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I came of age in the mid-seventies, when owning a quadraphonic sound system was being marketed as the ne plus ultra of the HiFi audio experience. I'll never forget the first time I walked into a HiFi dealer who happened to have a quad system set up and running that actually worked; hearing the immersive... Read More »

High Definition Tape Transfers (HDTT) continues delivering reissues of iconic vintage albums in high resolution sonics that are simply "to die for"  in their wonderfulness. Each few weeks, I think "It can't get any better than this" and then it does! Bob Witrak continues to work through an incredibly deep resource of tapes and LPs... Read More »

When it comes to supporting their Steinway Artists (by which Steinway & Sons actually means pianists; when Steinway says "artists," they don't mean those guys and girls wearing smocks and berets who wield paint brushes while squeezing oil paint out of tubes), Steinway really puts its money where its Public Relations interests lie. Steinway is... Read More »

Power conditioning is one of those topics that is considered a little divisive within the audiophile community. There are some who say power conditioning is not needed, there are some that say it makes sense, but it ultimately provides little value, and then there are some who say that it is incredibly important. Where I... Read More »

Continuing the conversation about what I've found recently that you might also be interested in checking out. Starting off with two very excellent releases from Yarlung Records, both in Pure DSD256, and then moving to Karina Canellakis' excellent new Bartok Concerto for Orchestra in her premier recording release as a conductor, the marvelous 2014 release... Read More »

I grew up about thirty minutes outside of Athens, Georgia, where I was a college student in the late 70s. And was very much in touch with Athens' burgeoning music scene, which included bands like the B-52's, Pylon, and Love Tractor. At the time of R.E.M.'s appearance on the scene, when "Radio Free Europe" was... Read More »

I am amazed how my role as an audiophile and audio reviewer informs my volunteer work running the Behringer X32 mixing console at church—and vice versa. Although one focuses on live performances in a much larger and livelier space than my more acoustically intimate home Audio/Visual room, in both cases, I listen closely for issues... Read More »

Craft Recordings is continuing their much anticipated Original Jazz Classics imprint reboot with the second batch of releases in the series, starting with the Bill Evans Trio's classic Waltz For Debby. This album unfortunately closed the books on Evans' first great trio; the legendary Village Vanguard live sessions that took place on June 25, 1961... Read More »

My original review for Barbra Streisand Live at the Bon Soir chronicled Impex Records' excellent SACD release and can be read HERE. As extraordinarily good as the SACD was (and is!), the long-awaited 2-LP, HQ-180 set has finally arrived, and it's definitely been worth the wait. The LP release was delayed by a meticulous approval... Read More »

Like many of you I have thoroughly immersed myself into the world of audio, and this passion has been with me since I was a young man. I remember my first humble audio system that was paid for by countless hours mowing lawns and working other various odd jobs in the neighborhood. Looking back at... Read More »

We had a pair of Row K center tickets for the Dover String Quartet at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. Everyone knows that's the eleventh row, but we found ourselves settling in four rows from the stage. What happened? An usher informed us management had enlarged the stage for this event by removing a... Read More »

Audio-Technica's least expensive moving magnet cartridge, the AT-VM95C, is a thoroughly entertaining product. While far from the last word in anything, it's a cartridge I've enjoyed on turntable and tonearm combos costing more than 100 times its price. For just $39, it tracks well and resolves in big, bold strokes that makes it just as... Read More »

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 »