Soul of Things

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This great disc has been in heavy rotation recently chez struts and the more I listen to it the more it grows on me. Trumpeter Tomasz Stanko alludes to some semi-familiar themes (e.g. the Polish national anthem) as well as the 'signatures' of some jazz trumpet legends, yet at the same time the music does not seem at all derivative.

If you like 'Kind of Blue' I can only suggest you check this out, it may lack some of the accessible hooks but for my money it gives nothing away in profundity or sheer beauty. The 2001 ECM recording is absolutely top notch.

Question about a largely ignored cable

From what I understand from reading many articles and forums, the quality of the analog cables being used is very important to the overall quality of the final output. Knowing this, I have started looking for a good quality audio cable to meet a certain specific need. Basically, I need a Y cable of the type that would turn separate RCA audio left and right jacks into either one mini-stereo jack or one 6.33m stereo jack. I have tried looking at some of the same companies that make high end audio cables recommended by this magazine but can't find such a simple product by any of them.

All my recent tweaks

Having a modest system is not keeping me from trying to squeeze the last drop of great sound out of it; on the contrary. If you care to know, please read on:

Since I began reading the Norwegian HiFi magazine "Fidelity" online a couple of months ago, and subsequently went on different audio forums, I have managed to find a path to the most easily audible way to start tweaking efficiently. Earlier on I didn't pay much attention to the fact that tweaks are best performed in a certain order, and the very first step, I have happily ignored for years.

Music in the Round #40 Recordings In The Round

Music in the Round #40 Recordings In The Round

It seems only yesterday, but it's been 10 years since I began using the original <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/subwoofers/955">Paradigm Reference Servo-15</A> subwoofer in my system. It was good then, and it still is, although a lot around it has changed. At first, I hooked it up via Paradigm's X-35 crossover, then via a Technics SH-AC500D surround processor, and finally to the subwoofer/LFE outputs of the various preamplifier-processors and A/V receivers I've used. Y'see, the Servo-15 is just a powered sub. It has an amp and a level control, but no crossover, no channel mixing, and no phase control. Just plug in the signal and it plays it. Along came in-room response correction from Audyssey, Anthem, Velodyne, etc., and the Servo-15 became an even better sub. For music, it entirely satisfies my needs.

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