Pursuing the Ultimate Music Experiences

Audio Federation High-Fidelity Audio Blog
 by Michael

Dirty, Nasty, Filthy

… Used LP’s of course…

While making a post about the patterns in the grooves of certain genre LPs, and taking photos to illustrate same, I detected that some of the photos indicated a state of filth that was kind of disturbing.


Now, mind you, these are $1 – $2 records that I bought just to see…, well, you know, it was one of those exploratory missions where we seek to explore strange new music – which only works if one is wealthy or the per cost is kind of very, very low.

Some of these photos make the grooves look very digital don’t they? You can just see the dots and dashes, the 0’s and 1’s, in this view. Well, this IS techno music, so it makes sense, no?

And what is with that semi-circular pattern? It is not visible in the other photos. Did someone set a cup down on this at some time in the past? Are there messages in these grooves that perhaps even the musicians are unaware of? Not sonic messages, but visual – like Carl Sagan’s Cosmos book, where near the zillionth digit of Pi pictures of circles and stuff can be found?.

Nahhhhh.


so those of you without cleaning machines – this is what your cartridge has to dodge and bump over while trying to play the LP for you.


Yes, we need to show the AFTER photos after a cleaning or two. But I think the machine is going to be packed up for the trip to Las Vegas and so there might be a wait – until after the show, and subsequent show reportage.


As you can / will see in the companion post, in many other photos of these albums they look just fine and dandy – they look perfectly playable.


By the way, these two LPs HAVE been brushed off with a standard carbon fiber brush.

in High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo 0 comments
 by Michael

Audio Note at CES at Alexis Park

[Neli is helping me here with this post. Hope it gets done this year… well, we have 6 hours, should be enough?]

We have two rooms again this year. One has a modest system and one… does not.

The Modest, Down-to-Earth System

AN/E SPe HE speakers (98dB High efficiency with the hemp drivers – the ones that were brand new at CES last year, now much more broken in)
Oto Phone SE integrated amplifier
CD 2.1x/II CD player
TT2 turntable with ARM Three arm and S4 stepup transformer IO1 cartridge
AN/Vx interconnects, Lexus XL speaker cable

The Over The Top System

AN/E SEC Signature loudspeakers in Madrone with external crossovers – high efficiency with the new tweeters. [uh. brand spanking new. Well, we have the weekend to break them in, Whoo Hoo.]
Kegon Balanced [Brand spanking new. Detecting a pattern here?]
M9 Phono preamplifier [graciously on loan]
DAC 4.1x Balanced DAC
CDT-Three transport
TT3 Reference turntable with AN1S arm, IO Gold cartridge and AN-S9 step-up transformer.
SOTTO interconnects and the new SOGON [50] interconnects and speaker [96] cables
HRS (Harmonic Resolution Systems) SXR 3-shelf equipment rack and 8 M3 Isolation Bases [i.e. 5 on the floor as they say]

in Audio Note / CES 2008 / High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo 0 comments
 by Michael

The State of the Audio Onion

Yes. Onion.

Let’s see, Romy is blasting Lamm and the new ML3 amp’s propoglicity – but at the same time saying that they are the only ones worthy of being blasted.

6moons has become THE news outlet for audio news, although the reviews and advertising on their site could be considered minimal [even though the site is more popular than ever according to online metric gathering software sites – so why people are not advertising there, I couldn’t tell you. Advertisers, search for 6 moons on Alexa, or A9.com if you prefer. No, not a perfectly reliable metric – but better than guessing with the eyes firmly closed].

The latest HiFi+ spends several pages talking about the RMAF 2007 show, or rather, about *their* room at the show. But, silly me, I didn’t even know they had a room. Anyway, maybe show coverage is only going to be provided by their Absolute Sound brethren.

Stereophile… does this issue seem kind of boring to anyone else? [No, I don’t think ALL of the issues are boring… though thinking back on it….]. For example, the Gear of the Year [nice phraseology there] – Chord and Ayre, digital and amp respectively, OK. Good workhorse equipment. But the Linn LP12? Watt Puppy #8254? Dynaudio Confidence C4? ARC/Cary multichannels?

Not a banner year. [Yes, yes, they CAN all be made to sound good, and most will work tomorrow as well as today, but did the reviewers spend the time to try different amps and cables for the, uh, very particular demands of these speakers, which almost always sound Poopify at shows? No. It was just a year of not much exciting happening over at Stereophile this year. I mean LOOK at the runner ups… EEEEeeeewwwww – though I am surprised they chose the Watt Puppy over the Sophia mk.2, especially given all their attempts to go slumming this last year (did I say that? I guess I did. Funny, when Apple made the computer ‘for the rest of us’ they made it more expensive than the ‘computer for most of us’)]

in High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo / News 0 comments
 by Michael

CES 2008 Preparizations

We are not going to be providing photos to Audiogon for CES 2008, Albert Porter and crew will be doing the job for them. That makes life easier for us – we just do what we gonna do – which is probably a lot like last year, unless you people have other ideas?

