The Most Valuable LPs in My Collection. Don't laugh, but while researching LP prices for last month's column, I grew addicted enough to such record-pricing sites as Popsike.com and Collectorsfrenzy.com that I've since devoted occasional free minutes to researching titles in my own collection. As it turns out, some of the ones I thought might be worth something really aren't, and vice versa. Here is a random and by no means complete sampling of the LPs in my collection with the greatest monetary value. All but one are records I've bought strictly for pleasure…
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Late last year came an epic audiophile moment: I slapped a final length of tape on the box of the awesome-sounding MSB Diamond DAC (Stereophile, October 2012), in final preparation for its trek to John Atkinson's testing lab, in Brooklyn. Next up was the Bifrost DAC from Schiit Audio. I popped it into my system, where, moments before, the MSB had held court.
From $43,325 to $449. Yowseh!!—the MSB costs almost 100 times as much as the Schiit! Was this even fair?
The Bifrost wasn't warmed up, and it certainly hadn't settled in—but who could resist a little listening? I switched on…
A Tale of Two DACs
Back to those Turtles tunes. I was deflated. Musical life and drama were diminished, and a hazy cloud (not a flaming rainbow) had settled on the system. I was worried Odin might show up.
Back to those Turtles tunes. I was deflated. Musical life and drama were diminished, and a hazy cloud (not a flaming rainbow) had settled on the system. I was worried Odin might show up.
Of course, if the Bifrost had actually stood up to the $43,325 MSB, I would probably be deflated at how easily the MSB was dethroned. But no, the cosmic order of DACs was maintained, and in this case there's something to be gained by throwing lots of money at a design. In the context of DACs, the contrast was stark (ie, not as stark as in most contexts), and started me off on the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state D/A processor. Inputs: coaxial S/PDIF, optical S/PDIF, USB (optional, included with review samples). Input capability: up to 24-bit/192kHz, all inputs. Input receiver, S/PDIF: Crystal Semiconductor CS8416. Input receiver, USB: C-Media CM6631A. D/A conversion IC: AKM4399. Output: RCA (single-ended). Output impedance: 75 ohms. Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz, ±0.1dB; 2Hz–100kHz, –1dB. Maximum output: 2.0V RMS. Upgradability: separate, modular USB input card and DAC/analog card (both snap-in, replaceable). Power consumption: 12W.
Without…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Apple MacBook Pro computer (2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD) running OS 10.6.7, iTunes 10.6, Sonic Studio Amarra Computer Music Player 2.5, Songbird 1.9.3, XLD; Western Digital NAS Device 2TB; Oppo BDP-103 universal Blu-ray player; Meridian (formerly Sooloos) Digital Media System (Control 15, TwinStore x3); Apple iPad 2, 3 (or "New iPad" or latest or HD or Retina or whatever); Apple iPod Touch 1G, Apple iPhone 4S.
D/A Converters: Benchmark DAC1 USB, M2Tech Young with Palmer power supply, AudioQuest DragonFly, Wadia 121.…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I examined the Schiit Bifrost's electrical performance with Stereophile's loan sample of the top-of-the-line Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com and the January 2008 "As We See It"). To test the USB input, I played files with Bias Peak Pro running on my MacBook Pro, using the AudioMIDI utility to make sure that the data output from the USB port had the correct sample rate and bit depth. I performed a complete set of measurements on both samples and have noted in the text where these differed.
The coaxial input of both samples locked to…
We're always happy to spread the love of gear (and music) here at the good ole' STP. STP's one of our in office abbreviation for Stereophile. Occasionally, it's STRP. Sometimes it's, "We have to do another issue?", but seriously, we do enjoy making audiophiles happy. It's one of the best parts of the job.
Brian Yeazel of Oak Park, Illinois is one of those lucky people. He's the winner of the Focal Spirit One headphone sweepstakes. Brian doesn't realize just how lucky he really is. One of our samples for this sweepstakes got stolen from our storage closet! Home Theater readers didn't get…
The fourth annual California Audio Show is poised to get underway August 9–11 in a new venue, the Westin San Francisco Airport (Westin SFO), in Millbrae, CA. The only West Coast consumer fine-audio show between Newport Beach (in very southern California) and Denver, CAS4 is expected to draw close to 1000 audiophiles per day to listen to systems in at least 41 sound rooms, 16 of which are of medium or large size.
Constantine Soo, the show's promoter, explains that he left the Crowne Plaza, the nearby site of the show for the past two years, because of its lack of big rooms. It's hard not…
Matana Roberts is a rare talent—a saxophonist, storyteller, and singer with a distinct voice and powerful vision. Her 2011 release, Coin Coin, Chapter One: Gens de couleur libres, shocked me with its uncompromising combination of beauty and violence. Listening to it—anyhow, anywhere—is a singularly moving experience. My complete review of Coin Coin, Chapter One appeared in Stereophile’s November 2011 issue and I later named it one of my favorite records of that year. It sticks with me still as one of the most thrilling and seemingly important records I’ve ever heard.…
That's It! (Sony Legacy) is a hell of a fun album: the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, the treasure of New Orleans music, wailing with cylinders wide open.
Purists might protest. All the songs on this record are new (a first for the PHJB), and the solos tend more toward R&B riffs than trad-jazz polyphony. In short, the vibe seems to pulse more from the rowdy late-night clubs up on Frenchman Street than the band's usual stately sanctuary in the heart of the French Quarter.
Not that there's anything wrong with that, and there's very little wrong with That's It! The octet—a trumpet…