Added to the Archives This Week

Paul Bolin exclaims, "Looking at the current digital scene is enough to confuse and confound just about anyone this side of Stephen Hawking." Bolin's review of the Ayre Acoustics D-1x DVD-Video/CD player is here to clear things up.

Sam Tellig gets a-hold of a Portal Audio Panache integrated amplifier, reporting that the 100Wpc Portal sells "directly to consumers, mainly by the Internet, and there are no North American dealers." But, as Tellig finds, there's no reason to hold that against it.

In his review of the pro Weiss Medea D/A processor, Kal Rubinson points out, "Some people believe that high-end audio is mostly fluff whose cost, compared to standard professional studio electronics, is not justifiable." Rubinson sets out to discover then "how good, really, is studio equipment?"

"A couple of guys walked in carrying a shiny black board. 'This is pretty interesting stuff,' one of them said. 'Want to hear it?' Oh, why the hell not?" thought Wes Phillips, who describes his exposure to The Shelf by Black Diamond Racing.

Bonus addition this week: Sam Tellig wrote a YBA Integré Passion follow-up in the February 2003 issue. Tellig exclaims, "You have to come over and hear this."

Finally, the newest installment in our "Recording of the Month" series for the online archives: Recording of December 1995: Keith Jarrett at the Blue Note. Wes Phillips notes, "You can sense the players' excitement, not to mention the audience's, as they pursue their common goal, and you can feel them egging each other on."

X