"Ric had said he would listen to Bad Brains on…
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Playing an astonishingly original mix of reggae and thrashy punk rock, Bad Brains released their self-titled, cassette-only 1982 debut on ROIR records. Punk rock is notorious for eschewing well-recorded music in favor of lo-fi murk, and that original tape fit the pattern. But the next year, the turbulent foursome—guitarist Dr. Know, bassist Darryl Jenifer, drummer Earl Hudson, and vocalist H.R.—went into Synchro Sound in Boston with Ric Ocasek of The Cars and tracked Rock for Light, a huge step up in the quality of Bad Brains' recorded sound.
Starting in May, 2026, High End Munich is morphing into High End Vienna, with the first Vienna High End scheduled for May 28-31, 2026. The surprise move from Munich’s MOC to Vienna’s ACV (Austria Center Vienna) follows what is now understood as a trial run that drew 66 companies and approximately 4000 visitors to Vienna’s ACV in November 18-19, 2023.
In a press release that reached the United States at 8:27 AM EDT on September 11, the High End Society shared the news. “The first-class event venue in the heart of Austria’s capital has undergone extensive remodeling in recent years…
Photo by Alex Carvalho
In the August issue's As We See It, Tom Fine and I encouraged readers to hold on to their physical media—those black and silver discs—even if they're stashed away in a closet or attic, replaced by hi-rez streaming. An important reason we gave is that with physical media (in contrast to streaming), you know exactly what you're listening to—or at least you can know, with a little work.
Also if you want to, you can do a lot of work, since there is much to know and to learn, especially about vinyl records (and shellacs), and learning about them—about the labels…
Register to win an AudioQuest Silver Anti-Static Record Brush (retail value $19.95 US).
From the company:
Keep vinyl LPs free from annoying static, microscopic dust, and harmful debris with AudioQuest’s Silver Anti-Static Record Brush. Simple, attractive, and remarkably effective, AudioQuest’s Silver Anti-Static Record Brush features 1,086,000 conductive carbon fibers and an uncoated metal finger grip to create a reliable electrical path between fibers and handle. Unlike most brushes that have a protective coating over their handles, AudioQuest’s Silver Anti-Static Record…
How many times have you been told by parents and teachers that everything successful must be built on a strong foundation? It's true in music, where the low frequencies are the foundation the music rests on, like the basement framing a building. If you get that part wrong, where are you? Sitting in the mud, that's where. With no chance to address beauty in the midrange, texture and air above, or other tasty things.
Youngstown, Ohio–based loudspeaker manufacturer SVS made foundations its specialty, starting at the company's very beginning in 1998, when it started by designing subwoofers…
I recall way back, when I first owned high-end audio gear, listening for realism in playback of piano recordings. The full range of dynamics and tone created by a fine piano is as good an acid test of hi-fi accuracy as anything. And boy did I come up with an awesome recording to put the sustain pedal to the metal! Browsing the Classical new releases category on Qobuz, I chanced on Fauré: Complete Music for Solo Piano (24/96 FLAC, Sony Classical/Qobuz). The pianist is Lucas Debargue, playing a new Opus 102 piano made by Stephen Paulello, which has 102 keys—14 more than a standard piano. I…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, vented, bipolar, floorstanding speaker system. Drive units: Four 8" composite glass-fiber-cone woofers; two 5.25" composite glass-fiber-cone midrange drivers; one 1" diamond-coated aluminum-dome tweeter. Crossover frequencies: 140Hz, 1.8kHz. Frequency range: 24Hz–40kHz. Sensitivity: 88dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 6 ohms. Max. power handling: 300Wpc.
Dimensions: 50.2" (1275mm) H × 11.81" (300mm) W × 18.14" (575mm) D. Weight: 96.7lb (43.9kg).
Finishes: Piano Gloss White, Piano Gloss Black, and Oak Wood Veneer.
Serial numbers of…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: VPI HMW-40 turntable, VPI 12" Fatboy tonearm, Pro-Ject Classic EVO turntable, Lyra Etna λ Lambda cartridge, Ortofon Cadenza Bronze cartridge, Sumiko Amethyst cartridge.
Digital sources: MacBook Air running Tidal, Roon, Qobuz. Bricasti M1 Series II DAC, Musical Fidelity M1 CDT transport, Pro-Ject CD Box RS 2 T.
Preamplification: McIntosh C12000.
Power amplifiers: McIntosh MC462 Quad Balanced Stereo Amplifier.
Integrated Amplifier: McIntosh MA252.
Loudspeakers: Harbeth C7ES-3XD, Wilson Audio Specialties Sasha V.
Cables…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Because of the SVS Ultra Evolution Pinnacle loudspeaker's size and bulk, I performed the measurements in Sasha Matson's listening room. I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system, a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone, and an Earthworks microphone preamplifier to measure the quasi-anechoic frequency- and time-domain behavior in the farfield. I used an Earthworks QTC-40 microphone for the nearfield responses and Dayton Audio's DATS V2 system to measure the impedance magnitude and phase. The SVS speaker's tweeter is just 32.5" from the floor. We lifted the speaker onto a small dolly…
Jerome Sabbagh: Heart
Sabbagh, tenor saxophone; Joe Martin, bass; Al Foster, drums
Analog Tone Factory ATF 001 (LP). 2024. Jerome Sabbagh, Pete Rende, prods.; James Farber, Pete Rende, Aki Nishimura, Ben Miller, Bernie Grundman, engs.
Performance ****
Sonics *****
Sabbagh, tenor saxophone; Joe Martin, bass; Al Foster, drums
Analog Tone Factory ATF 001 (LP). 2024. Jerome Sabbagh, Pete Rende, prods.; James Farber, Pete Rende, Aki Nishimura, Ben Miller, Bernie Grundman, engs.
Performance ****
Sonics *****
It's rare for an artist to win Recording of the Month honors for consecutive albums released within a few months of each other, and frankly, I don't feel great about it. But I cannot pass over Heart, the latest album from Jerome Sabbagh, which he recorded in a distinguished trio with Joe Martin on bass and the…