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Recorded at the now-closed Avatar Studios, Bringin' It evokes the classic big bands of Count Basie and Thad Jones–Mel Lewis, with nods to Oliver Nelson and Nelson Riddle. But Bringin' It is pure Christian McBride—rock-'em sock-'em big-band dynamics and polished swing performed with the kind of enthusiasm and soul that are atypical among today's math-jazz merchants and their methodical, grant-enabled compositions. The Quad S-2s made the most of Bringin' It, from McBride's sinewy double-bass notes and drummer Quincy Phillips's steaming pulse to the assembled brass and reed instruments' shouted…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, rear-ported, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 0.5" by 1.75" (12 by 45mm) True Ribbon tweeter, 4.9" (125mm) woofer with woven Kevlar cone. Crossover frequency: 3kHz. Frequency response: 48Hz–22kHz, ±3dB. Bass extension: 37Hz, –6dB. Sensitivity: 87dB/2.83V/m. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 4.5 ohms minimum. Peak SPL: 98dB. Recommended amplification: 25–150W.
Dimensions: 13" (330mm) H by 7.1" (180mm) W by 10.25" (260mm) D. Weight: 13.5 lbs (6.1kg).
Finishes: Black Oak, Sapele Mahogany, Piano White or Black.
Serial numbers of…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Kuzma Stabi S & Stogi S turntable & tonearm; Music Hall MMF-7.3 turntable; Denon DL-103, Goldring Elite MC, Ortofon 2M Bronze cartridges.
Digital Sources: Apple MacBook computer running Audirvana Plus; Ayre Acoustics QB-9DSD, PS Audio NuWave, Mytek HiFi Manhattan DACs; LG BD-550 BD player; Western Digital T2 Mirror Drives (2).
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 A23 moving-coil step-up transformer, Heed Audio Quasar phono stage, Shindo Laboratory Allegro preamplifier.
Power Amplifier: Shindo Laboratory Haut-Brion.
…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Quad S-2's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield responses. My estimate of the Quad's sensitivity was 86.9dB(B)/2.83V/m, confirming the specified figure of 87dB. Fig.1 shows how the impedance and electrical phase vary with frequency. Though the impedance has a minimum value of 4.17 ohms at 190Hz and there's a combination of 5.8 ohms and –37° phase angle at 117Hz, the S-2 is a relatively easy load for amplifiers to drive.
The traces in…
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."
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…
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…