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Here is a band that changed the way I view Neanderthals. Most people might see a caveman, or a Neanderthal, and instinctively see the old Geico commercials run through their mind. This is clearly not the case with Fartbarf. They are wild, energetic, comedic, brazen, outlandish, and enthralling to see live. Josh McLeod, Dan Burley,... Read More »

Don't forget to hit SAVE while writing a new blog - Learned that lesson the Hard-Way JUST NOW!! I had a whole thing typed and ready - w/ a link to the mix of mine and everything.

Seriously: Still denying the "paradigm shift" in consumer culture? Forget that I used the damn terminology. Forget that I have some sort of twisted-back-door stake in being right about this shit.

Dmitri Shostakovich, arranged Rudolph Barshai. Chamber Symphonies. The Dmitri Ensemble, Graham Ross. Harmonia Mundi HMU 907634. These are three of Shostakovich's string quartets arranged for chamber orchestra by a student, friend, and close associate of the composer. Only one of them, the arrangement of Quartet No. 8, has gotten much attention before now. I have... Read More »

SCHUBERT: Allegro moderato and Andante, D. 968; 4 Ländler, D. 814; German Dance with 2 Trios and 2 Ländler, D. 618; Introduction and Variations on an Original Theme in B-flat, D. 968A; Eight Variations on a French Song in E minor, D. 624; Fantasia in F minor, D. 940 Marco Schiavo and Sergio Marchegiani, pianos.... Read More »

Nigel Armstrong, Nigel Armstrong: Bach, Bartók, Korngold. Featuring Sir Neville Mariner and the Colburn Orchestra. Native DSD Catalog number YAR65007DSD This Yarlung Records recording is simply entitled Nigel Armstrong. Armstrong is a young and dynamic artist, exactly fitting the rising stars captured by the Yarlung label. With a varied repertoire of Bartok, Bach, and Korngold,... Read More »

Chicago. Not my favorite city. Mainly it has to do with O'Hare Airport, though its long and well-known history of political corruption and crime doesn't do much for me either. O'Hare Airport is the only air hub that I have been stranded at in all of my years of travels. The weather is generally iffy... Read More »

Over the past several years, one of the big topics in field of high end or perfectionist audio has been how to get new people, and especially younger people, to participate. That means not just getting a new generation to both appreciate better sound and gear, but more importantly, getting them to actually buy better... Read More »

When I first found out last fall that I was getting the new Beatles Mono LP box for review, I contemplated going full-on mono to bring as much authenticity as possible to the process. That would require some serious shuffling of my current system to enable mono listening and a number of equipment acquisitions to... Read More »

When talking about the controversial topic of audio cables, there are three specific areas that keep getting discussed: Do cables actually sound different? If they do sound different, are any actually better, or are they just different? Is whatever difference they may or may not create worth the price? My answer to Point 1 was... Read More »

The last page of a folder presenting the offer of the French Totaldac company reminded me of the way in which digital technology has developed in the last thirty-five years, in the context of the audio domain. It all started in the year 1980 when the fundamentals of the Red Book CD-CA standard were published.... Read More »

Geoff Merrigan, the CEO of Tellurium Q, is not very effusive when it comes to telling the secrets of his cables design. To be honest, it seems as if he wants people to know as little as possible about them. When asked about the reason, he gives an obvious answer: it does not matter how... Read More »

While tracing the development of the Accuphase company for the last several years, I underestimated its approach to designing audio equipment for a long time, which was in evident contrast with my respect for the products themselves. They have always been and undoubtedly will continue to be a model as regards the quality of workmanship,... Read More »

One of the most well-known Polish constructors specializing in digital systems asked me recently what we see in the "whole DSD thing". I frankly said that the answer is "nothing", because DSD files always come across better in comparison with PCM files. What I said was confirmed by a listening session in which I participated... Read More »

A Little Background It's safe to say that mentioning John Tucker's eXemplar audio to an audiophile is likely to get one of three reactions. The most likely reaction is a blank stare accompanied by the questions "Who?" and "What?" There's a smaller group who hears the name and asks, "That guy with the big horns?"... Read More »

There's just something musically magical about the performance of idler-wheel Garrard transcription turntables that keeps me fascinated with them. Certainly the vintage Garrard 301 represents a beloved milestone of turntable design that remains enduringly popular with hi-fi enthusiasts to the present day, and who, like the 1956 Garrard advertisement below suggests, have concluded that Garrard... Read More »

The principals behind JCAT, Marcin Ostapowicz and Josef Piri are perhaps better known as the creative minds behind JPLAY, a Windows based music playback software program that I heartily recommend. JCAT is the hardware side of their venture which also includes some rather nifty computer audio components. Last year I reviewed JCAT's USB and LAN... Read More »

I wrote a rather extensive review relating my experience with the DEQX Mate in Issue 67  where I quite succinctly reported how wonderful the unit was in making ALL things better with respect to my music. While you are certainly welcome to read the whole review, the key to what the DEQX does when properly... Read More »

How many rabbits can a magician pull out of the same hat? In the case of Bobby Palkovich, the wizard of Hemlock, it does seem like there is no limit. Just like Merlin, the wizard of old, who was said to have powerful magic, and for whom this speaker company is named. Bobby continues to... Read More »