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Recording of December 1970: <I>The Pentangle</I>

Pentangle: The Pentangle
Terry Cox (drums), Bert Jansch & John Renbourn (guitars), Jacqui McShee (vocals), Danny Thompson (double bass), Shel Talmy, prod.
Transatlantic TRA162 (English LP), Reprise RSLP63 15 (US LP). TT: 30:52.

The first "pop" recording we've ever reviewed in Stereophile may set a precedent for future reviews if there are others that sound like this. To this untutored ear, the material is rock out of raga, but it is beautifully done and, except for the larger-than-life singer, the sound is almost shockingly good. No filthy fuzzed-up guitars here, and the…

National Sawdust: An Artistic Incubator

Saturday night in hipster Brooklyn . . . yet there could have been actual sawdust on the floor. Inside National Sawdust, a youngish crowd, many clearly ready to party, were shuffling, some were full-blown jitterbugging, while onstage the Lost Bayou Ramblers, a progressive young Cajun band who'd at first seemed a bit awed by their futuristic surroundings, were slugging beers, sawing a fiddle, squeezing an accordion, and generally finding their groove.

On another visit to the Sawdust, the inestimable Nels Cline, who uses more guitar effects than he's had birthdays, was teamed with Cibo…

National Sawdust: An Artistic Incubator Page 2

"It's like a little artistic ecosystem," Prestini said. "If you had to go from zero to the production of something, what would you need? You'd need mentoring, money, the presentation, the ability to tour a project, a record label, an audience."

"And you need a room," Zeigler added—"a place to try things out."

While National Sawdust is that room—what Prestini calls an "incubator"—the other prong of this sprawling artistic venture is a record label, National Sawdust Tracks, launched five years ago as part of Prestini's production company. Its catalog now numbers 17 titles, many of…

The Acoustic Research integrated amplifier

The first time we saw an AR amplifier (at a Hi-Fi Show), we were struck by its bland, almost antiseptic appearance. Amidst all those other audio products that looked as though they had been high-styled for Madame's boudoir, the unadorned simplicity of the AR amplifier made it stand out like an Eames chair at Williamsburg.

Well, now that we've looked at that simple, symmetrical control panel for a while, we have come to feel rather differently about it. We still feel it is bland, and maybe even antiseptic-looking, but like simply-designed furniture, it is easy to live with, it doesn't draw…

The Acoustic Research integrated amplifier Page 2

On program material, though, the tone controls were a pleasure to use. Advance the bass control to a bit past 1 o'clock, and the only thing you notice is a strengthening of extreme low end; the deepest material gets louder, but nothing else is affected. Open it up to about 3 o'clock, and the whole bass range comes up, while the deep material gets stronger still. Only beyond this point does the sound, typically, start to get boomy, and if it happened to be bass-shy to begin with, the result would be a pretty good job of correction. Similarly, at moderate cut settings, only the extreme bottom…

The Acoustic Research integrated amplifier Specifications

Sidebar: Specifications

Description: Solid-state stereo integrated amplifier. Power rating: 60Wpc continuous sinewave into 4 ohms; 50Wpc into 8 ohms; 30Wpc into 16 ohms.
Dimensions: 15.75" W by 4.5" H by 10" D, with wood cover.
Price: $250 with black aluminum cover; $265 with oiled walnut cover (1969). No longer available (2018).
Manufacturer: Acoustic Research, Inc., Cambridge, MA 02141 (1969). Acoustic Research (a division of Voxx international), 3502 Woodview Trace, Indianapolis, IN 46268 (2018). Tel: (844) 353-1307. Web: www.acousticresearch-hifi.com.

DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/93 loudspeaker Art Dudley May 2018

Art Dudley wrote about the Orangutan O/93 in May 2018 (Vol.41 No.5):

I needed help.

My beloved Altec Flamenco loudspeakers, which evoke sweet-smelling summer nights even when not connected to an amplifier, were overpowering my new listening room—not so much sonically, but aesthetically and practically. It was difficult to open and close the windows at that end of the room, or tend a fire in the fireplace between the speakers, or vacuum the corners behind them. I made do for the first couple of months, enjoying the speakers' taut, tactile, propulsive music-making as always, but in…

dCS Rossini Player & Rossini Clock MQA Playback

Jason Victor Serinus auditioned the MQA upgrade for the dCS Rossini in May 2018 (Vol.41 No.5):

Although it seemed that a permanent rapprochement between Democrats and Republicans might arrive sooner, dCS's day with MQA has finally dawned. The company's Rossini DAC, Rossini Player, and limited-edition Vivaldi One SACD/CD and network player can now "unfold" and render MQA files; by the time you read this, their Network Bridge should be equipped for MQA unfolding; and the Vivaldi DAC and Upsampler are being readied for MQA rendering.

While the reasons for dCS's delay in implementing…

Debussy Sonatas and Trios: Unforgettable Color and Texture

In this 100th anniversary year of the death of Claude Debussy (1862–1918), one of the finest recordings of his music released so far is Erato's Debussy Sonatas & Trios (Erato C565142). Appropriately recorded in Paris, in two different sounding venues, with an all-star French lineup—Emmanuel Pahud, flute; Gerard Caussé, viola; Edgar Moreau, cello; Marie-Pierre Langlamet, harp; and Bertrand Chamayou, piano—the recording is replete with the unique atmosphere, color, and textures that make Debussy's music so unforgettable.

The only qualified downer on the program is the opening work, the…

Getting Started at High End 2018

This is my first trip to High End Munich, held Thursday–Sunday May 10–13 at the MOC convention center. Besides reporting for Stereophile, I am charged with scouting to make a final determination whether it "would be worth the suffering" for my Brooklyn friend Sphere, who hates to travel more than two hours to get anywhere! "Herb, just tell me, if I only attend one audio show, should it be Munich?"

For years, he only attended the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, but this year he ventured (with my urging) to AXPONA and loved it—especially the light and beauty of the venue. But Sphere only wants…