No real dog in this fight but seems there's something afoot with MQA. According to various reports on line, the company is winding down either because it's in trouble or because it's preparing for a change of ownership. Here's What HiFi? has on it today:
The statement from MQA reads:
"Following the recent positive reception to MQA’s latest technology (SCL6), there has been increased international interest in buying MQA Ltd. At the same time, MQA’s main financial backer is seeking an exit. In order to be in the best position to pursue market opportunities and expedite this process, the company has undergone a restructuring initiative, which includes entering into administration and is comparable to Chapter 11 in the US.
"During this process, MQA continues to trade as usual alongside its partners.
"We won't be commenting further while negotiations take place."
I have been trying out some new desk monitors for my main working space and
settled on a pair of Tannoy Gold 7s for now. I say 'for now' as the process has been interesting. After waiting weeks to find a pair (had initially wanted the Gold 5 but they seem backordered for months so grabbed a pair of 7s when I found them. Main difference is size, the 7s have 6.5" drivers and are taller/deeper, but not too large for nearfield use.
The pair came rather flimsily packaged by the seller (Gearnutes via Amazon) but survived well enough. Installation was relatively simple and first impressions are that they are a step up from my regular Audioengine A5+ pair which have served me well for years. All good for the first week but since then I've hit a few hiccups with the auto-start in one speaker. First, it just would not start while the other speaker, a few seconds after triggering, played perfectly. A power-down and up again of the Jotunheim preamp feeding them solved it but that takes close a minute to do. Since then, the left speaker just seemed to go into sleep mode for no apparent reason even while playing music.
Since I bought from Amazon, I started there for help but they offer a return only, and pushed me off to a Tannoy help site for assistance with technical issues. To get help there one has to register the product and join the MusicTribe forum to submit a ticket. Yikes, that took even longer than a reboot of my whole set up. In case it was my preamp or cable I tried in a series of swaps while I waited for answers.
Well, one good suggestion from the Tannoy end was to play with the gain as it was possible I was not feeding enough signal to trigger the speaker into action. Well what do you know, I had reduced trim level on the front (raising the inner Class AB amp volume while minimizing gain from the Jotunheim) as I played with set up. Then I had used the trim further as minor adjustment to tweak the center image and balance for the pair in use. Well, seems in doing so I might have inhibited the actual input signal too much causing one speaker not to recognize that it was actively being fed all the time. If so, I must have been just on the cusp as most times it worked, that is until it didn't. I've put trim back to noon and noon+ now and raised the output gain from the preamp which seems to have solved the problem so now I can proceed to give these a real listening test.
I received a peculiar msg from the Blogger team last night that one of my earlier entries here was being put behind a 'warning:adult material' screen, suggesting readers needed to proceed with caution. What? Yes, it was a mild entry to the initial reviews I was doing live from RMAF 2014. I've searched and tried to determine the issue but I cannot figure out how anyone, that is any living sentient being, could find something even remotely 'mature' about it. AI doing it's thing? A disgruntled manufacturer annoyed at my comments? Someone having a laugh? Will this message trigger the same? What a world.
There's much that can and will be said. There's a ton of later video clips out there but for me, that early 70s line up was his best, and he was the coolest cat.
Jerome Sabbagh is a superb saxophonist and jazz musician who has a record of putting together recordings that matter. I backed a previous release (The Turn, fabulous) and he announced today the lauch of his latest. You can find details below but suffice to say, if you like good music, well recorded, and pressed on vinyl with care, you will likely love this. I'm in, join me and encourage this type of artistry.
Jerome Sabbagh - Vintage - 180g All Analog Vinyl Note -- the image below does not launch the video, you have to follow this link to play it.
