By no stretch is Argue "rich and famous." This is jazz, after all. But he's making it within the realm of his choosing, and the band he created—in its vibe and its music—has crossover potential.
His 18-piece ensemble, which he calls Secret Society, isn't your granddad's big band. The liner…
Jenny Hval did not disappoint. My only criticism of the performance was the lack of people in attendance. Jenny Hval should be seen and heard by many. Then again, to see her so close, so intimately, was a distinct…
In its own words, JD Events "is dedicated to the creation of targeted and innovative industry-leading events that deliver results. The company brings together highly qualified buying audiences, education-…
RMAF may not be the biggest consumer audio show in North America—that honor recently passed to T.H.E. Show Newport Beach—but even without a cigar show, car show, wine show, and airport right across the street, RMAF's 440 brands spread over 138 hotel rooms, 25 big rooms (and three more at the Hyatt across the street), a CANJAM headphone ballroom hosting a record 37 exhibitors, 14 software vendors (CDs, LPs, etc.), and 26 lobby exhibits is…
At Stereophile, we're no strangers to UPS troubles, but this was something we'd never seen before. The package vanished mid-shipment! Thornberry sent me an email, "I’m going to just guess that it has been damaged or lost." While I was shocked, I assured him to not lose hope. We filed a missing package report.
The next day, the record cleaner showed up…
In a CD player?
Century-old technology embedded in a modern digital design?
I realize that Aesthetix's Saturn Romulus is not the first disc player or D/A processor with tubes, nor will it be the last—but does combining these technologies even make sense? Are audiophiles working at cross purposes to themselves, looking for modern perfection but preferring a little old-school sweetening here and there?
To date, I've stuck with purely solid-state DACs and disc players, but I was curious enough to jump at a chance to audition the Aesthetix Romulus DAC/CD…
Back to the Sooloos and some recent releases from HDtracks.com. First the classics: the entire Rush catalog has been issued in 24/96. The sound ranges…
Description: Tubed CD player with S/PDIF (coaxial and TosLink), AES/EBU and USB digital inputs. Tube complement: two 12AX7, two 6DJ8 or 6922. Audio data accepted: 16, 20, 24-bit word length with sample rates of 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192kHz. Maximum output level without optional volume control installed, RMS: 4.8V balanced, 2.4V single-ended. With volume control installed: the volume setting for standard 2V (SE)/4V (balanced) output is 80. Setting for the same output level as a non–volume-control unit is 82 (2.5V SE, 5V balanced). Output impedance: 300 ohms…
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 Studios Amarra 2.5, Songbird 1.9.3, XLD; Western Digital 2TB NAS Device; Oppo BDP-103 universal Blu-ray player; Sooloos/Meridian 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.
Digital Processors: Benchmark DAC1 USB, M2Tech Young & Palmer DAC & power supply, AudioQuest DragonFly USB DAC, Wadia 121decoding…