Loading...

Saariaho and Koh. Jennifer Koh, violin. Nicolas Hodges, piano. Hsin-Yun Huang, viola. Wilhelmena Smith, cello. Anssi Kaarttunen, cello, Curtis 20/21 Ensemble, Conner Gray Covington, conductor. Çedille CDR 90000183. There is some contemporary music we listen to because we just want to know what's going on. This is not the same as keeping up with fashion,... Read More »

ORGM-1030, LP $24, available at https://orgmusic.merchnow.com/products/v2/276626/softly-black-vinyl This one threw me for a loop, as my mom likes to say when she's thrown for a loop. I took one look at the cover and thought, "Oh, here's another wonderful ORG reissue from the Golden Age of Jazz." I know of Shirley Horn, but I'm not that... Read More »

With six Zesto creations under my reviewing belt, I believe I have a good idea what each do well, and how each ranks in the high-end audiophile pantheon. I rarely keep gear, but the Zesto Allasso became a welcome addition to my vinyl playback earlier this year. That said, I was bowled over by the... Read More »

The image above is presented as proof of my credentials for reviewing vacuum tube integrated amplifiers. The photo of my younger son was taken two decades ago sitting next to the Air Tight Acoustic Masterpiece M-101 integrated amplifier (audioMusings Issue 6, 1998 HERE). The infant is now a grown man and moved on to pursue his... Read More »

David Williamson, with additional comments from David W. Robinson Some days it's tough being the source for headphone recommendations among my friend group. First, there's an overwhelming amount of digital advertisements for "premium" and "cutting-edge" headphones crowding everyone's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds that one must contend with. Every social-media-derived question seems to be about... Read More »

It's time for an update on the MAG-LEV ML1 levitating turntable. You'll find my world premiere review HERE. After four months in heavy use and with my modifications on board, I am pleased to report that the ML1, for all its novelty and glamour, is also a high performing, exceptionally musical turntable, even for the... Read More »

The Odin currently marks Bergmann's flagship in their range of air bearing tonearms. Head of company Johnnie Bergmann did not design it specifically for one of his turntables, but as a tonearm that is intended for universal application also on turntables from other manufacturers. Whilst visiting the company's headquarters in the Danish town of Hobro... Read More »

What's New? I've calculated that every time I leave my apartment, it costs me $50 on average. In an odd way, that makes me feel patriotic, like I'm doing my bit to keep the consumer economy humming. Doesn't it make me a good citizen? It was late summer and the doldrums had set in, so... Read More »

  A tuner can deliver to the ardent music lover a huge selection of live and recorded music from a myriad of musical genres and can be educational and unwaveringly pleasurable invented in 1933 by engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. FM broadcasting is capable of... Read More »

I hear this term thrown around loosely... "disruptive product," sometimes appropriately used... however in this case, we have a winner. I've been on a mission lately, unintentional as it may seem, to be reviewing Class-D based amplifiers. Talk about a dirty word. I've had so many in an out of here, my head is spinning.... Read More »

John Marks' latest recommendation from his The Tannhauser Gate blog site follows. As always, his recommendations are worth noting. David W. Robinson, Ye Olde Editor Friday, November 9 (2018), Deutsche Grammophon will release the CD Light Eternal—The Choral Music of Morten Lauridsen. Amazon's pre-order price for the CD is $12.59, which is a truly excellent price. But... Read More »

ORG Music, ORGM 1040, LP $27.99, available everywhere For a guy who has owned umpteen copies of Time Out over the years, everything from an early pressing to one of those JVC Super Bit-Mapped CDs to the latest LP remastering from Analogue Productions, my record collection is suspiciously devoid of Dave Brubeck records. Other than... Read More »

Ratings Global Appreciation: 9.5 - Music: A - Recording: 9.5 - Mastering: 9.5 - Lacquer Cutting: 9.5 - Pressing: 9.5 - Packaging: fairly good gatefold + poly-lined paper inner sleaves Category: Memphis soul, funk, protodisco, soul-jazz, Blaxploitation soundtrack style. Format: Vinyl (2x 130 to 150 gram approx. LPs at 33 1/3 rpm) Credits Composed and Produced by... Read More »

I've had the "Dirty Weekend" version of the Zu Audio Omens for almost five years now; retailing for right at $1K USD, they're the least expensive way to taste the Zu experience. Zu has a very liberal upgrade and trade-in policy; they're constantly improving the technology of the drivers and cabinets they employ. The "Dirty... Read More »

Bob James. If you had told me years ago that Bob James of 70s "light" jazz fame was still recording new music in 2018, I'd probably have nodded and said, sure, though I would have wagered that the music would likely be silly place holder stuff, pay the bills sort of at thing. Turns out... Read More »

If you read Parts 1 and 2 of my Soundsmith review series in Positive Feedback Issue 98, where I wrote about the new Carmen Mk II (HERE) and new Zephyr Mk III (HERE) phonograph cartridges, you know that I found Peter Ledermann's designs to be among the most musically satisfying phonograph cartridges I have ever... Read More »

The Virginia-Class Referenceαε isoBASE™ is Silent Running Audio's (SRA) statement platform for vibration abatement, isolation and sound reinforcement in audio source and electronic components. SRA CEO Kevin Tellekamp describes it as "the culmination of what we've learned over 30 years in the design and manufacture of vibration and acoustical solutions for the aerospace, military, electronics... Read More »

Yarlung Records, YAR77215, gold substrate CD pressed in Germany. Also available in Single, Double, and Quad DSD download formats, stereo/multichannel Organ Builder and Technician: Manuel Rosales  Recording Engineers: Bob Attiyeh & Arian Jansen  Microphone Technician: David Bock Vacuum Tube Microphones: Ancona Audio Microphone Preamplification: Elliot Midwood  Stereo Mastering Engineers: Steve Hoffman & Bob Attiyeh Surround Sound Mastering... Read More »

How times have changed! Just a decade ago tape enthusiasts literally grabbed any title they could get their hands on just to have something, anything, to play on their machines. Many of those tapes, in retrospect, were pretty darn bad. Jump ahead a decade and there is such a glut of tapes on the market... Read More »