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Listening #119 Ken Micallef June 2018

Ken Micallef wrote about the Heritage Heresy III in June 2018 (Vol.41 No.6):

In the November 2012 edition of his "Listening" column, Art Dudley wrote, "The coelacanthic Klipsch Heresy III . . . is among domestic audio's living fossils, the original Heresy having been introduced in 1957 as a 'center-channel' speaker for use with stereo pairs of the original Klipschorn. . . ."

A fat little floorstander measuring 23.8" high by 15.5" wide by 13.25" deep, the Klipsch Heritage Heresy III ($1998/pair) is a fossil (footnote 1). Its tweed-like grille, 12" pleated-surround woofer, and horn-…

Scintillating Sonatas by a Man Named Bach

Two of America's finest baroque musicians, flutist Stephen Schultz and harpsichordist Jory Vinikour, have teamed up to record J.S. Bach: Sonatas for Flute and Harpsichord (Music & Arts). Available in both CD and hi-rez 24/96 formats, this sparkling collection of four sonatas was recorded in Skywalker Sound's "The Scoring Stage," whose variable acoustics were adjusted for maximum reverberation by Jack Vad (recording engineer and producer of San Francisco Symphony's recordings) and Dann Thompson (one of the in-house engineers at Skywalker). Executive Producer Kit Higginson did the editing,…

Au Revoir Dave Wilson (1944-2018)

Dave Wilson stands with his final design, the WAMM Master Chronosonic speaker system from 2016. (Photo: John Giolas)

Wilson Audio founder, Dave Wilson, 73, died of metastatic bone cancer on Saturday evening, May 26. Dave was receiving hospice care at his Utah home, and took his leave with his beloved wife and partner, Sheryl Lee Wilson, and other family members at his side.

Dave's exit came after he had overseen the 2006 expansion of Wilson Audio's factory in Provo, Utah by over 60%; announced, in November 2016, the succession of his son, Daryl Wilson (then 38) as CEO and…

Steve Albini: Serve The Servants

Notoriously opinionated and obstinate Steve Albini, a guy ever vigilant and vocal about the wicked ways of the music business, showing up in Austin, Texas, at the annual South by Southwest festival? This I had to see. After a near-miss at his Austin hotel, we spoke the next morning on the phone.

"It was unspeakable on all levels, as bad as I imagined, and in some ways worse."

Any notion that he'd somehow softened, somehow accepted the music biz as it—

Wait. What the hell am I thinking?

"Bear in mind that I come from a punk-rock background where capitalism is sort…

A Preamplifier Faceoff: Ayre & PS Audio

In the March 2018 issue, Art Dudley admired the sound quality of Ayre Acoustics' KX-5 Twenty preamplifier, but didn't love some of its operational aspects (footnote 1). I've staged this Follow-Up as a putative face-off between the Ayre and my current reference preamplifier, the PS Audio BHK Signature, which I reviewed in the June 2017 issue (footnote 2).

Although the PS Audio BHK Signature and Ayre KX-5 Twenty preamplifiers have some things in common—eg, both are fully balanced and have both XLR and RCA outputs, not to mention the fact that both products are made in Boulder, Colorado—…

Steve Albini: Serve The Servants Page 2

To briefly summarize the controversy: Nirvana's management, Gold Mountain, and their record label, Geffen Records, were not happy with the band's choice of Albini as engineer. Although Albini had only spoken with Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, and Krist Novoselic on the phone, all went well when at last they met, at Pachyderm Recording Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, and recording proceeded with ease.

"The studio portion of making that record was effortless," Albini said. "We were done and dusted in 12 days. Everybody was happy as clams. The process of making that record was absolutely…

Doshi/Brinkmann Event in Virginia Saturday

Saturday June 2, 11am–5 pm, Command Performance (115 Park Avenue, Suite 2, Falls Church, VA 22046) welcomes Nick Doshi of Doshi Audio and Anthony Chiarella of Brinkmann Audio for a special analog event. Doshi will be demonstrating a full suite of tube products, including high-power amps and preamps (line, phono, and tape), and Nick will have his reel-to-reel deck. Brinkmann will feature the direct-drive Brinkmann Bardo turntable system. Refreshments will be served. For questions or more information, call (703) 532-7239 or email info@commandav.com.

Gramophone Dreams #22: Koss, Focal, iFi

Brooklyn, 1979: Fridays were fierce. After a week of doing construction, I would gobble Wild Turkey at the Spring Lounge, then fall asleep on the F train with a fold of cash and a Sony Walkman stuffed in a chest pocket of my paint-spattered Belstaff Trialmaster jacket. Usually I missed my York Street stop by only a few stations, but occasionally I'd wake up at sunrise on Saturday at the last stop: Coney Island. I didn't mind. It was restorative to shuffle the deserted boardwalk, listening to the Ramones' Road to Ruin or Television's Marquee Moon.

Koss Porta Pro headphones
During the…

Gramophone Dreams #22: Koss, Focal, iFi Page 2

Focal Clear vs Audeze LCD-X: Audeze's easy-to-drive, 20-ohm, 103dB/mW LCD-X headphones are my real-world reference cans. They and Sennheiser's HD 800 S headphones—both models cost $1699—are the ones that Focal's Clear, at $1500, needs to beat.

My experiences with the venerable HD 800 Ses are limited to trying them at CanJams, but the not-always-comfortable LCD-Xes have spent more time on my head than have any headphones other than the Koss Porta Pros. I cherish the Audezes' lively, blues-with-a-feeling dynamics and the burnished-toned way they reproduce the sounds of violins, guitar…

Gramophone Dreams #22: Koss, Focal, iFi Contacts

Sidebar: Contacts

Koss Corporation, 4129 N. Port Washington Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53212. Tel: (800) 872-5677. Web: www.koss.com.

Focal-JMlab, 108 rue de l'avenir, 42353 La Talaudière cedex, France. Tel: (33) 04-77-43-57-00. Web: www.focal.com. US distributor: Focal North America, 313 Rue Marion, Repentigny, Quebec QC J5Z 4N8, Canada. Tel: (800) 000-0001, (844) 362-2562. Web: www.focal.com/us.

iFi Audio, 139-141 Cambridge Road, Churchtown, Southport PR9 7LN, Merseyside, England, UK. Web: www.ifi-audio.com. US: iFi Audio (USA), 105 Professional Parkway, Suite 1519, Yorktown…