Bob
Keeping up with audiophile happenings
Daily Audiophile (link) features a very nice set of blog and audio-website links. (The site was down for months, but is now back – better than ever.)
A similar, if less structured, site is High End Matters (link).
So these two join Stereophile, Absolute Sound, and the various blogs and forums as places to go to keep up with our crazy hobby passion obsession.
Where do you go for music and audio info? Add your sources of news to the Comments!
Cool little horns for audiophiles
You just gotta love these little babies!
So stylish Relatively inexpensive ($1700/pr) too.
I’ll try to get a pair for a future BAAS event. In the meantime, check them out here..
Brian Eno on Music and Whale Blubber
Today’s Guardian has a very interesting interview with Brian Eno.
The far-ranging discussion presents some novel views on music and its relation to our commercial and cultural worlds.
Thanks, Aaron, for pointing this one out!
Spiral Groove Turntable Impresses Digital Audiophile(s)
BAAS membership reflects the current trends of audiophiles worldwide. As such, the majority (including myself) listen to digital these days. So it was interesting to see how our first “analog event” in several years would be received.
About 30 BAAS members gathered at Jason Victor Serinus’ home yesterday to listen to the latest in analog source technology, delivered by Allen Perkins of local manufacturer Spiral Groove (SG).
The system featured the following gear from SG:
- Spiral Groove SG 2 Turntable ($15,000)
- Spiral Groove SG Tonearm ($6,000)
- Lyra Cartridge ($6,000)
- Lehmann Audio Decade phono section ($2,400)
- Spiral Groove preamplifier (projected $15,000)
An impressive array, to be sure!
I am quite familiar with Jason’s system and listening environment, at least for digital sources. Here are my impression of yesterday’s sights and sounds:
- The SG gear is beautiful to look at, and even better to listen to. Furthermore, it’s practical. For example, it can be set up by one person in 30 minutes (!). Simple elegance.
- All told, I listened to the system for five hours. I heard fewer than a dozen tics or pops. This is a new record for me <g>. Especially notable: not a single record was treated in any way during the event. No rituals – just load & play. (Sorta like a CD…) [One member told me that the sound was clean because only
vintageolder "virgin" vinyl was used.] - Allen’s description of the engineering design choices that guided him made a lot of sense to me.
- The sound in the second session was a bit tighter than the first. (This is not unusual. I think it’s caused simply by the gear being more fully warmed up.)
- Nordost Odin cables are the real deal. At one point we substituted the preamp’s power cable with a Odin. Wow.
- For the first time in a very long while, I was thinking “…maybe I do need a turntable…”
We also conducted several listening tests on digital sources. These allowed us to compare several digital exemplars to state-of-the-art analog. I’ll say here that two things were apparent:
- Analog rocks. There’s a reason why so many audiophiles are driven to turntables (see this article from today’s NYT). – they can sound great!
- PS Audio’s(PSA’s) new “Perfect Wave” stack combines outstanding ease-of-use with media flexibility and great sonics. That’s a tough combo to beat! Very nice kit, especially for audiophiles wishing to get into high-resolution without going to a computer. (Digital sources that I consider “reference quality” generally have price tags beginning at 2X the PSA tariff.)
- I preferred the sound of the Wavelength Wavelink USB audio interface to that of the the transport (many members agreed). I don’t think it yet matches the best in firewire converters, but it sounded quite detailed and transparent to me (especially on hires material).
Note that Jason’s description of the event – and activities leading up to it – can be found on the Home secrets Blog.
The Beatles Get “BlueBeaten”
The intrepid entrepreneur behind the BlueBeat web site just lost his court case.
[The web site is down at the time of writing.]
You see, he had been using what he called “psycho-acoustic simulation” to create recordings that sound identical to those of the Fab Four. The tale is told in excruciating detail by the good folks at ARS Technica.
Read about it and decide for yourself!
Bob
The Death of the Audiophile
We all know that our hobby and its supporting industry are not exactly booming. The the current recession has been particularly devastating.
A key challenge facing the industry is the lack of interest by younger adults, the new generation of listeners and buyers.
The latest CEpro/Electronics House survey of 30-something men drives this reality home. (Be sure to review the slideshow as well.) The respondents were white-collar and tech-literate – the center of audio’s traditional target market.
As the article’s subtitle suggests, the respondents prefer content (and convenience) over reproduction importance.
Key points for audiophiles:
- Only 14% of the young men considered themselves audiophiles
- As many listen to music on clock radios/boom boxes as dedicated stereos (20% in each case)
- 76% had not purchased a CD in the last year
Yikes!
