Interesting article on the vinyl resurgence

Including numbers on sales etc. from Pitchfork by Joel Oliphint, including sales figures over time. What is most interesting here though is the behind the scenes examination of pressing plants and the costs and hazards of setting one up. Seems many bands have no idea that vinyl requires particular mastering steps and then there's the depressing nugget that 15% of record sales are to people who never listen to them but download the MP3 accompanying it or, one imagines, hold on to them in the hope of selling on for profit later. All in all, an excellent read, worth checking out. Lots of good images too.

Pioneer launch a new turntable

The Technics 1200 is still mourned by many but this appears to be a close alternative from Pioneer, the new PLX-1000. Weighing in at nearly 29lbs, this direct drive alternative might actually have something. I expect a few folks on the audio forums to come up with some mods and tweaks for this in short order. List price is $699, it offers an alternative to some of the overpriced Technics selling on Ebay. Sadly, the search function on Pioneer's site leaves much to be desired if you want track one down quickly. Certainly there does not appear to be a model available anywhere near here. If you get to hear one, let me know. I won't hold my breath waiting for a review sample.



And, not for the faint of heart, see some DJs putting it through it's paces in the video below. Don't try this at home audiophiles :)

Charlie Haden dies.

Sorry to report this, but I heard this afternoon that Charlie Haden has died:

"It is with deep sorrow that we announce that Charlie Haden, born August 6, 1937 in Shenandoah, Iowa,  passed away today at 10:11 Pacific time in Los Angeles after a prolonged illness. Ruth Cameron, his wife of 30 years, and his children Josh Haden, Tanya Haden, Rachel Haden and Petra Haden were all by his side."
Tina Pelikan
ECM Records Publicity

Charlie was in poor health recently but this was still unexpected. Time for some memories and celebration of a great musician through some listening this weekend. For now:

Maraschino Mono review is live

I had an interesting time with the DAC Maraschino Monos in my rig for the last few months. You can read the review now here in HiFi'Zine.   There's something interesting going in with DAC products, they have a unique sound that is very easy on the ears, and the form factor of these little monos is very unusual.  Next up, a comparison of two phono cables on my SME V. 

Love that Rowland look

And in my limited experience of it, the gear sounds pretty fine too. One can imagine this being the get-off point.


Jeff Rowland Design Group: Art in Science from Brandon Kelley on Vimeo.

Marc Maron on the vinyl life

Don't know the guy myself but I liked this from today's Guardian:

The standup, writer, sitcom star and host of the popular podcast WTF explains why vinyl has taken over his life – and wonders whether $15k is too much to spend on speakers

More here....

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: