New Release on Blu-Ray and Hires Downloads

The net is atwitter with talk of the first musical release on Blu-Ray (click here for an example.
But these articles fail to let us know how to get it.
So it was time for Google….
I found not only where to buy, but also a very cool website full of high-resolution downloads.
All this from freedom-loving Norway. (If […]

Event: Focus on Single-drivers

Our BAAS event this Saturday will focus on high-efficiency, single-driver speakers partnered with “flea-powered” amps.
For those who have not had the pleasure of listening to these minimalist systems, ‘first contact’ can be a revelation. To begin with, you’ve probably not heard speed and dynamics in this combination. And then there’s the coherence, which is pretty […]

Say Goodbye to the ‘Audiophile’

Well, the CNET Blogs recently published yet-another article describing the extinction of the high fidelity audio industry (click here).
In that article and its comments, many reasons for the imminent demise were cited - with the iPod portrayed as the #1 assassin.
FWIW, here’s my version of the decline:

It begins with the record companies and RIAA joining […]

Is SET superior? Prove it…

There’s an interesting dialog running on AVSforum.com - and another provocative topic!
Here’s an excerpt:
Excuse me for sounding a little like a heritic [sic] but I figure that if the statement “the crushing superiority of SE triode amplifiers with no feedback” were so obviously true, then it is would also be possible to define “why” in […]

Robot Conducts Detroit Symphony

Here’s something you don’t see every day - a Honda robot conducting a live symphony (click here for the story and here for the video).
The details:

ASIMO is a 4-foot 3-inch tall robot designed by Honda Motor Co.
The robot perfectly mimicked the actions of a conductor to the Detroit Symphony
Honda spokeswoman: this may be the first […]

FrankC’s System

FrankC’s system:
MAIN SYSTEM
Digital Source:

Mark Levinson #37
Sonic Frontier SFD2 Mk II (Amperex 6DJ8s)
I2Digital DX-60 digital cable
Synergistic Research Absolute Reference X2 XLR interconnect

Analog Source:

Michell Orbe SE
SME V
Shelter 901
Graham IC-70 phono cable
Kimber KCAG interconnect

Amplification:

ARC PH3 SE (Amperex white label 6DJ8s)
ARC LS25 Mk I w/ GNSC Reference mod (Amperex white label 6DJ8s)
Pass X350.5/Aleph Os
Synergistic Designer’s Reference X2 XLR interconnect

Speakers:

Verity […]

Voodoo and Snake Oil - Or Just Plain Expensive?

It seems like every month an article or blog post is made about the extreme prices and questionable science that pervade high-end audio. And with good reason. Most audiophiles have also forced a snicker at the ultra-high-end, wondering what a $100K+ turntable or “miracle” chip or stone (at any price) can possibly bring to the […]

432 Hz Anyone?

Trivia question: Which famous leader imposed a law changing the “A” tone from 440 Hz to 432 Hz?
Answer: The Nazi Joseph Goebbels.
For more on this fascinating (and very sad) saga, click here for the website dedicated to the topic.
For a broader discussion of the history of pitch, try this or this.

Audiophiliac - Another Great Audiophile Blog

If you’re like me, you crave information about all things audiophile.
I’ve run across an interesting source for such info - Steve Guttenberg’s “Audiophiliac” blog (click here) on CNET. Check out his latest piece - “Shattering Audiophile Stereotypes.”
Note the reference the Wadia’s 170i Digital Transport - the best (IMO) way to hook an iPod to a […]