1 turntable ($249), Audioengine 5 powered loudspeakers ($349/pair), HiFiMan HM-602 portable music player ($439), and meatloaf (probably around $30 for all the ingredients).

I remember, fairly clearly, the events which led to this particular column. It was a chilly winter evening, late January or early February, and the girls and I had enjoyed a quiet, lazy day. We were now on our way home from a quick trip to Trader Joe’s. I was riding in the backseat of Natalie’s Honda (she’s got a motor back there, too), Nicole was in the passenger seat. The conversation turned from music to food.

Recording of the Month

Recording of December 1988: Bird (Original Soundtrack)

Richard Lehnert May 31, 2011

CHARLIE PARKER: Bird (Original Soundtrack)
Charlie Parker, Charles McPherson, alto saxes; Red Rodney, trumpet; Monty Alexander, piano; Ray Brown, Ron Carter, basses; Charlie Shoemake, vibes; John Guerin, drums; others
Columbia SC 44299 (LP), CK 44299 (CD). Bobby Fernandez, Neal Spritz, engs.; Clint Eastwood, Lennie Niehaus, prods. ADA/ADD. TT: 41:21

Unlike Round Midnight, which encased Dexter Gordon's Bud Powell character in a soft-focus, romanticized, soundstagily mythic NY/Paris jazz juncture that never quite was (Herbie Hancock's music direction was deliberately inauthentic for that or any time or place other than the film studio), producer/director Clint Eastwood's labor-of-love Bird attempts to place Charles Christopher Parker Jr. squarely in the bebop world he created. The modern musicians he "plays" with here blow strictly in that tradition, accompanying Parker's solos, as peeled off the original Savoy, Verve, and home recordings with audio wizardry (massive EQing, dynamic noise filters, etc.).

Tube Power Amp Reviews

VTL 225W Deluxe monoblock power amplifier

Robert Harley May 31, 2011

The VTL 225W DeLuxe monoblocks are very similar to the 300W monoblocks that received such an enthusiastic reception from J. Gordon Holt a year or so ago (in Vol.11 No.10) and, ultimately, most of the audiophile community. Technically, they differ only in output tubes and transformer: the 225W uses EL34s, the 300W uses 6550s. The 225Ws, at $4200/pair, cost $700 less than their more powerful brothers. The question may be raised: Why have two models so close in price and performance? According to David Manley, the 225Ws were built on special order for audiophiles who preferred the sound of EL34s to the 300Ws' 6550s. Demand was so great for the EL34 version that he decided to add it to the line. They look almost identical, the only difference being the smaller output transformer on the 225W and an additional filter capacitor on the 300W's top chassis.

Fred Kaplan

Sam Rivers' Fuchsia Swing Song on Blue Note45

Fred Kaplan May 29, 2011

One of the things I admire most about the folks at Music Matters Jazzthe audiophile house that reissues classic Blue Note albums at 45rpm, the tracks spreads out on two slabs of 180gm virgin vinyl, tucked inside handsome gatefold coversis that they focus on the label's later avant-garde titles as well as on its earlier hard-bop chestnuts. Highlights in that realm to date: Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch, Andrew Hill's Point of Departure, and Jackie McLean's Destination Out.

Now add to this list of treasures Sam Rivers' Fuchsia Swing Song. All four of those albums were . . .

Munich High End 2011

Leaving Munich

Stephen Mejias May 28, 2011

A goodbye note from JB Stanton Communications' Bryan Stanton, one of the many friendly faces I somehow managed to miss while in Munich.

And just as suddenly as we arrived in Munich&#151just as we were beginning to feel comfortable and alive&#151it was, unfortunately, time to leave Munich. Rosemarie and I loved the city, the people, the food, and the hi-fi.

The M.O.C. proved to be an outstanding venue for presenting hi-fi in the best possible light, creating an atmosphere that invited attendees to linger, relax, enjoy. Though the weekend’s weather was absolutely glorious, people from all over the world decided to spend it indoors, with music and sound and gear.

Some stats and trivia:

Munich High End 2011

Wilson Audio Does the Impossible, Turns Rosemarie into Audiophile

Stephen Mejias May 28, 2011

Those who’ve attended a Wilson Audio Specialties demo know that the company’s Peter McGrath puts on a good show&#151when it comes to introducing a loudspeaker and winning over an audience, he’s perhaps the best in the business.

So, I wasn’t actually surprised that Rosemarie took a fancy to the man. I was surprised, though, by how deeply she enjoyed the demonstration.