I know he's a lightening rod for many but Roger Waters last night reminded me of why music matters. At the Moody Center in Austin he delivered pure theater with a soundtrack that few can hope to match. Heavy on Floyd, and why not, it's his music, he defied his age, and backed by a great band (and more than few loops it seems) he never went into his famed rants but rather gently reminded us in his between-song banter that he's been around for some time and likes what he's doing. Oh, and he loves his wife. It's hard to summarize what is on offer here. The stage set is built to allow him and the band to move in four directions (which he cutely, if inaccurately referred to in compass directions) and work that stage he and they certainly did. Sometimes he was in front, more times to the side or with his back to me). The two backing singers moved everywhere, as did the main guitarist. Above, a cross-shaped screen continually streamed images and text, and that's where the messages were drilled home. Military and police beatings, names of the victims of violence, reminders of his old past (replete with sarcastic but not entirely unfunny references to you-know-who from his last band) and digs at a lot of politicians (poor Joe B being described as just getting started as a war criminal might play to some in Texas but I wished he'd pointed at old Vlad). The mood was set at the start when a voice and text announcement basically said "If you are one of those people who loves Pink Floyd but hates Roger's politics, you might prefer to Fuck Off to the bar right now".
The crowd largely loved it but one feels he does not care if you do or don't. Regardless, the music wins out. What a catalog the man has. And watching him sing Wish you were Here in front of me (yes, he came in my direction for that one) was a highlight. Music can still move me and this was the soundtrack of many years delivered by professionals.
Downside -- the Moody Theater. What a shitshow. Lines to get in...incredible lines to use the restrooms (did any one plan this for real crowds) and $21 cans of beer after tax/tip? Getting out was so slow as we were herded to a few exits that I could only imagine egress in an emergency. This theatre is good once seated but seems designed to shake you down at every turn. Welcome to the machine.
There's a short interview in The Absolute Sound editor Robert Harley's blog with MoFi president Davis over what will always be known as 'The Debacle'. You can read it here. It's not exactly an exploration of the major question concerning MoFi's misleading marketing. Is this what real journalism looks like?
So, perhaps I was too understanding of MoFi's use of DSD in their much touted One Step releases. As the fall-out continues, am now reading customer service notices that buyers received which apparently assured them there was no digital step. MoFi seems to be making an effort to rewrite earlier social media postings, stating earlier messages or replies to customers were 'unauthorized' etc. This whole mess seems like a case study in mismanagement. Meanwhile, folks are having a field day posting videos of claimed all-analog processes from a couple of years ago, or quoting 'expert' reviews that raved about the sonics being evidence of all-analog superiority, sharing promotional material that touted the MoFi process and in which there is not a single mention of a digital step. Ah, the internet, history is there if you know where to look. Am even seeing reports of price drops on the used market for some of the MoFi collection (though given the asking prices from before the news broke, any adjustments are hardly at the fire sale level).
It all has the hallmarks of a road crash. You hate to see it but can't look away. And in there are other nuggets -- like Analog Planet's tour of Music Direct's record storage where the company head not only pushes the party line on all analog goodness, but when Mikey Fremer mentions that he does not have a copy of one record there, the owner basically says he must have it as they send a copy of every release to him. Now that's music direct! Not a dig at Mikey, he has been an advocate for good sound, and let's face it, who would say no to such a deal? But I am less impressed with his response to the mess in this next video where he basically argues Mike Esposito, who exposed the story, did not sufficiently act "like a journalist" and was "rolled" by the MoFi team. That's not how I view it. And the comments about Esposito's background? That reveals more about Mr. Fremer's personality than it should. Mikey does admit on camera that he basically covered up for MoFi in some of his columns though! Oh dear. Is that how a real jourmalist should act? I suspect some rewriting of history is actively ongoing, and not just on the MoFi website.
In the end, I feel for the engineering guys at MoFi who are doing their best to release great sounding records. And I have sympathy for people who did spend tons of cash for a form of record they feel was misrepresented, often directly and in response to inquiries they made prior to purchase. This is not a scenario that makes the audio industry or even the press look good. I still feel that if you love the sound of your MoFi LPs, and many people do, then that's what ultimately matters but I don't expect everyone to feel the same. We can but hope that going forward, all releases will clearly describe what you are buying and maybe the pricing will adjust accordingly. I wonder sometimes if history will view the limited edition LP craze of our time as another tulip moment. In 50 years, will any of this seem more than a silly old guy's indulgence? Thoughts for another time...
