Video tour of the SME factory

Micheal Fremer just posted a great pair of videos he made while touring the SME factory in England. These are not the first videos that people have posted from within those walls, SME seem to have a healthy open-door attitude to displaying their wares, so to speak, but Mikey's are lengthy, detailed and to my eyes, fascinating. Thank you Mr. Fremer.

The A'gon alternatives shrink...

It was a brave effort but one alternative to Audiogon that I liked has closed its doors. Soundoffers is no more.....but it is for sale......tempted?  

What's in the review system now

The DAC Maraschinos are doing main duty now powering my Von Schweikert VR5 Anni IIs (those having been upgraded last year and still surprising me). It's quite a sight to see these little boxes powering the rig.

Also ongoing is a comparison of some decent phono cables between the SME V and Whest phono stage: a Purist Audio Design Corvus and latest addition, the Furutech Silver Arrows, which are all going head to hear with my Harmonic Tech reference cable. More on that in due course.

Sonically, I've been enjoying the Blue Note MusicMatters vinyl reissue series on 33rpm and yes, I even got to compare the new edition of the Burrell Midnight Blue with my own original. The sonics are generally what people say - very good, perhaps better than some of the much-lauded 45rpm releases but more as I go on that little area of audiophile delight. I never thought I'd be in the market for $35 LPs but it's amazing how one can rationalize.

Great NYT article on blues collector

The Ballad of Geeshie and Elvie,  from the NYT weekend magazine a few weeks ago -- but online you can hear some of the music. A fascinating read on the obsession of collectors, the nearly forgotten forebears of recorded country folk blues and the importance of music in our culture. Long but worthwhile, and when's the last time you felt that way about an online article?

Since the story broke there has been a reply by the daughter who is upset, perhaps not surprisingly, with the way the original writer obtained some of the information

Record store day among the oldies

Old records that is....  I spent a couple of happy hours this afternoon in celebration of Record Store Day at the wonderful Whetstone Audio in east Austin. Boy, I had not realized how much modernization was going in the area until I drove around looking for parking but forget that, the pickings at Whetstone were excellent. Not quite keeping count, I racked up 15lps before I got a grip and started looking at the gear on show: Rega's new R10 through a pair of Harbeth 5SL (and I think Naim amplification but I was too taken with the Rega to notice) blasting out great tunes, plus some great signs of record cleaning, tubes, dacs and a gorgeous Leben integrated that gives fresh meaning to the expression "to see is to want".

Well ,y LP stash covered a great collection of Glenn Hughes/Trapeze old releases, including an early pressing of Medusa, a Kenny Burrell, Sinatra with Quincy Jones, The Communards, Bucky Pizarrelli, Ralph Towner, and a mint copy (honest, it's not for me) of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack! But that's the fun -- I bought stuff on a whim, stuff I know I want and was happy to find, and some as gifts for people for whom a typical present is hard to determine. And the best part, once it was all racked up, Brian (the owner who seems more like a music fan than anything approaching a salesman) halved the price (hey, apparently it was a 'clearance' day) and I walked out with a stash for a barely believable $40.

If you are near Austin and love gear and music, Whetstone is well worth a visit. If you are not, the website is worth visiting since Brian adds tons of fun videos and insights to his pages routinely. He told me he's making a living and I hope he continues to do so -- this is the kind of space you simply cannot replicate online.

Bryston Mini-T review is live

We've moved to a publish as ready model now on the Zine -- no need to wait for quarterly issues. My latest review of the Bryston Mini-T speakers is now live so please--- Check it out:

The DAC Maraschinos are up next, then I am having a bit of a shoot out on some phono cables from Purist, Harmonic Tech and Furutech.....yes, I am having too much fun.

Am also spending a lot of time listening to the new Blue Note Music Matters reissues of classic LPs from Grant Green, Kenny Burrell and others. I have some originals so the comparison is interesting. No formal reviews planned but I might get round to it if time permits.  Stay tuned.

Do amps really matter?

The greatest benefit of reviewing audio gear is that I get to hear gear in my own home. Whatever you might imagine truly great gear offers, nothing brings home the reality of the audio business than listening in an environment that you know. One exercise I find instructive is to partner gear in ways that probably are not typical, so I use cheap digital front ends on expensive rigs, bargain cables between components or entry level cartridges with top class analog arms. The results are always interesting and while I realize that some great gear only shows its greatness when surrounded by equally great (read expensive) components, sometimes you unearth a gem that can deliver the goods no matter what.

I am thinking of this right now as I play with the new  Digital Amp Company's Maraschino Cherry Mono amps. I've been running them in on a more than respectable pair of Bryston Mini-T speakers (review forthcoming) and really enjoying the results. But for kicks, I tried these two-thousand dollar multie-watt amps on a pair of Pioneer BS21 speakers which I picked up for $49 shipped online. Why, you ask?  Why not?  I am not sure if these are 'Andrew Jones-designed' as the later BS22's are marketed, but they are great fun, easy to place, and decent sounding in most situations. However, put some serious amplification like the DAC Maraschinos in front of them and prepare to lift your jaw off the floor. 

If ever anyone needs confirmation of how important amps can be, they need to see what the proper implementation of power can do for cheap speakers. The monos bring something from these speakers that defies common sense. Nobody in their right mind would pair these components but if they routinely sound decent with most amps, they sound positively indecent with the Maraschinos. Yes, I still believe that speakers matter the most in system allocation but you might never realize how good that basic pair you own can sound if you don't try some high quality amplification with them.  Live and learn brother!

Minus K review is live in latest HiFi'Zine

The latest issue of HiFi'Zine (better late than never) has my latest review, a super-duper Minus K BM-8 platform which I sat under my SME 20 turntable. I can't really explain the physics but this is one component that once installed, made such a difference that if you heard it blindfolded, you would have to be deaf not to distinguish the differences. Now, distinguishing is not the same as liking but in my case, I did like the difference. Air, detail, resolution, bass, all sorts of the usual audiophile values that make me think the right platform under a table is a better investment than a new cartridge. Sadly, the cost is not trivial, the BM 8 I reviewed is $2600 (ouch!!) and it looks like it is, shall we say, not quite designed for the living room. Interestingly, I've adjusted to its looks sufficiently well to think it fits quite well in my room, but then, I run a snake's nest of wires in full view of visitors so perhaps my standards are not quite those of Home and Garden magazine.

I also have the very interesting Bryston Mini-T speakers in for review next, and a small-size-big sound pair of DAC Maraschino monos. Interesting times, interesting sounds. Stay tuned, more to come.

The Sound and The Story (1956 video of the making of an album)

"The art of creating the effect of a concert performance....a planned illusion.....appear to have the best seats in the house..."   A wonderful historical film explaining the recording of an orchestra courtesy of the Prelinger Archives. Now this might give you a new found appreciation for stampers, mold release agents, vinyl quality and the motivations of the serious collector:

Small things matter

Well, we hear that statement lot in audiophile-land,  it's the small set up tweaks that make a difference, the last half-inch of toe-in that completes the picture, and we all love a giant-killing or free adjustment that brings it all into place. Today, I am slightly kicking myself for not installing this sooner but having ordered a new belt for my SME 20/2 a couple of months back, I let it sit there waiting for the right time. The belt had to come from the UK, as best as I could find, but even with shipping and conversion to dollars it arrived for about $40. I only got around to putting it on now but wow, what was I thinking by delaying the installation? I know belts matter and people always talk about the precision that AJ Conti has pursued to improve those on his wonderful Basis tables but I used to look at mine, check the speed and generally feel all was as it should be. Now that I've made the change, I remind myself once more to never take my eyes off the important things.

Changing a belt on the SME is pretty straightforward, you lift up the weighty platter and there it is running around the sub-platter and the small motor to the left. Once removed I was pretty surprised to see the gunk that had gathered around the pulley. I guess this belt had seen better days (and certainly some warmer ones) as little bits of rubber residue were melded to the shaft on which it rides. Hmm, a few Q-tips and alcohol wipes later, it was clean but not perfect. I had to go at it with a micro-fiber cloth, a sharp point and apply some real finger pressure to get everything clean. Routine housekeeping perhaps?

The trickiest part is getting the belt on flat around the sub-platter and the motor, especially without wiping residual dust or oil from your fingers. I tried the spare white gloves that came with my PS Audio PWT (a nice touch to ensure you don't put fingerprints on the glossy top but good luck with those, I can't grip anything, never mind at weighty, shiny component with gloves that risk everything sliding through your grasp). I gave up the gloves and just washed my hands before using my fingers. Once on, I ran the very handy iPhone RPM app to check platter speed and while this is not stable enough (at least as far as I can set it up) to lock it onto one measure, I got the platter running at 33.2-33.4 rpm with some minor trimming and left it at that. Still a bit easier and probably as precise methinks as staring at the lines on those strobe disks under fluorescent light.

