Archive for May, 2009
Late Entry: Steve Hoffman Wows the Bay Area
Sorry for the delay in posting…I’ve been very busy at work and at home (building my first pair of speakers).To say that the event was a success perhaps undermines it. Quite simply, it was great – the music, the SH “war stories,” the system, and the venue all came together.Perhaps one of our members sums it up best:
Today was an absolutely breathtaking once-in-a-lifetime (well, until Steve comes back) experience. Some of the best sound and music I’ve heard in 29 years as an audiophile! John Lennon came to life in that room, as did Peggy Lee, James Taylor, etc… I actually got a little choked up by the raw emotion that superb system and recordings conveyed. I told Steve that and he said “Good, I like to make audiophiles cry!”Thank you for putting this together for us. I’ll never forget it. - Alón Sagee
What more can I say?Just one thing: for a great listening experience with great people, visit Audio High in Mountain View. You’ll enjoy it, for sure!Thanks much – Steve and Audio High.
by Bob Walters
Kevin’s System = Music Server + Open Baffles
I have the Linkwitz Orions and I recently added a music server. I am running a Logitech Transporter with the Modwright Platinum analog stage. I run the software on a Netgear NAS. No need to have a PC running to make it work and the NAS has mirrored drives, so my music is backed up.
I have also found some excellent software for ripping CDs that collects all the CD tracks, composers, music catagories etc., with little or no input from me. I use FLAC and the sound is tremendous. Add to that the ease of accessing my music library.
This is all controlled with a remote or from a PC which displays album art. There are so many ways to stream music and it is all confusing. I listened to a Berkeley DAC but it was difficult to evaluate due to all the other system and room differences. I really chose the Transporter due to the ease of use and some positive press.
I am very happy with my choices.
How Monster Got It’s Start
CNN Money has an interesting article about the beginnings of Monster Cable, one of the first big Bay Area audiophile success stories.
Worth the read, the piece describes how Noel Lee started an industry – a habit that has stuck with the Valley throughout the years.
by Bob Walters
Computer Audio Symposium in East Bay in June
Click here to find out more about the event.
It looks like there will be two identical sessions, one on Saturday the 27th and one on the 28th.
The event represents a collaboration between the Computer Audiophile website, high-end hardware and software vendors/manufacturers, and retail sales organizations.
I know some of the players involved, and content should be very good. There will be hardware demos, and maybe a product debut or two. The session will last 4 hours or so.
However, both the format of (e.g., panel discussions) and the level of (expert or novice) the content is unclear.
The venue is Fantasy Studios (very cool). Cool poster too!
Cost is $279 per person, including refreshments.
by Bob Walters