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Hi-Fi as Art: Devon Turnbull & Ojas Audio The Cooper Hewitt Ojas system

The Cooper Hewitt Ojas system
The Cooper Hewitt system is built around a massive pair of horn-loaded speakers that nearly scrape the exhibit space's walls and ceiling. The screen-printed midbass horn is 7'9" tall, 6'4" wide, and 4'6" deep. It's driven by a TAD TL-1601A 15" dynamic woofer.

That midbass horn is a companion for the Ojas 1505 Multicell horn, a mid/treble horn based on the Altec 1505B Multicell. The Ojas 1505 Multicell is driven by a TAD 1401 compression driver. "It uses the geometry and size to provide horizontal dispersion control similar to the [Altec]…

Revinylization #73: Muse Records via Zev Feldman's Time Traveler Records

As the jazz buyer for Tower Records's Lincoln Center (66th St.) location in the early 1990s, I held a unique vantage point on New York City, its music and culture. My position guaranteed daily encounters with an eclectic variety of unforgettable characters. Between regular visits by the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (grouchy), Kathleen Turner (pushy), and Michael J. Fox (perpetually running from the store's female staff), I saw a lot.

I also learned a lot about jazz records: from John Newcott of PolyGram/Universal; from A&R executive and Grammy-winning producer Brian Michel Bacchus;…

Ruark Sabre-R loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone with an Earthworks microphone preamplifier to measure the Ruark Sabre-R's farfield frequency behavior and dispersion. I used an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the nearfield responses and Dayton Audio's DATS V2 system to measure the impedance magnitude and electrical phase angle.

Fig.1 Ruark Sabre-R, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed) (2 ohms/vertical div.).

Ruark specifies the Sabre-R's sensitivity as 86dB/2.823V/1m, which was confirmed by my B-weighted estimate. The…

ReDiscoveries #12: Interscope Releases the Rolling Stones' <I>Black and Blue</I>

In the Rolling Stones' long history, the Mick Taylor era was a peak, if not the peak. Taylor, who replaced cofounder Brian Jones in the late 1960s, proved a great musical foil for Keith Richards. He was a technical wizard on the guitar; those fluid higher-octaves riffs and runs were the perfect counterpoint to Richards's jabbing and stabbing and growling style. At heart, he was a bluesman, so a great fit for a band named after a Muddy Waters tune. The run of albums from Let It Bleed through It's Only Rock 'n Roll took the Stones' music in new directions and set the standard for tight, fast,…

Ruark Sabre-R loudspeaker Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog sources: Pear Audio Captain John Handy turntable with Cornet 1 tonearm and VPI Industries Goldy MC cartridge. Thorens TD 124 turntable with Korf TA-SF9R tonearm/HS-A02 Ceramic Headshell with Kuzma CAR-30 MC cartridge.
Digital source: Advance Paris X-CD9 CD player.
Amplification: Tavish Audio Design Adagio, Manley Chinook, Allnic HT-5500 (phono). Unison Research S6 Black Edition, Heed Elixir, AVM Evolution AS 5.3 (integrated).
Loudspeakers: Quad S2.
Cables: Interconnects: Triode Wire Labs Spirit II (RCA), "Spirit 75" S/PDIF (RCA/BNC).…

The Grid to Host Private Listening Event Featuring Systems from Goldmund and Marten on March 28

The Grid, one of the largest home audio retailers in Texas, will be hosting a private listening event at its Houston showroom on March 28, 2026. Systems that primarily feature gear from Goldmund and Marten will be shown, according to an official press statement, "in a carefully prepared environment, demonstrating their full potential."

The invitation-only event, which is primarily intended to celebrate Goldmund and Marten's addition to The Grid portfolio, will be held from 6pm to 9pm (CST) on March 28 at The Grid, 6362 Alder Dr., Houston, TX 77081. To RSVP, go here.

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Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 600.2 integrated amplifier

In 1991, when Heinz Lichtenegger founded Pro-Ject, part of the Audio Tuning group of companies, he went against the advancing digital onslaught, demonstrating absolute confidence in analog record players, which at the time were in steep decline. He and his team made a remarkable success selling devices to play vinyl discs under the Pro-Ject brand and providing OEM product to other manufacturers. In the decades since, Pro-Ject has expanded to include a wide range of electronics, both digital and analog. One piece of Audio Tuning is Musical Fidelity, which was founded in the UK in 1982 by…

Hi-Fi as Art: Devon Turnbull & Ojas Audio

Since founding Ojas in the 1990s and applying the name to his audio components, Devon Turnbull has mined a young audience that the traditional hi-fi industry has struggled to reach. Those who know about him receive his speakers, amplifiers, and turntables as if they were gifts delivered from on high.

Turnbull has many devotees in the high-end community, and a handful of detractors, as anyone has when they're doing something fresh and new. No matter: When you meet him, it quickly becomes apparent that he isn't driven by praise. Rather, he's driven by a desire to introduce a receptive young…

March 2026 Jazz Record Reviews

Bill Ware and The Club Bird All Stars: Martian Sunset
Ware, vibraphone; Rez Abbasi, guitar; Matt King, piano; Jay Anderson, bass; Taru Alexander, drums
Sunnyside (CD, Digital). 2025. Richard Levy, Dana Ware, prods.; Maureen Sickler, Ware, Katsuhiko Naito, engs.
Performance ***
Sonics ****

Jazz and cooking have much in common. Both require fearlessness tempered by restraint, attentiveness married to flexibility.

If one had to assign a culinary counterpart to the vibraphone, it would be paprika: versatile, emphasizing the subtlety of other flavors while bringing its…

March 2026 Rock/Pop Record Reviews

Brandi Carlile: Returning to Myself
Interscope Records (auditioned as an LP). 2025. Andrew Watt, prod.; Paul LaMalfa, eng.
Performance ****
Sonics *****

There's a quiet irony in Brandi Carlile's decision to release an intimate, inward-looking album after the visibility she's built up over the past several years. Returning to Myself feels like a step inward, her own personal Nebraska. Like that Springsteen album, Returning slows the pace, strips away excess, and allows Carlile and listeners to catch their collective breath.

After spending time with Joni Mitchell…