Artisan Fidelity update and the Platterspeed app

Well, email this week confirmed what I expected, unforeseen problems causing a further delay. In this case it's a finish problem that necessitates some stripping back and refinishing of the plinth. Glad to have it taken care of now but it's par for the course given comments from other owners of Artisan tables.

Still, gives me time to tweak my SME to the utmost. Talk online of various speed checking apps left me unhappy with the output of the IRM app on my iPhone so I looked into the Dr. Feickert free app. It's great but you need to feed it a 3150hz frequency. Despite its supposed prevalence, only one of the several test records I own has this: the Analogue Productions Ultimate Test LP (side note, does it strike anyone else how limited most of the tracks on these LPs are for normal users, i.e., those without dedicated test equipment; purchase such LPs with caution despite their claims for utility).

Anyway, the free Dr. Feickert Platterspeed app takes a listen to your system as you play the track produces a summary image. Here's mine after several rounds of tweaking. It's amazing how much variation is induced by small changes. Am fairly sure that tables need to warm up a bit and stabilize or you can get variation there too.  And of course, the accuracy of your phone or iPad mic is likely to matter too. Try as I may, I could not get it dead on 3150hz, only slightly below and a large bit above....but when I checked with the good Dr, I received a reply that the numbers were so close that it was unlikely there was a living person who could discriminate further. Good enough for me and a fun app. Am going to try on any table that comes my way to see what sort of variation is out there.

Crowd sourcing vinyl releases? Meet Feedbands

Feeedbands invites input, options to learn about bands and the chance to influence releases. Musicians get to retain rights. The music releases right now don't particularly appeal to me but that's a matter of taste; the concept is great. Find out more at http://feedbands.tumblr.com/

There's no hoarder like a vinyl hoarder....

Tales from the dark side, though who amongst us is without sin?  Meet some obsessive vinyl hoarders

Potential Audioquest Rigged Demo Exposed

Potential Audioquest Rigged Demo Exposed: Audiophile drama is unfolding as an Audioquest HDMI cable demo,  showing unrealistic changes in sound, was seemingly debunked as fraudulent by Mark Waldrep, Dr. AIX.  It's a bit more complicated than it might appear but read both sides at the link above.



Btw -- Audio Advisor is having a decent sale on Audioquest cables right now!

New vinyl kickstarter....and it ain't cheap

Learned this from the always informative and entertaining Michael Fremer's Analog Planet -- a new recording project for jazz enthusiasts. Backing it could get pricey, 6 LPs cost over $300 in the first year, and from I can glean online, these are sourced from digital files so purists might be perturbed. Still, one has to admire the plan -- and it includes the artists owning their own music too. Check it out: