November 2023 Rock/Pop Record Reviews
ABC: The Lexicon of Love; Buddy & Julie Miller: In The Throes; Juliana Hatfield Sings ELO.
Continue Reading »
LATEST ADDITIONS
November 2023 Classical Record Reviews
Hermitage Piano Trio: Spanish Impressions; Mahler: Symphony No.1; Maurice Ravel: L'Heure espagnole Bolero; Melody Moore: Remembering Tebaldi.
Continue Reading »
On The Road Again, A Year Later
Teatro Morlacchi at Umbria. All Photos by Tim Dickeson.
It has been a year since my piece "On The Road Again: A Jazz Festival Journal From A Summer Of Plague And War" appeared, in the November 2022 issue of this magazine. It described three European jazz festivals I attended in July 2022.
In July 2023, I returned to Europe to attend two festivals. The COVID-19 plague and its fallout had significantly subsided. The war in Ukraine was still raging, but this time I didn't get near it. In 2022, I went to a festival in Romania, which borders Ukraine. In 2023, I only went to Italy.
Two Follow-Up Reviews: Dynaudio Focus 10 loudspeaker & Innuos Statement Music Server
The November 2023 issue of Stereophile included follow-up reviews of two products: the Dynaudio Focus 10 active loudspeaker and the Innuos Statement Music Server/Streamer.
Continue Reading »
Wilson LoKe subwoofer
Piece of cake, thought I. All I needed to do to review Wilson Audio Specialties' smallest active subwoofer, the LōKē ($8950 each in standard finish), was describe how low a pair goes in my room and how cleanly they woof.
Continue Reading »
As I was soon to learn, though, there was a lot more to reviewing LōKēs than that. Why? Because a pair of LōKē subwoofers does more than reinforce the already deep bass extension of the Wilson Alexia V loudspeakers with which they are now paired in my system. Therein lies the tale.
AudioQuest JitterBug FMJ USB Data & Power Noise Filter Sweepstakes!
Register to win a pair of AudioQuest JitterBug FMJ USB Data & Power Noise Filters (value $99.95/pair) we are giving away.
Continue Reading »
"AudioQuest's JitterBug USB Data & Power Noise Filter has treated many thousands of music lovers to more naturally beautiful sound. Of the original model, Stereophile's John Atkinson wrote, "I have no hesitation in declaring, loudly and longly, that I can think of no way to spend $49 that would make me more enjoy my computer-based audio than the AudioQuest JitterBug. Try one—or two—for yourself."
[This Sweepstakes is now closed.]
Frampton at 50
A cultural steamroller that's sold more than 20 million copies so far, Frampton Comes Alive! is also the most celebrated example of an artist who broke through to worldwide fame thanks to a live record. In the wake of this monster success, fans went back and listened to Peter Frampton's four solo studio records that predated the live behemoth. Sales and respect grew.
Continue Reading »
Three of those four releases, Wind of Change (1972), Frampton's Camel (1973), and Frampton (1975), have been remastered and reissued in a limited edition, 180gm vinyl-LP box set, Frampton@50, In the Studio 19721975, by Intervention Records.
Audio Element Carlsbad Grand Opening
Saturday November 4th, 10am–4pm. Listening sessions and open house at Audio Element's Carlsbad location: 5235 Avenida Encinas Suite A, Carlsbad, California. In attendance will be representatives of Cardas Audio, Dan D’Agostino, dCS Audio, Musical Surroundings, Transparent Audio, VTL Amplifiers, and Wilson Audio Specialties.
Spin Doctor #6: Rega Planar 3 50th Anniversary Edition turntable
When I think about landmark years in the history of British hi-fi, 1973 sticks out. Three companies got their start in the first half of that year that went on to become cornerstones of the British audio scene: Linn Products, Naim Audio, and Rega Research. That means they're all celebrating their 50th anniversaries in 2023.
Continue Reading »
The Last Beatles Song (and Other News)
The news zipped across the interwebs like lightning just after 9AM Eastern Time today (it went live here first). "Now & Then," a new-old song by The Beatles made with modern technology, bringing the band back together once more across time and space, will be released November 2. The evening prior, at 7PM London time, the BBC will broadcast "Now And Then – The Last Beatles Song," a short documentary directed by Oliver Murray, describing how the song was made. It will appear on the Beatles' YouTube channel at 8:30PM London time November 1, 3:30PM Eastern US time. There will also be a radio documentary about the song, produced by Beatles historian Kevin Howlett. The BBC today released the first 5 episodes of "Eras - The Beatles," a podcast hosted by actor Martin Freeman; episode 6 will drop November 2 (see https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001rzhw).
Continue Reading »
There's more: New 50th Anniversary expanded versions of 1962-1966 ("The Red Album") and 1967-1970 ("The Blue Album") will be released November 10.