Here we are with our Brutus Awards for 2019, but before we go into who and what, let me digress a bit.
This past year has been rather interestingly different for both Carol and me. Entering our third year of retirement we find ourselves spending less time with audio related stuff (specifically reviewing, as it is just not fun and sparks little curiosity or interest in either of us with respect what A does differently than B), but spending the same amount of time with the magazine (both as partners and as acting managing editors with PF), and way more time with my art (HERE) and all things related to the arts with Art Clout (HERE) in Long Beach. I am in my studio working on something far more than anything else related to audio, combined.
Yeah, just not really interested anymore in swapping gear in and out (been doing that for like 34 years now), or going to shows (been doing that for like 30 years now), and other than people and a few things, yeah… tiresome with too much of the same old same old that we just saw a few months ago. At our age, just too tiring, but if it is RMAF or a local show, you can count us in. Our interests and focus have moved elsewhere. Being at our "older" ages, it is clearly different priorities that bring us the emotional happiness in our closing days. Sigh.
But, we still love music and have probably spent more on music this year than any previous years (LPs and digital purchases), and spend a fair amount of time listening to whatever—I do have a rather decent system in my studio where I can play all my music and music from such sources as Qobuz. We also spend about as much money on supporting the visual arts here in Long Beach, as is evident in our growing art collection of local LB artists—well over 50 pieces by 40 some local artists—as we can afford.
You will still see Carol and me here in the "pages" of PF, but we will be writing about music and people and not really about gear (Carol has already done that move with her series of Perfect Songs), though I do have a review or two to finish off.
With that all said and done, as I said above, we do have a few products and companies to recognize.
The first goes to Fern & Roby for their Montrose turntable (included here are the table, the F&R Unipivot tonearm, upgraded bronze platter, the Way Excellent II Turntable Mat from Herbie's Audio Lab, the Tru-Sweep record brush from Integrityhifi, and the Zephyr MIMC Star ES cartridge from Soundsmith (HERE and HERE). This is a system, and working as one, gets us enjoyment from our LPs at a level never experienced prior. And all of these pieces are true works of art.
As noted from my review...
We find ourselves playing LPs at a higher volume and for longer with no hint of fatigue. Any visitors are truly transfixed with tapping feet and nodding heads… the music is there. It fills the room. It is quite stellar. We are buying the table and cartridge. Not leaving the room. Sold.
Love the look. Love the finish. Love the functionality of the design. Love the supplied feet and record weight. Love the simplicity and yet stability of the table. Stability such that once set, there is nothing else to do other than to listen to as many LPs as time will permit. We are buying a ton of vinyl now, which is good and not so good... we are retired and so money is pretty much fixed. Oh well, what can you do when you have an audio component that makes you want to have more music?
Chris really over thought everything with this table. The fit and finish, the materials, the design and functionality, the beauty in the simplicity and yet, complexity that is all rather hidden inside the table's appearance. Note: the table and arm, all the materials and whatnot are made in-house. This is all Fern & Roby engineering and design; their choices, execution, and assembly. All with a strong sense of design and art—all intertwined with a focus on engineering and its beauty. This is not some kludgy concocted audio thing to be put away on a shelf or cabinet. No, the table needs, requires, demands to be set out (up) in a way that any piece of art would.
Yeah, we are that smitten. Quite smitten. For sure this is a rave, just not sure what else to say. Heck, I can't find anything to dismiss or quibble over. The Montrose turntable and Soundsmith cartridge "rocks... and I want more please."
As noted from Carol's review...
… after Dave and I married, we worked our way up through a series of different turntables, and I got to the point where listening to records was just too much of a hassle, so I stopped. With the advent of the Fern & Roby Montrose in our system, I can once again listen to records, and enjoy the experience.
Having said that though, I can tell you that LP listening was dramatically improved with the Montrose. Everything sounded fuller and more organic.
