Analog Sources: Kuzma Stabi R turntable with Kuzma 4Point tonearm. Thorens TD 124 Mk.II turntable with Jelco TS-350S Mkll tonearm and Ortofon SPU Classic G Mk/II cartridge.
Preamplifiers: Sculpture A Mini Nano SUT, Tavish Audio Design Adagio phono stage, Sugden LA-4 preamplifier.
Power amplifier: Pass Labs XA-25.
Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96.
Cables: Analysis Plus Silver Apex & Triode Wire Labs Spirit II interconnects; Analysis Plus Silver Apex speaker cables.
Accessories: Feickert Next Generation Universal…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
I was born an obsessive reader and a compulsive tinkerer. During the '60s, I subscribed to Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, Hot Rod, Car Craft, Motor Trend, Road & Track, and (of course) Stereo Review and High Fidelity. Every one of those magazines presented articles discussing the importance of upgrading stock wiring to better-quality "premium" wires, citing improved electrical performance and greater reliability.
That was a time when drag-racing cars began using thick, "fuel- and flame-resistant," silicone-sheathed wires between magnetos and spark plugs. Every street rodder who…
Moreover, I noticed a newfound well-sortedness and a new form of dark quiet—a silence quite unlike any I'd experienced before. Switching from Cardas's budget-priced, $125-per-meter Iridium to Cardas's $4250-per-meter Clear Beyond changed my system's sound character as much as changing phono cartridges or DACs: The Bartók DAC became more silent, grainless, full-spectrum, and beautiful-sounding than it had been with any of my other cables. Right away I wondered how much of this radical quiet was the result of the Cardas cable's extensive shielding.
I notice things like grain and…
Register to win a pair of Monitor Audio Silver 100 7G Limited Edition speakers (value $1695.00) we are giving away.
Celebrating Monitor Audio’s Heritage
The award-winning Silver 100 7G speakers have received a limited edition makeover to celebrate Monitor Audio’s 50th Anniversary. Their in-house designers have given the Silver 100 Limited Edition a classic Heritage Green finish and an anodised gold C-CAM bass driver, creating a luxe aesthetic befitting for their ‘Golden Jubilee’. An exclusive gold effect badge adorns the rear of the speaker, showing the edition number and Monitor…
The Clash: Combat Rock + The People's Hall
Columbia 19439955131 (LP). 1982/2022. The Clash and Glyn Johns, prods.; Andrew Davitt, the Clash, and Tim Young, engs.
Performance ****
Sonics ****
Columbia 19439955131 (LP). 1982/2022. The Clash and Glyn Johns, prods.; Andrew Davitt, the Clash, and Tim Young, engs.
Performance ****
Sonics ****
When you've sung "Ha! You think it's funny, turning rebellion into money!," it can be problematic when you start scoring major hits. With the Clash, it wasn't funny; their success increased tensions and led to the band splitting up. Music labels rarely have such qualms, and 40 years later Combat Rock gets the deluxe treatment, with 1½ sides of The People's Hall, with rarities and…
John Scofield: John Scofield
Scofield, electric guitar, looper
ECM 2727 (auditioned in 16/44.1 WAV, available as CD, LP). 2022. Manfred Eicher, exec. prod.; Tyler McDiarmid, eng.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****½
Scofield, electric guitar, looper
ECM 2727 (auditioned in 16/44.1 WAV, available as CD, LP). 2022. Manfred Eicher, exec. prod.; Tyler McDiarmid, eng.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****½
In a distinguished half-century jazz career, John Scofield has been everywhere, played with everyone, and done everything. But he has never made a solo guitar record. Until now.
This eponymous release is his most intimate, most introspective album, though it's not entirely mellow. Scofield has roots in rock and country, and on his first solo record, he…
Shiva Feshareki, Daphne Oram: Turning World
London Contemporary Orchestra, Shiva Feshareki, James Bulley, Kit Downes
NMC Recordings NMC D266 (CD, download). 2022. Jonathan Manners, Ellie Mant, prods., Gilly Chauhan, Andy Garratt, Ross Sanders, engs.
Performance *****
Sonics *****
London Contemporary Orchestra, Shiva Feshareki, James Bulley, Kit Downes
NMC Recordings NMC D266 (CD, download). 2022. Jonathan Manners, Ellie Mant, prods., Gilly Chauhan, Andy Garratt, Ross Sanders, engs.
Performance *****
Sonics *****
For her first proper full-length, British-born Iranian composer/performer Shiva Feshareki set her ambitions high, reaching up into the ether and backward into the early days of electronic music.
Feshareki has garnered acclaim for her live mixing of electronic and acoustic sounds. On the…
Pop quiz. What does the following verbiage describe? And what does it mean?
"It's about what we love the most. It's about what we hate the most. It's about what we wait for but never happens. Relationships turn on, interrupt, and resume. Or sometimes they just stay still. Floating and suspended. So breathe in. Let go. Let's begin from nothing."
Huh. Any luck yet?
"And suddenly we discover that it's easier than we thought. It's more powerful than we ever imagined. You can see and feel what's around you with an intensity that you never felt before. Just embrace the most…
A lighted dot on each side of that line—also tappable—lets you adjust the volume. As the level goes up and down, a much longer light strip expands and contracts accordingly. Nifty. Two other lighted strips round out the novel user interface: The middle one indicates a successful network connection, and the rearmost strip lets you know when a firmware update is in progress. Other patterns and animations indicate things like booting up, a factory reset, and the availability of new software. They're all just rare enough that I don't think I'd learn to match the light-strip behavior with the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Wireless stereo, 4-way, DSP-optimized closed-box system. Two 0.75" silk-dome drivers; two 3" paper-pulp cone drivers; two 1.75" cellulose-pulp membrane drivers; one 6.5" long-throw aluminum-cone driver. Frequency response 30Hz–25kHz, –6dB. Power rating (sum of all channels): 490W. Inputs: phono, line in, HDMI ARC. Network connectivity: Ethernet (10/100Mbps); Wi-Fi dual-band 2×2 802.11 b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz and 5.2GHz).
Dimensions: 5.1" (130mm) × 25.6" (650mm) × 11.1" (282mm). Weight 16.75lb (7.6kg) Finishes: Walnut veneer, graphite (black).
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