Where am I?

Thank you for asking. It's rather touching that some of you still visit and inquire but I've been on a bit of leave from regular posting. Indeed I've been on a bit of leave from audio generally. Several factors are at play, not least a change in my life arrangements, but most importantly, I confess I started to lose interest around the time MQA arrived and people started arguing endlessly about who heard what and who was in the pocket of others etc. Throw in the endless measurement and evidence debates about DACs, cables and prices, with the sense that every few years the same tired arguments are made, and the whole business seemed to wear my interests down. I still love the music, still listen to everything, still play guitar but I think I found the ratings, attention-grabbing and, frankly, lack of attention on music, all a bit pointless in the end. 

While I appreciate the efforts many reviewers put into the schedule, and the needs of manufacturers to get their wares in the window, I don't feel terribly energized by yet another release of some 1970s AOR,  a pair of cheap headphones, or the latest math-marveling budget DAC. Since I was never the type to get megabuck items to check out (I know my place in the food-chain), I just started saying no to putting a new interconnect in my system on someone else's timeline when I knew it would be hard to say anything original or useful about the experience.  This is not t say I won't be drawn back but with no formal affiliation and no great enthusiasm for streaming or roon-ing (yet),  I'll just keep musing on occasion here as bits and pieces take my fancy or some recording moves me, while getting my reading kick from Herb Reichert's columns. 

Peaceful holidays to all.

The lives of vinyl

 I was struck by this story in the Guardian, not least as I just had a conversation with the plumber who asked me who would want my (admittedly smaller) LP collection when I'm gone?  Actually, my son already told me he wants it but I suspect the challenge of moving and housing thousands of LPs is somewhat invisible until you try to do it. Anyway, this made me smile:

Her dead father left her 10,000 records 

Roy Gandy gifts all his shares to Rega employees

New bookshelf speaker from PS Audio

The rather interesting Aspen line of speakers from PS Audio has a new member, the monitor sized FR5 -- see press release below (slightly edited to reduce length). I'd be keen to give these a listen, $3500 a pair but you can trade-in any working gear I believe to get a reduced price, see their website for details:
 

 

 

Boulder, Colorado, July 3, 2024 – PS Audio today announced the introduction of its aspen FR5 loudspeaker, a stand-mounted speaker that delivers the same quality of extraordinary musical realism as the larger aspen Series models, in a compact design that fits easily into smaller and medium-sized rooms.
 
The new FR5 features a custom-designed PS Audio push-pull planar magnetic high-frequency driver, complemented by a newly-designed midrange/woofer, and a high-excursion passive radiator. Available in satin black or satin white with optional matching stands, the PS Audio FR5 is styled to complement any décor.
 
Paul McGowan, PS Audio CEO pointed out: “The FR5 was designed to bring the same level of uncompromising sound quality as all aspen Series speakers into any listening environment, and is ideal for living spaces where floorstanding speakers can’t be used.” 

The drivers in the FR5 are purpose-designed by PS Audio and are tuned for optimum performance in a two-way stand-mount configuration

The aspen FR5 features a newly-designed 6.5-inch cast frame midrange/woofer made from Curv woven polypropylene, a material that is drawn into thin monofilaments and woven and reinforced using a proprietary process. It’s augmented by a rear-firing 6 by 9-inch passive radiator to achieve in-room low-frequency extension down to 30 Hz. Both FR5 drivers are mounted on a thermoset resin front baffle that adds rigidity and minimizes diffraction effects.

 
PS Audio’s aspen FR5 utilizes a new enclosure technology, with viscoelastic damping sheets between the bracing and cabinet side walls, and around the woofer. The crossover uses air-core inductors, metallized poly capacitors, and wirewound resistors to ensure maximum sonic purity and seamless driver integration. 

 

Complemented by its optional matching stand which be mass-loaded, the FR5 comes with magnetically detachable grilles.
 
Available in August 2024 at a suggested retail price of US $3,499 per pair. The optional stands will be available at US $500 per pair.

 
aspen FR5 Features at a Glance:
 

• Enclosure type: sealed
• High-frequency transducer: 2.5-inch planar magnetic ribbon tweeter with Teonex diaphragm
• Midrange/low-frequency transducer: 6.5-inch cast-frame, Curv woven polypropylene, split-gap magnet structure with dual copper Faraday rings
• Passive radiator: 6 by 9-inch rear-firing
• Thermoset resin fiberglass-composite woofer baffle
• Magnetically-attached grille
• Custom crossover with premium metallized poly capacitors, air-core inductors and wirewound resistors
• Frequency Response: 35 Hz – 20 kHz (- 6 dB, half-space; 30 Hz – 6 dB in-room)
• Crossover Frequency: 1,750 Hz
• Sensitivity: 83.5 dB
• Nominal Impedance: 6 ohms (5.6 ohms minimum)
• Recommended Amplifier Power: 50 – 150 watts
• Dimensions: 14.5 x 8 x 13 inches (speaker only), optional stand, 28.25 x 11.75 x 14 inches
• Weight: speaker, 26.6 lbs. (12.1 kg), stand, 13.7 lbs. (6.2 kg)

