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The Retro-Futuristic World of High-End Audio

The Peachtree Audio MusicBox

In “Old-School Hi-Fi in Search of the New New Thing,” Hal Espen visits the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest and ponders the inherent dilemma of hi-fi.

How can a decidedly old-fashioned hobby move forward in an increasingly newfangled world?

Outside the listening rooms, the story of this year's Rocky Mountain Audio Fest traced the mood-swings and anxieties that buoy and beset the retro-futuristic world of high-end audio.

The article is well written and filled with strong arguments from intelligent people who seem to suggest that a way…

Grinderman Bring Evil to the Best Buy Theater

I hope you’ve had an opportunity to listen to our October 2010 “Recording of the Month,” the evil and often hilarious Grinderman 2. On Sunday, I got to see the band play at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square. (The strangeness of seeing Grinderman perform at a place called “Best Buy Theater” is surpassed, albeit slightly, by the fact that the show took place on a Sunday, the Day of Our Lord.)

The band tore through fiery numbers from the new album as well as 2007’s eponymous debut. “Kitchenette,” “Palaces of Montezuma,” “Worm Tamer,” “Heathen Child,” “Evil,” “Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye…

Record Store of the Week

Other Music is at 15 East 4th Street, Manhattan. Photo: Light In The Attic

New York City’s Other Music is Light In The Attic’s “Record Store of the Week.” Check out the interview with OM’s co-owner, Josh Madell.

Other Music is my favorite NYC record shop, and Light In The Attic is one of my favorite record labels. I love it when great things come together happily.

Monkeyhaus: Ottawa (Ohio!)

The system: An Integra disc player, Pro-Ject Debut III turntable, Cambridge Audio Azur 540A integrated amplifier, and Bellari VP129 phono preamp.

I didn’t even know there was an Ottawa in Ohio. But there is. Turns out to be a village in the northwest section of the state, about 155 miles west of Cleveland. The Mayor is Kenneth A. Maag, and in 2009, the village celebrated its 175th anniversary. Can you believe that? The Village of Ottawa has a population of 4,367, and among them are at least two music lovers.

Joe from Ottawa, Ohio, writes:

I always enjoy reading…

Rega’s RP-1 Performance Pack Upgrade

With the news that Rega had replaced their esteemed P1 record player with the $445 RP-1, many wondered what would come of the company’s P2 player. Wedged between the new RP-1 and the P3-24, the $545 P2 seemed like an unnecessary step in an otherwise logical product line.

The company has now introduced their “Performance Pack” upgrade for the RP-1.

It includes a Bias 2 phono cartridge, the drive belt upgrade (reviewed in our November 2010 issue), and a thicker wool platter mat, also found in Rega’s P3, P5, and P7 turntables. The Performance Pack upgrade for the RP-1 costs $195…

Dave Douglas' <I>Spark of Being</I>

Those who follow this space know of my enthusiasm for the music of trumpeter Dave Douglas: his plangent tone, his spine-tingling way with minor-chord intervals, his knack for evoking joy, melancholy, romance, and a host of other emotions—sometimes all at once—without dipping so much as a toe into sentimentalism.

Douglas has a half-dozen or so bands going at any one time, each with very different ensembles, and he gears his compositions and projects to the specific traits (or personnel) of each. For instance, the music for his Charms of the Night Sky group (trumpet, violin, bass, and…

NuForce CDP-8 CD player

"So, what are you reviewing these days?" my friend Mark e-mailed me recently.

"A CD player," I said.

"They're still making those?"

Yes—and better than ever, for the most part. But I understood Mark's confusion. When a "Vote!" question on the Stereophile website asked readers what digital source components they used, a surprising number responded that they did not, or hadn't bought a dedicated player in years. Topping the list were computers and universal players.

Heck, even I had relegated the superb Simaudio Moon Evolution SuperNova CD player to duties in…

NuForce CDP-8 CD player Page 2

And my beloved combo of Mac, Bel Canto, and Musical Fidelity? Not quite so detailed, not quite as crisply harmonic, and maybe, just maybe, a tad lighter in the loafers. I loved the NuForce's way with the bottom end.

One disc to rule them all
I then installed the CDP-8 in my big rig and compared it with my longtime reference disc player, Ayre's C-5xeMP, in a system comprising Vivid's G1Giya speakers and Luxman's C800f preamp and B100f monoblocks. Heck, that system has cables that cost more than the NuForce—a lot more. While I can't say that the CDP-8 smoked the Ayre in this hi-rez…

NuForce CDP-8 CD player Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: CD player with remote control. Digital outputs: S/PDIF on BNC and RCA. Analog outputs: RCA (1 pair). Maximum output level: 2.7V at 1kHz. Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz, ±0.3dB. Channel separation: >110dB at 1kHz. Signal/noise ratio: >100dB. THD: 0.004% at 1kHz, 0dBFS. Output impedance: 100 ohms.
Dimensions: 8.5" (220mm) W by 1.8" (45mm) H by 14" (360mm) D. Weight: 7 lbs (3.2kg).
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: 0401012.
Price: $1450. Approximate number of dealers: 29.
Manufacturer: NuForce, Inc., 382 S. Abbott Avenue, Milpatis, CA…

NuForce CDP-8 CD player Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Digital Sources: Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP, Luxman DU80 universal players; Simaudio Moon Evolution SuperNova CD player; Apple PowerMac G5, Apple Mac mini with 250GB LaCie & 2TB Infrant Technologies NAS hard drives; Benchmark DAC1, Bel Canto USB Link 24/96 USB-to-S/PDIF converter, Musical Fidelity X-DACV3 D/A converters.
Preamplifiers: Ayre Acoustics K-1xe, Luxman C800f, NHT PVC.
Power Amplifiers: Luxman B100f, Parasound Halo JC 1 (all monoblocks).
Loudspeakers: NHT M-00, Thiel CS3.7, Vivid G1Giya.
Cables: USB: EntreQ Discover. Interconnect:…