Tabla de contenidos para February 2023 en The Absolute Sound

Absolute Analog VTL TP-6.5 Series II Signature Phonostage Inserting a new component into a well-considered audio system is kind of like getting an organ transplant. Cables and other accessory “tweaks” can to some degree act as anti-rejection drugs, but mostly, the system either welcomes the invader or fights it. For a reviewer, if the sonic results are harmonious, great! If the system sound takes a turn for the worse, it doesn't mean the new component is not worthy. It may very well be that the piece under review does not work well in the context of the reviewer's system. That complicates the job, but an experienced hand can isolate the component's contribution to the system's sound, describe its particular sonic characteristics, and perhaps even recommend the context in which its addition…

Equipment Report T+A Series 200 In my series on “Building a Compact Reference System,” I sang the praises of modular, multifunction electronics as space-saving alternatives to separate components. I'm happy to note that since those articles appeared about two years ago, the number of modular integrateds on the market has dramatically increased. Today, audiophiles building compact reference systems can buy a modular integrated from CH Precision, Dan D'Agostino, Aesthetix, and others. All these units start out as standard integrated amps with builtin power amps and linestages. Users can then slide additional cards (DAC, streamer, phonostage) into the main chassis, as needed. The footprint doesn't change, even as functionality expands. In creating the Series 200, German audio-powerhouse T+A had the same goals for its modular electronics: versatility, customizability, compact form factor, great…

GÖbel High-End may be an unfamiliar name to North American audiophiles, but die German loudspeaker manufacturer has enjoyed wide populanty in its home country, diroughout Europe, and in Asia. The company was founded in 2003 by Oliver Gobel, who left lus job as lead loudspeaker engineer at Siemens to forge lus own padi. Gobel has specific expertise in bending-wave transducers and developed an acoustic application for the technology for winch he was granted a patent. That patent was the impetus for Gobel to start his own company, focusing on high-end loudspeakers and refining bending-wave transduc er technology. This year marks the Gobel High-End's 20 anniversary. Göbel's company has grown, moving in 2022 to a new factory near Munich, built from the ground up with Oliver Göbel himself providing the building's…

MUSIC If someone had told me that I was about to hear The Beatles’ Revolver like I'd never heard it before, well let's just say, skeptical wouldn't begin to describe my reaction. I was deeply familiar with the record—one that for many ardent fans had become the band's most popular album in its catalog. Indeed since 2017 Apple Records has been releasing a trove of specially remastered anniversary editions of Sgt. Pepper, The White Album, Abbey Road, and most recently Let It Be that have delighted enthusiasts and critics alike. However, the new Special Edition of Revolver was promoted to be something altogether different, even revolutionary. Mixed by the familiar team of producer Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell, the 14-track classic is now available as a newly mixed stereo…

Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes. In+Out. This soundtrack to a recent documentary on the world's most recorded bassist finds Carter interacting with Germany's WDR Big Band, guitarists Bill Frisell and Russell Malone, fellow bassists Christian McBride and Stanley Clarke, and pianists Renee Rosnes and Jon Batiste. Produced and directed by Peter Schnall for his Partisan Pictures, the accompanying soundtrack was issued as a CD/double-vinyl recording by the Germany-based In+Out Records. Most affecting here are a majestic interpretation by the WDR of Carter's “Doom Mood” (titled simply “Mood” on Miles Davis’ 1965 classic, E.S.P.) and a tender performance of “Flamenco Sketches” (from 1959's Kind of Blue) by Carter's working quartet of Rosnes, tenor saxophonist Jimmy Greene, and drummer Payton Crossley. Clarke kicks it on electric bass with Carter and guitarist…

We create performance-driven products with a clean technical design What ignited your interest in the high end? Did it come from the music side or the electronics side? Since I was a child, I have always enjoyed listening to music. At the same time, I got fascinated by die look of hi-fi gear and always dreamed of owning a nice system. What gear made up your first high-end system? It was a NAD amp, Luxman CD player and tape deck, and Acoustic Energy speakers. When did audio develop from a hobby to a career? The day I decided I wanted to stop working for someone else. I could choose what my projects would be and use my knowledge and experience to improve some of the technologies in audio reproduction. As…

THE NEW PLATINUM Series 3G series from England's Monitor Audio features a third-generation, Micro Pleated Diaphragm (MPD III), high-frequency transducer, which reduces distortion and flattens frequency response. The waveguide provides controlled directivity, improving both soundstage and sensitivity. The new midrange and bass drivers on the Platinum 200 3G, 300 3G, and 250 3G models sport improvements, as well. The drivers feature light but strong, third-generation, Rigid Diaphragm Technology (RDT III) cones that when coupled to the optimized and contoured cone surround and spider makes the drivers the lowest distortion of any speaker in MA's history. U pgraded bass drivers feature large-diameter edge-wound underhung voice coils. The curved front profile reduces diffraction, and new aluminum driver frames and tension rods secure the drivers to the cabinet for an almost vibration-free enclosure.…