 

Sad news from Mosaic

Little more to add than this official announcement, but I'll be digging through the numerous box sets this evening and giving thanks for his work.

Michael Cuscuna
1948 - 2024

Michael Cuscuna, a titan in the world of jazz, passed away on April 20, 2024, leaving behind a legacy that will resonate for generations.
 
Michael is survived by his wife Lisa, his children, Max and his wife Jackie, and Lauren, and two grandchildren, Nicolas and Penelope Cuscuna. His passing leaves a void in the hearts of all who knew him. May he rest in peace, and forever be remembered as he will be deeply missed.
 
Throughout his career, Michael possessed a curiosity for unearthing unissued jazz recordings, delving into the vaults of record labels looking for hidden gems. In 1975 his search led him to the great Blue Note vaults – unlocking a treasure of unissued material by the great jazz legends.
 
This experience would later be the impetus for co-founding Mosaic Records Inc, a boutique label specializing in complete sets of some of the most influential jazz artists. Mosaic Records, co-founded with Charles Lourie, produced hundreds of editions including works by Thelonious Monk, Sidney Bechet, Hank Mobley, John Coltrane, Lee Morgan, Dexter Gordon, Art Blakey, Tina Brooks, The Nat King Cole Trio and Miles Davis.
 
Michael recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Downbeat and here is an excerpt of one of Michael’s last interviews this past January. (full interview here).
 
Born in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1948, Cuscuna first got into music at the age of 9 or 10. “It was contemporary R&B on the radio at first,” he recalled recently. “But I played drums on a little starter kit and got into drum records like Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich on Verve, then Max Roach and Art Blakey. When I started to hear the music around the drums, that’s when I got completely hooked. I went through Benny Goodman, Dave Brubeck and the MJQ, until I caught up to what was going on around me around 1960.
 
“By age 14, I was going to Birdland, which had a peanut gallery. That’s when I heard Blakey and the Messengers, the Coltrane Quartet and Miles. They became my passion and still are. It’s the stuff that gets to you between about 12 and 25 that stays with you for life. You never absorb music in quite the same way after that.”
 
Many years ago, Woody Shaw said of Cuscuna, “No matter what you produce or do in your life, the thing you’ll be remembered for is rescuing all that Blue Note material.”
 
“Looking back all these years,” Cuscuna says today, “I’m content with that.”

A new (to me) local company -- Introducing Austin AudioWorks

 Happy to learn of a local audio company producing headphone and phono amps (with more to come). Austin AudioWorks. In truth, they've been around a bit longer than I realized and have at the help both Barry Thornton (formerly of Quintessence Audio Group among others) and Bill Leebens (whom I last met when he was overseeing reviews for PS Audio). Since it's common to see new companies launching nose-beed priced products, what fun to find Austin AudioWorks launching a $1600 phono stage that covers MM and MC cartridges, balanced and single ended outputs,  with front facing controls for resistance, capacity and gain.   And it's made in Austin too, apparently. This little 'do-it-all' might just be a vinyl lovers dream.   Find out more at https://austinaudioworks.com

Times must be getting tight at Blue Note!

I took advantage of a Blue Note Records sale to grab some Tone Poets last month, their special offer besting all prices I could find and, of course, encouraging me to pick up one or two I might otherwise have let slip by this year.  Yes, I do have that Joe Lovano album on CD from back in the day but when you start browsing and adding up all the money you're saving, resistance is somewhat hard to muster. 

I waited til today for delivery to have them all shipped in one package. I knew this saved me some costs for both me and Blue Note but I was rather surprised to see how a box of 7 LPs arrived on my doorstep from UPS. 

One small, single layer cardboard box, with no internal padding or support, left at my front stoop with a visible split and bend on one corner. As is so often the case, the UPS driver was off and away before I even opened the door.

