... user's manual.
Thanking my (wise) friend Roberta.
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Friday, December 30, 2016
Weirdness scale
... level 7... anyone?
... and, YES, you fussy people around: Messiaen's mispelled... just a typo;-)
... and, YES, you fussy people around: Messiaen's mispelled... just a typo;-)
Thursday, December 29, 2016
A pleasant, musical day...
Today with my friends Matthias and Giovanni, we visited Pietro's place...
Our perfect host is a long time music and audio lover and the proud owner of several nice pieces of gears: Montagna top of the line speakers, Be Yamamura Dionisio and amps/preamp, disk transport and DAC, Goldmund Apologue, Sakuma/Concord, Audio Tekne, Shindo Monbrison, Swiss Physics and Goldmund electronics... Pluto and Graham arms... and discs, discs, discs...
Montagna awesome building quality... majestic sound, with an excellent mid and high and a just fine low-end, possibly needing some further set-up attention to be up-to-par with upper ways.
A great listening, nonetheless.
The best of the crop in a classy environment... seldom seen and heard beauties, indeed.
The best sounding?
... such a good taste in music choosing...
Curious?
I listened years ago to the Dionisio with Mk 1 white cones speakers at a Milan audio fair, with Pierre Bolduc demonstrating them in a full packed, crowdy room.
Mixed feeling, I remember.
Nothing... NOTHING compared with Pietro's Yamamura... perfect integration, effortless beauty, naturalness and dynamics... speedy low-end, silky, extended, extremely smooth and airy mids and highs... yet, a cohesion truly seldom heard but while listening to live music.
Right sized instruments, overall beauty.
Do you guess?
Would you imagine?
Thanking Pietro, Lucia, Matthias and Giovanni for the great day... a true 2016 musical highlight.
P.S. - I'm truly, sincerely amused... no: baffled and bemused! about how some forums-wannabes (who quite often never, ever listened to any serious set-up) still insist to call horns and wideband speakers as intercoms or PA speakers!
Everyone using something different from a B&W or an Avalon is labelled as a lunatic.
Disturbing flat-earth homogenising audio...
Ignorance and biased opinions reign... my humble five cents: don't simply read and trust magazines, forums, blogs or assorted webzines!
Untired and unashamed, I suggest everyone to play a musical instrument (it's never too late), listen to live music, USE YOUR OWN EARS listening to more top audio-systems you can and trust whatever please you, folks!
Happy New Year everyone.
P.S. - I'm truly, sincerely amused... no: baffled and bemused! about how some forums-wannabes (who quite often never, ever listened to any serious set-up) still insist to call horns and wideband speakers as intercoms or PA speakers!
Everyone using something different from a B&W or an Avalon is labelled as a lunatic.
Disturbing flat-earth homogenising audio...
Ignorance and biased opinions reign... my humble five cents: don't simply read and trust magazines, forums, blogs or assorted webzines!
Untired and unashamed, I suggest everyone to play a musical instrument (it's never too late), listen to live music, USE YOUR OWN EARS listening to more top audio-systems you can and trust whatever please you, folks!
Happy New Year everyone.
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Brian Eno's Reflection
Simply stunning... Brian Eno has been a pioneer all his life, always a step ahead, in the future.
Try this... his new effort: self-generating music...
2016: such a shitty year!
... no need to explain why... just a sincere "Whoa! What a shitty year has been, music-wise and politically and ethically and..."
Monday, December 26, 2016
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Pacific Recording - Da Place!
Thanking Michael Trei;-)
This building was once the home of Pacific Recording, the first 16 track studio in the San Francisco Bay Area. Many classic albums including the first Santana and Doobie Brothers albums and The Grateful Dead's Axomoxoa were recorded here.
Friday, December 23, 2016
Japan Triode Meeting 2017
I yesterday got an invitation from Jean Hiraga.
He and his Japanese friends are organizing the first Japan Triode Meeting in May 2017, in the fantastic temple of Eitsu Kiyohara and other great places in South Japan, near Fukuoka, which I already visited in 2009.
... no, not an Hakata's view, but Japan in spades;-)
Here are some info :
The JTM, Japan Triode Meeting is an event essentially dedicated to international triode audio electronics enthusiasts.
This first edition of JTM will be held in Kyushu island, south of Japan, from May 11th to May 14th 2017.
This non-commercial, non-profit private meeting is reserved only to pre-registered members. Non-members, public access will not be authorized to this event. Only a limited number of members (about 40 members) will participate to this first JTM edition.
This first edition of JTM will be held in Kyushu island, south of Japan, from May 11th to May 14th 2017.
This non-commercial, non-profit private meeting is reserved only to pre-registered members. Non-members, public access will not be authorized to this event. Only a limited number of members (about 40 members) will participate to this first JTM edition.
This JTM first edition will start on May 11th 2017 (Thursday) from 10 AM and will end may on 14th at noon (Sunday).
I immediately sent to him my "Yes, thanks!" - meeting Jean, Tim, Moriyama-san and all the Japanese friends will be 2017's highlights... a blast!
Stay tuned!
Thursday, December 22, 2016
JRF Magnetics Inc.'s Studer "Monster Machine"
1 inch/2 tracks... only this give me a shiver of joy...
With twice the track width, a lower noise floor, and extended frequency response, one-inch 2-track is the sleeping giant of analog mastering formats in an industry filled with digital standards. While half-inch two-track is the music mastering format that has worldwide acceptance, one-inch two-track has roared quietly into the high-end segment of recording and mastering facilities.
 One-inch two-track upgraded conversions and/or head assemblies by JRF Magnetic Sciences have been made for Studer A80VU, A800, and J-37 model machines. The Studer A80 one-inch transport, with its excellent tape handling characteristics, is an ideal choice for conversion to the 2-track format. Flux Magnetics "ME" series (extended performance) mastering heads are the clear choice and are used exclusively on all JRF one-inch two-track conversions. With tracks this wide, this format elevates mastering (and direct to two-track recording) to a dramatically higher level of performance. 
A Studer J-37 or an A80VU, 1" 2 tracks IS the Zenit of recording art.
Period.
.
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Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Mandozzi Elettronica DART-2 from Switzerland
I was looking since a long time for an easy, elegant, light - but not a toy - portable field-recorder...
Mandozzi's DART-2 represents a viable, cheaper and elegant option to a Nagra or a Sound Devices 722... maybe a poor man Nagra;-)
Yet, I love this machine no frills and vintage look, opposed to the more commonly found Chinese miniature digital recorders with built in cheap mikes.
This way I'm able to use my Sennheiser Dummy head, or the Neumann USM 69 (yes, the DART-2 has a Phantom 48V) or my STC/Coles 4038 in Blumlein pattern to record every gig, concert, rehearsal, whatever I'm able to get!
... the above without hurting my back, as moving any reel to reel... or getting an embarrassing (low) quality - i.e. that nasty digital 0 db overload - from my iPad and iRig mike.
Thanking Thomas Schick.