YOU COULD ARGUE that this show, or one very much like it, belongs in the Big Apple. Unfortunately, the New York Audio Show continues to be a work in progress. That leaves the Rockville, Maryland-based Capital Audiofest, or CAF, the undisputed reigning king of East Coast audio shows. But CAF doesn't hold that title merely by default. Show organizer Gary Gill puts considerable effort into making the event a success—it's said he visits every room while CAF is in progress—and there's impressive attention to detail. For instance, each exhibitor gets a felt rope loop that prevents room doors from clanging as guests enter and exit. This year, the three-day affair was attended by throngs of earnest audiophiles and families alike. Many made the trip down from NYC. All were treated…

Affordable Focus GoldenEar Technology ForceField 30 Subwoofer The ForceField series by GoldenEar is the company's latest foray into the world of entry-level compact subwoofers. Currently there are two models: the ForceField 30 (FF 30) under consideration here, and the larger ForceField 40. Both are formidable practitioners of the black arts of bass extension and are aggressively priced at $900 and $1200 respectively. ForceField 30 uses a forward-firing 8” long-throw driver, bolstered by a large motor assembly. Extension and output are enhanced by a downward-firing, tuned, quadratic-shaped passive radiator. Power is supplied by a 1000W switching amp with MOSFET output stage. The in-house designed amps are augmented with Analog Devices DSP sections to optimize frequency response, reduce distortion, and prevent damage due to overdriving the transducer and circuitry. Visually, the FF 30,…

Affordable Focus Roksan Attessa Streaming Amplifier Not long ago, the appeal of integrated amps was, shall we say, low. The segment had become “same old, same old,” lacking innovation and the latest features. Part of its decline in popularity was due to the lure of home theater, 4K streaming video, and multichannel, which moved buyers into the AV receiver/processor wing of electronics. But as the expression goes, what goes around comes around. Ultimately the high end found its way back to integrateds. Demographics were changing; empty nesters were downsizing into smaller homes as well as smaller-footprint audio systems. The very definition of the integrated amplifier was also evolving. Once high-resolution streaming went from novelty to mainstream, a new segment of integrated was born. DACs, often bundled with network-streaming capability, found their…

Icon Audio's David Shaw tells me that the Stereo 40, Icon's very first amplifier introduction in 2001, was inspired by the Leak Point One amplifiers, as well as various U.S. and Mullard designs. Being relatively inexpensive and successful enough, it gave Icon Audio the impetus to develop many other models. Yet, as David explains, the Stereo 40 always remained at the core of what the company does: Offer good value for the money and try to be better than the competition. The Stereo 40 follows the tried-and-true approach of an Ultralinear (UL) push-pull output stage with the output transformer tapped at 40%. Both KT88 and EL34 versions are available, but the KT88 version appears to be more popular. The amp is switchable to triode mode via a toggle switch on…

MUSIC There probably isn't a one of you who doesn't own some version of Michael Jackson's Thriller, which is, lest we forget, the best-selling album of all time. Thirty-seven weeks at Number One on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart, certified 38x platinum, a record-breaking eight Grammys including Album of the Year and Record of the Year (“Beat It”), the most Top 10 singles of any LP in history, not to mention the rocket-boost Jackson's slick moon-walk videos gave to MTV's popularity (and vice versa), Thriller changed things—not least, the public perception of Jackson himself, who went from a boy-band singer with boundless energy and a sweet baritonefalsetto voice to an international culture hero. Once scorned by outfits like Rolling Stone, who feared putting Black musicians like him on…

MUSIC Like legions of her fans across the globe, I found watching videos of Jom Mitchell's surpnse appearance at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival an intensely cathartic experience. Imagine having been there. Given die now 79-year-old's recent health challenges—she suffered a well-publicized brain aneurysm in 2015 tiiat required years of physical rehab as she relearned how to walk and talk—it was astonishing to watch die latest incarnation of tins extraordinary artist sing a full set of her classic songs, even standing and playing an extended guitar riff, in die company of younger artists who so clearly adore her as a musician and fnend. Kudos to Brandi Carlile for spearheading die event, which was inspired by the “Jom Jams” that have become regular occurrences at Mitchell's L.A. home. I'll admit to…

