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MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concerto; SAINT-SAËNS: Havanaise; Introduction and Rondo capriccioso; MASSENET: Thaïs: Méditation Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin; New York Chamber Symphony/Gerard Schwarz EMI CDC 549276 (CD, 1988). TT: 60.08 In a few recent blog posts, I've discussed what I call the shifts in the culture over time: the way in which a creative figure, after looming large,... Read More »

At times, life can be both difficult and confusing. Like when your significant other hires a Fung Shei consultant to maximize the “Chi” in your home. Said Chi expert insists on placing a large propane barbeque next to the toilet in your master bedroom’s ensuite bathroom to balance out the Chi in your toilet. Said... Read More »

Greetings friends, I hope you are well! Today’s feature article is about the incredible Audio Note (UK) Ongaku 211 single-ended-triode (SET) integrated amplifier. Audio Note (UK) is Peter Qvortrup’s family-owned audio electronics business located near Brighton, England, that specializes in building hand-crafted high-fidelity fine audio systems for people who love listening to music, and of... Read More »

For Late Boomers like me, Carly Simon's 'Anticipation' instantly triggers memories of my teen years. It played over crackling AM radio, clicked and popped on a friend's turntable, and blared over public pool PA speakers. Back then, the scent of suntan oil and glistening swimsuit bodies tantalized in the summertime. Oozing angst and excitement, the... Read More »

The avant garde in any field of endeavor inevitably challenges conventional expectations. That, in part, is precisely the point of its existence: to alert, provoke and stimulate aesthetic or conceptual attention. Judi Silvano's new album, GARDEN WINDS, with a brisk nod to Stravinsky midway, invites appreciation from those who are vulnerable to surprise and, no less, who are comfortable... Read More »

​I discovered in my career that if companies are to survive, they must continuously reinvent themselves. This applies to Audio as it does to broadcasting, cable television, streaming, and all of the exciting new technologies that we are enjoying today. It amazes me that a company founded in 1953 like Grado Labs has once once again charged into the valley of the 600, and... Read More »

Music of the Baroque and earlier rule this Recent Finds edition. From Bach (J.S. and C.P.E.), to Fux, Lassus, Hildegard von Bingen, and Machaut we have music of an earlier period on tap. And a very special treat: the marvelous Elinor Frey in her inaugural album on Channel Classics—long may that relationship flourish.   C.P.E.... Read More »

If you’re unfamiliar with my work, you should know that I am an unapologetic vinyl devotee. Since my initial record-playing days in the early 1960s, my approach to cleaning and caring for my LPs has grown steadily more effective and sophisticated over the decades. And as I am a bit of a historian, let’s take... Read More »

The Band, Music From The Big Pink (Vinylphile, 33 RPM) One of the most iconic and influential albums in rock 'n' roll history, The Band’s Music From The Big Pink was originally released in 1968 on the Capital Records label. As their debut album, it was their first recording effort after touring with Bob Dylan... Read More »

On a recent, really late evening, my phone chimed nearly nonstop as good friend and fellow high-end audio enthusiast Finnbogi Sigurdur Marinosson urgently slid into my DMs. Finnbogi and I are fairly obsessive hardware geeks, and he’d just descended into an inexplicable, almost incomprehensible journey from which there was seemingly no possibility of return. And... Read More »

The incomparable Kitty Wells (1919-2012), whose real name was Ellen Murial Deason, was the first female singer to achieve a number one hit on the country charts. The year was 1952 and the song was “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.” Many hits quickly followed, making her the first female star of country... Read More »

In this Recent Finds I'm pleased to share with you two marvelous new recordings by Jared Sacks, one a Pure DSD256 recording of Brahms solo piano music with my favorite pianist, Anna Fedorova. Also included are two excellent opera recordings: Mozart's Don Giovanni and Barber's Vanessa, each in outstanding sonics. Plus more...   Brahms, Intermezzi... Read More »

Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf Viola Davis, narrator; Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra/Gustavo Dudamel Deutsche Grammophon 4868159 (EP, WAV download only) I really ought to listen to Peter and the Wolf more often. It's tagged, unfairly, as a children's piece, but, performed with a modicum of sophistication, it's charmingly entertaining. Here in New York, the Philharmonic... Read More »

Bob Witrak continues to mine the archives for classic recordings to reissue – often in sound that is better than I ever imagined these recordings could deliver. Here are some recent releases that bring back warm memories but, more importantly, are wonderful additions to my digital music library today. Enjoy.   Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5... Read More »

What price, perfection? Put another way, at what point do diminishing returns themselves diminish?  In my view, when an audio system is sufficiently resolving, seemingly minor performance improvements associated with a change in system, source material, or acoustic environment can be profound. I’ve employed Audience’s aR2p family of adeptResponse power conditioners in my system for... Read More »

Our inimitable editor-in-chief, Dr. David, charged me with focusing on DSD256 and DXD recordings. I mostly follow that brief. And today, I have an abundance of outstanding ultra-high resolution recordings to share: six Pure DSD256 recordings and two DXD 32-bit recordings. Their sound quality gratifies my search over decades for the most discerning playback systems... Read More »

If you enjoy pop vocal records from the sixties, you might be familiar with the name Ernie Freeman (1922-1981). Freeman wrote the arrangements for Frank Sinatra’s 1966 album That’s Life (Reprise FS-1020) and Dean Martin's 1963 album Everybody Loves Somebody (Reprise RS-6130). He was also the pianist on the 1962 album Roots (Reprise R9-6057) by... Read More »

My house was built in 1970, and the AC power was pretty ratty. Flickering lights I can handle; visible arcing, not so much. As a plucky new homeowner, I first tried to tackle it myself by replacing some obviously questionable Cutler Hammer breakers and sanding away corrosion – after taping a copy of my will... Read More »

One aspect of my late teen years that I will always cherish, was the time I had the privilege of playing keyboards for a rock band. Not only did it cure me of stage fright, but it also gave me the thrill of seeing the sheer joy on people’s faces when we play them their... Read More »