If it’s any consolation, they didn’t care much about Blu-ray, HDTV, or universal remotes either.
And their likes…96% watch online video and 84% own iPods….
by Bob Walters
Digital Audio Sources Compared; Playback Designs Shines
Last Saturday, BAAS members were treated to state-of-the-art digital courtesy of local vendor Playback Designs.
Indeed, one of the distinct highlights of the event was hearing from Playback founder and chief designer, Andreas Koch, who is an icon in digital audio innovation.
The Playback MPS-5 made sweet music, regardless of digital source – and we tried several.
In fact, we auditioned:
- A $4 12′ TOSLINK cable;
- A $1000 USB-to-SPDIF converter;
- A $1400 FIREWIRE-to-SPDIF converter; and
- The built-in drive on the MPS-5 (both on CD and SACD)
in formats:
- 24/176 PCM
- 24/96 PCM
- 16/44 PCM
- SACD; and
- CD
OK, so which sounded best?
Well, I would say that HIRES PCM (176/96) and SACD topped members’ preference lists. As to sources, Firewire and SACD were generally the winners, but lowly CD did surprisingly well on some material – the latter perhaps a tribute to the abilities of the MPS-5 on that media.
BAAS would like to thank Andreas Koch and Jonathan Tinn, the co-founders of Playback Designs for making this possible. Well done!
by Bob Walters
Results of the Great BAAS Audiophile Survey
We had 93 responses (thanks!) to our survey. Some were surprising, others not.
Here are the punchlines:
- About 10% of members go to audio conferences/shows – CES has the highest interest.
- San Francisco is the most convenient event location
- Marin the least.
- Members are most interested in speakers, amps, and digital
- Least interested in pro gear and DIY
- The majority of members are willing to pay $10 or more for a “good” BAAS evnt
- …and they think that contributions should be voluntary
Thanks again for your responses – we’ll try to plan accordingly!
Bob Walters
Will New FTC Rules Improve Audiophile Product Reviews?
As reported in today’s New York Times (here), the FTC is moving quickly to tighten disclosure laws for bloggers (or other website authors) doing product reviews.
In short, if the reviewer has any financial relationship to the vendor – including receiving free samples – it must be disclosed. One would assume that advertising deals would also fall under the ruling.
This is good news for most consumers, as abuse is rampant in some areas (see article). But what about audiophiles? Will they benefit?
I believe so. Transparency is a cornerstone of journalism, and audio buyers should be made aware of any biases of reviewers.
On the other hand, as the new rule may slow down the volume of review samples – and no publisher that I am aware of has the capital to buy samples of high-end gear in any volume.
Time will tell…
[This article represents the opinions of its author - Bob Walters - and not necessarily those of BAAS or its membership.]
THE Event for DIY Audio
See how the DIY crowd lives, meet accomplished designers (e.g., Nelson Pass, John Curl, S. Linkwitz) have fun!
Bob
PS Audio CEO comes to the Bay Area Bringing Digital
Most audiophiles are familiar with the PS Audio brand, especially given the company’s pioneering efforts in cables and power treatment.
But last Saturday Paul McGowan, leader of PS Audio, shared with us a broader vision – to bring the same performance and value to all elements of the audio chain. He further explained that another key element of the PS Audio strategy is to bring “music-server performance” (e.g., ability to play hi res material) to audio enthusiasts not wishing to connect a computer to their sound system.
And with that strategy in mind, we sat down to a very compelling listening session featuring the ‘PerfectWave’ transport and DAC wherein we learned:
- The sonic differences between 16/44 and 24/176
- The degradation that a sample-rate-converter (SRC) often brings; and
- A comparison of modern reconstruction (‘anti-aliasing’) filters, including the now-popular ’apodising’ filters
The PerfectWave pair paired perfectly with Audio High’s reference Chord/KEF stack to produce vivid and powerful sonic images – and another great event.
BAAS thanks Paul, PS Audio, Michael Silver, and Audio High. Great job!
Tips for Better Mac CD Rips
I’m using a used 15″ Intel-based Macbook from late 2006. I know other models would give me the best sound from a Mac, but I can’t afford them.
You should get excellent sonics from the MacBook. It should not be the weakest link in the digital chain.
Do you use an external drive and software other than iTunes to rip CDs to your Mac computer(s)? Some folks use a Plextor PX-Premium CD-RW drive and AccurateRip XLD software (or something like that). They say the sound is much better.
