Wish you were here - experience anew

I first heard this album as a 14 year old when my school friend bought it, unheard, and lent it to me to play while his record player was repaired. It's hard to explain the impact this LP had on my young ears but I memorized every lyric and was enraptured by Gilmour's guitar lines on Shine on You Crazy Diamond. Soon I bought my own copy (I ended up with a funny copy with the same label on both sides), then a regular CD, in turn replaced by a later remastered version. Something of my youth and early adulthood is captured in this music and when the new Experience version was announced, I pounced, indulging in both the CD and LP versions (at last, another chance to get those stickers and album pics). Fearing the worst, I put the CD on yesterday and it's stayed on for repeated plays. In a word, it's the best version I've heard and small details and instrumental timbre are truer here than ever.

I know everyone thinks Dark Side was Floyd's greatest contribution to music and while there is no denying its import, it is Wish You Were Here that stands for me as the band's best work. I can live without Welcome to the Machine (though i used to start-up my first desktop at work to this tune every morning) but the remaining tracks are as close to perfect British 70s rock as I can imagine four skinny boys making. Lyrically challenging and musically immersive, this album captures a time, a place and a mood that for me is totally transcendent. As a teenager, this album showed me a slightly scary world of adults lost and adrift, struggling for reconciliation and some sense of purpose in life. If Gilmour ever played better, I don't know it, and this album for me shows why the Waters-less version of Floyd is a bit like the Jimi Hendrix Experience without Jimi - just another cabaret. If this is not enough, the accompanying live recording and extra tracks from 1974-75 are really good -- a version of the title track with Stephane Grapelli on violin breathes new life into this most anthemic of songs. If you lived through this time, here's a time capsule to the past for $20 that you can enjoy again and again. Despite my despair at re-releases and endless repackaging of the same old catalog, this one has me hooked. LP review to follow, right now I am waiting for the right moment to play it -- this ritual is special.

New music continually surprises

There are always new recordings coming into my home, by choice, and most of them are very good. But sometimes I hear something that truly stops me in my tracks. One such recording is "Guaillibh a cheile" by Doimnic Mac Giolla Bridhe and Griogair Labhruidh, a collaboration of two Celtic musicians, one Irish, the other Scottish, exploring the rich traditions and commonalities of both forms. I doubt that most of you can listen to this music and understand a word that is sung, literally, but I doubt you can hear it and not be moved by the intimacy, humanity and sheer emotional conveyance on offer here.  As a blues fan I cringe when people tell me that white people cannot understand the blues but I suppose I was no different myself in believing only Celts can appreciate the meaning of pipes, bodhrans and the lamentations of Irish songs. This recording breaks that barrier by giving us all music that bridges lands and peoples, and over far greater distance than the relatively small space between Ireland and Scotland. Hear this and you hear something of the collective soul in all people. Now that's what I call music!

If interested, Amazon has it but you can also deal directly with the artists at: www.doimnic.com/en   (that's the English version, to make it easier for you!)

Mikey visits Shunyata in the Audio Beat

I enjoyed this article from the excellent Audio Beat where Michael Fremer visited Shunyata Research to get an inside look at their new measurement process for determining power cord differences. You can read the arguments yourself but one practical piece of advice from Caelin Gabriel of Shunyata for those unwilling to spend much on cords is to replace the connectors on the stock wire that came with your component for a better one. He assures you of a positive improvement. Got to say that at the cost of Hubbels, you might just be better off spending $99 on an entry level Shunyata......or was that the nefarious idea all along?

Box set mania: U2 can spend a fortune

I like U2's music as much as most casual fans so perhaps this not aimed too directly at me but, much as I enjoy Achtung Baby, I cannot fathom spending nearly $600 on the new boxed set anniversary edition. You can see the details on the Elusive Disc website but really, double 180g vinyl, multiple 7" singles, 6 cds and 4 DVDs spells overkill to this fan. I've nothing against collectible releases, after all, I was there when U2 released their first single in Ireland and I bought one of those numbered 12" singles which go for silly money on e-bay too but I'm not selling (I know where three others are too which leaves only 996 unaccounted for). Maybe it's growing older but the thought of spending that money to get such boxed set of U2 goodies leaves me flat. Of course, if you buy it and then sell it on, it's probably a better investment than some stocks. Who says audiophilia only costs you money?

