search

Bright Size Life (ECM, 1976)
With bassist Jaco Pastorius and drummer Bob Moses on his ECM debut, 21-year-old Metheny blasts off with an original sound and compositional style, performing original compositions plus Ornette Coleman's "Round Trip/Broadway Blues." The freshness, hardcore swing, and clear-headed inventiveness of Bright Size Life landed it at the National Recording Registry—a literal treasure.

80/81 (ECM, 1980)
If there was any doubt as to Metheny's status as a brilliant jazz guitarist and composer, 80…

Now, on to this month's column: Revisiting an updated product from a small company can be a rewarding experience. For startups in our competitive, niche marketplace, just remaining in business is a challenge. Many under-capitalized startups founded by well-meaning idealists/hobbyists disappear in just a few…

That's five equalization choices (RIAA and four additional ones). DSA should include a handy card describing all this that can be kept under the unit.

The instruction manual…

I searched for a hidden message. Maybe it was one of those naked-in-public dreams, the Beatles drummer chastising me for misidentifying the singer in some review I wrote. I soon forgot about it.

Then, out of the blue, I was sent a copy of the 50th anniversary edition of John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band: The Ultimate Collection, Lennon's first post-…

With the volume at listening level, I hear the bristle-by-bristle rasping of my stylus brush as it drags across the exposed tip of the cartridge cantilever. Next, as I dip the diamond in Onzow gel, I hear a little suction cup pop and feel the compliance of the cantilever's rubber-tire suspension. Finally, my brain registers that sizzle sound as the stylus contacts the grooved surface. These sounds are tattooed on my brain. They "cue up" my…

This presence-region brightness disappeared almost completely when I reduced the load to 100 ohms. But that wasn't all: Soundspace volume and midrange acuity increased dramatically. At 100 ohms, the Denon could stomp and breathe deeply. At that setting, Evensong…

Vincent "offers two 'electrical concepts,'" states the Vincent website. "One side is solid state transistor products. The other is a hybrid technology featuring vacuum tubes on the input stages combined with solid state transistors in the output stage."

The Vincent Audio SV-737 integrated amplifier ($3499.95) is on the hybrid side. It has a "class-A/AB" output stage—biased to deliver 10W…

At first, in fact, the bass was too much of a good thing; with the Vincent in the system, room modes in my smallish room were excited more than usual. I sorted that, mostly, with a bit of repositioning and some well-placed absorption. Three A/V RoomService 2"-square Equipment Vibration Protectors (EVPs) under amp and speakers helped further focus the low end; four more under the…

Description: Two-channel, hybrid (tube input, solid state output), "class-A/AB" integrated amplifier with tone controls, headphone output, and D/A module. Tube complement: 2 × 6N1P, 2 × 6N2P, 1 × 85A2. Analog inputs: 6 pair single-ended line-level (RCA); 1 pair single-ended amplifier-in (RCA). Digital inputs: 3 S/PDIF: 1 optical, 2 coaxial; Wi-Fi; Bluetooth (antennas). D/A chip: Burr-Brown PCM5102. Outputs: 1 pair single-ended stereo pre-out (RCA), 1 pair stereo rec out (RCA), 4 pair speaker terminals, 1 ¼" headphone jack. Power output: 180Wpc into 8 ohms (22.…

Analog sources: Kuzma Stabi R turntable & Kuzma 4Point 11" tonearm; Koetsu Rosewood MC phono cartridge. Thorens TD 124 turntable, Jelco TS-350S 9" tonearm, Denon DL103 MC cartridge. Tavish Design Adagio phono preamplifier.
Digital sources: Asus laptop running Roon and Tidal, Wyred4Sound µLink, Denafrips Ares II DAC, Tascam CD-200iL CD player.
Integrated amplifier: Parasound Halo Hint 6.
Loudspeakers: Golden Ear BRX, Klipsch Forte III, Spendor BC-1.
Cables: Interconnect (RCA): Triode Wire Labs Spirit II, Shindo Laboratory. Digital:…