Jeff Beck: Emotion & Commotion
Atco R2 523695 (CD), R1 523695 (LP). 2010. Steve Lipson, prod., eng., mix; Trevor Horn, exec. prod. DDD. TT: 40:26
Performance *****
Sonics ***½
Hindsight tells me that I shouldn't have been surprised: the pairing of the most lyrical of electric guitarists with the supreme melody from a king of melody, Giacomo Puccini, was a natural match. Jeff Beck wrings the emotion from his Fender Stratocaster on the aria "Nessun Dorma," from the opera Turandot, and sends it soaring, singing into the aether.
There are three instruments that echo…
"Reviewed in the box!" is what Stereophile's founder, the late J. Gordon Holt, used to call it. You might think you're reading a review, but the realization slowly dawns that there's nothing in the text that could not have been gleaned from the manufacturer's brochure, nothing to indicate that the writer had even opened the box the product came in. When I read a review in another publication or online, I judge it by doing what I recommend Stereophile's readers do when they read this magazine: I look for the nugget I didn't already know, the facet I wasn't expecting, the concluding jewel I…
High-end audio exists at the intersection of art and science. Either discipline can produce a good product, but it takes both to create the very best. The Sonic Frontiers gear I auditioned many years ago, for example, was technically sound, nicely built, and sounded good—just never as sublime as products from, say, Audio Research or VTL. On the other hand, an experienced, insightful designer such as Quicksilver's Michael Sanders can create wonderful products from humble circuits and parts, but be ultimately limited by the underlying technology. But when brilliant design, uncompromised…
There are way too many refinements to list, but they add up to higher performance and, not surprisingly, price. Where the RPM-1 cost about $5000, the SG2 will set you back $15,000. Much of the higher cost is accounted for in the more precise machining and assembly operations. The original SOTA 'tables appeared to have been built to a price point; RPMs were a big improvement, I felt, built of components produced to spec by a competent machine shop. The shop that produces Spiral Groove components—the seventh to try—specializes in high-precision aerospace components and tools for microsurgery…
But even these subtle differences were elusive. When I listened to the VPI, it seemed as if the cellos and double basses had more power and richer timbres. When I switched back to the Spiral Groove, however, I was hard-pressed to find differences in loudness or timbre. It was clear, however, that the notes started and stopped a bit more precisely with the SG2, and that individual instruments within a section could be discerned more distinctly. Perhaps the best way to summarize the differences I heard in the back-to-back comparisons is to say that the SG2's temporal and spatial precision…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Belt-drive turntable with low-voltage AC synchronous motor, outboard power conditioning and regeneration, electronic speed selection (33.33 or 45rpm), removable armboard.
Dimensions: 18.5" (470mm) W by 4.5" (115mm) H by 15" (380mm) D. Weight: 50 lbs (22.7kg).
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: 623082R105.
Price: $15,000. Approximate number of dealers: 7.
Manufacturer: Spiral Groove, 1516 Fifth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710. Tel: (510) 559-2050. Fax: (510) 559-1855. Web: www.spiral-groove.com, www.immediasound.com.
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: VPI HR-X turntable & tonearm; Tri-Planar & Spiral Groove Centroid tonearms; Lyra Titan i, Grado Signature Reference cartridges.
Digital Source: Primare CD 31 CD player.
Preamplification: Sutherland PhD phono preamplifier; Sutherland Direct, Placette Active line stages.
Power Amplifiers: VTL MB750 Signature monoblocks, Pass Labs XA-30.5.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Sophia II.
Cables: Stereovox, Audience Au-24, Nordost Valhalla, Nirvana SL. AC: Audience PowerChord, Synergistic Research Designer's…
I have built up a large collection of CDs since the medium's launch more than a quarter century ago, along with a modest number of SACDs and a small number of DVD-As. But I find these days that, unless I'm getting down to some serious listening and can give the music my uninterrupted attention, I use iTunes to feed computer files to my high-end rig (footnote 1). I've mostly been using the superb-sounding combination of dCS Puccini U-Clock and Puccini player/DAC that I reviewed last December to take a USB feed from a Mac mini, but I've also been using the Bel Canto USB Link 24/96 and Stello…
I picked up the review sample of the DACport at the 2010 CES, which is also where electric bassist Dean Peer gave me a copy of his new album, Airborne, available as 24/96 WAV files on a USB drive (Cardas Audio). I got to know the album through the DACport—remembering, of course, to exit iTunes, reset the default sample rate to 96kHz with the Mac's AudioMidi setup utility, then restart iTunes. "N'est-ce pas" is currently my favorite track from Airborne, with its melodic arpeggios, picked out on artificial harmonics, contrasted against a simple bass line and off-beat snare-drum rimshots. This…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Adaptive isochronous, USB-input, bus-powered, direct-coupled, class-A headphone amplifier. Input: USB 1.1- and 2.0-compliant, no driver software required; compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems. Output: ¼" stereo headphone jack. Sample rates supported: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96kHz. Word lengths supported: 16, 24 bits. Frequency response at 96kHz: 20Hz–40kHz, ±0.2dB. Maximum output level: 8.5V peak–peak (3.0V RMS) into 300 ohms. THD+noise: –97dB/0.0014% (1kHz at –0.5dBFS). Maximum output power: 1.5W. Supplied accessories: belt clip, 6' (…