Scientists discover travel at faster than light

Apparently this opens up the possibility for time travel. At last, an explanation for why most new music sounds like something I heard before.

Albert Von Schweikert on the value of biwiring

The sonic benefits of biwiring your speakers are much debated on audio forums but now Albert Von S himself has stepped into the VSA Audio Circle to give his reasoning on the science behind biwiring. Here's a teaser: 

"That is the key to the benefit of bi-wiring: by providing twin signal paths for bass and treble waves, the weaker treble waves are not modulated by the bass waves, leading to cleaner mids/highs and a more dimensional sound stage."  

An alternative to Audiogon?

I just learned about Stereolist from a friend posting over on Audio Circle. Traffic and content is a little light at the moment for anyone to really claim it as a major alternative to A'gon but it shows promise. The pricing structure and the more consumer-friendly disposition apparent from the 'about' page suggests it's worth giving this new site some encouragement. I'll be monitoring it for a few weeks to see how it goes. Here's hoping...

New issue of HiFi'Zine out now

There's a new issue of HiFi'Zine out, this one containing my review of the Perreaux Audiant 80i plus lots of other goodies. It's now our 6th issue and there's more to come. We are always interested in new contributors, this is a forum for the hobbyist, the committed audiophile who spends his or her own money on the gear that matters for them.

I have a few more items in for review, including the Harbeth P3ESR (review in Dec issue) and am rewiring my rig with Wywires cables too. All this on top of having problems with my PS Audio PPP which has pooped out on me, with a $250 service fee plus shipping to have them look at it. Dear me, but this is the third PS Audio item that I've had to send back for repair. I like the company but I am getting tired of the reliability problems. Still keeping my PWT/PWD combo though as it is the best digital I've heard in my house. In the meantime, I've been rediscovering the sound of gear fed direct from the wall and I am wondering if the line conditioner really added much other than protection. More anon.

Naim bought by Focal or not? New merger announced

Much as we might imagine hi-end specialist manufacturers live in a world of their own where their destinies are tied only to the quality of their products, the more mundane aspects of business came to the fore this past week with the news that venerably UK audio brand Naim will 'merge' with Focal. On the main Naim discussion forum there is a PR piece to whit:

A new company Focal & Co will own and manage Focal and Naim as independent brands, retaining their own philosophies and product ranges, but collaborating on research and development. Focal & Co, owned by Jacques Mahul (founder and chairman), CM-CIC (long-term shareholder in Focal) and the management teams of Focal and Naim, will employ 325 people at its facilities in St-Etienne, France and Salisbury, UK. By bringing together the research and development teams of both companies, Focal & Co will create "an industry-leading R&D capability to propel the Naim and Focal brands to the next level".

Jacques Mahul says: "For future success, the key point is that there is no future for a speaker or electronic company alone. Partnership and collaboration are the way forward both in terms of investment and R&D."Paul Stephenson, managing director of Naim Audio, says: "It is a merger of European minds. In Focal, we have found a partner which shares our passion for music and will help us take Naim to the next level. "We can achieve far more together than would have been possible alone, yet at the same time we are able to retain everything that is unique about Naim and everything that our customers love us for. "We have some incredible developments in the pipeline and this alliance will help us get those to market as quickly as possible."

A Naim spokesperson adds: "A key aspect of this merger is the joint R&D opportunities it will give both companies – a crucial benefit as the industry evolves." The spokesperson confirmed that each company's product lines – and branding – will continue as before. "You're not going to see joint branding on products," they said, also stressing that it's "business as usual" for Naim's speaker ranges.

PBN does DIY

Interesting development from PBN, a company that has a long reputation for producing very large (and reportedly very good sounding) speakers as well as a chief, the engaging Peter Noerbaek, who takes out full page adverts in the mainstream audio press explaining his designs. Tired of expensive speakers whose price is determined by labor costs more than design and parts quality, PBN has taken to offering kits of a sort. The new 'Pennywise' series allows you to buy the parts and plans or the parts and the cabinets, with the rest of the labor on you. Having built a couple of kits I'd say this is an interesting approach, especially if the resulting product is both good looking (very important if we are honest) and decent sounding. I'm keen to learn more, so if you bite, drop me a line. Peter, if you ever read this, let me know too, HiFi'Zine would be interested in trying these out.

