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At the point in 1978 when I bought my first real stereo setup, I was browsing about Stereo Village in Buckhead (a northern Atlanta suburb), when I noticed a display for a handful of classical LPs from a label I'd never heard of, Telarc. Telarc was based in Cleveland, Ohio, and the display featured their... Read More »

I've mentioned recording engineer Frans de Rond and the excellent recordings he makes for Sound Liaison multiple times over these past four years. Not long ago I wrote about several albums from the quite exceptional Carmen Gomes, Inc: Up Jumped the Devil (HERE), Ray! (which you'll find HERE), and Little Blue (HERE). And most recently, I wrote... Read More »

Barbra Streisand, Live At The Bon Soir. Impex Records Growing up and even as an adult, I always seemed to be surrounded by passionate Barbra Streisand fans. She was my father's favorite female vocalist and both my wife and my mother-in-law simply adored her. My mom and dad attended several concerts in Las Vegas, Chicago... Read More »

I'm not sure how country music legend Eddy Arnold (1918 - 2008) would be accepted by today's music listeners. One thing that I can say with certainty is that most audiophiles are unfamiliar with his art. Arnold was the most successful country singer of his time, and yet for the latter part of his career... Read More »

Ann and I are always interested in steps we can take to bring our listening to life. For us, this often means seeking greater clarity, greater transparency, to the sound. Years ago, it was the clarity we heard when listening to the monstrous resolution delivered by the Walker Audio Proscenium Turntable—a veritable vinyl grooves vacuum... Read More »

This past spring, I heard about a new DSP (Digital Signal Processing) software from my audio friend, Jeff, via an email blast to fellow aficionados raving how it had set his listening sessions ablaze.   A retired European capital equipment salesman who boxed a little at University of Notre Dame, Jeff remains tall and lean... Read More »

Bach, O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht, BWV 118; WERT: Egressus Jesus a 7 (arr. Praetorius). Choristers of New College, Oxford; Fretwork; Taverner Consort/Andrew Parrott. Avie AV 2619. TT: 11.13. This EP marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Taverner Consort, reflecting not only its intrepid exploration of repertoire and historical practice, but its collaborations with other "period"... Read More »

Way back in the 50s a phenomenon known as the folk sampler LP existed. The company best known for making folk sampler LPs was Elektra. Other companies, like Vanguard and Prestige, culled their catalogs to create folk music samplers, but their results were sonically mediocre and musically bland. The competition simply couldn't match the musical... Read More »

Let's talk about new releases from High Definition Tape Transfers (HDTT)—they've been on a roll with great reissues of vintage recordings these last few months. Starting with a classic album from Miles Davis, then two iconic John Coltrane albums, moving along to Getz, Brubeck, Anita O'Day, Jimmy Rushing, and Sonny Stitt. And then to reissues... Read More »

Like many, I am a huge Little Feat fan. Despite all of the passion, I have been very patient. It's been quite some time since the last release of significant quality, but there have been several Little Feat audiophile LP reissues over the years. This is a band that still has a considerable following and... Read More »

"Life is a magical mystery; Bert has no part in any of that…" - Bert van der Wolf  Producer, recording and mastering engineer Bert van der Wolf, owner of Northstar Recording Services, has been making among the best engineered classical recordings one will find. I've written before about his recordings (see list of articles here) and... Read More »

Mobile Fidelity set off quite a fire storm a year ago when it suddenly became public knowledge that they'd been using a DSD step in many of their LP reissues—which were touted by the label as being all-analog throughout the remastering chain. MFSL LPs were prized by audiophiles, collectors, and music lovers alike, and were... Read More »

Sometimes you listen to a piece of equipment, and its performance gives you pause. Sometimes that pause is a good thing because what you're listening to is performing better then you expect. Unfortunately, sometimes it's a bad thing, candidly most of the time it is a bad thing. However, this review is about one of... Read More »

Ann and I just finished listening to the Reiner/CSO performance of Scheherazade (RCA Living Stereo, 1960) and we were entranced once again by just how great a performance this is. Since our transition to digital-only listening, I have missed being able to listen to this performance in really superior sound quality. Our standard from our... Read More »

In my search for the Sweetheart of the most popular phono cartridge lines, offering the highest value and top performance for the price, the Hana series of cartridges brings a powerful entry. New to the market is the Hana Umami Blue Moving-Coil Cartridge also created by the brilliant Maseo Okada of Excel Sounds in Japan,... Read More »

The iFi Neo Stream network audio streamer is a sterling representation of smart audio design, boasting an open, musical delivery from a simple and compact chassis sporting clean angular lines and functional features. As such, it's a gleaming 21st Century take on form meets function, melding well with the natural and industrial elements of a... Read More »

I continue to be delighted by the amazing titles coming out of Sam Records. If you have not heard the backstory by now, let me provide some additional insight. Sam Records is an independent one man operation founded in 2011 by Fred Thomas and located in Paris, France. His love and commitment to jazz and... Read More »

Back Up the Loudspeaker Evolutionary Ladder Last summer I waxed enthusiastically about Von Schweikert Audio's remarkable Endeavor Special Edition (ESE) loudspeakers (HERE), one of the finest components to have graced my home during my many years as a reviewer. Compact in dimensions (an important consideration here at the Lounge), blessed with first-rate fit and finish,... Read More »

Sometimes happiness arrives in simplest of forms, and this obscure LP by George Dewitt (1922 - 1979) is a perfect example. In today's world George Dewitt is unknown, but in the 1950s he was quite visible on TV as a game show host. He was also a singer. The game show was Name That Tune,... Read More »