Anyway, the point of all this is really the sonics. Think a belt change cannot matter too much? Think again boyo. The bass on the SME just dropped down a level and came through with punch and clarity like I'd made a major change. Details emerged, transients snapped, and the soundstage was just better defined. An easy to hear difference without doubt.  This is the best $40 I have spent since I bought a cheapo Blue Jean coaxial cable for my secondary rig (that's another story but I have to say, the word on Blue Jean cables' value is probably correct). I don't feel the need to say more other than if you have belt-driven table and have not changed belts in a while, do yourself a favor.  Of course, it's bad enough to count records spun to estimate cartridge wear, I now have to use that to estimate belt age too. Record playing might just feel like it's a constant reminder of the aging process as you wear things down by use but it's also those small changes and adjustments that make vinyl in particular such an addictive pleasure. Hail the tweak!

How strange is the supposed vinyl revival?

Interesting piece from The Week suggests there is something strange happening with the uptake in LP sales, witnessed while other media show diminishing numbers. Of course, the numbers are not that impressive in absolute terms but I do think there is something in the material pleasure of  a record and its sleeve that adds to the experience of ownership and use. The ritual of playing music on a turntable may not be as convenient as iTunes but it does involve you in the moment.  Anyway, its interesting to see this story run and run. 

Tom Waits on vinyl reminds me of the pleasure we all seek

Like many of you, I suspect, I get the daily emails from PopMarket and Soundstage Direct offering vinyl or CD bundles for sale. In a moment of seasonal weakness I looked at the the 4 LP bundle of Tom Waits 70s albums for $64 and thought, why not?  Well I'm glad I did. These Rhino 180g releases came well protected and were so appealing that I ignored one of my own rules and played one without cleaning. The Heart of Saturday Night is an album that I cannot say transcends time for me because I have very specific memories tied to songs on it and boy, did they ever come flooding back to me as I played it. How does it sound? Better than the CD releases I picked up in the 1990s, but that might not be the toughtest test. For now, this is my definitive copy. Great pakaging, and a thick enough slab of super clean vinyl to cause me to adjust the Minus K platform to accomodate the weight (yes, review of the Minus K is really forthcoming, watch this space). For now, it's time to sail away on some great Waits lines and airs....all cooler than a well-diggers ass!

Audioengine Portable DAC/Headphone amp sounding sweet

I've been tempted of late to improve the sound of music I listen to via 'phones on my Mac so when Audioengine announced their new D3, a $189  headphone amp/DAC, I jumped at the chance to listen. The D3 streams 24/96 audio in a plug and play package that is small and elegantly presented in a tidy aluminum drive that can be carried anywhere.

Set up is as easy as promised, at least on my Mac. Just plug in, go to your sound settings to select it as the output, connect 'phones and brace yourself. Music, music, music. I had to carefully match volume between D3 and normal jack to be sure I was comparing fairly but really, there was no difficulty hearing the improvement wrought by the D3. Air, decay, timbre, detail, all improved to the point that even with my mid-fi Sennheiser 350s which I'd given my son for long-term loan in his gaming pursuits, the sound was excellent. I am hearing stuff on old familiars that put the sonics far closer to my reference rig, and maybe even revealing a bit more in some cases, such is the nature of headphone listening. Bass, always a bit warm with the Senns, is tighter and more resolved than I thought possible with these cans.  I can't compare the D3 to the much-lauded (and recently price-reduced) Audioquest Dragonfly, but I don't feel the need to do so right now -- I'm having too much fun. This has opened my ears (literally) to the possibilities of portable listening, so much so that  I am going to start looking for some serious phones.

You can buy direct from Audioengine for $189, with free shipping and 30 day return privileges. I don't care for 'Best of the Year' awards but if pushed, I'd have to give this one for most value. You won't get an improvement like this for less. Sweet deal.

VPI announces new product category: the table with phones combo

The Bloomberg news video is a bit funky, but you get the idea

New gear inbound!

Just as I thought it was getting quiet on the review front (Minus-K platform up next in Dec issue), I land a couple of beauties. First, Bryston offered me their Mini T speakers (mini in name only, I saw these at RMAF and if that's their idea of 'bookshelf' I'm reading some odd books!). Was impressed with what I heard in Denver so am keen to try these out at home. Should be here next week. Second, the new little mono amps from Digital Amp Co, the Maraschino, a pair are coming soon for review. Was very impressed with the Cherry stereo amp a couple of years back so am intrigued to know what Tommy O'Brien and co have come up with in the intervening years. Stay tuned. Have suggestions for what you'd like us to review? Let me know. I can't promise any manufacturer will want to play but if we can report that readers asked for their gear, it can make it easier to get to 'yes'.