I use the standard Mac internal drive (which is quite good). I also own a Plextor, but cannot hear a difference when using it (one exception below).Using my library (~1600 disks) for the samples, my own (informal) testing yielded the following results for Mac ripping software:
- iTunes
- By far the easiest and fastest, but 2-3% of disks have an audible error (which I find unacceptable)
- Max
- Rip takes 1.5x longer than iTunes, but error rate far less than 1% (acceptable to me)
- Fairly easy to set up
- XLD
- Rip takes ~3x longer than iTunes, but no errors encountered
- Somewhat difficult to set up, and some manual reconfiguration necessary for every disk
- I find both the rip times and difficulties unacceptable for normal use – I only use this for “problem disks”
A note about the ‘audible errors’: In my experience, these only occur in the first several seconds of “Track 1.” They are most commonly momentary dropouts. This behavior suggests to me that they are caused predominantly by “disk offset” issues. XLD explicitly allows the (power) user to compensate for the offset. It has other cool error-avoidance features as well. But it’s hard to live with….
Do you use a special USB cable? From whom?
I run Firewire, which I generally recommend for Mac users. I have never heard a USB or Firewire cable make a difference. But some in-the-know folks claim that they do. (If so, this would be another ‘audiophile mystery’ to scientists.)
Is it FLAC files that won’t play with iTunes on a Mac.
Correct. (iTunes can be made to play FLAC, but it’s not worth the effort!)
What converter do you use? I tried hunting for one, but couldn’t get it to work.
Max does a great job (as does XLD). I recommend using MP4/Apple Lossless format. I have never heard a difference between lossless compression and no compression.But a Mac using Firewire is a far more robust machine than PC/USB. To give you an indication, I often receive email, browse the web, download a file, and backup a hard drive simultaneously – while listening to flawless 24/192 (losslessly compressed). The only way that I’ve been able to adversely affect playback is to play (at 1x) the same CD that I am ripping (at 4x)!
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
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
San Mateo Record Sale – May 16th and 17th!
Attend our Steve Hoffman show, and then buy some music:
Bob
Steve Hoffman on May 16th!
On Saturday, May 16th, we will have a very special guest speaker: Steve Hoffman.
Steve is one of the best mastering engineers in the business, and his re-mastering work gives him access to some incredible material. (He is also a huge audiophile.)
At his presentation at CES, he played some “raw” Beatles and Sinatra stuff that was breathtaking.
To learn more about Steve and his skills:
- Check out his work;
- Listen to his many excellent disks – one of my favorites is Donovan’s Storyteller (CD is now $40 and climbing)
- Read some of his interviews or check out his quite-active forums
To make things more interesting, we’ll have a world-class system set up at Audio High in Mountain View, one of the Bay Area’s leading audiophile boutiques. Just look at the product lines that they carry – we’ll have terrific sound!
You must be a member of BAAS to attend. More details will follow….
by Bob Walters
Empirical Audio Event – Digital Audio at its Finest
Yesterday, about 30 BAAS members were treated to a fine demonstration of state-of-the-art digital audio.
On center stage were the pioneering products of Steve Nugent’s Empirical Audio. The key product highlight was the introduction to the new Overdrive DAC. Also on hand was a Pace Car tr-clocking/jitter reduction device and Steve’s personal Parasound JC-1 monoblocs.
The sound that they produced through the Ficion F-300 speakers (supplemented by 15″ Rythmic Signature subs) was driving, extended and accurate. Great stuff!
But the true highlight of the day was Steve himself, and the wisdom and common sense that he shared with us about the past/present/future of digital sudio. Steve is a natural educator, and he helped many guests sort through the obstacles that they had encountered. In particular, he demonstrated jitter and the sonic contamination that it causes.
We ended each of the demos with a quick comparison with my highly-modified Berkeley Audio Alpha DAC (I call it my “Beta DAC” <g>). My opinions are biased by ownership, but I’ll say that the Empirical stack sounded great – at half the price. 
So many thanks to Steve (and Janet and Lucy), and we wish them all the best.
by Bob Walters
Click for more photos…
Empirical Audio to present on Saturday (4/18/09)
Empirical Audio will be showcasing all of ots products and demonstrating its new Overdrive DAC at our April BAAS meeting this weekend in Santa Clara, CA.
Locus-Design has also provided some USB cables, and we will have a Revelation Audio Labs I2S cable as well.
But, most importantly, Steve Nugent – designer, CEO, and audiophile – will be on hand to explain what really matters in digital. Steve is very active on internet forums, and quite giving of his expertise.
Finally, we’ll have a modified Berkeley Audio Alpha DAC, modded Parasound JC-1’s, Ficion F-300 floorstanders, Rythmik 15″ subs, AKG K-10000 earspeakers and a vintage EL-84 amp to drive them, and more….
It should be great fun!
by Bob Walters
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