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| Letters -- August 2008 Thanks for Blue Circle feature August 28, 2008 Editor, Thanks for your recent expose on Blue Circle and its founding father. Gilbert's unique vision and “tell it like it is” approach never ceases to put a smile on my face. Indeed, his approach can appear a bit anti-establishment or even iconoclastic as you put it -- perhaps even more so to the mainstream folks who seek safe harbor on the other side of the spectrum. However, after listening to his offerings progress over time, I'm far less concerned with the trivialities of politics as the resulting sound is as real as I've encountered. In some cases it seems as if the equipment is able to challenge our established conceptions of what equipment should sound like -- in favor of reminding us that it's the actual music that is ultimately the most important. Gilbert is definitely one of the good guys, and from what I've seen of your articles thus far you're clearly on that list as well. Please keep it up. Bradley FireWire dropouts? August 22, 2008 Editor, I am curious about the Weiss Minerva DAC you mentioned in your Opinion column, “Reference Recordings’ HRx and 24-bit/176kHz Sound.” Do you ever get dropouts from the FireWire connection? I know this is the best method to get high-resolution audio out of the MacBook, but I have heard that it may not be the most reliable. Can you shed any light on it? Sanjay The FireWire connection between the Weiss Minerva and the Apple MacBook has been as solid as can be. I’ve experienced no dropouts or other anomalies. One thing to remember is that FireWire is used extensively in the pro-audio and computer fields, where reliability is critical. I suspect that if there have been problems with certain products and the FireWire connection, perhaps it is the specific product and its implementation of the interface....Jeff Fritz More MacBook questions August 13, 2008 Editor, Like many others, I am also fascinated about using the MacBook as a primary source. A few more questions: 1. Do you use any vibration control (Stillpoints, Black Diamond Cones, etc.)? 2. Do you run on battery only when doing critical listening? 3. Do you think the MacAir model with the solid-state drive would be noticeably quieter? (Related question: Can you hear the hard drive at all between tracks?) I notice you have a TV monitor in your Music Vault. Do you use the MacBooks's DVD drive to play movies as well? Jay Valancy These are all good questions. Here are the answers: The MacBook seems basically unaffected sonically by vibration as near as I can tell. I don’t use any form of isolation at all. Based on the few times I have tried repositioning it without noticing any difference in sound quality, I’d say that there isn’t much to be gained from the products you mention. Still, experimenting is something we audiophiles do, and so I’d encourage you to try it, particularly if you have any of the isolation devices you mention on hand. I have tried running the MacBook on battery only and I can’t tell any difference between that and with it plugged into a Shunyata Research Guardian Pro Model-2. Perhaps that’s a feather in the cap of the Shunyata. The only no-no is loading a CD while you’re listening to music -- it gets quite noisy then! As for the MacAir, I have not tried it but would wonder the same thing myself. I’ll see if I can investigate it. And lastly, I do not use the DVD capability of the MacBook, I use it strictly as a music server....Jeff Fritz Loves ARC Reference CD7 August 5, 2008 Editor, I recently purchased an Audio Research Reference CD7 based partly on your review (and several others) of this "sonic shovel," and I have since gone back to re-read the reviews. I completely agree with your review of this marvelous CD player, but if paired with other ARC Reference components it simply synergizes better than any other CD player out there. My dealer is also an Esoteric, Levinson, Meridian and Accuphase dealer, and I was fortunately able to audition comparably (or higher) priced CD players from these terrific manufacturers at home in my system, which includes the ARC Reference 3 preamp and a pair of ARC Reference 210 mono amps. The sound from all of the players was more than acceptable, but the music from the CD7 was timbre perfect, pace perfect and was the most responsible for sleepless nights, because I'd go through my collection to listen and compare various passages or songs. The only thing you failed to mention was the very long break-in period of this player. It sounded totally wide open only after at least one month of constant playing, but the "ceiling" just bloomed and expanded beautifully. Only the Accuphase was similar in this regard, but it didn't have the timbrel accuracy, the tonal trueness (to my ear), that the CD7 had. The solid-state players were extremely detailed and produced good sound, but the playback "ceiling" was too low compared to the CD7. Thanks for your review because it really helped put me on the right track. The Esoteric is a terrific player, but the CD7 is simply the best if paired with other Reference gear, I believe. And please keep up the great work, because I'm sure your job can't be easy. Fun, maybe; easy, no! Have a good day, and stay true to the music! Mike Lukas
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