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Bill Evans Trio, Sunday at the Village Vanguard. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab UD1S 2-002 Box (2017, June), #2103 of 3000. Originally released on Riverside – RLP 9376 (1961, Oct.) Category: jazz. Format: Vinyl (2x180 gram LPs at 45 rpm) Ratings Global Appreciation: 9.6 - Music: A (9.0) - Recording: 9.2 - Remastering + Lacquer Cutting: 10 - Pressing:... Read More »

At the recent LA Audio Show packed with manufacturers—many known to me, but also many surprises—I noticed a table loaded with sharp-looking cables and manned by a gentleman I knew: Mitch Ko. His previous company, INEX, built the most fascinating and unusual cables on the planet:  they were made of fiber optic cable and battery powered.... Read More »

   The Stein Music Powerbar 10 Signature (US version) With a track record of doing the amazing and, occasionally, the impossible, Stein Music of Germany introduces a power distribution system that works effectively and elegantly in the most sophisticated systems. Holger Stein, Chief Engineer and CEO, is both an electrical engineer and physicist and has... Read More »

Hot off the assembly line in Ogden, Utah, comes Ray Kimber's very latest thinking in USB cable design. With five other models listed, starting at $50, this tour-de-force design is a semi-affordable $900 for a meter. This is quite a deal compared to the multi-thousand dollar models I have heard, and generally out performs those... Read More »

It was about fifteen, sixteen odd years ago that I fell into the "vinyl" trap. Sure, growing up mom and pop had records, mostly of the classical Deutsche Gramophone variety; my ten years older brother had vastly greater selections diving into classic rock, some jazz and avant garde pop, but even he probably never made... Read More »

To go reel-to-reel tape or high resolution digital? That was the question facing this basically all analog person some ten years ago. No, there wasn't a lot of tape software available at the time but the same held true for high-rez digital too. Not to mention that digital playback technology was (still is?) changing from... Read More »

Ever since the first moving-coil phonograph cartridge was developed in 1948 by Holger Christian Arenstein (the Ortofon Mono-A), phono cartridge designers have been working at maximizing & refining the performance of moving-coil cartridges by trying various topologies & materials combinations for the stylus, cantilever, coil wire, suspension, magnets, pole pieces, internal wiring, cartridge housings, cartridge pins, and... Read More »

LISZT: Mephisto Waltz No. 1 (with two concert endings). MUSSORGSKY: Night on Bald Mountain. LIADOV: Baba Yaga. FRANCK: The Accursed Huntsman. DUKAS: The Sorcerer's Apprentice. SAINT-SAËNS: Danse macabre. ARNOLD: Tam O'Shanter.  J.STRAUSS II: Lucifer Polka. Minnesota Orchestra/Eiji Oue. Reference Recordings RR-82CD.  TT: 71.56 DOWNLOADS: Amazon.com (mp3); emp3s.co (mp3); itunes.apple.com; qobuz.com ("16-bit" mp3);  referencerecordings.com (Apple lossless, FLAC,... Read More »

For many years my music has been enjoyed through small, two-way stand mounted speakers. Although ones listening room usually dictates the size of the speaker they purchase, my 12X20 foot den can accommodate speakers bigger than a stand mount monitor. And it has. My current speakers are floor standers and fit quite nicely in that... Read More »

One Monday night at Carnegie Hall, we found ourselves in the second row orchestra, way over on the right, in front of and looking up at the double basses (our eyes were level with the stage). When you purchase discount tickets, you take what they give you and don't complain. Obviously, the sound was problematic.... Read More »

The years 2015 and 2016 was a major transition for my family. A promotion for my wife resulted in the remodeling and eventual sale of our home on the East side of Washington state, which had been our home base for over 15 years. In my audio room, I had put together several excellent systems,... Read More »

Back in the olden days, I owned an Ortofon MC30 Cartridge. It had output to low for my ARC SP3 to handle so I went looking for a step up transformer. I acquired the cool looking and flexible Ortofon T30 that did quite well. At $400 it was expensive as gear in 1977 goes, but... Read More »

Jorge Federico Osorio, Final Thoughts. Last Piano Works of Schubert and Brahms. Çedille CDR 90000171. I grew up on the music of the late nineteenth century—Brahms was the center of my initial musical universe, the symphonies in particular. As is often the case if you 'grow up' on a particular style and composer  (unless you... Read More »

Released in 2015, Campfire Audio headed by Ken ball has emerged as a successful in-ear monitor (IEM) company across the audiophile community. Having released in excess of 5 earphones in the past 18 months, the company are a boutique brand aiming to deliver hi-fidelity sound quality in a durable form factor. Campfire Audio's Andromeda was... Read More »

Please be patient as I step you through some backstory. I reviewed the Synergistic Research PowerCell 10 UEF power conditioner back in October 2014. It made a tremendous impact on the overall sound of my system—all for the good! Other than a change in speakers, maybe more of an impact than any other single component at that point... Read More »

It is high time an American company—with manufacturing in Brooklyn, New York since 1953—should develop and build a state of the art challenger for the best open air headphones in the world. The PS1000e headphones were universally well regarded and became my reference for dynamic cans. These are still about as neutral as any pro music... Read More »

New West Records BO6XPTH66X, LP $20.98, Amazon.com When it comes to harmonizing singers, who's your favorite group? The Beach Boys? Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young? The Fleet Foxes, who finally put out a somewhat troublesome yet utterly charming third album this week? My personal pick—John Doe and Exene from X—may be off the beaten path,... Read More »

Good friend John Marks once again shares with PF readers the rich trove of musical discoveries that he shelters at his blog site, The Tannhauser Gate.  In this case, we have the delight of hearing the fusion of Elizabethan modalities with...mirabile dictu!...none other than a particular favorite of mine, Nick Drake. As unlikely as it seems, the... Read More »

Synergistic Research (SR) is at it again. Like Michael Corleone in Godfather III, "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!" I am always on the lookout for something better. These days, with the quality of product available at all price points, there is a myriad of impressive options out there... Read More »