Let’s see. Here, we are in disarray. Shipped 8 HRS platforms out to Vegas early in the week. We have two skids of equipment going there as well full of Audio Note equipment [Neli will have to let me know what she knows and then you’ll know what is on the skids]. We are taking two separate cars not quite full but too full for just one car. This for two rooms over at the Alexis Park. Near the back. Whatever, it’ll be better than over at the Venetian that seems to want to CRUSH whatever spirit and innovation and individuality it can find – which is funny for a place that hosts the Audio Video Awards. Maybe if we put more sex into our hobby, they would be more accommodating?

The things I am looking forward to? A few things….

The Lamm ML3 amps – which are now even more expensive. Yeah, they’ll be on – well they just say Wilson speakers. Anyway, no not the ultimate pairing, but one that should give us a sense of what the amps are doing, since the sound of most Wilson speakers are pretty familiar, well for the year or so that they are current production, anyway. Zanden front end. OK, going to be sweet. Good for driving Wilsons, probably. Silent Running Audio platforms and racks… uh – soft and mushy? OK. … TW-Acustic, Kubala-Sosna. OK, do not expect a forward and detailed presentation 🙂

The new Audio Note TT3 turntable (premiered in Milan). This will be in our room this year. Low mass platter with high torque motors. Should be interesting. We *do* like the voicing of Audio Note gear (so far :-)) so this should be …interesting… kind of goes counter to the high-mass platters we have had here – or the just-make-it-look-good tables that most other manufacturers build.

Emm Labs might have a thing or two to premiere… 🙂

The new and IMproved Wilson Alexandrias II+++ [I don’t know what their latest designation is]. I’d like to hear these. Hope someone is bringing them.

Kondo is doing a lot of press these days – maybe they’ll be at the show… and hopefully with a pair of decent speakers.

Maybe Clearaudio will actually *play* their uber table this year?

Video-wise, I would like to see a Sony XBR 1080p in 32 inches or smaller. The 20 inch LG I have on my desk now… is nice but… has issues. I’ll do a post on this thing sometime for those of you that give a hoot. 🙂

Uh, can’t think of anything. I hope it is sunny and warm, but I hear it has been a cold winter there (40s). I do about 45 minutes of walking outside, on a good day, carrying a large hunk of camera… so, uh, maybe gloves?

in CES 2008 / High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo 0 comments
 by Michael

Walker Wash

Well, it is probably not called ‘Walker Wash’. Actually, it is definitely not called that.

But this post is about the Walker LP Cleaning Process Process Process Process.

It is officially, the Prelude Record Cleaning System.

The short and sweet is: It is a four (4) pass process. I hate that it is so labor intensive. I will personally hardly ever spend the time doing it. It works better than other, more commonly practiced processes. It opens a new world of music enjoyment for formerly unlistenable / unnatural sounding music genres.

It comes in some nicely labeled bottles. And I know one has purified water of some sort. Blah Blah Blah.


Neli uses 3 different brushes, all labeled according to their purpose in life.

Look, I did not clean the records. They had already been cleaned carefully by others. And then the Walker Solution was applied by Neli and Kevin. I just got to hang around and listen to several before and after results.

The results?

It made a previously, well – you know those kinds of jazz fusion bands that sounds like a cacophony of instruments slightly out of tune? Not exactly penetrable if you know what I mean. Cleaning with the Walker stuff made it sound like maybe the musicians did, after all, have some kind of plan in mind, perhaps even were accomplishing what they had planned. It was now possible to hear and follow the various, the SEVERAL various, melodies all happening at the same time, intertwining and playing off of each other.

It still wasn’t going to make the top 40 pop charts – but given that its purpose was more to be playful and complex and subtle and a little disturbing… it actually worked.

But before cleaning it with the Walker stuff, it was, uh, garbage? Can I say that? You know, Noise. I always thought that some bands just put out pure noise because, well, boys aren’t that particular sometimes, right? We just want to bang on cans and garbage-can lids and whatever…

Well, now, *dammit*, a lot of this really quite innovative and provocative music might just need an LP and 4 passes of cleaning on the Loricraft with the Walker cleaning fluids.

Whether spending the time to apply 4-passes with other cleaning solutions would also work this well, I don’t know.

Even if other solutions did work as well, it would still make this nirvana of uber-sounding LPs almost inaccessible to me, because, well, it is just so unlikely that I am going to spend the time doing all this cleaning. I mean, hello? How many years do we get? And I am going to spend them cleaning LPs?

But… well, just maybe, MAYBE, I’ll Walker the new Radiohead LPs I am getting for Christmas.

… and maybe DSOTM. … and Amnesiac.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

in High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo / Loricraft / Walker 0 comments
 by Michael

Valhalla power cords on ODIN-cabled system

We just put the Valhalla power cables on the equipment: Audio Note Ongaku integrated amp and DAC 4.1x Balanced DAC and CDTThree transport.

