Sidebar: Recordings in the Round
Brahms: Serenade 1, Variations on a Theme by Haydn
Jan Willem de Vriend, Hague Philharmonic Orchestra
Challenge Classics CC72692 (SACD/CD, DSD64 download from www.nativedsd.com). 2016.
Brahms's Serenades for orchestra are, to me, analogous to Tchaikovsky's Suites for orchestra: both were freer expressions of the talents that their composers applied to their symphonies, and in some ways are more revealing of their personal characters. Brahms's first Serenade is as important to me as are his more frequently performed Haydn…
It's shocking to go from the sound of soprano Anna Netrebko's voice on her first DG recital of Opera Arias to that on her latest disc, Verismo. The earlier disc, recorded in March, 2003 when Netrebko was 32, showcases a true, shining lyric soprano whose vocal production is absolutely smooth. It also displays her ability to grow the voice substantially from a soft, focused thread to a larger sound of palpable intensity, and her impressive (albeit less than breathtaking) facility with coloratura. Over 12 years later, when Netrebko recorded Verismo between July 2015 and June 2016, her weightier…
Thursday, September 8, Liquid HiFi (11915 Royal Castle Court, Charlotte, NC 28277) will be demonstrating products at the Providence Country Club (6001 Providence Country Club Drive, Charlotte, NC 28277) from KEF, Nordost and Simaudio. Attendees will be treated to demonstrations featuring the new KEF Reference Three speakers, Simaudio Moon Evolution electronics, and Nordost cabling. In addition to scheduled demonstrations, guests will also enjoy giveaway items, hors d'oeuvres, beverages and will be entered into a raffle drawing to win a KEF Muo Bluetooth speaker and $500 worth of Nordost…
Letters in response appeared in May 1992 (Vol.15 No.5):
Credible causes & cables
Editor: Point: "As We See It," January 1992.
Take a good objective look at some of the high-end audiophile claims, explanations of some claims (if any are given), and prices charged for some high-end products. Add in subjective reviewing as a whole. Total everything up. Are you really surprised that people like Dan Dugan can find followers and believers for his "crusade"?
I'm not surprised at all.
I wonder: Who appears to have a more credible case to the lawmakers, Dan Dugan or…
Obfuscation?
Editor: Robert Harley's 26-page obfuscation entitled "The Listeners' Manifesto" [January 1992, Vol.15 No.1] best illustrates the subjectivists' refusal to address the objectivists' singular objection: the lack of blindness in listening evaluations.
Rather than addressing this primary issue, Harley concocts a litany of straw-man arguments: blast instantaneous A/B comparisons, chuck the purportedly "nontransparent" ABX comparator, eschew a "test" protocol. Instead, sit in the comfort of your home before your own familiar playback system, request a friend to install the audio…
The top-of-the-line model from America's leading headphone manufacturer, these are bulky, heavy, very business-like in appearance, and very, very good.
The ESP-9 is dual-powered: from the AC line, or from the input signal itself, The power supply is rather large and heavy, and appropriate in appearance to the phones. Amplifier connections are via wires with spade lugs attached, and speaker connections are made to the rear of the power supply. A front-panel switch selects speaker or headphone operation, and terminates the amplifier outputs with 10 ohms in the Phones position.
…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: AC- or signal-powered electrostatic. Impedance: 4 to 16 ohms. Max input signal: 12W continuous program.
Dimensions: Headset weight, 19 oz. Cord length: 5½.
Price: $150 (1973); no longer available (2016).
Manufacturer: Koss Corporation, 4129 N. Port Washington Road, Milwaukee, WI 53212. Tel: (800) 872-5677, (414) 964-5000. Web: www.koss.com.
Well, it's that time. The time of reckoning, the moment of truth. It's renewal time.
Most of you have noticed the hyphenated numbers on your address labels, and most of you guessed what they were: Expiration codes. If your label has a 1-12 number on it (or no hyphenated code at all), the next issue of The Stereophile, Issue Number 12 [published in September 1966—Ed.], will be the last one that will arrive on your present subscription.
Statistically, you 1-12'ers comprise almost a half of our total circulation, so your decision at this point will very likely determine the future,…
Photo: Michael LavorgnaExperience 1
On August 25, 2016, John Atkinson, Michael Lavorgna, and I attended an event at Battery Studios, Sony's Manhattan-based music production facility.
The event itself was very personal, as we three were the only non-Sony people present at this particular session. (There were multiple sessions held that day.) We were introduced to Sony's latest hi-res personal audio products—the "Signature Series," which consists of the MDR-Z1R headphones $2199.99), NW-WM1Z ($3199.99) and NW-WM1A Walkman players, and the TA-ZH1ES headphone amplifier ($2199.99…
Superphon's Revelation Basic preamplifier is made by Stan Warren (footnote 1), formerly the "S" of PS Audio, so it should come as no surprise that the Revelation Basic and the PS Audio Source sound much alike. The Revelation Basic sells for $399, assembled (no kit available). Like the Source, the Revelation has an outboard AC power transformer to minimize hum problems. But unlike the Source, the Revelation has dual volume controls (a pain) and lacks moving-coil capability.
The Revelation seems to offer slightly greater depth and detail than the Source, although it is not quite so mellow…
