Rattle, the Berlin Philharmonic, Direct to Disk...

Spectacular effort here it would seem, and a price to boot - nearly 500Euro - but surely a 6 LP signed set that many will cherish. Too rich for my wallet, sadly, but if you have the resources and the love, why not? More here.

It's all in the wood...why a classic violin sounds like it does

Seems some of the magic of Stradivari violins lies in certain chemical treatments used in the woods back then. More in the NYT science section today:

Genesis announces Maestro

Gary Koh is a deep thinker, and an original one, so when he announces a new product, I tend to take notice. I know, who needs another $30k speaker right? Well....need is rarely the same as want and I'd love to hear these in my room anytime.  Multiple drivers front and rear, built in amplification and tweaking make this a speaker that can adjust to your room rather than the other way round.

 “A new design for the G5 was probably what I’ve been most requested for,” said Mr. Gary Leonard Koh, CEO and Chief Designer of Genesis. “Even from owners of the G5.3! There are many who love the form factor, and how it will fit into a small room. I’ve resisted because why mess with something already great? But after more than 10 years, I guess it’s time.”
“So, how do I re-design what I thought was already a classic and the speaker that got me to fall in love with the brand in the first place –the Genesis V? I already had some new ideas from developing the 5-way crossover in the G-Force launched in 2015, so it took less to persuade me to start a re-design. Still, it took the better part of 2 years.”
“Having listened carefully to the feedback from our loyal end users, many of the greatly admired sonic characteristics and features of its predecessors – the Gen V, G500, G501, and G5.3 – have been reincorporated into the new Mæstro, but updated with the latest technology,” said Mr. Koh. “A ‘no compromises’ approach has been taken to ensure that this speaker can be incorporated into any number of situations producing nothing less than spectacular results. One of the features most requested was the four woofers in the 1994 Genesis V. It’s a bit of an over-kill, but I relented anyway for the 2017 Maestro.” 

The Mæstro is a 5-way loudspeaker with two Genesis Ring-Radiator Ribbon Tweeters (front and back), a single 4.5-inch solid Titanium-cone midrange driver, two 6.5-inch aluminum mid-bass couplers and four 8-inch woofers with an integrated 500W servo-controlled bass amplifier.
The Mæstro features the Genesis Acoustic Suspension system so that it can be used on the many types of flooring encountered throughout the world – including uneven natural stone tiles, smooth granite, deep pile carpet, and suspended wooden floors.  Stainless steel spikes and a suspension frame hold the loudspeaker rigidly for best imaging and bass control. Neoprene decouplers act like shock absorbers, making sure that the cabinet is not affected by floor-borne vibrations.
The three sections of the loudspeaker – midrange/tweeter, midbass coupler and woofers – are housed in three separate cabinets with separate crossovers in each. The result is improved midrange clarity, a cleaner and tighter bass, more precise and pin-point image, and a holographic soundstage.
 “As part of our efforts towards a more family-friendly loudspeaker, the Mæstro will be featured in beautiful real-wood veneers. In the initial launch, we will offer ebony and rosewood veneers a rich, high-gloss finish” said Ms. Carolyn Koh, COO of Genesis. “The larger sweet-spot of the Mæstro means that the wife and kids will no longer be relegated to the ‘cheap seats’ when listening to music at home. It should be noted that the original Genesis V was released at $14,500 in 1995. Time and inflation has taken its toll and the new Maestro with 20 years of improvements and upgrades will retail at a recommended US$30,000 plus taxes” continued Ms. Koh.

The Genesis Mæstro will be available through authorized Genesis dealers and distributors worldwide Spring 2017. Complete specifications for the Genesis 5-series Mæstro loudspeaker can be found at www.genesisloudspeakers.com.

NME reports vinyl outselling downloads

Might be that nothing much is selling but it makes for interesting reading in the light of vinyl's near death experience 20 years ago. Here's the story

Bryston turntable - setting the standard

I had two very enjoyable months to experience the Bryston BLP-1 turntable, and the review is now live at HiFi'Zine.  Any chance they'd make a decent ultrasonic cleaner at a reasonable price next?

Next up, I have a set of power cords from IceAge Audio and Bybee's RCA connectors that have been interfacing with my Spectron amps, both raising interesting questions about value and tweaks. 

Why Paypal makes sense

Without paypal, deals involving checks and wiring of funds run huge risks. Check out this rather scary account of a deal gone wrong on A'gon