As I picked it up and the cardboard folded in my hands, I expected the worst but fortunately, the records all seemed to survive without damage. But compared to the packaging provided by Music Direct, Acoustic Sounds, or hell, even Amazon when shipping most LPs, this felt downright flimsy. I expect better shipping from individuals selling via Discogs. I do understand companies want to reduce costs but this seems to me to be asking for trouble and a lot of returns if it's the new normal. Thank goodness it was not raining.  Hopefully this is a one off, but be careful when ordering more than one or two records at a time here.

Hey boomer....New music?

When you get an email from Music Direct entitled 'New music arrivals' you might be a little surprised to see what that actually means to audiophiles. And only $60 for SuperVinyl....If ever there was a sign of an aging demographic...

 

 

Jim Winey of Magnepan, RIP

 Sorry to hear this but not entirely surprised, time keeps on moving. Never owned but was always fascinated by Magnepan speakers, and let's be clear, Maggie owners tend to have a rather fanatical connection with these designs. Always enjoyed listening when I came across them at shows, even if you had to sign up or wait outside to get a chance to join the room.  Anyway, this video says more than I ever could. RIP Jim. 

What's changed at Audiogon?

I used to frequent Audiogon regularly back in the day, checking out new listings, piecing together deals on components, even selling a few items, including two high-end turntables. Always had good experiences. I checked out the discussion forums recently and they seem to have become very heavily policed.  Tempted to join a conversation to share some experience dealing with PayPal on a deal gone south, I naturally logged in and hit reply. Well, not so fast there fella!  Seems now I have to hand over my telephone number to be able to reply. Odd, I thought, so I checked my profile there. I've been a member for 17 years, have extremely positive feedback, and they have my mail and email details, login name and password, but I can no longer post without adding my phone number?   I decided not to bother.   I don't frequent the discussion forums there much so I presume something happened that made them apply this requirement but what's next? A credit card number?   I'll remain a passive reader.

Speaker shipping done easy?

If you've experienced unpacking new speakers in your home, especially when you are on your own, boxes, packaging and wrestling are no simple task.  Enter the new PSAudio Aspen 10s, or FR10s to be technically correct, and the most ergonomic packaging I've ever seen. Man, I'd like to give these a listen but I'd also enjoy trying that packaging Lots of thought seemingly went into making these easy to receive and set up. I mean most of us never get dealer or manufacturer help (might be nice).   More here

Jerome Sabbagh new vinyl on the way

 It's been a long ride on this Kickstarter project but Jerome is coming through again with his latest album on vinyl.  Details and history here. I can't remember when I signed up (a year ago?) but after very positive experiences with his earlier offerings, starting with The Turn, I had no hesitation backing this one. Fascinating to see the budget for all this  -- inclusing recording sessions for $9k, $4k for 2" multitrack tape to record on etc., but he had a proposed total budget of $30,700 for this -- sounds small in the recording scheme but you are looking at one jazz musician taking on this in the hope of producing a great sounding vinyl recording of his own music while paying musicians and engineers etc to get this done. He even took delivery of the lps in his apartment and oversees mailing himself. Now that's commitment.  Head on over and check it out.

 

Now that's a record collection!

 

The ARChive of Contemporary Music, which houses more than 90m songs and is supported by names such as Martin Scorsese, is in need of a new home

 

Full story here

MQA....maybe quiety attenuated...

 Is it finally dead? Lots of arguments online suggest that it's over but like a good horror movies, the ending has to be extended with a few unlikely comebacks before sanity is restored. I secretly enjoyed the discourse on the Steve Hoffman forum where the 'Is MQA dead?' thread started 6 years ago and continues (spoiler alert, the answer seems to be 'yes') but I'll leave it to Wikipedia to proffer a more disinterested account. Best part of the latter report is the historical context it provides, including some choice quotes from major audiophile writers who predicted MQA would change the world. Hey, Lenbrook just acquired the assets so that horror movie scenario remains.....

Oh Sinead

I don't know why it affected me so much but the passing this week of Sinead O'Connor guts me. Lots of comments on many forums about her, largely (justifiably) positive but as Morrissey noted on his blog, the industry tributes are insincere and late. I never met her but I followed her with interest since she shot into my world with Mandinka all those years ago. I bought the Lion and the Cobra on LP back then and still have it. I was 25, moved to a new country and pining a little for something of home. She represented a different Ireland then, and always did in the years that followed.  I care little for what religion she chose at various points but I'll never forget that she was at the forefront of exposing the corruption and how she paid for that in a most public manner.  

Oddly, Nothing Compares to U is not the song I most associate with Sinead, but somehow, of all the videos posted on line this week, this one makes me smile and cry at the same time.  Her defiance was and remains inspiring, but above all she was a great performer and a true artist.  That little smile at the end of this captures her essence. Farewell brave soul.