Crumb is an avid record collector. I envision him as a purist and completist who would've jumped at the original releases of short-lived label Candid Records, which was founded in New York City in 1960 with Nat Hentoff in…
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As an aspiring teenage illustrator, I was fascinated by the work of outlaw cartoonist Robert Crumb. His beautifully drawn images offered escape from the redneck southern city where I grew up. I was especially enchanted by Crumb's caricatures of blues and jazz musicians, which were assembled in his "Heroes of the Blues" and "Early Jazz Greats" trading-card collections.
"A switch? Why do I need a switch?" That was my response to Meredith Gabor, head of marketing and PR for cable and accessories manufacturer Nordost, after she dropped the news. She had just arranged with Jim Austin for me to write a shorter, "ancillary" review of the new Nordost QNet Network Switch ($3199.99) with its optional QSource linear power supply ($2749.99) and premium QSource DC umbilical interface cables ($339.99 for 1m). Why did I need an expensive QNet switch when my router was functioning reliably? Good question.
Checking Nordost's website, I discovered that the QNet is "a…
Sidebar 1: Ethernet Protocols
Dennis Bonotto's characterization of how network switches work surprised me. I was under the impression that network switches merely directed packets from one MAC address to another—so what's all this de-encapsulating and transforming back into bits? If you're not interested in the technical stuff, you can skip this.
As previously mentioned, a network switch is a "layer-2" device, which means that it works in the first two layers of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. In Bonotto's preferred lingo, the two layers are called "MAC" and "PHY."…
Sidebar 2: Specifications
Description: QNet: Unmanaged Ethernet switch with five Ethernet ports with 8P8C (RJ45) connectors. Ports 1–3 are 1000BASE-T/100BASE-TX–capable with autonegotiation and auto-MIDI/MID-X support. Ports 4 and 5 are 100BASE-TX full duplex only. DC input: LEMO, 9V/1.2A.
Description: QSource: Linear power supply. Input: 15A IEC, switchable 110/220VAC 50/60Hz. Outputs: Two variable, four 5V fixed, Variable output "A" switches between 9, 12, and 19V, with 9V intended for the QNet. Variable output "B" switches between 12, 19, and 24V. Output power: 9V output: 10W; 12V…
Attracting new customers is essential for brick-and-mortar dealerships' long-term survival. Over the last several years, many b&m dealerships have continued to expand into home automation and custom installation. Home theater is also undergoing a resurgence. These services can support—and complement—two-channel audio-equipment sales.
Such was the case at Pittsburgh's new dealership, Stereo Stereo, which I wrote about in September's Re-Tales column. The recently opened CasaHiFi in Miami's affluent Coconut Grove area is another example. Both stores have diversified their offerings to…
Angel Olsen: Big Time
Jagjaguwar (16-bit/44.1kHz streaming on Qobuz). 2022. Jonathan Wilson, Angel Olsen, prods.; Grant Milliken, Mirza Sherrif, engs.
Performance ****
Sonics ****
Jagjaguwar (16-bit/44.1kHz streaming on Qobuz). 2022. Jonathan Wilson, Angel Olsen, prods.; Grant Milliken, Mirza Sherrif, engs.
Performance ****
Sonics ****
The first thing that hits you on "All the Good Times," the opening track of Angel Olsen's Big Time, is the pairing of synth organ sound with drums, like a weirdly wistful combination of country gospel song and high school marching band. Then there's a monster key change at the words "I'll be long gone thanks to these songs" and the horns and lush strings come in. That's this album in a nutshell:…
Enrico Rava, Fred Hersch: The Song Is You
ECM (WAV file; also CD). 2022. Manfred Eicher, prod.; Stefano Amerio, eng.
Performance *****
Sonics *****
ECM (WAV file; also CD). 2022. Manfred Eicher, prod.; Stefano Amerio, eng.
Performance *****
Sonics *****
Many inspired jazz recordings come out of combinations of instrumentalists—usually the more unexpected, the better. What's most fascinating are the ways players adapt to each other's emotions and inventiveness.
This pairing, which is exactly the kind of fusion that has made ECM such a distinct entity lo these many years, was likely inspired by ECM founder and inspirational presence Manfred Eicher. American pianist Hersch,…
Aloys Schmitt: Piano Concertos 1–2; Rondeau brillant
Ulster Orchestra/Howard Shelley (piano and conductor)
Hyperion CDA 68389 (CD). Annabel Connellan, prod.; Ben Connellan, eng.
Performance ****
Sonics ****
Ulster Orchestra/Howard Shelley (piano and conductor)
Hyperion CDA 68389 (CD). Annabel Connellan, prod.; Ben Connellan, eng.
Performance ****
Sonics ****
It's not immediately clear why these well-wrought concerti should be in Hyperion's "Romantic Piano Concerto" series. The First Concerto, a transitional score, is planted solidly in the Classical period.
The opening ritornello offers ruggedly Classical contours, while the predominantly linear piano writing could be amped-up Mozart; a turbulent tutti where we…
Ortofon (footnote 1), which turns 100 in 2018, launched the original Windfeld cartridge nearly a decade ago. Named for cartridge designer Per Windfeld—who had just retired at age 75, after 30 years with the company—that top-of-the-line cartridge cost $3400 at the time of its introduction.
Between 1976 and 2006, Per Windfeld oversaw the development of cartridges from the top to the bottom of Ortofon's extensive line, including the MC 20, MC Rohmann, and MC Jubilee, as well as Ortofon's many series of models: MC Super, Kontrapunkt, MC Rondo, and the budget-priced OM and Concorde DJ series…
Setting a 92° SRA was easily accomplished with the tonearm close to parallel to the record surface. Setting azimuth using a digital oscilloscope resulted in 27dB (left) and 28dB (right) of channel separation at 1kHz—a few dB better than specified in the Windfeld Ti's owner's manual. This was achieved with the cantilever just slightly off from perpendicularity. In other words, this sample of the Windfeld Ti was well built—just what you should expect in a $4390 phono cartridge!
Windfeld Ti Sound
In my May 2008 column, back when I was still a callow, inexperienced audio reviewer, I…