FUTURE TAS THE REFERENCE MC is Nagra's first cartridge. Designed in parallel with, but not exclusively for, the Nagra 70th Anniversary Reference turntable/tonearm system, the Reference MC employs a multi-layer transducer with a double-layer coil body, wound with hyper-pure silver windings. A ruby cantilever is mated to a titanium structure featuring a DLC (diamond-like carbon) coating. The titanium structure addresses a traditional source of resonance and substantially reduces vibration unrelated to the musical signal. The stylus tip is a Swiss-produced Fritz Gyger S profile chosen for its detail retrieval and musicality. Developing the cartridge body led the team to an aerospace-researched, non-ferrous alloy of very high damping properties called EXIUMÒ AM. It proved to be ideal for use in audio applications, where the elimination of vibrations and resonances is critical.…

Feature Audiophiles tend to be highly opinionated, particularly about competing technologies—analog versus digital, conventional LP mastering versus half-speed, tubes versus transistors, 33rpm LPs versus 45rpm…the list goes on. But most of these opinions are formed from an accumulation of random anecdotal experiences over many years rather than by direct, apples-to-apples comparisons of the technologies in question. The only way to really know how an audio technology affects the sound, and in what ways it differs from an alternative technology, is to perform a side-to-side comparison in which the only variable is the technology under evaluation. Such comparisons are nearly impossible, unless you are a recording engineer with the ability to make recordings of the same performance using different technologies. Now, however, anyone can make these direct comparisons with a unique…

Affordable Focus Topping LA90 Power Amplifier Very occasionally, acquiring a component is the hardest part of writing the review. Usually, that is not the case. Most times, one phone call to the right person at a manufacturer or distributor will start a review in motion, with the component arriving at an agreed-upon time. But with Topping things have not been so easy. Unlike most manufacturers who are based in countries other than the United States, Topping has no U.S. distributor. Instead, all Topping products are shipped directly from China via DHL; the company has no physical presence in the U.S. Instead, it relies on Internet retailers such as Amazon and Apos Audio to handle U.S. sales. So, instead of sending out review samples, Topping assigns that task to its retailers. And…

You can see my interview with Oliver Göbel at The Absolute Sound's YouTube channel, youtube.com/@TheTASmagazine. THE DIVIN NOBLESSE employs advanced materials and techniques that are a departure from the standard fare in dynamic loudspeakers. The more I learned about the speaker's design, the more impressed I became; a lot of serious engineering went into every aspect of this speaker, down to the smallest detail. The enclosure is made from Melamine, a resin-bonded wood-fiber product that is pressed under high temperature. Göbel contends that the material is ideal for loudspeaker enclosures due to its combination of high stiffness and excellent damping. The enclosure is made with constrained-layer-damping techniques with varying wall thicknesses. The baffle supporting the midrange and tweeter is a whopping 80mm (3.15”) thick. I counted 39 facets on the…

Robyn Hitchcock: Shufflemania! Tiny Ghost. He's 69, but his surreal songs still evoke a sense of boyish wonder. Former Soft Boys leader Robyn Hitchcock is known for clever pop eccentricities and trail-blazing neo-psyche folk-rock. The London native doesn't disappoint on die of-ten-dreamy 10-track Shufflemania!, his first studio album in five years. On songs like die mid-tempo rocker “The Featiiery Serpent God,” replete widi sitar and droning shruti, and the retro “Midnight Train to Nowhere,” Hitchcock leads a consistentiy engaging sonic sojourn filled with catchy grooves, nuanced arrangements, and esoteric imagery. Backed by two ex-Soft Boys, Hitchcock laid down the basic tracks in 2020. Johnny Marr (“The Inner Life of Scorpio”) and Sean Ono Lennon (“One Day: It's Being Scheduled”), as well as Hitchcock's folksinger wife Emma Swift, also joined the…

Beethoven: The Five Piano Concertos. Haochen Zhang, piano. Philadelphia Orch, Stutzmann. BIS. Nathalie Stutzmann began her musical career as a singer, and many of her admirers therefore ascribe a vocal quality to her conducting But her riveting style also betrays the natural rhythms of a born dancer, even in the measured classicism of the Beethoven piano concertos. She draws bold and buoyant music-making out of the glorious Philadelphians, for whom she is serving as the principal guest conductor, portraying the composer as a full-fledged Romantic, even in the first two concertos, which are traditionally interpreted as homages to Beethoven's teacher, Haydn. The young Shanghai-born pianist Haochen Zhang a Cliburn Competition gold medalist, provides a delightfully dashing contrast to Stutzmann's robust manner, with elegant, yet richly colorful tonality that seems rooted…