But there are other titles, by equally big-name artists, on the same vaunted labels, that somehow get passed over…
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Consider this a wish list from someone who loves owning classic jazz albums reissued on clean, thick slabs of virgin vinyl, preferably cut at 45 rpm—but who’s weary of seeing the same titles pop up over and over again with each slightly new format (180g, 200g, single-sided 45, clarity, etc.). I understand the impulse: certain labels and titles have a mystique (e.g., Blue Note and Blue Train); they’re surefire winners; it’s an uncertain business, so go with the sure thing.
It’s alive! Nirvana brings nirvana to SM’s listening room.
So, yesterday afternoon, I sent a detailed e-mail to Steve Daniels at the Sound Organisation, US importer for Rega. Steve promptly returned my e-mail with a phone call. After reviewing the static situation, Steve asked me to send my Elys 2 cartridge to his office so that his team could take a good look at it. Maybe the static shocks that I had experienced while lifting the tonearm had done some damage to the cartridge’s inner workings. No problem, I said.
Back at home that night, I figured I’d give the ‘table…
Uptown and Downtown are about to merge.
Back in the old days, say, from the mid ‘70s through the late ‘90s, the New York jazz world was engulfed in a Culture War. The scrimmage line was around Houston Street, and the combatants rarely crossed it, except maybe when the Downtowners played some club in the East Village, in which case they rarely strayed west of 2nd Avenue.
Uptown, personified by Wynton Marsalis, his brand of neo-classical jazz, and institutionalized, toward the end of the period, in the founding of Jazz @ Lincoln Center—vs. Downtown, revolving around a disparate crew…
A couple of friends came over this weekend to listen to records, and I’m happy to report that we experienced no trouble at all. No static, no distortion, no woman, no cry. Record after record, beer after beer, the Rega sounded just fine. I do believe my days of vinyl misery are over. But just in case the static monster decides to come round again, I also picked up a can of StaticGuard ($4 at DuaneReade). Before the dudes came over, I sprayed the stuff on the rug in front of my system, as well as on the curtains behind the system. The smell wasn’t so bad and the dry mist…
At home, I’ve been playing around a little bit with my new Anniversary Ringmat 330 replacement platter mat for my Rega P3-24 turntable. However, I haven’t been in the best mood for comparative listening sessions—I came home from work with a headache the last two nights, and I’ve still been suffering from some post-static stress disorder (PSSD) while playing LPs—so I’m not ready to make any value judgments.
This isn’t the best time for inserting new variables into the system.
I did receive the latest LP from Not Not Fun Records, a split 12-inch featuring…
Stereophile will be reporting live from 2010 AXPONA in Jacksonville, Florida - March 5th-7th.
Axpona's marketing director Steve Davis is also a singer and guitarist who performs locally in The Difference/Mumbleypeg, a North Florida-based rock band. Aware of the importance of the live reference, Davis arranged several live "reference" performances throughout the show. As well as The Difference/Mumbleypeg, Axpona showcased the talents of pianist John Yurick, veteran bass guitarist John Atkinson, and Mikhail Levitsky's Levitsky Violin Orchestra. Here's a photo of Davis rehearsing with his band for a performance that was recorded by Mark Waldrep of AIX Records.
...what happens to all those bed frames and mattresses that are removed from hotel suites in order to make room for exhibits? Here' a shot of the Wyndham Riverwalk Hotel mattress mortuary, which ordinarily serves as a convention meeting place. Missing is the mattress from Robert Robinson's Channel D. He chose to retain the mattress to tame highs bouncing from the side wall of the cozy second-floor hotel room.
Channel D's Stereophile-recommended Pure Vinyl ($229) is a Macintosh-based music server program that is equipped for both archiving and playback of vinyl recordings at 192kHz/24 bits). One very cool feature allows you to "drag the needle" across the archived record to whatever groove you choose, in much the same way that you can skip ahead on a digital music file by dragging the cursor. What's extra fun is that your computer screen shows a simulated LP and arm, allowing you to drag the needle back and forth without scratching a thing.
In 2007, the company followed with Channel D…
Just two months ago at CES, I enthused over the potential excellence of King Sound's China-made Kingsound The King full-range electrostatic loudspeaker ($8500/pair). But as much as VAC's Royal power supplies ($1300/pair), Phi 200 monoblocks ($9900/each), and Signature Mk IIa preamplifier with phono stage and external power supply ($18,000); Accuphase's DP-85 SACD player' and the VPI's Classic turntable equipped with Michael Fremer's fave Ortofon MC-90A cartridge were supplying superior sound, the system planned for Axpona was originally held back by junky interconnects and speaker…