A Muddy Waters Classic Gets a Shot of Steroids
- Written by: Jason Thorpe
- Category: For the Record
Right from the very first audio-industry show I attended with SoundStage!, the 2001 Son et Image show in Montreal (now called Montreal Audiofest), I found myself extremely dissatisfied with the music at these events, both in terms of what exhibitors would play and showgoers would request. How can you possibly gauge a system by listening to a solo flute? And why would anyone wish to inflict it on a room full of strangers?
Art Pepper: “Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section”
- Written by: Joseph Taylor
- Category: Recording of the Month
Craft Recordings / Contemporary Records CR00382
Format: LP
Musical Performance: *****
Sound Quality: ****
Overall Enjoyment: ****½
Art Pepper was one of the great saxophonists in jazz and among the most troubled—which is saying a lot. It’s a crowded field. Pepper struggled with drug addiction and did several stints in jail in the ’50s and ’60s. His memoir, Straight Life (1979), which he cowrote with his third wife, Laurie, is a harrowing story of his life in jazz. After reading it, I was amazed that Pepper had been able to make so many good records and be such a force in music.
Naim Audio, Part Two: A Day Inside Naim
- Written by: Jonathan Gorse
- Category: In Good Company
The first part of the Naim Audio series focused on my introduction to the brand and the launch of the New Classic series of components. This part will focus on my visit to Naim.
Making the Vitus Audio SIA-030 Integrated Amplifier, Part Two
- Written by: Jeff Fritz
- Category: Opinion
On January 15 we took a deep dive into the initial construction phases of the Vitus Audio SIA-030 integrated amplifier ($46,200, all prices USD). In that article we looked at the transformer, the internal plate that the power-supply components are mounted on, the heatsinks and output stage, the input module, the rear plate (complete with input and output connectors), and the internal section of the faceplate. These individual modules are all tested on completion and their addition to the product follows a precise order to ensure that the final stages of manufacture can be accomplished efficiently.
Loricraft Audio PRC6i Professional Record Cleaner
- Written by: Jonathan Gorse
- Category: Full-Length Reviews
It seems incredible that vinyl officially overtook the CD as the leading music-hardware format in the US for new releases in 2021. And vinyl accounted for one in four album sales in the UK, the highest proportion since 1990! Del Amitri’s fifth album, Some Other Sucker’s Parade, barely sold any copies on vinyl when it was released in June 1997; like most people, I purchased my copy on CD. The record has never been reissued on vinyl, so analog enthusiasts are now paying over $300 (all prices in USD) for a secondhand copy. This is no isolated example; a huge proportion of titles remain out of print, forcing enthusiasts to track down secondhand copies.
Garrett Saracho: "Jazz Is Dead 15"
- Written by: Joseph Taylor
- Category: Recording of the Month
Jazz Is Dead Records JID015
Format: LP
Musical Performance: ****
Sound Quality: ***½
Overall Enjoyment: ***½
In 2017 Ali Shaheed Muhammad, formerly of A Tribe Called Quest, and composer/producer Adrian Younge launched a jazz concert series in Los Angeles, California. The series was titled Jazz Is Dead, and in 2020 they established a record label under the same name. Muhammad and Younge began recording music featuring jazz musicians, many of whose recordings had been sampled over the years on R&B and hip-hop tunes. In just three years, Jazz Is Dead has released 15 albums; an impressive accomplishment considering that Muhammad and Younge produce and play on all of them.
Naim Audio, Part One: How I Was Introduced to the Brand and a New Range
- Written by: Jonathan Gorse
- Category: In Good Company
Do you remember your first system? Throughout our lives as audiophiles, there are certain key moments that define that particular sound we all chase in our heads.
A Private Listening Experience with Sonus Faber's New Homage Tradition Loudspeakers
- Written by: Jeff Fritz
- Category: Opinion
In July 2022, I traveled with my family to Vicenza, Italy—home of Sonus Faber, the famous Italian loudspeaker maker. We were treated to a magnificent company tour, a delectable lunch and dinner, and great conversation with Livio Cucuzza—chief design officer for the McIntosh Group—and his staff. I recounted the highlights of that day in two articles published on SoundStage! Ultra: “Europe Tour 2022: Arriving in Vicenza and Visiting Sonus Faber” and “Europe Tour 2022: Sonus Faber Speaker Production and Design Lab.”
Audia Flight FLS10 Integrated Amplifier-DAC
- Written by: Hans Wetzel
- Category: Full-Length Reviews
Audia Flight is an Italian electronics manufacturer whose products I’d seen at shows in the past but never had the chance to listen to for an extended period. So when the opportunity arose to review their flagship FLS10 integrated amplifier ($12,999, all prices in USD), I grabbed it with both hands. I’m a sucker for a high-powered integrated amplifier, and the big Audia Flight amp looked promising: lots of power, an optional phono stage ($1299), an optional DAC ($1999), and an RCA ($599) expansion board—all designed and built by hand in Italy. The fact that it ships in a crate rather than a cardboard box should be a welcome sign for the hi-fi-by-the-pound types among you.
Frank Zappa: "Waka/Jawaka"
- Written by: Joseph Taylor
- Category: Recording of the Month
Zappa Records / UMe ZR3848-1
Format: LP
Musical Performance: ***½
Sound Quality: ****
Overall Enjoyment: ****
In December 1971, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention were appearing at London’s Rainbow Theatre when an audience member rushed onstage and pushed Zappa into the orchestra pit. Zappa suffered severe injuries, and was in a wheelchair for a year. He would not tour again until the fall of 1972, but recuperating from injuries was not something that would keep a driven, almost compulsive musician like Zappa down.
- Making the Vitus Audio SIA-030 Integrated Amplifier, Part One
- How You Treat People Matters, and Ultra Hi-Fi Heading into 2023
- Shunyata Research Denali 6000/S v2 Power Conditioner
- Falling Down the Discogs Rabbit Hole
- Richard Dawson: "The Ruby Cord"
- Jeff’s New-Speaker Wish List for 2023
- Dialing in My Compact Reference Stereo System: Sonus Faber and SVS
- SME Model 60 Turntable and Series VA Tonearm
- Hans Wetzel's Hi-Fi System
- Grant Green: "Feelin' the Spirit"
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