When I look at Hildebrand’s equipment—from his Montrose Heirloom Turntable with Schröder CB Ebony Tonearm ($16,500), Fern & Roby Amp No. 2 Integrated Amp ($6950/show special), driving Fern & Roby The Raven II loudspeakers (in Ash…
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Christopher Hildebrand, the man behind Fern & Roby, is a bit of a romantic. He's got that same sentimental streak I do, a deep appreciation for the simple things – music, books, and the love of family. It's no surprise, then, that he's poured his heart into his unique audio creations, honoring the memory of his grandmothers, Fern and Roby.
Compared to past years, Fidelity Imports and its stable of brands kept a lower profile at this year’s Capital Audiofest. It shared rooms with local dealer, The Listening Room (“Audio Systems of Distinction” since 1978), showing equipment I have become familiar with both from afar and up close, as in my recent review of the Michell TecnoDec at Analog Planet, and soon, the Union Research S6 integrated amplifier for Stereophile. It was alive and kicking in room 753, the two rooms manned by FE’s Erik Smith and The Listening Room’s Michael Hoatson.
In the Perlisten Room (750), The Listening…
It's difficult to believe that more than five years have passed since Ortofon introduced its ground-breaking MC A90 moving-coil cartridge ($4200 when last available). The limited-edition MC A90, with its radically shaped body made of powdered stainless steel Selective Laser Melting (SLM), celebrated Ortofon's 90th year in business. The MC A95 ($6500), celebrating their 95th year, retains the A90's seductive shape, but the new body is built of powdered titanium, and thus is even more effectively self-damped (footnote 1).
At High End Mässan 2015, an audio show held in Stockholm in early…
The Spyder's platter is driven by an outboard motor pod containing the Sinus—a new AC synchronous motor, designed and manufactured by Brinkmann, that replaces the Pabst motor used in the La Grange. The Sinus is based on the motor Brinkmann designed and manufactured for the direct-drive Bardo and Oasis. It's a four-phase design (4 × 90°) that produces 16 pulses per revolution, and has a 500gm body of nickel-plated steel that rotates to produce a flywheel effect. The motor drives the platter with an O-ring that rides in grooves machined into the platter's perimeter and the motor's pulley.
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Giovanni Guidi: A New Day
Guidi, piano; three others
ECM 2808 (CD, available as LP). 2024. Manfred Eicher, prod.; Gérard de Haro, eng.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****½
Guidi, piano; three others
ECM 2808 (CD, available as LP). 2024. Manfred Eicher, prod.; Gérard de Haro, eng.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****½
Twenty-five years ago, Giovanni Guidi was a child prodigy. Today he is the best jazz pianist under 40 in Italy. On A New Day, the latest addition to his work on the ECM label, he makes a move no one expected: He brings tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis into his world-class trio with bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer João Lobo.
On the one hand, it is not surprising that a leader would want to join…
Will Kimbrough: For the Life of Me
Daphne Records (No catalog #) (auditioned on brown splatter LP). 2024. Kimbrough, prod., Bobby Hall, Walt Gilmer, exec. prods.; John McBride, eng.
Performance ***½
Sonics ***½
Daphne Records (No catalog #) (auditioned on brown splatter LP). 2024. Kimbrough, prod., Bobby Hall, Walt Gilmer, exec. prods.; John McBride, eng.
Performance ***½
Sonics ***½
Will Kimbrough—former member of Will & the Bushmen and the Bis-Quits and a key sideman for Todd Snider, Kim Richey, and Rodney Crowell among others—is a hugely talented, ridiculously underrated songwriter—his songs have been recorded by Jimmy Buffet and Little Feat—and performer who splits the differences among modern-day troubadour, jangle-rock enthusiast, and…
Bruckner: Symphony No.4 "Romantic"
Anima Eterna Brugge/Pablo Heras-Casado
Harmonia Mundi HMM902721 (CD). Evil Penguin (sic), prod.; Steven Maes, eng.
Performance ***½
Sonics ***
Anima Eterna Brugge/Pablo Heras-Casado
Harmonia Mundi HMM902721 (CD). Evil Penguin (sic), prod.; Steven Maes, eng.
Performance ***½
Sonics ***
"Period" Bruckner? Really? In the '90s, the historical-practice movement's incursions into Romantics extended to Verdi's Requiem, so maybe Bruckner isn't so far-fetched. Neither does this depart much from a standard Romantic approach, although Pablo Heras-Casado, a "modern" conductor, eschews routine interpretive touches and underplays certain episodes in favor of the larger picture. In the first-…
True Source Audio Distributors debuted the massive G.I.P. Laboratory 4165 field coil horn-loaded loudspeakers at CAF, featuring the Japanese company’s replicas of the original Western Electric 4165 driver. The 70lb G.I.P. 4165 Radiata pine cabinets filled nearly half of the small Hilton room. G.I.P.’s TW 38 tweeter sat atop the large cabinets.
Source gear included: AMG Giro 2 Wood Turntable/9WT tonearm ($17,500), with a Benz Micro SLR Gullwing MC Cartridge ($3500), a ViV Lab Rigid Float Ha-9 tonearm ($4500), a Benz Micro ACE SL Mono Cartridge ($1000), and an AMG Viella Forte Turntable ($…
Matterhorn Audio Group – Plaza 1: Kroma Atelier, Aavik, Technics, Linn, Creek, Ansuz, HiDiamond, PSI
One of the showpiece rooms at Capital Audiofest 2024 was the Matterhorn Audio Group demo in Plaza 1, which is essentially a small ballroom. The rarefied systems shown were up to the task of filling the spacious room with beautiful music.
I stopped in to shoot photos and immediately noticed the quality of the sound, the beauty of the equipment’s aesthetics, and the inviting ambience of the space. The lighting, décor and of course the system itself were all highly conducive to enjoying great music.
At the center of the room stood an impressive selection of speakers…
Faces at the BBC, Complete BBC Concert & Session Recordings 1970–1973
Rhino R2726026 603497827824 (8 CDs/1 Blu-ray). 2024. Rob Caiger, prod.; Nick Robbins, Dave Corbett, engs.
Performance *****
Sonics ***½
Rhino R2726026 603497827824 (8 CDs/1 Blu-ray). 2024. Rob Caiger, prod.; Nick Robbins, Dave Corbett, engs.
Performance *****
Sonics ***½
The record business was awash in money and power. Vinyl LPs were still five bucks, and while the pressings could be suspect, the music-buying public still snapped them up en masse. Even in that world of gatefolds, inserts, and textured covers, Faces' Ooh La La remains an impressive sleight of hand. Made up of remnants from two other bands—The Small Faces and The Jeff…