Sony's new flagship speaker and you

Sony's new AR1 flagship speaker has launched with the kind of press many manufacturer's can only dream about, including two raves in Stereophile and The Absolute Sound. I am sure these are wonderful though I am equally sure snobs will ignore them because of the Sony name. For me, the idea that resource-rich manufacturing companies like B&W, Sony, SME etc put their efforts into audio excellence suggests real advantages and potential gains that smaller companies cannot afford.

But the real point here is just how divorced the launch and the reporting are from real audiophiles. "Go and listen for yourself'" is the mantra of reviewers but just try to do that with these speakers. A quick check of the Sony site reveals six dealers in the US carrying these new speakers, and the nearest one to me is only 300 miles away (guess that puts me nearer than most!). This reminds me of the time I tried to locate a pair of the TAD-induced Pioneer flagship line to audition, with a serious intent of buying if they hit the mark. Of course, no dealers were even listed as carrying them and an email enquiry to the company brought a polite reply asking me to clarify my request as they could not find those speakers themselves!

I suppose if you want to spend $25k on speakers you are supposedly able and willing to fork over a few more dollars to go hear them in a strange dealers or an audio show. OK, can someone please tell the reviewers then to stop hiding behind the 'hear it yourself' defense?

Rainbow Deluxe Editions prove interesting

As I type this I am listening through both discs in the new deluxe edition of Rainbow Rising, an album that for many represents the peak of Ritchie Blackmore's work under the Rainbow banner. Originally released in 1976 it contains a couple of classic tracks, especially Stargazer, and while there's no doubt Ronnie Dio and Cozy Powell contribute mightily on this record, the original LP version always sounded thin to my ears. About  a decade ago I bought the remastered CD version which added little sonically (and nothing track wise) to the original, a situation that always bewildered me given the near legendary status of this album. Jimmy Bain played bass on Rising but you'd be hard pressed to know it, up til now.

I was slightly late coming to this release, figuring that I hardly needed another copy, and when the 'extras' were revealed as just different mixes of the same songs, early reviewers seemed to imply there was little to get excited about, but after listening a couple of times, I disagree. Heaven knows only the most trainspotter-like among us need three versions of any track, and I concur with some who feel that the 'New York' mix and the 'LA' mix require some close listening to distinguish ( I do favor the LA mix where there is actually some bass guitar present), however all is forgiven once the previously unreleased 'Rough Mix' version on disc two springs forth. Reportedly sourced from Cozy Powell's own copy, and yes, available in bootleg form for years, the inclusion here belies the 'rough' descriptor and offers, to my ears, perhaps the most revealing and powerful recording of this album: greater dynamics, instrumental separation, and at last, you can hear the lower octaves. If there is a definitive version of the album, I can safely say the official release (the so-called New York mix) is not it!  I can't help but wonder how it might have gone over in the seventies if this mix had been the official release.

Of course, with this version coming in at $20 on Amazon, I pause at the thought of how many times I've bought some records (my Hendrix collection has cost me the most in this regard as there always seems to be new versions, though piecing together a collection of many mid 20th century jazz artists can be even more expensive and confusing) but in the absence of any compelling new rock to capture my attention (though I am getting a lot of pleasure from Black Country Communion's debut) I have quickly forgotten the price and just been spinning this release over the weekend with no little pleasure. Hearing "Light in the Black" brought back many happy memories of listening to this album on Radio Caroline as a teenager (definitely not an audiophile experience)  and of  meeting Cozy Powell  on the street two afternoons in a row in Dublin, quite by chance. Peace to him and Ronnie, both gone now, and both gracious, friendly people. For all their other successes, the Blackmore/Dio/Powell trinity rarely did anything better, and here at last is a chance to re-capture some of the magic. Nostalgia sometimes is what it used to be :)

