The combination of those two things, combined with the magic that's there when the encoded recordings are decoded, will allow HDCD to enter the market from…
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Johnson: Because recordings made with the encoder sound better on standard playback equipment, there's no hindrance to the recording industry for using HDCD, even though the decoders are not out in large numbers yet. And since HDCD-equipped playback equipment makes standard CDs sound better, there's a real advantage to putting the decoder chip in playback equipment, even though there aren't a lot of HDCD-encoded recordings out yet.
Thursday July 19, 12–8pm, Manhattan specialty audio retailer NoHo Sound (62 Cooper Square, New York, NY 10003) will be having an open house. Special guests Jonathan Derda and Ben Newhall from MoFi Distribution will be on hand to demonstrate the TAD Micro-Evolution One loudspeaker (above), which received a rave review earlier this year, the TAD Compact-Evolution One loudspeaker, and TAD D1000 Mk.II DAC/SACD player, which was a "Greatest Bits" Award winner on our sister site AudioStream.com. All the dems will be in conjunction with McIntosh Labs electronics.
Light snacks and refreshments…
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue (1924 jazz-band version, orch. Grofé). 1 Piano Concerto in F. 2 "Summertime." 3 Gershwin-Wild: "Somebody Loves Me," "I Got Rhythm," "Embraceable You."4 Oscar Levant: "Blame It On My Youth." 5
Kirill Gerstein, piano; 1–5 Storm Large, vocal; 3 Gary Burton, vibraphone; 5 David Robertson, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra1, 2
Myrios Classics MYR022 (CD, 24/192 FLAC). 2018. Kirill Gerstein, prod.; Stephan Cahen, prod.,1-5 eng.; 1, 2, 4, 5 Paul Hennerich, 1, 2, 4 Doug Decker, 3 engs. DDD. TT: 73:45
Performance *****
Sonics *** (CD), **** (24/192 FLAC)
Kirill Gerstein, piano; 1–5 Storm Large, vocal; 3 Gary Burton, vibraphone; 5 David Robertson, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra1, 2
Myrios Classics MYR022 (CD, 24/192 FLAC). 2018. Kirill Gerstein, prod.; Stephan Cahen, prod.,1-5 eng.; 1, 2, 4, 5 Paul Hennerich, 1, 2, 4 Doug Decker, 3 engs. DDD. TT: 73:45
Performance *****
Sonics *** (CD), **** (24/192 FLAC)
I…
I remember the Tuesday night that music broke free of my hi-fi. The sound stirred my soul—everything was so right that I was tempted to call over my audiophile pals to earwitness its magnificence. But I didn't, fearing that sharing the sound might break the spell cast first by the Allman Brothers Band's At Fillmore East (2 LPs, Capricorn ST-CAP 712223 VSRP), then by Jimi Hendrix's Live at the Fillmore East (CD, MCA MCAD2 11931). By the time Hendrix got to "Machine Gun," I could almost smell the pot wafting up to the Fillmore's top balconies. Next came John Mayall's unplugged album The…
Jason Victor Serinus wrote about the Alexia 2 in August 2018 (Vol.41 No.8):
After two-and-a-half years with Wilson Audio's Alexia serving as my reference loudspeaker ($52,000/pair), I was eager to hear the differences between it and its successor, the Alexia Series 2 ($57,900/pair). My first serious listen to the Alexia 2 speakers took place at Definitive Audio Bellevue, before my review samples arrived. That system's dCS Rossini DAC and clock, D'Agostino Progression stereo amp, and Transparent Audio cables and interconnects were sonic familiars, but Definitive's music collection was…
Given how much fuller and more natural I find hi-rez audio sounds, I rarely review recordings that are only available in Red Book quality in the US (footnote 1). But when the soprano is Sandrine Piau, whose voice conveyed the essence of springtime when I heard her live at UC Berkeley a little over six years go, and she sings as marvelously as she does on Chimère, her latest song recital with pianist Susan Manoff, I throw such self-imposed strictures out the window.
Piau and Manoff's recital mixes songs in German, French, and English that, in some manner, address either the mythological…
Sssssshhhhhh—I forget what music was playing, but as the sound faded away, I could hear a loud hissing coming from the 2011 i7 Mac mini I was operating headless with Roon 1.3 to play files over my network. Checking the mini's shared screen on my MacBook Pro revealed that it was completely unresponsive, so I yanked its AC cord, after which it wouldn't boot up.
This was the second time the Mac mini had died. The first time, in 2015, the local Apple Genius Bar had repaired it. This time, the hipster at the Genius Bar turned me away: "We don't offer repair work on vintage computers."
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The Nucleus also has an internal bay for a 2.5" drive, either HDD or SSD, but this drive can't be more than 7mm in height. The Nucleus+ is powered by a wall wart—a linear power supply should be available later this year—and is turned on or off with a rear-panel pushbutton. With its minimal system overhead, it boots up incredibly quickly. One of Roon's goals for the Nucleus was that it dissipate heat only passively, without a cooling fan, and even after prolonged use the prominent heatsink fins on the top and sides of its dark gray case barely got warm. I measured the top panel's temperature…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Dedicated music server using an Intel i7 microprocessor with 8GB RAM, 64GB SSD, and internal, 7mm-high, 2.5" HDD/SSD bay (basic Nucleus uses an i3 processor, 4GB RAM, and 64GB SSD). Ports: Gigabit Ethernet, 2 USB 3.0, HDMI, Thunderbolt 3. Power consumption: 10W.
Dimensions: 8.3" (211mm) W by 2.95" (75mm) H by 6.1" (155mm) D. Weight: 5.5 lb (2.5kg).
Finish: Dark Matte Gray.
Serial number of unit reviewed: 1749 I 700005 (Rev.A1) per bottom panel; 94C691125C36 per app.
Price: $2498 (basic Nucleus: $1398). Approximate number of dealers:…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream D/A converter with Bridge II network adapter; Ayre Acoustics QX-5 Twenty D/A processor; iPad mini running Roon app; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP disc player; Netgear router; QNAP NAS drive.
Integrated Amplifier: NAD Masters Series M32.
Power Amplifiers: Constellation Centaur II 500, Lamm Industries M1.2 Reference monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: KEF LS50, Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia 2.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Coffee (USB) & Vodka (Ethernet), generic CAT-5 (Ethernet), DH Labs (1m, AES/EBU).…