Art Dudley received the v.1.1.4 firmware upgrade for PS Audio's PerfectWave DirectStream ($5999) toward the end of his time with this superb-sounding, DSD-capable D/A processor, so was able to write only a brief report on the change this made to the review sample's sound. "For those who've waited for a computer-friendly DAC that offers, with every type of music file, the best musicality of which DSD is capable, the PerfectWave DirectStream may be in a class by itself," he concluded. In my own auditioning of the PS Audio with the…
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There is no beauty like simple beauty. And what often sounds simple on paper, stringed instruments and a single voice for example, can actually make for a very complex and intriguing work of art. Here a variety of string textures, played by Mark Rogers on tricone resonator, lap steel, and a hundred year old mandolin among other instruments, entwine with his wife Mary Byrne’s baritone guitar and unaffected voice in stark and persuasive ways. This record, their debut as a duo, was recorded live to 2 inch tape in Brooklyn at Galuminum Foil Productions, with minimal overdubs. The sound, much like…
GoldenEar’s Triton One speaker got a rave review from Bob Deutsch in Stereophile’s February issue and on Wednesday March 11, North Carolina audiophiles will be able to take a listen for themselves. GoldenEar’s Sandy Gross (above), will be appearing in person to present the Triton Ones at Audio Advice, 11409 Carolina Parkway, Pineville, NC 28134. The event will be from 5–7pm.
Sidebar: Measurements, from April 2015 (Vol.38 No.4)
Sam Tellig wrote about Spendor's D7 loudspeaker in his column, "Sam's Space," in the September 2014 issue, concluding that this English floorstanding speaker was "a splendid Spendor," and that "one might seriously question the need to spend any more than $6495 for a pair of speakers" (footnote 1). What he found especially rare, for a relatively small speaker, was the D7's "authority, weight, and speed. You could spend far more for a speaker and not get such a fast, highly resolving sound, and such a sweet midrange."
We don't…
Schumann: Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op.26
Liszt: Reminiscences de Norma (1841)
Ivan Davis, piano.
Audiofon 2004 (LP, subsequently released on CD as CD 72004) Julian Kreeger, prod., Peter McGrath, eng.
Liszt: Reminiscences de Norma (1841)
Ivan Davis, piano.
Audiofon 2004 (LP, subsequently released on CD as CD 72004) Julian Kreeger, prod., Peter McGrath, eng.
Beethoven: 33 Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli, Op.120. Piano Sonata No.31 in A-Flat, Op.110.
Leonard Shure, piano
Audiofon 2001 (LP, subsequently released on CD as CD 72001) Julian Kreeger, prod., Peter McGrath, eng.
Audiofon is an audiophile record company with a difference. Instead of going for good sound and hoping the performance is satisfactory, Audiofon…
Editor's Note: We are republishing this report from the 1980 CES both because many of the themes strike resonances 35 years later, and because it emphasizes the hard time high-end audio was having at the end of the 1970s. The LP had been eclipsed by the cassette and 8-track cartridge as the primary massmarket media for recorded music and the decade-long hi-fi boom that had been fueled by the entry of Japanese brands was running out of steam. Ironically, it was the launch of Compact Disc three years later (footnote 1) that was to reinvigorate the audio business.—John Atkinson
The 1980…
Audio retailer Pro Musica, located at 713 W. Wrightwood, Chicago IL, 60614, will be showcasing the Naim Statement Amplification System with the Dynaudio Evidence Platinum loudspeakers this weekend (Friday, March 13, 12pm–7pm & Saturday, March 14, 10am–6pm). Personnel from both Naim and Dynaudio will be present. For more information, please contact Pro Musica at (773) 883-9500.
It seems that the rising popularity of downloading of music files is going to affect not only the distribution of high-resolution recordings but also the availability of multichannel recordings. Once freed from the technical, marketing, and distribution constraints of physical media, large hi-rez and/or multichannel files can more easily be made available. The established providers of music downloads, such as Acoustic Sounds, HDtracks, and iTrax in the US, are being joined by: sites that specialize in particular genres of music, such as the Classical Shop (UK); other sites, that focus on…
What about multichannel? Just as with DigiBit's website, the Aria's documentation makes no mention of multichannel, but that's okay—the Aria handles multichannel files with the same facility as it does two-channel. The only difference is that you need to ask DigiBit to install the appropriate ASIO driver for your device. As far as I know, the list of such devices is short, and currently limited to the exaSound e28. I e-mailed DigiBit to request the exaSound ASIO driver, and was told to leave the Aria powered up and connected to the Internet. When I looked at it the next morning, there was…