A Rockna Audio Wavedream Reference Signature DAC ($27,000) and a Lumin U2X digital transport/streamer ($11,000) fed signal to a Trafomatic Audio Tara 30A class-A preamplifier ($80,000), coupled to WestminsterLab Rei bridged monoblocks ($35,000/pair), driving Von Schweikert Audio ULTRA.seven Foundation loudspeakers ($195,000/pair). MasterBuilt Audio cables and Solidsteel racks…
Vu's latest idea is of the DIY variety. His MooVu Speaker Kit ($499 plus cabinet cost) consists of four custom 6.5" woofers, two 1" soft-dome tweeters, two crossover boards, OFC copper wirings, and instructions. Cabinets in Redwood, Jujube Wood, and Brown Maple are sold separately by Iwistao Minimart for $350/pair…
The system included Orchard Audio owner/designer Leonid Ayzenshtat's PecanPi+ Streamer Premium ($1500) and Soundfield Audio 1212C active speakers ($16,000/pair). Kimber Kable Hero XLR interconnects ($562/pair), Kimber Kable speaker cables, and Kimber Kable PK10 Ascent power cables ($710/ea.)…
"This is the first showing of my RL 12 speaker system ($…
The records Jeffrey brought spanned a cosmos of sound: jazz, ambient, space-age travel-rama epics, and down-and-dirty blues. Titles included Casimir Liberski ReTRio's The Z Suites, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio's Cold As Weiss, Širom's In the Wind of Night, Hard‑Fallen…
The system included the SPL Director Mk.2 preamplifier/DAC ($4700) and the Performer s800 stereo amplifier ($4350). Speakers were Herb's beloved Falcon Acoustics Gold Badge LS3/5a in Burl Walnut ($4850/pair), plus Falcon Acoustics F50 S/E in European Walnut ($2490/pair).
ArgentPur cables provided connectivity, including Athene RCA ($1400), Heracles RCA ($1900), Amen RCA ($2400), Athene…
A more temporal reason why 1975 was such a rich year for music is that by the middle 1970s, audio engineers had mastered the arts of recording on multiple channels and cutting and editing tape. Even more crucially, the profit motive still existed in music. Back when people bought vinyl LPs by the binful, it was still possible for musicians (and by extension record labels) to get…
To demonstrate that last point at the 2009 Munich High End Show, Leif Johannsen, the MC A90…
While Ozzy Osbourne's longevity despite a heroic effort at self-destruction was a near miracle, the audible proof of rockstar immortality lies in the seemingly endless trail of posthumous releases of long-dead stars like Jimi Hendrix and Elvis Presley. A barrel that may be nearing its bottom, the Presley RCA archives continue to be explored by the longtime, indefatigable Presley reissue producer Ernst Mikael…
Dave Pietro is one of those dead-on reliable artists who are part of the bedrock on which the current jazz art form is built. His arsenal of reed instruments has been essential to the greatest jazz orchestras of our time, including those of Maria Schneider and Ryan Truesdell. He has now made 11 albums as a leader. For the last three, he has stayed loyal to the same core group of world-class collaborators. They include keyboardist…