At $7500, this is not an inexpensive (the supplied Soundsmith MIMC cartridge adds another $1995), entry level turntable, but if you are in the market for a high-end table, this one is highly recommended. You not only get the gear, but you get the support and expertise of the company behind it.
The second award goes to the artisanal Black Cat Matrix line of cables (specifically the 3202 interconnects, 3232 speaker cables, and the DIGIT USB), owned and operated by Chris Sommovigo, these are another work of art in terms of fit, finish, and musicality.
As noted from my review (HERE)…
Like, what the hell?! How does Chris Sommovigo get this sound, this performance, this level of musicality for such—the world of high-end audio—a seriously affordable price.
With any of the cables in the system, the music opens up. There is more space and clarity to the music, to the individuality of the instruments or sounds. Think light, think brighter. Not brighter in terms of being bright or titled up, but brighter in terms of light. Light that delineates the edges and space of the instruments and sounds. Light in the sense of hearing more. These are clearly the most palpable cables I have had here …ever.
Smooth and refined. Balanced and dynamic. Extended and clean. Bass is quite startling solid and there. Bam… rumble. Extended and very well defined. No bloat or smear... texture is there in spades as well.
Think of how objects are expanded out from the original object to show the parts. The cables pretty much do that. They take a denser soundscape and open it up, letting one perceive more in terms of what is there. As I said, increased definition and delineation of the space and images. Of the instruments and sounds. You feel like you are hearing more. More music. More light. Can't beat that!
… these are a new benchmark for me in terms of what I want, what I like to hear with our music in our room with our system (and Carol too), what I can get, and what I can afford. Realistic audio.
The third award goes to Roon with their latest version Roon 1.7 update. Stunningly good in all respects. Sounds more detailed and there with more stuff being audible in our music. Not just stuff, but musical stuff that makes the music more engaging. Perhaps a bit richer and warmer. I know that they might dispute this, but yeah… it is better sonically, no make that musically than the previous versions. Works beautifully with the Antipodes CX/Sonore combo (HERE). A must addition to anyone who wants to play files from a computer or server that does not offer its own dedicated playback software. I only wish that it could find the artists' info for all my music, not just a lot of it. Perhaps one day soon?
The fourth award goes to Antipodes and Sonore for the Roon based system we have here (HERE).
As noted from my review...
…this is the Golden Ticket: the CX Ethernet direct to the Sonore ultraRendu Cable Ethernet input with its USB audio output to the USB input on the Sonore ultraDigitalUSB to S/PDIF and LVDS i2s converter and then out via HDMI to the PS Audio DAC's HDMI input. Oh man! Now we are cooking. This was what I was after. The benefits of direct Ethernet out combined with the rendering of the ultraRendu and the resolution of the HDMI via the Sonore ultraDigitalUSB. All clean, all resolving, all engaging… and oh so musically rich. Bass and slam. Dynamics. Layers and layers. Space and depth. Wide and big… now I had it all. Texture and palpable presence. Immersion. All encompassing. All that I wanted from my music, from my system, from my room… what I wanted to hear and how I wanted to hear it. And yeah, Carol liked it too. Now we had it all. This configuration was stellar.
… As a conclusion of sorts (am thinking I will have something more to add to this later), I cannot recommend the CX any more than by saying, you really need to audition one today. It is quite wonderful. Yeah, at $6050 it is not inexpensive, but then top-notch quality and performance rarely are—more often than not, you do get what you pay for and there are other such products several times the price of the CX.
And our next award goes to SBooster ($399). While I gave them an award years ago, the newer versions of the BOTW ECO MKII Power Supply (HERE) is a wonderful improvement to the Sonore products. Actually, using the BOTW ECO MKII Power Supplies for anything that requires DC power is a wake-up call over that heard from any supplied wall-wart.
As noted from my review...
...the SBoosters are more of a final destination. It might not matter to you, these differences are not night and day, but are audible… but they do matter to us. Cleaner and stable power equals cleaner and stable music. Stable in the sense of getting what is there without anything much in the way. Our music just sounds better.
Thanks for reading.
