search

2015 Recommended Components Signal Processors

Signal Processors

BSG qøl Signal Completion Stage: $2395
The qøl Signal Completion Stage is a remote-controlled, solid-state signal processor with four pairs each of RCA and XLR analog inputs and two pairs each of RCA and XLR outputs. With the qøl activated, JA invariably noted a larger overall sound, with a greater impression of the ambience surrounding performers, increased image depth, and better layering within that depth. From JA's measurements, it appeared the qøl process is basically a variant of the well-known Blumlein Shuffler technique. "You must audition the…

2015 Recommended Components Recording Equipment

Recording Equipment

Sound Devices Model 722 portable audio recorder: $2775 ✩
JM raved: "The coolest, most desirable piece of audio hardware I have encountered in a dog's age." The Model 722 is designed as a rugged, high-performance, foolproof, battery-powered portable stereo recorder for electronic newsgathering and video- and film-sound recording. However, with its line-level XLR analog inputs, onboard A/D converters, 40GB hard drive, and headphone amp, the 722 can also serve as a personal stereo. Offers 24-bit recording at up to a 192kHz sample rate. "The apotheosis of…

2015 Recommended Components Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous Accessories

AI Technology ELGR-8501: $86.47/0.5oz.
AI Technology's ELG-8501 is thermal grease made of more than 80% silver. JM uses a light smear on the mating surfaces of wall-wiring connections to prevent oxidation. He warns: "Never use any kind of silver paste on audio connections such as RCA plugs or amplifier speaker terminals." (Vol.36 No.10 WWW)

Atlantic Technology WA-5030: $399
The WA-5030 wireless audio system comprises the WA-50-t, a transmitter module with USB and two-channel analog inputs; the WA-5030-r, a 30Wpc receiver with two-channel speaker…

2015 Recommended Components Cables

Loudspeaker Cables & Interconnects

Interconnects

Audience Au24 SE: $1190/1m pair
Audience's latest interconnect uses an RCA plug of tellurium-copper alloy with a single, small contact point, meant to reduce the formation of eddy currents. Compared to Audience's Au24 e, the SE version offered superior detail, clarity, timing precision, and image focus, said BD. Au24 e owners can upgrade to SE status for $220. (Vol.36 No.12, Vol.37 No.2 WWW)

Audience Au24: $795/1m pair, unbalanced, $455/additional meter; $1350/1m pair, balanced, $845/additional meter ✩
"The…

Grrls!

The original pillars of the music showcases at South By Southwest are, in order, acts from Austin, America and the UK. Bands and singer/songwriters from the UK have always had a special place in their heart for flying into Austin in March. I suspect that the government also helps defray the cost of their airline tickets which takes the sting, at least financially, out of those long transatlantic flights. As I do every year, I slid into a few Scottish showcases in 2015, and there I stumbled upon Honeyblood, an energetic female duo from Glasgow, who make a prodigious noise which is both fun and…

The Quiet Mind

After the warm beers, the chattering conversation and the endless weaving through the masses on Sixth Street, SXSW 2015 did have a few moments of relative calm or what we used to call "art gigs," where the crowd stands and silently watches and listens to the music. At the genteel Driskill Hotel, I found a Pakistan showcase where Mai Dhai (Thar Parker Sindh) was playing a lively, rhythmic set.

And Finally...

And finally, no trip to Austin would be complete without some quality crate digging for LPs in stores like Waterloo, End of an Ear, Antone's and Friends of Sound, where I encountered this memorable scene. Now that's what I call a category!

Pono PonoPlayer portable music player

In the 1960s, musical giants walked the earth. I vividly remember the first time I heard a song called "Expecting to Fly," in a UK record store. The vast, reverberation-drenched sound was extraordinary; the frail, shaky alto voice of the singer riveting.

"Who is that?" I asked the clerk.

"It's a new American band, Buffalo Springfield . . . but they've already broken up."

I bought all I could find of the Springfield, which wasn't much, and learned that the singer and composer of "Expecting to Fly" was a Canadian, Neil Young. Young's first solo album, released in 1969, had…

Pono PonoPlayer portable music player Page 2

But it was with hi-rez recordings that the PonoPlayer shone brightest. The first recording this baby boomer purchased from PonoMusic World, for $27.49, was the remastered Deluxe Edition of Led Zeppelin's IV, and the first track I played was, of course, "Stairway to Heaven" (24/96 FLAC file). The blue PonoMusic World light between the output jacks lit up as it should.

I don't think I had heard either the unique character of the electric-piano bass line or the rather cheesy quality of the echo on the guitar intro quite so clearly before. This was with the original mix; the bonus Sunset…

Pono PonoPlayer portable music player Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Portable music player with 2.5" color touchscreen. Compatible file formats: FLAC ALAC, WAV, AIFF, AAC (unprotected), MP3. Compatible sample rates: up to 192kHz. Compatible bit depths: 16–24. RAM: 64GB internal, 128GB total; supports microSD cards. Power supply: 2950mAH Li-ion rechargeable battery. Supplied accessories: AC universal adapter (100–240V), USB-Micro USB cable, 64GB SanDisk microSD card. Firmware: v.1.0.4.
Dimensions: 5" (130mm) H by 2" (51mm) W by 1" (25.4mm) D. Weight: 4.6 oz (130gm).
Finishes: Matte yellow, black.
Serial…