The state of audio discourse

There's an ongoing 'discussion' over on the Stereophile readers' forum about audio differences in cables, which true to form has quickly come down to discussions of double-blind testing. Even truer to form, the discussion that ensues is less about testing or audibility and more of a back-and-forth, 'he said, she said' about the poster's wording or apparent bias (apparent that is, to all but the accused). The predictable positions that are adopted in these arguments render progress difficult. Once you get beyond the ad hominen attacks you find all sorts of weazeling to avoid the rather depressing fact that for all the claims, people invested in the industry often seem to argue that DBTs are pointless. Out are trotted all the problems with DBTs (many of which are true, it IS difficult but that's not a sufficient excuse to ignore the effects of bias induced by sighted reviews); then we get the complete list of all the ways one can manipulate such tests (of course, but that's true of any review method); and finally the last gasp attempt to trump everyone by claiming participation in tests on occasion and, being able to discriminate A from B in that test,  your reported differences with sighted reviews on components C through Z somehow have greater authority (as if the DBT is a test of the reviewer's abilities which somehow are immune to bias).

It's worrying how quickly this debate becomes a war of words that dismisses the typical callers for better tests as "joyless" or ridicules the idea of serious DBT by claiming none of us would really do such tests ourselves when making decisions. Of course we wouldn't but that's not the index of the DBT method's value.  I am sure we would all feel better if we knew how many people reported hearing a difference when they did not know which component they were hearing. Yes, a good DBT is hard to design, and I really don't imagine we can expect every review to contain such data but it's surely not beyond the professional audio community to arrange some benchmark tests that are not so easily dismissed as flawed or biased by the naysayers. Given the heated exchanges whenever this topic comes up, I don't buy the argument from some insiders that people don't want to read about this.  Of course, this is a two-way street as many reviewers get justifiably touchy at the suggestion that they cannot 'really' hear the differences and are only fooling themselves (and their readers) when they report such in reviews, particularly of cables, cords or tweaks. What is amazing is how the issue lingers, only to flare up on occasion to generate more heat than light on various forums.

My thinking on reviews is that where differences are so obvious, knowing what you are listening to is not that important but not  every component I review offers a black and white difference. Of course we can all tell the difference blind between a ghetto blaster and our audio rig, but I remind people to try this with increasingly similar components, e.g., DACs or interconnects,  and see how soon it is before they are less confident in the perceived differences.  Where possible, I have a family member switch connections when I am out so I am occasionally listening with the expectation that I am hearing component A when in fact B is playing. This is not always possible or easy to do, but sometimes it is enlightening. Blind tests are a useful way of calibrating your listening skills and giving you a reality check on what you think you're hearing. In the recent EVS Ground Enhancer review for HiFi'Zine I gave up after a few days of switching as I could not tell, though when sighted, I thought I could make out slight differences. Cables are the hardest  here as the changeover in my rig is not simple. That said, I've been doing some power cord listening these past days and prepared myself for quick changes (sighted) by pulling my amps out and running comparison cords in parallel from the PPP for quick loading/changing. I've actually found a cord where the effects seem pretty obvious from the get-go each time. This is not usual. Review to follow, but no blind test as my trust in family members making that kind of power cord change without trouble is not there yet.

Benchmark gets in on the video showcase

Not quite as entertaining as the SME factory tour I shared below but the latest Benchmark Newsletter has the first of a promised four videos on their manufacturing process, this one showing the curious mix of automated and hand-based soldering and assembly that goes into their circuit boards. 

Latest issue of HiFi'Zune published

The June issue of HiFi'Zine is now out and it contains two articles I've been working on for the last few months, a collective review of the EVS Ground Enhancers, and an interview with the totally charming audio designer Steve McCormack.  The collective review has four of us divided, though mostly leaning to the 'what's the fuss about here?'  Effects, if heard, are very subtle to the point, in my mind, of not being easily discerned. But others experienced something more positive. Try them yourself and let us know what you experience.

Steve McCormack is difficult to catch up with, but on the other hand, about as easy an interviewee as you could want. Obviously he has design chops to spare but he's building a new company with a mix of custom shop upgrading and up-market partnering for new products. And ie freely admits his reference speakers for testing his products are the Vandersteen 3A.  Read and feel free to comment, Steve welcomes reactions.  And just after I finished the interview, I found a video interview by him in Car Audio which is perhaps a little less structured than ours, despite Steve's best attempts to keep it on track.