Gramophone Dreams #16: Sony & AudioQuest headphones

Gramophone Dreams #16: Sony & AudioQuest headphones

As much as I delight in pagan dreams of sweetly perfumed garden nymphs, I'm embarrassed to admit that my mind also drifts in pleasant reveries whenever I hear the words research and development in the same sentence. I am by nature a greasy gearhead. The idea of taking well-considered steps of engineering to analyze and possibly improve the operation of any electrical or mechanical system never fails to get my imaginative juices flowing. This is why I've spent decades fascinated by perfectionist audio: I like watching and participating in its edgy, eccentric evolution.

PS Audio BHK Signature preamplifier

PS Audio BHK Signature preamplifier

"Let be."

Those two words, from Shakespeare's Hamlet, express an entire philosophy of life in one of the shortest sentences possible. The quotation may not be familiar, but the concept certainly is—contemporary equivalents, each with its own inflections of meaning, include: Shit happens. Let the game come to you. Keep calm and carry on. (I hate that one.) Paul McCartney wrote something similar, and only slightly less concise, in a late Beatles song.

Sonoma Acoustics Model One Electrostatic Headphone and Amplifier System

Sonoma Acoustics Model One Electrostatic Headphone and Amplifier System

This story originally appeared at InnerFidelity.com

One hell of a story here. Interesting roots in a buncha places. I'm going to power through it with pics and links if you're interested in a deeper dive. Here we go!

Miles Davis' E.S.P. at 45rpm

Miles Davis' E.S.P. at 45rpm

E.S.P., recorded over three sessions in January 1965, marked a major turning point in the music of Miles Davis...Mobile Fidelity's 45rpm two-disc vinyl reissue—mastered from the original ¼-inch, 15ips, two-track tapes by Krieg Wunderlich—captures the sound's bloom and detail with more warmth and detail than any previous pressing, including Columbia's original.

A Video VPI Tour with Mat Weisfeld

A Video VPI Tour with Mat Weisfeld

Last week, I embarked on a nearly three-hour public transportation trek from Queens to Cliffwood, NJ to take a tour of turntable and tonearm manufacturer VPI Industries, with Mat Weisfeld as my host. During the tour, I got to meet every member of the VPI family, learn about each step of the process, and get a firsthand look at a couple of unreleased products!
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