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Listening #142

". . . with faithfully replicated artwork."

That's how a press release, dated June 16 of this year, described the manner in which the next wave of Beatles LPs—mono releases claimed to be mastered direct from the original analog mixdown tapes, and not the 44.1kHz digital files that Apple Records and Universal Music Enterprises (which now owns EMI) considered good enough for their last wave of Beatles LPs—are being packaged for sale. Hope, as Emily Dickinson once observed, is that thing with the feathers. Which, as we all know, evolved from the dinosaurs.

Those new mono LPs,…

Gramophone Dreams #1 Page 2

I wish you could feel what I felt when I played Little Richard's first 78rpm hit, "Tutti Frutti" (Specialty XSP561) with the Shure M44-78, or listened to my new copy of Andrés Segovia's Recital (US Decca DL 9633) via the Miyajima Spirit. One moment, I witnessed the dawn of rock'n'roll; the next, I was living in Spain and reading in Spanish. On eBay, I bought "100 paper & 100 plastic (3 mil) 45rpm record sleeves"—the new game of old discs was on.

The Spirit Mono ($850) is the lowest-priced cartridge in the distinguished Miyajima family, which includes the Premium Mono, reviewed by…

Listening #142 Page 2

Speaking of which, the 9W2's azimuth is adjustable, by means of a setscrew that contacts the top of the innermost vertical bearing wire, allowing that side of the armtube to move minutely up or down relative to the side that hinges on the outermost bearing wire. (A dedicated locking screw preserves the azimuth adjustment, which is set to neutral at the factory.) Equally clever is the AMG arm's antiskating mechanism, which is similar to that of the classic Decca International Pick-Up Arm. Both use a pair of opposed magnets: a stationary one in the armtube's bearing housing vs a movable one…

Gramophone Dreams #1 Contacts

Sidebar Contacts

Miyajima Laboratory/Otono-Edison, 1-45-111, Katae 5-chome, Jounan-ku, Fufuoka, 814-0142, Japan. Web: www.miyajima-lab.com. US distributor: Robyatt Audio, Web: www.robyattaudio.com.

Sentec, Sweden. US distributor: Tone Imports. Web: www.toneimports.com.

Listening #142 Contacts

Sidebar: Contacts

Analog Manufaktur Germany, High-Fidelity StudioDominikanergasse 7, 86150 Augsburg, Germany. Tel: (49) 08-21-37-25. Web: www.amg-turntables.com. US distributor: Musical Surroundings. Tel: (510) 547-5006. Fax: (510) 547-5009. Web: www.musicalsurroundings.com.

The Electric Recording Company, 123 Westbourne Studios, 242 Acklam Road, London W10 5JJ, England, UK. Fax: (44) 207-575-3047. Web: electricrecordingco.com.

MartinLogan BalancedForce 212 subwoofer

I like big bass, but I cannot lie
Tubby thumpers need not apply
And when a speaker drops in with itty-bitty bass
It puts a frown upon my face
I get bummed . . .
—Sir BassaLot, first audiophile rapper, 1992

Some folks put a pair of bookshelf speakers on stands in their room and are happy as clams. I imagine that they imagine the missing bass and never give it another thought. Not me, and perhaps not you. Some of us want to hear it and feel it, just as we would real instruments. We want sex in the room.

My quest for realistic bass began a quarter of a century…

MartinLogan BalancedForce 212 subwoofer Page 2

We listened to several more cuts, only adjusting the overall sub levels a tad, and decided that, out of the box, the BF212s sounded great. We'd been listening at fairly loud levels; only later, when I went upstairs, did I realize how deeply the BF212s had been shaking the house: all the pictures on the second floor were crooked and had to be re-leveled—a process that occurred regularly throughout the listening period, and forced us to Blu-Tack the things to the walls.

Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sub
Back in my Velodyne ULD-15 days, I had a big volume knob to play with, and…

MartinLogan BalancedForce 212 subwoofer Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Powered subwoofer with sealed, nonresonant, asymmetrical chamber. Drive-units: two 12" (305mm), high-excursion aluminum-cone woofers with cast baskets. Amplifiers: two, each 850W class-D. Frequency response: 18–120Hz, ±3dB; anechoic through LFE input. Low-pass filter frequencies: 30–80Hz. Phase settings: 0°, 90°, 180°, 270°. 25Hz level control: ±10dB at 25Hz. Power control: On, Auto (12V trigger), Off. Inputs: Left, Right, LFE (balanced, XLR); Left, Right, LFE (unbalanced, RCA); Left, Right (speaker level, banana). 12V Trigger: 3.5mm mini-USB (for…

MartinLogan BalancedForce 212 subwoofer Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Digital Sources: Apple MacBook Pro computer (2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD) running OS 10.6.7, Audirvana Plus, iTunes v.11.1.5, Sonic Studio Amarra v.2.5, Songbird v.1.9.3, XLD; Western Digital 2TB NAS drive; Oppo BDP-103 universal Blu-ray player; Meridian (formerly Sooloos) Digital Media System (Control 15, QNAP TS-669 Pro NAS); Apple iPad Air, mini, iPod Touch 1G, iPhone 4S; AudioQuest DragonFly, Benchmark DAC1 USB & DAC2 HGC, Cambridge Audio Azur 851D, MSB Analog DACs.
Preamplifier-Processor: Marantz AV7005 in Pure Direct Mode.…

Denver Retailer Soundings to have Open House Before and During RMAF

Audiophiles who need something to do before RMAF begins on Friday October 10 should check out Soundings Fine Audio and Video. Situated just two blocks from the Marriott DTC, the Denver retailer is having a party Friday night, and all showgoers are invited. They are also invited to come take a listen throughout the week!

Kevin Wolff of VANALTD will be conducting demos with Vienna Acoustics, Primare, and Isotek after 6pm. There will be adult beverages and food, provided by Great Northern Tavern, the official food provider of Soundings Friday-night extravaganza! (Please visit them while at…