Still evaluating. The equipment was off for several hours, so our listening must continue… but, so far, on some tracks the performance was improved and on some, not. Pretty much like any top-notch power cord.

So far we’ve tried Shunyata and now Valhalla. Elrod is next, and then Acrolink.

But can’t help but think what Odin power cords are going to sound like. And how much they are going to cost… *whine*.

This testing of the Odin with different power cords, then different components, will be necessary, I think, to get a feel for the overall performance curve of the Odin.

But, as a sneak preview, it is my impression that the Odin interconnect is the bargain [I know, I’ve gone from $7K bargain Jorma Prime interconnect to $16K Odin interconnects… but…] For some reason interconnects, perhaps because they carry the most delicate part of the signal chain, seem to have the most impact.

And the Odin interconnect is in the spirit of Ultimate harmonic detail, perfection and cleanliness personified. The Odin speaker cable is all about ease, dynamics and the darkest blackest background you can imagine personified.

It is strange… people who did not like Valhalla are going to LOVE the Odin speaker cable, I think.

And everyone is going to love the interconnect.

I guess, in a nutshell, not much to complain about 🙂

It is hard to capture in a photo, but the Valhalla power cords, they, uh, don’t behave. They go this-a-way and that-a-way.

And with the white carpet and silver cables, it is actually kind of attractive to look at during the listening.

Kind of looks like a madman’s roller coaster 🙂

….

Hope everybody is setup for a nice Holiday!

in Audio Note / High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo / Kharma / Nordost 0 comments
 by Michael

Edge NL Reference and Soundlab Ultimate 1

We have decided [actually years ago, but we get attached to things] that equipment that has been on the floor for more than two years should find a new home. We shouldn’t hog things to ourselves for years and years.

The above two items, the 800 watt Edge Reference ‘pyramid’ amps and Soundlab electrostatic ULTIMATE speakers have been on the floor for 5 years.

They are up on Audiogon, in case any of youse is interested.

Otherwise, hopefully you will see things evolve a little more quickly, and see things change a little more frequently here at the house on the hill.

But we do get emotionally attached to things – they give us so much pleasure over the years, It is like seeing one’s youth leaving, bit by bit.

Why oh why does it have to go some part of us whines.

And the other part says the alternative is stagnation, which is worse.

OK, no. Not starting a philosophical thread. Sorry. [though it is that time of year…. :-)]

in Edge / High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo / Soundlab 0 comments
 by Michael

TAS, HiFi+ Awards

Well, it looks like nothing we sell (like?) made the TAS list and the Marten Coltrane Supreme loudspeakers and Nordost Odin cables made the HiFi+ list.

Oh boy.

The lists would be more … exciting? … if everything on them was of the same caliber, or was clearly described as being chosen because it was the best for the money.

But no.

They are chosen because they were reviewed in the previous 12 months.

As a budding audiophile I did not know this. I thought speaker of the year [Stereophile] meant best speaker available this year.

Dunlavy 4! Sonus Faber Extrema!

Well, those two turned out to be classics.

And the Supremes and Odin are and will be classics.

But, uh, most years … most ‘winners’….

Anyway… let’s see what Stereophile has to say…. yawn… then time for a nap 🙂

in High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo 0 comments
 by Michael

CES 2008 coming right up…

This year I registered as ‘Press’. Last year a security guard threatened to confiscate my camera because I wasn’t press. We’ll see if they think I qualify as a member of the ill reputed ‘press corp’.

A number of industry people we usually see at shows have decided to skip this year’s CES. Kind of sucks…

This year we will have two Audio Note rooms. We should know next week exactly what we are taking… but it is going to be great. A large, or rather expensive, room with lots of goodies and the same small room we had at RMAF, but with 4.1x CD player this year.

We will have a small HRS SXR rack and, well, we’ll see… 🙂

We’ll be at the Alexis Park. There are going to be lots of exhibitors… hopefully lots of people too. Not that exhibitors aren’t people, per se… 😉

in CES 2008 / High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo 0 comments
 by Michael

Dylan

OK, this may be weird, but I have noticed this for many, MANY years, whenever I see Dylan on video.

When I watch a performer on TV, I just naturally look at their faces, and especially the eyes, because, well, what else is there to look at right?

And they might be bored (Sinatra, in his later years, for example. HOW this turned me off to that whole generation of music when I was young. How FAKE).

They might be putting on a show (Jagger).

They might be trying to sex an audience (many women singers)

The might be totally professional (Madonna)

But Dylan. His eyes…

I can’t figure him out.

It is not exactly like he is spacing out, though it is kinda like that.

It is kind of like he is in agony… but not exactly like that either.

The video they just had during fund raising, on PBS, was at… Newport… early in his career. But I think I remember him still looking like this.

It is almost like he is a kid up in front of his class in school, or something. Alert, but kind of shy, and not sure how people are going to react from second to second…

Anyway, anyone else notice how he his stage presence is so different from everyone else’s?

Anyone? Or is it just me? 🙂

in High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo 0 comments