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Jordi Savall, the gifted viola da gamba player and ensemble founder who, together with his late wife, soprano Montserrat Figueras, infused early music with inestimable life and color, has released his 16th high-resolution musical history book for Alia Vox. As one might expect from an artist dedicated to promoting music as the great unifier, the 37 tracks, copious illustrations, and five comprehensive essays on the two-hybrid SACD set, Venezia Millenaria 700–1797, along with its copious illustrations and five comprehensive essays in six languages, explore the history of the water-surrounded…
Chances are, if you're a regular Stereophile reader, you're already a fan of tenor saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh. How so? Because our astute crew of writers, editors, and all-round trendsetters have their collective fingers on the pulse of music that matters. Stereophile Contributing Editor Fred Kaplan reviewed Sabbagh's 2015 vinyl release, The Turn, bringing his honed insight to bear on a recording he describes as "spectacular. Sabbagh's sax floats palpably between the speakers, Ted Poor's drumkit crashes and sizzles . . .Ben Monder's guitar sparkles or wails. . . and Joe Martin's bass plucks…
Bax: Symphony No.5 in c sharp
London Philharmonic Orchestra; Raymond Leppard, conductor.
Musical Heritage Society MHS-1652 (LP, From Lyrita SRCS-58).
London Philharmonic Orchestra; Raymond Leppard, conductor.
Musical Heritage Society MHS-1652 (LP, From Lyrita SRCS-58).
Sir Arnold Bax (1883–1953) completed his fifth symphony in 1932 and dedicated it to Sibelius. Its first performance was conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham in 1934. Have any of our major orchestras ever played it? Not to my knowledge, and after over 40 years, it's about time. At least we have it on disc now, in addition to The Garden of Fand and Tintagel. Lyrita has even more Bax in their catalog.
By now, Raymond Leppard's name…
Someone interested in buying a digital/analog converter today must make tough choices. Not only are there several competing technologies to choose from—multi-bit, 1-bit, hybrid—but every converter also has its own musical signature. When someone buys a converter, they're locked in to both the technology and the sound.
Counterpoint Electronics has addressed this dilemma with their DA-10 digital processor. The DA-10 is actually a "mainframe" into which different DAC boards can be installed. If a new, better DAC comes along, you can pop out the old one and put in the new. Or if you…
Treble performance was also good with the AD1862. I noticed similar lacks of grain and hash with the AD1862 and the CS4328. The treble was a bit on the forward and immediate side, but was never aggressive or annoying. This forwardness was offset by the treble's pristine quality—there wasn't the typical layer of grunge overlaying high frequencies, which instead sounded clear and natural. This allowed the DA-10 to resolve lots of treble detail without sounding overly etched or analytical. However, I would have preferred a slightly less immediate treble presentation in my system.
I'd…
Sidebar 1: System
Most of the DA-10's auditioning was done with the Audio Research LS5 preamplifier (and the ARC BL2 Balanced Line Driver) and the new ARC VT-150 all-tube monoblock power amps. I also used the Krell KSA-300S power amp. Loudspeakers were Thiel CS3.6es connected by AudioQuest Sterling cable.
CD transports were the PS Audio Lambda and a Mark Levinson No.31. Digital interconnects included AudioQuest Optical Pro II (ST-type), Aural Symphonics Digital Standard coaxial, and a new impedance-matched digital interconnect called DataStream Reference, from a company called…
Sidebar 3: Specifications
Description: Digital/analog converter with interchangeable DAC cards. Available DAC cards: UltraAnalog D20400, Analog Devices AD1862, Burr-Brown PCM69, Crystal Semiconductor CS4328. Stock version shipped with AD1862 DAC card. Electrical specifications: dependent on DAC card. Power consumption: 22W.
Dimensions: 19" W by 2.75" H by 11" H (not including knobs). Weight: 14 lbs.
Price: $1695 plus DAC card (AD1862 card adds $259, UltraAnalog card adds $995, Crystal card adds $355, Burr-Brown card adds $595, ST-type optical input adds $200) (1995); no longer…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
The DA-10's unique ability to accept different DACs made measuring it more interesting and challenging. On one hand, it took nearly three times longer to measure. On the other, it was possible to look at the performance of different DACs with the same input receiver, filter, and output stage. Because presenting all the measurements on each DAC would consume too much space, I'll show the measurements with the AD1862 (the DAC most likely to be installed in the DA-10), and comment on the performance of the other DAC cards when of interest.
The DA-10's maximum…
Too clean. Too perfect. Too soulless. Those are a few of the most common phrases I've heard over the years from the enemies and detractors of the Southern California country rock scene of the 1970s. It's hard to believe that such laid-back music engenders such vehemence but even the Eagles' Hotel California, an audiophile favorite you were once sure to hear ad nausem at any Hi-Fi show, can split listeners in two: while they like the recording quality, they hate the music.
To come clean up front, I've always been a sucker for the stuff. From Gram Parsons and the Eagles to CSN&Y and the…
Saturday, February 10, 10am–3pm, Northern Audio (3003 Babcock Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA 15237) welcomes Mike Marko of Nordost Corporation and Bob Scranton of Cambridge Audio for their "2018 Audio Innovations" seminar. Mr. Marko will provide the latest product demonstrations and cable comparisons, while Mr. Scranton will present how the right gear makes music lovers' lives better.
According to Northern Audio, the workshop and their insight "will show how affordably priced, quality products can offer the most meaningful enjoyment of your music." Refreshments will be provided and prizes will…