It has long been rumored that Apple was planning a high-resolution streaming service, but nothing has ever been confirmed. Also, anyone who's been following the streaming wars will find the phrase "high-resolution masters" evocative—most likely of MQA, Master Quality…
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A recent post on Roon's forums drew my attention to an apparently new category at Apple Music, Apple's streaming service. The post pointed to an Apple Music page listing music curated by the ECM music label. After ECM "Playlists," "New and Noteworthy," and "Recent Releases" is a section labeled "High-Resolution Masters."
Cecilia Bartoli is back. After far too long without a new "solo" recording venture, the phenomenal mezzo-soprano returned to the microphone this past March, three months before she turned 51, to record nine Dolce Duello (Sweet Duels) with the 1759 baroque cello of Sol Gabetta. Supported by Sol's ensemble, Cappella Gabetta, under the leadership of her violinist brother, Andrés Gabetta, the two women deliver one sweet delight after the other.
Nor does the album consist solely of baroque arias. After extended pieces by Albinoni, Gabrielli, Vivaldi, Handel, Caldara, and Porpora—the longest,…
From left to right: Gideon Schwartz, Ron Carter, and Stephen Mejias in the listening room at Audioarts.
I'm sitting next to Ron Carter in the listening room at Manhattan dealer Audioarts (footnote), trying not to cry. We're listening to "All Blues," the title track from Carter's 1974 CTI release—a meditative rendition of the Miles Davis masterpiece that has been slowed-down and elongated in such a way that it practically pulls tears from eyes as easily as Carter pulls notes. It's hard to believe that anyone other than Carter has ever touched this piece. Right now, it belongs entirely to…
Emerson, Lake and Palmer: Brain Salad Surgery
Manticore MS 66669 0S93 (LP). Greg Lake; prod.; Geoff Young, eng. (all tracks except "Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression"); Chris Kimsey, eng. ("Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression"). TT: 45:02.
Manticore MS 66669 0S93 (LP). Greg Lake; prod.; Geoff Young, eng. (all tracks except "Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression"); Chris Kimsey, eng. ("Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression"). TT: 45:02.
Pink Floyd: Ummagumma
Capitol/EMI STBB-388 (LP). Norman "Hurricane" Smith, prod. (studio album); Pink Floyd, prod. (live album); Peter Mew, eng. (studio album); Brian Humphries, eng. (live album). TT: 86:21.
For a long time there, it seemed like anyone who walked into a good hi-fi shop and used the word "rock" and/or "bass" had a better-than-even…
I have not been attending audio shows as often as I used to, and this January, for the first time in more than 20 years, I'm skipping the annual Consumer Electronics Show. My personal return on investment has become hard to justify, especially when attendance at each annual CES requires a round trip from New York City to Las Vegas, Nevada. More important, audio shows now seem focused mostly on either two-channel music playback or multichannel home theater, whereas what interests me is listening to music in surround sound. Sure, I can be excited by the introduction of new speakers and new…
I began with the Volume 8 and found that connecting it with the DB25 cables was much easier than I'd expected. If you attach the DB25s to the back of the component before inserting it in the rack, the multiple XLRs are now at the end of flexible links which are easier to access than the traditional connections at the rear of a chassis in an equipment rack. One DB25 was connected to my line-level XLR output cables and the other to the outputs of the exaSound e38 DAC via Hosa RCA-to-XLR adapters. When I connected the SMC 7.1, it was even easier—all I had to do was transfer to it the two…
Sidebar: Did I Really Prefer SPL's Pro Devices to My Audiophile Preamps?
As a test, I did something I'd long considered trying but had always put off: I connected my exaSound e38 DAC directly to my power amps. This limits my choice of source components to my server, and to controlling the volume with only the up/down buttons on the exaSound's front panel, or an elusive little Apple remote control. What I discovered was that the effect of inserting each SPL box was almost inaudible. Maybe I perceived a little bit of softening of the highs, but no change in overall balance or resolution.…
Is classical music really on the ropes? Living in New York City, it's easy to think that is a myth cooked up in the provinces.
Recently, at a performance of the Metropolitan Opera's fabulous current production of Jacques Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann, directed by Bartlett Sher, I experienced Classical Music 2017 up close and personal. In the audience, multicolored sequined jackets and cheetah-print slip-on sneakers mixed with tuxedos. Merrell hiking shoes and Patagonia down jackets crossed with slim-fit outfits from Billy Reid and Hermes bags. Between bravura tenor Vittorio Grigolo…
Sidebar: Brooklyn Rider on Record
The Brooklyn Rider Almanac
Mercury Classics B0021593-02 (CD). 2014. Nicholas Cords, Johnny Gandelsman, exec. prods.; Jesse Lewis, prod., eng.; Jesse Brayman, eng.; Kevin Germain, Tyler Hammann, Max Ross, asst. engs. DDD? TT: 78:33
Performance *****
Sonics ****½
Spontaneous Symbols
In the Circle ICR008 (CD). 2017. Nicholas Cords, Johnny Gandelsman, prods.; Ryan Streber, eng.; Hansdale Hsu, asst. eng. DAD? TT: 75:36
Performance ****½
Sonics ****½
In this, their 12th year of existence, it's probably more accurate to…
Phrases like high fidelity and perfectionist audio suggest a central norm to which all things audio should aspire. Not a bad idea, in some ways, but if you look at the wide variety of loudspeakers out there that people love, from the old-school Auditorium 23s to the high-tech KEFs and Vivids, it can be hard to figure out what they all have in common.
While I like the idea of objective standards, I also like that high-end audio has room for a variety of approaches—specific aural embodiments of excellence—each striking its own balance between personal (sometimes idiosyncratic) vision and…