Much wailing and gnashing of teeth happening right now on audio forums over the
apparent revelation that Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs vinyl might actually not be
quite as analog as imagined. What? You paid a shitload of money for the Santana
One-Step or whatever (or you bought two copies in the hope of making a killing,
er, I mean just to make sure you had a back-up) and now you find your prize
product is not as 'pure' as you imagined? Hmm..many collectors seem to be taking
to the forums to rant, to call it a 'debacle', to claim they were tricked into
overpaying by promises of an all-analog production etc.
I understand some of
this purist-disquiet. The marketing of many releases certainly suggested you
were paying a premium for an all-analog release, but how often have we heard
analog fans saying something like 'I don't know why but I just find the sound of
LPs to be better'? So now it appears that some releases may sound better because
of a digital step in the process. Does that make it sound less impressive?
Apparently for some it does and it devalues in their minds their expensively
curated collections. But what if one didn't know? Does a record by any other
name sound as sweet?
So confusing....see if this helps (clue, it won't much but
at minute 41 you get some explanation). So is it all about the quality of sound
at the end of the day, not the marketing? From the sound engineering side, it makes sense to go with what works. But, were buyers deceived intentionally?
You have to wonder just what the marketing folks and management were thinking here. Who in the industry knew about this and kept quiet? Welcome to 2022. Transparency is in short supply.
Not sure how I missed this but I've only just learned of the passing of Dick Sequerra, another audio legend with a long history of work with Marantz before forming his own company. Most people of my age will associate his name with FM tuners, and his were among the best. He also produced several lines of speaker that owners still cherish. Here's the obit that I found from someone who had met him, but it does make me wonder how such a life passes unnoticed in the mainstream audio press (of course I might have missed it but a quick search turned up little). Read this
A trio of trios no less from master Charles Lloyd....and wait, there's brilliant Bill Frisell and Julian Lage among the players. Purchase separately or as a 3 lp boxed set (will cost you $100 plus tax after shipping for the set but I'm in). Yes, there's a cd release too, if you must. Had the pleasure of seeing Charles in concert last time he was in Austin, he was magnificent, as were his band. Here's a taste of the new release. Find out more here.
I sort of smile usually at Bill 'made for radio' Parrish's video postings, lots of talk and good vibe but not always so much content. That said, he delivers it all in an amiable manner that draws you in. Here's an interesting one, if you have the patience, that sort of says a lot about our hobby. Three guys, of a cwetain age, talking at length about one turntable and arm combo. The actual designer hardly gets a word in (you'll have to jump to around the 20 min mark to hear him talk about the 12 month lead time on Kronos products). For the rest, Dabid Robinson (who we are reminded has a PhD) spends a lot of time saying little other than 'this is the best' about the Kronos Discovery (11 actually sold in the US!) It does feel like you joined a conversation with a few guys drinking scotch who are begining to repeat themselves as it kicks in. I get the feeling Bill (conspicuously the only one without a drink) is smiling and slowly realizing it's time to cut them off. This video really does go better with a drink.
Lots of options out there for those who want to clean their records, most seem a bit pricey for what you get (audiophile reality I suppose) but this one caught my eye. Still $125 and you have to add a shop vac but it looks decent enough. If you have one, let me know.
Story of modern business I suppose, and no particular reason to worry, but both McIntosh and Faber are lifestyle brands and for some, that's attractive enough to make companies acquirable. Here's a brief PR blurb, and a link to the official announcement:
June 15, 2022 – Dallas, TX –Highlander Partners, L.P. (“Highlander”), a leading private investment firm, today announced the acquisition of McIntosh Group, through a newly-formed holding company (“the Group” or “the Company”). McIntosh Group has been a leader and innovator in the high-end audio category for decades and today manufactures and globally distributes the world’s finest amplifiers, speakers, turntables and other audio products under several renowned brands. The Company is driven by its dedication to quality performance, sophisticated technology, refined design, and artisan manufacturing. These tenets have resulted in brands known for incomparable design, product quality and consumer experiences.
The Group is anchored by the legendary McIntosh brand. Since 1949, McIntosh amplifiers have been engineered and handcrafted in Binghamton, New York and have undergone an incredible history, having powered events ranging from presidential inaugurations to Woodstock ‘69. McIntosh amps are globally renowned both for their iconic signature design – classic tubes, knobs and the beloved blue metered faceplate – as well as their unparalleled, powerful audio quality.
