Analog sources: Dr. Feickert Analogue Blackbird turntable with Thomas Schick 10.5" tonearm, My Sonic Lab Ultra Eminent Ex moving coil cartridge, and Sutherland Engineering Little Loco phono stage.
Integrated amplifier: Linear Tube Audio Z10e.
Preamplifier: HoloAudio Serene.
Power amplifiers: Parasound Halo A 21+, Pass Labs XA25.
Loudspeakers: Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a (Gold Badge).
Headphones: Audeze CRBN, HiFiMan Susvara.
Cables: Interconnect: Auditorium 23, AudioQuest Mackenzie and Thunderbird, Black Cat Coppertone, Cardas Iridium…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
I have never written about the ultraboutique reissues from the London-based Electric Recording Company. Pressed in quantities of 300 or so, each title sells out within days (or hours) of its release, despite a price tag of $400 or more. Why review what can't be had?
But now ERC has put out a meticulous mono pressing of Giant Steps, John Coltrane's first auteur masterpiece, so it's a good time to step in and say something about the company in general and this album in particular.
Many eyeballs have popped about this label's eccentricities: its obsession with replicating the…
Cosmic American Derelicts: The Twain Shall Meet
Soundkeeper Recordings SR007 (CD or HD download). 2022. Barry Diament, prod., eng.
Performance ****
Sonics *****
Soundkeeper Recordings SR007 (CD or HD download). 2022. Barry Diament, prod., eng.
Performance ****
Sonics *****
It's rare to find an album recorded with an audiophile process that's musically compelling. Barry Diament has struck the balance consistently on his Soundkeeper Recordings label. Diament, a former Atlantic Records mastering engineer, has honed his minimal-miked, hi-rez-digital recording technique over the last decade or so. This is his seventh release on the Soundkeeper label. It's a mellow country-bluegrass affair…
Ornette Coleman: Genesis of Genius: The Contemporary Albums
Ornette Coleman, alto saxophone; Don Cherry, trumpet; Walter Norris, piano; five others
Contemporary/Craft CR00320 (2 CDs, 2 LPs). 1958, 1959/2022. Lester Koenig, Nick Phillips, prods.; Roy DuNann, eng.; Bernie Grundman, remastering.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****½
Ornette Coleman, alto saxophone; Don Cherry, trumpet; Walter Norris, piano; five others
Contemporary/Craft CR00320 (2 CDs, 2 LPs). 1958, 1959/2022. Lester Koenig, Nick Phillips, prods.; Roy DuNann, eng.; Bernie Grundman, remastering.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****½
Anything but mainstream when they were recorded in 1958 and '59, Coleman's first two albums, combined in this minibox set, sound relatively conventional today. Coleman had yet to form his classic quartet with bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Ed…
Bruckner: Symphony No.7
Gürzenich-Orchester Köln/François-Xavier Roth
Myrios Classics MYR030-260183510307 (CD). 2022. Stephan Cahen, prod.; Daniel Przemus and Stephan Cahen, engs.
Performance *****
Sonics ****
Gürzenich-Orchester Köln/François-Xavier Roth
Myrios Classics MYR030-260183510307 (CD). 2022. Stephan Cahen, prod.; Daniel Przemus and Stephan Cahen, engs.
Performance *****
Sonics ****
The Seventh, Bruckner's most accessible symphony, has proved elusive on record. Traditionalists have emphasized its "vertical" aspects, its tonal and harmonic weight, at the cost of forward motion; "horizontal," Italianate conductors (Abbado, Chailly) have reversed that imbalance.
François-Xavier Roth gets it right. Tempi, save in a conventional Scherzo, are…
In just a few minutes as I write these words, T.H.E. Show returns for another installment at the Long Beach Hilton. Rumored to offer approximately 40 exhibit rooms plus untold stands in the Marketplace and Headphonium, it has drawn exhibitors from all over the United States and beyond.
One positive sign: After several years of dueling Southern CA audio shows, the Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society (LAOCAS) has finally invited its huge membership to enjoy T.H.E. Show. Along with the 11th-hour invite came a $5 show admission discount for society members.
Belated or not, it'…
Because its sound proclaims "major significance," our coverage starts with the show premiere of Graham Audio's LS5/5f loudspeaker ($24,995/pair). Unveiled in Munich, albeit only in passive display, the speaker was designed by Derek Hughes, son of the late Spencer Hughes, founder of Spendor.
The Graham LS5/5f is an augmented reissue of the original LS5/5 monitor that was designed by Dudley Harwood and Spencer Hughes for mixing and mastering purposes, and issued by the BBC in 1967. Withdrawn not long thereafter because, in the age of the Beatles, it could not play loud enough, and…
Now consolidated under the Audio Group Denmark umbrella, Aavik electronics, Ansuz cabling and accessories, and Børresen loudspeakers made an impressive showing in several rooms on the Hilton's 5th floor, sponsored by Next Level HiFi of the greater Chicago region.
The first (for me) of Next Level HiFi's rooms was dominated by Børresen Z1 Cryo monitors ($14,500/pair; above), Aavik's U180 class-D integrated amplifier with DAC ($10,800; below) and S180 streamer ($7200; below), and Ansuz cabling, XTC power switch (an ethernet switch with noise reduction—$2600), and XTC Mainz 8 power…
Jumping to the top level for the models whose entry-level brethren were demmed in Next Level HiFi's other room, the Wayne, IL-based dealer joined forces with Audio Group Denmark to display the Børresen B01 Silver Supreme Edition standmount loudspeaker ($60,500/pair with stands); the Aavik U580 class-D integrated amplifier ($35,000; 300Wpc into 8 ohms), which includes a DAC that does, over USB, PCM up to 32/192 and DSD128 as well as MQA; and the Aavik 5580 Streamer ($25,200). The entire 580 series utilizes external titanium supports for extreme mechanical resonance control and a copper-lined…
AV Luxury Group International, based in Las Vegas, unveiled a system that stood out for its speed, openness, and impressive range of colors. A case in point: O-Zone Percussion Group's "Jazz Variants," that did a fine job of evoking the system's well-controlled deep bass and striking highs.
Heading the front end were Margules of Mexico's i-240 integrated amplifier ($6000, below), a pure class-A tubed component that outputs 25Wpc into 4 ohms; a prototype Margules M-S01 media server ($TBD) whose DAC can handle DSD128 and PCM up to 32/192, and works with either Roon or Volumio…