LATEST ADDITIONS

Coaster for Guinness Float!

From <a href="http://www.hospitalproductions.com/">Hospital Productions</a>, Cold Cave & Prurient: <i>Stars Explode</i>.

I’ve also been digging the debut LP from Gongasufi, <i>A Sufi And A Killer</i>, on <a href="http://warp.net/records/gonjasufi/debut-album-a-sufi-and-a-killer#0">Wa… Records</a>. You listen to the first track and you’re like, “Hmm?” Listen to the second track and you’re like, “Oh.” Listen to the third track and you’re like, “What the hell is this?” Listen to the fourth track and you’re in love, you’re on your way to the record store even though you swore off buying records for a month, or at least until the next payday, but whatever, you have to have this record now. <i>Now</i>.

I brought a bag of tapes to work today.

So, this is what <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/the_weight_of_my_loneliness/"… mess</a> looks like <i>right now</i>.

"If you've ever wondered what the future of recorded music is going to sound (and look) like, you should be sure to check out the AIX Records demonstration in the Port Ballroom," said the AIX/iTrax.com ad in the Axpona show guide. I started my Show itinerary by visiting this room, and in some ways, nothing I subsequently heard at Axpona matched it. Mark Waldrep was demonstrating his surround recordings in full 24/96 resolution from Blu-ray, played on an Oppo player, with five Thiel CS3.7 speakers and two Thiel subs driven by Boulder preamps and amps via DH Labs cabling. The AIX recordings I auditioned ranged from solo guitar and piano to full big band, and all were enveloping in a manner I have never experienced on even the best two-channel system. Adding to the experience was true High-Definition (1080p) video projection using a very bright, sharp projector from Wolf (distributed in the US by Sumiko). Mark always shoots HD video at his sessions, and he also provides a unique choice in that the listener can choose between audience and stage perpectives. I had assumed that most people would prefer the audience perspective, with the ambience at the rear as at a concert hall, rather than the stage perspective, where the listener is surrounded by the musicians. Mark corrected me: the feedback he gets back from AIX customers indicates that the full immersive experience is what people prefer.

I had respected more than loved the Legacy speakers I have heard in the past, but without a doubt one of the best two-channel sounds I heard at Axpona was provided by the giant Helix loudspeaker, shown here with Legacy founder/designer Bill Dudleston. Front-end at the Show was an Ayon CD player, and the speaker's crossover is implemented in the digital domain using FIR filters and 24-bit DACs and the six channels of amplification were provided by two three-channel McIntosh MC303 amplifiers. The speaker is actually a four-way; there is a rear-facing 15" subwoofer driven by twin ICE-Power class-D modules. The front-facing, open-baffle&#150;loaded upper woofers are actually backed up by second units, which, as with a twin-diaphragm microphone, gives a cardioid directional pattern, allowing a more optimal match with the room's acoustics than with a conventional omnidirectional bass unit. Completing the drive-unit complement, twin silk-dome tweeters are arranged side-by-side and are flanked by four midrange units. Considering what you get, the price of the Helix is a not-unreasonable $46,000/system, including the DSP/DAC crossover unit.