> Born in Kwa-Guqa Township, Witbank South Africa, Masekela was, in the late 1950s, an original member of the…
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While it's the insistent cowbell and the pounded piano chords that catch your attention first, eventually it's the horns followed by just Hugh Masekela's flugelhorn that makes his most famous jam, "Grazing in the Grass," such an infectious single, one that hit #1 in the US in the tumultuous year of 1968. After a long career in music and political activism that made him the "Father of South African Jazz," Masekela died from prostate cancer on Tuesday, January 23 at the age of 78.
Notwithstanding the twists and turns of Japanese corporate culture, the status of Technical Audio Devices Laboratories, Inc. remains unchanged. Founded in 1975 as a subsidiary of Pioneer to build loudspeakers for the professional market, TAD remains part of that corporation, even after the recent sale of Pioneer's home-audio division to Onkyo.
TAD has long been a highly respected name in pro audio, and for decades sold exclusively to that market. But 16 years ago, when they introduced a speaker designed for the home market—the Reference One—its five-figure price raised eyebrows in a…
In my months of living with the ME1s, I can't recall a single instance of obvious midrange problems with otherwise good recordings. Instrumental timbres were convincingly reproduced, as were the voices of a wide range of singers, well known and obscure, such as Holly Cole, Norah Jones, Cyndee Peters, Sophie Zelmani, Sinne Eeg (the last two first heard on The DALI CD Vol.3, a sampler demo disc from Danish loudspeaker maker DALI), Muddy Waters, Leo Kottke, Leonard Cohen, the King's Singers, and many others. My in-room measurements (footnote 2) did show a peak just above 150Hz—which is either…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" beryllium-dome tweeter, 3.5" midrange with magnesium cone (concentric); 6.5", slot-loaded MACC woofer. Crossover frequencies: 420Hz, 2.5kHz, slopes N/A. Frequency range: 36Hz–60kHz. Sensitivity: 85dB/2.83V/m (anechoic). Impedance: 4 ohms. Maximum amplification: 150W.
Dimensions: 16.2" (411mm) H by 9.9" (251mm) W by 15.8" (402mm) D. Weight: 44.1 lbs (20kg). Optional stand: 25.7" (652mm) H by 14.8" (376mm) W by 18.1" (460mm) D. Weight: 35.3 lbs (16kg).
Finishes: Gloss Piano…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Source: Marantz UD7007 universal 3D BD player.
Preamplification: Balanced Audio Technology BAT VK-23SE preamplifier, Marantz AV8802A surround preamplifier-processor.
Power Amplifiers: Balanced Audio Technology BAT VK-255SE, Proceed AMP5 (five-channel).
Loudspeakers: Monitor Audio Silver 10, Revel B15 subwoofer.
Cables: Digital: Kimber Kable AGDL. Interconnect: Cardas Hexlink. Speaker: Monster Cable M1.5. AC: manufacturers' own.—Thomas J. Norton
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the TAD Micro Evolution One's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield responses. My estimate of the TAD's sensitivity was 86.2dB(B)/2.83V/m, slightly higher than the specified figure of 85dB. Fig.1 shows how the impedance and electrical phase vary with frequency. Though the impedance has a minimum value of 3.9 ohms between 120 and 155Hz, and there's a combination of 5 ohms and –43° phase angle at 33Hz, the ME1 is a relatively easy load for…
What's your favorite record? It's a simple enough question, but one that dedicated music consumers never tire of asking each other. And so, every year, we ask the distinguished writing staff of this magazine to choose a pair of favorites and tell us a little of what seems so compelling about them. Music in any recorded format is fair game, the only restriction being that it must still be available, if only in the deep, dark recesses of the Internet. Of course, favorites come and go in minds and hearts—speaking of dark recesses—but these are Stereophile's takes on the essential music of the…
David R. Adler
Cal Collins: By Myself
Cal Collins, guitar
Concord Jazz CJ-119 (LP). 1980. Frank Dorritie, prod.; Phil Edwards, eng. AAA. TT: 35:88
The late Cincinnati plectrist sounds either like a tight big band, a bebop combo, or a virtuoso pianist on this miraculous, out-of-print album of solo guitar. Melody and counterpoint, harmonic ingenuity, unflappable swing at any tempo: Collins puts it all across with a pure tone, lightly miked and amplified, that lets his Benedetto archtop sing and breathe. He offers blues, rubato ballads ("Stairway to the…
Thomas Conrad
Stefano Battaglia: Pelagos
Stefano Battaglia, piano, prepared piano
ECM 2570/71 (2 CDs). 2017. Manfred Eicher, prod.; Stefano Amerio, eng. DDD. TT: 2:11:59
With regard to R2D4 eligibility, my rule has been that albums are like wine: They must be allowed to age before they can achieve distinction. Stefano Battaglia's new solo recording is a necessary exception. It is a single imaginative arc, motivated by the plight of the refugees who have been flooding into Europe from Africa and the Middle East, fleeing war, oppression, and famine. Many…
Michael Fremer
Cécile McLorin Salvant: Dreams and Daggers
Cécile McLorin Salvant, vocals; Aaron Diehl, piano; Paul Sikivie, bass, arr.; Lawrence Leathers, drums. With: Sullivan Fortner, piano; Catalyst String Quartet.
Mack Avenue MAC 1120 (3 LPs). 2017. Cécile McLorin Salvant, Al Pryor, prods.; Todd Whitelock, Damon Whittemore, engs.; Kevin Gray, disc cutting. DDA. TT: 112:11
Jazz singer Cécile McLorin Salvant "arrived" by winning the prestigious Thelonious Monk Competition (after almost not submitting an entry), after which she released two superb…