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<I>Duet</I>: And Two to Carry Your Soul Away Sidebar 1: The Music

Sidebar 1: The Music

Duet: Music for Solo Violin & Violin & Piano by Janácek, Schulhoff, & Enescu STPH012-2
Ida Levin, violin; Diane Walsh, piano

Leos Janácek: Sonata for Violin & Piano 16:36
[1] Con moto 4:49
[2] Ballada 5:06
[3] Allegretto 2:22
[4] Adagio; Poco mosso 4:19

Erwin Schulhoff: Sonata for Violin 12:43
[5] Allegro con fuoco 1:55
[6] Andante cantabile 6:20
[7] Scherzo: Allegretto grazioso 2:09
[8] Allegro risoluto 2:21

Georges Enescu: Sonata No.3 for Violin & Piano, Op.25 25:40
[9] Moderato malinconico…

 

<I>Duet</I>: And Two to Carry Your Soul Away Sidebar 2: The Musicians

Sidebar 2: The Musicians

Ida Levin (violin) was born in Santa Monica, California. She began her violin studies at age three, and made her professional debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at age 10. The recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant and a former Levintritt Artist, Levin was invited by Rudolf Serkin to appear with him in a joint recital for President and Mrs. Reagan, broadcast by PBS as In Performance at the White House. She made her Carnegie Hall debut as soloist with the American Symphony Orchestra, and appeared as soloist with the New York String Orchestra under…

 

<I>Duet</I>: And Two to Carry Your Soul Away Sidebar 3: Who Was Who, etc.

Sidebar 3: Who Was Who, What Was When, What Was What

The Janácek and Enescu works were recorded at St. Francis Auditorium, Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico, March 30 & 31, and April 1, 1998; the Schulhoff at the Loretto Chapel, Santa Fe, New Mexico, November 18 & 19, 1997.

Recording Equipment: two Brüel & Kjaer 4006 1/2" omnidirectional microphones with (diffuse-field) nose-cone grids; two Brüel & Kjaer 4011 1/2" cardioid microphones; Audio Engineering Associates 27" microphone bar and Stereoscope; Cardas 300B, Canare, and AudioQuest Lapis balanced…

 

Recording of January 1993: <I>Short Man's Room</I>

JOE HENRY: Short Man's Room
with The Jayhawks
Mammoth MR0037 (CD only). Joe Henry, prod.; Brian Paulson, eng. AAD? TT: 45:51

After reading my rave review of John Wesley Harding's Why We Fight in the October 1992 issue, John Atkinson (The Editor, The Boss) said to me: "I guess it's the words that are important to you, huh?"

Well, yeah—especially when so many rock reviewers and musicians think of song lyrics as just something to hang a melodic hook on. Truly excellent lyrics are rare enough that the, ah, word needs to be spread. And when such lyrics are allied to music and…

 

Linn Klimax 500 Solo monoblock power amplifier

Recently I found myself on the phone with Linn's chief design engineer, Bill Miller, talking about switch-mode power supplies. Affable Mr. Miller was ensconced in Linn HQ in Glasgow, Scotland. After a bit I inquired if Head Man Ivor Tiefenbrun was about the manse, and was quickly handed over. "You're such a cheeky guy. Why'd you call it the Klimax?"

"Well, Jonathan," Ivor breathed soothingly in a lilting Scots burr, "it simply represents the climax of many years of werrrk, you see..."

Yeah, right. I smiled and considered the veritable field day of bad jokes awaiting my twisted…

 

Linn Klimax 500 Solo monoblock power amplifier Page 2

Fast semiconductor switches chop up that high voltage and apply it to a small transformer that both transforms the voltage to a usable level for the circuitry to sip from, and provides an isolation barrier from the mains supply. The transformer can be small because its size decreases as operating frequency increases. A little guy running at 60kHz is far smaller than one operating at a mains frequency of 60Hz. The transformer in the Klimax is smaller than a 1½" cube. At 50 or 60Hz it might deliver something around 5W. As implemented in the Klimax, it delivers (according to the specs) on the…

 

Linn Klimax 500 Solo monoblock power amplifier Page 3

Each Klimax runs on two power supplies. A small auxiliary supply remains energized whenever power is applied. It supplies the discrete, elegantly inset blue front-panel LED and a circuit that detects audio input signals. The signal detector is "very sensitive," but holds about a second before powering up to be certain the signal is real and not noise. The Klimax remains in drive, as it were, for 10 minutes after the end of signal, then reverts to standby mode. The tube rush from a high-gain MC phono stage might trigger the sensor, so if you want your Klimax to idle down between sets, watch…

 

Linn Klimax 500 Solo monoblock power amplifier Page 4

When I spotted a new release from Us3, I jumped—their last CD was an instant audiophile classic. Track 7 of "The Remix Side"—as the second half of Flip Fantasia: Hits & Remixes (Blue Note 33951-2) is charmingly billed (vinyl, anyone?)—has a redo of "Cantaloop" that's perfect for pounding an amp into submission, or showing one like the Klimax in all its considerable glory. The tight and powerful bottom end, the incredible dynamics, pace, and rhythm, were so organic I just couldn't resist the sound—it was magnetic! There was plenty of focus and high-style imaging for you audiophile types,…

 

Linn Klimax 500 Solo monoblock power amplifier Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Solid-state class-AB monoblock power amplifier with switch-mode power supply. Inputs: balanced (XLR), pin 2 hot; single-ended (RCA). Signal-sensing turn-on threshold: >150µV. Output connectors: Neutrik Speakon 4 standard, binding posts optional. Options: wall-mount system, active crossover system, binding-post output terminals. Output power: 500W RMS into 4 ohms (24dBW), 290W RMS into 8 ohms (24.6dBW). Harmonic distortion: 0.02%. Peak output voltage: 70V. Frequency response: 2Hz-60kHz, -3dB. Input impedance: unbalanced 7k ohms, balanced 7k ohms.…

 

Linn Klimax 500 Solo monoblock power amplifier Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog sources: La Luce turntable; SpJ tonearm; Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum, Forsell Air Force One, van den Hul Grasshopper IV Gold phono cartridges.
Digital sources: Forsell Air Bearing CD transport, Burmester 969 CD transport, dCS 972 sample-rate converter, dCS Elgar D/A converter at 24/192 either direct to the amps and into the preamp.
Preamplifier: Burmester 808 Mk.V, YBA 6 chassis, and the BAT VK-50SE.
Power amplifiers: YBA Passion, Forsell Statement, Accuphase M2000 monoblocks, AudioPrism Mana Reference.
Loudspeakers: JMlab Utopia…

 

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