And of course, the most hamfest-tubealistic of all is (…
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What I love most about the CanJam-CanMania world of headphones is, when I enter these rooms full of tables stacked with gear and cans; all laid out into individual listening stations; each with its own folding chair, DAC, amp, and headphones—all with table cloths and tangled wires—I am reminded of those ham radio meets I used to attend. Those tribal rooms were always alive with a collective vibe of discovery—just like here and now. CAF 2017's CanMania was no exception, and, exactly like those old hamfests, there are tubes everywhere.
Dan Wright is most famous for his Oppo disc-player modifications that seem to cure the colorlessness and industrial ennui that contaminates the stock Oppo players. They look a bit weird sci-fi with the two tubes sticking out the top like alien antennae—but his BDP-105 and 205 mods sound rich fast and wonderful. Dan also makes beautifully crafted amps and preamps. And lately, he's been making glamorous-looking and -sounding headphone amplifiers like the shiny red $7900 300B tube-powered HA300 amplifier pictured above.
With quick auditions at shows, and especially in noisy CanMania…
After the Capital Audio fest vintage seminar and my visit to Vinyl Revivers, I looked at my phone and saw that time was running out: I had just over three hours left to cover seven or eight more rooms. Time to get cracking!
I remembered Charney Audio from a previous show: based in Somerset, New Jersey and run by designer Brian Charney, they specialize in horn-loaded, full-range speakers and low-power amplifiers—and the last time I heard their products, I thought the company had considerable promise. Based on what I heard at CAF 2017, Charney has upped his game even further: the sound from…
Today through Sunday, November 9–12, Ovation Audio+Video (6609 East 82 Street, Indianapolis, IN 46250) is holding a 50th Anniversary Celebration. "Four fun days to taste, toast, and savor music, movies and the very best in high-performance stereo and video—with wine & cheese" they say!
Special guest Thursday evening will be Stereophile's and AnalogPlanet.com's own Michael Fremer. Fresh from the "Making Vinyl" event In Detroit, Michael Fremer will talking vinyl and playing records. The event tonight starts at 6pm, and Michael will be appearing at 7pm, followed by live demos featuring…
Founded in the mid-1970s, Acoustat was the first manufacturer of full-range electrostatics literally forced to address what had long been a major weakness of such speakers: high-voltage breakdown, or "arcing." The original design was built and used in JP (Jeep) Harned's home, where the living-room french windows opened out onto a stream in the back yard. That, plus Florida's legendary humidity, conspired to produce summer days when moisture would trickle down every vertical surface in the house, including the speaker elements. With 8000 volts or so running around in the speakers, and the…
The panels are hinged, allowing them to be tilted forward or back to accommodate any likely listening height, as well as unlikely ones like LA standing up. (Yogis please note: the forward tilt range is not great enough to allow listening from the lotus position, unless you are able to levitate.) Two screws on each base can then be tightened to lock the panel in position. This tiltability is a dandy feature, and one I wish had been available on other large electrostatics I have tested in recent years. It must also be said that it is almost a liability on the Spectras, because they have such…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Full-range push-pull electrostatic with optional dynamic subwoofer. Specs: Frequency response: 30Hz–20kHz ±3dB. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Sensitivity: 88dB. Power requirement: 100W.
Dimensions: 66" H by 31.75" W by 23" D (array 2.125" D).
Price: $2995 (1987); no longer available (2017). Approximate number of dealers: 95 (1987).
Manufacturer: Acoustat, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315 (1987). Rockford Fosgate, 600 South Rockford Drive, Tempe, AZ 85281 (1990s); company no longer in existence (2017) but see www.audiocircuit.com/Home-Audio/Acoustat…
Britten: Orchestral Music
Four Sea Interludes & Passacaglia from Peter Grimes; Sinfonia da Requiem
London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn, conductor.
Angel S-37142. (Stereo/SQ LP). Christopher Bishop, prod.; Christopher Parker, eng.
Four Sea Interludes & Passacaglia from Peter Grimes; Sinfonia da Requiem
London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn, conductor.
Angel S-37142. (Stereo/SQ LP). Christopher Bishop, prod.; Christopher Parker, eng.
EMl/Angel have come up with demonstration quality sound on this one. The "Sea Interludes" have stood well on their own as a concert piece, and previous recordings have been by Britten (Decca/London) and Giulini (EMI/Angel). Previn's earlier Sinfonia da Requiem with the St. Louis Symphony has recently been reissued on Odyssey, but that version…
Break On Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison by James Riordan and Jerry Prochnicky
544 pages, $20 hardcover. Published by William Morrow & Co., Inc., 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019.
544 pages, $20 hardcover. Published by William Morrow & Co., Inc., 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019.
Riders on the Storm: My Life with Jim Morrison and The Doors by John Densmore
319 pages, $19.95 hardcover. Published by Delacorte Press, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10103.
With at least six books on Jim Morrison and The Doors now on the shelves, five published within the last year to take advantage of tie-in sales on the flowing, copious coattails of Oliver…
"Exquisite" is not a word to be invoked lightly. In the history of vocal music on record, there has been only one singer to earn that appellation—soprano Maggie Teyte, Debussy's second Melisande, whom the great Polish tenor Jean de Reszke dubbed "L'Exquise." To that exalted category must now be added countertenor Philippe Jaroussky, whose latest recording for Warner, The Handel Album, contains some of the most exquisite singing I have ever been privileged to hear.
For his first complete Handel album, the 39-year old countertenor has chosen 13 rarely recorded arias from 10 of Handel's 35…