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In Stanley Kubrick's 2001: a Space Odyssey, awestruck australopithecines (prehistoric ape-like primates with human traits) encounter an alien, 11' x 5' x 1.25' black monolith standing in the rocks and crags of an African desert and, shortly thereafter, have an epiphany and create crude weapons. Fast forward 4000 years: clothed and scented homo sapiens gawk... Read More »

I’ve been listening to various of the Hunnia Records' Pure DSD256 recordings downloadable from NativeDSD. There are very many that I like both for the music and for the quite stellar sound quality. It's time to share with you some of the excellent Hunnia recordings that I'm enjoying. Founded by Robert Zoltán Hunka, owner and... Read More »

David W. Robinson, a portrait. The Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem, Israel, 2022 (Photograph and image processing by John Robinson) Photographs with Dave, Carol, and Peter Clark, and some Long Beach work... Some of the very finest moments at this event are when Dave and Carol Clark, their son Peter, and I get to spend time together.... Read More »

David W. Robinson, a portrait. Tiberius, Sea of Galilee, Israel, 2022 (Photograph by John Robinson; image processing by David W. Robinson) Sunday during the LAOC AS Gala is the main gathering of the audioclan. Running from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., it's five solid hours of drinks and a quality buffet lunch, followed by the... Read More »

For quite a number of years now, the Los Angeles and Orange County (LAOC) Audio Society has been holding an end-of-the-year Board dinner and Gala banquet. These events have been the annual wrap-up of the monthly series of LAOC AS meetings, usually held in various high-end audio dealer locations, or via Zoom during particularly bad... Read More »

Beginning at the end of 2003, PF established its first annual awards for fine audio. The Brutus Award was established for the best that David Robinson and Dave and Carol Clark had heard in their own listening rooms during that year. You can think of it as our equivalent of an "Editors' Choice" award. The Gizmo Award,... Read More »

Time Out was the first jazz album to sell more than a million copies. The album was certified platinum in 1997 and double platinum in 2011. The single, "Take Five", also sold over a million. And it has been reissued endlessly. So why bother with yet another? Because this release in Pure DSD256 from HDTT... Read More »

Guys who own digital master clocks are very serious about extracting the most from digital sources. If a stock power cord came with the clock, very likely it's still unwrapped in the box, because that would be self-defeating. Audiophiles shooting for the max are OK with substantial outlays for after-market power cords—they've heard the solid... Read More »

Chopin's music is loved by many. And many pianists gravitate to performing his works. Unfortunately, not all pianists should play Chopin—both Chopin and we would be better off if they found some other poor composer to butcher. But, when Chopin's music falls into the hands of an empathetic artist devoted to communicating Chopin, ah then,... Read More »

The JansZen A8-SE Loudspeaker JansZen Laboratory was founded in the 1950s when Arthur Janszen developed the first practical electrostatic loudspeaker. The company, currently called JansZen Audio, is run by his son David, who has continued the research and development culminating in the Valentina A8. The Valentina A8 is a complete audio system containing DAC, ADC,... Read More »

David Crosby, If I Could Only Remember My Name. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, MFSL 2-496, Original Master Recording, Gain 2™ Ultra Analog, 2 x 12" 45 RPM SuperVinyl™ 180g LPs, Numbered Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue, Remastered, Gatefold, 2022 First up...the spring 2022 Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, 2 X 45 RPM, limited, numbered remastered reissue on... Read More »

People queuing up for registration Trade Show Hall This year's AES show was a bit unusual. The number of exhibitors was down to perhaps a quarter of what it normally is, and the number of papers was similarly reduced. This was made worse by a number of vendors and presenters who had been scheduled to... Read More »

Gayle Ellett, Topanga Canyon. 2022, Photo by Rita Street Gayle Ellett is one of the founding members of Djam Karet, an instrumental quartet that recently released their 20th album, Island In The Red Night Sky. He's also working on the second release from his own band, Gayle Ellett and The Electromags, and is actively involved... Read More »

This is an ongoing project by Claude Lemaire of Soundevaluations 206. Bionic Boogie, "Chains"/"Cream (Always Rises to the Top)." Polydor – PRO 066 (1978), 12" 33 1/3 rpm, promo. Genre: disco. Bionic Boogie was the brainchild of American disco producer, musician, and songwriter Gregg Diamond, who rose to prominence in early 1976 with "More, More, More" (Buddah... Read More »

Cantate Domino. Torsten Nilsson (Conductor), Oscar's Motet Choir, Alf Linder (organ), Marianne Mellnas (soprano), Proprius 7762/AudioNautes Recordings AN-RTR-2107, 15-ips, 2-track reel-to-reel tape, IEC EQ, Price: €850 (until January); €990 (after January, 2023). Proprius Records' conjure up many fond memories for old time audiophiles and for good reason! And thanks to Fabio Camorani, founder and owner... Read More »

Most times, equipment reviews begin smoothly, and progress from there. Occasionally, though, they start with a bit of thud. In this case, my review of the MayFly 201A loudspeakers began with a disheartening rattle. The shipper had apparently not been kind in their transit of the four boxes. Upon connecting the speakers, it was readily... Read More »

I was student-teaching at Whitney Young Magnet High School and waiting tables several nights a week at Reza's, an upscale Persian restaurant in Chicago's River North neighborhood. Now closed, in 1994 this posh eatery sat on the site of the former Berghoff's Brewery on Ontario Avenue just west of the Rte. 94 turnoff. Before the... Read More »

Here we have one of the world’s greatest French conductors and one of the world’s finest French orchestras (albeit located in the United States) playing the very essence of French music. And this particular album is perhaps one of the greatest Mercury Living Presence recordings. We've been fortunate to have some good vinyl reissues over... Read More »

Do cables make a difference? It is a question I get asked quite often, and it is a question that Audiophiles have debated since the beginning of time. I am not going to directly address that question in this review because for me it does not matter. The way my headphone system is setup, I... Read More »