Check out Adele's new album, 21. We've only listened to a few tracks, but her voice is AMAZING! I guess the album releases on Feb 22. I'm going to pre order it tonight.
Has anyone heard of her already?
ps - we found her from the song on the "I Am Number Four" movie trailer...
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Digital Cable Shoot-Out: Cardas Neutral Reference. Finally, the Results Are In
Finally, I am ready to post the results of my first digital cable shoot-out. As a refresher, here are the contenders:
Before I begin, a summary of today's listening conditions is in order. The BC21.1 preamp is out of order probably until next weekend, when I plan to perform the needed repairs. This means that the analog outputs from the Bryston DAC are routed directly to the inputs of the BC22 monoblocks, and the TacT performs the (digital) volume control duty. I now have an all solid state system for the first time since entering high-end audio proper. This has been an eye-opening experience - some good, some bad - but I will leave a detailed write-up until after the BC21.1 is back in the loop. The music is Ceu's self-titled album Ceu (2006), a punchy but chill Brazilian sound with clear, expressive vocals played through the Arcam. My trusty dog Brodie is lying at the other end of the couch, and I have just started a glass of the fairly good Chalone Vineyard 2007 Pinot Noir.
The Neutral Reference (NR) cable lives up to its name, and its main strength lies in the bass region. Bass notes are more clearly delineated and textured, with a quicker start and stop. Voices are presented slightly forward of the speaker plane, and background vocals are more distinct, or separated in depth, from the main vocal. Background silence between notes is decidedly blacker, though only by a shade. Overall, the NR cable conveys quickness and precision. The HSD cable is also very good, with a nearly equal dynamic performance to the Neutral Reference. Its presentation is more inline with the speaker plane, not forward of it. A main differentiator is that the HSD cable imparts a breathy, glow-y quality to vocals. I would even go far as to say the HSD yields more vocal emotion in that tube way, while the NR is more akin to a solid state sound. Somehow, the HSD seems also to give a more funky, almost laid back, rhythm to Ceu's tracks, like this is a cable that is more in sync with the musical sense she's trying to convey.
As you can see - strengths and weaknesses, plus's and minus's. In my current all solid state setup, I prefer the High Speed Data cable for its more tube like presentation. My choice will probably swing back the other way to the Neutral Reference cable when the tubed BC21.1 is back in service. In fact, when I had a detailed listen a couple weekends ago when the Blue Circle preamp was in the driver's seat, the Neutral Reference cable was my choice.
- Cardas High Speed Data digital cable (S/PDIF, 1.0m) - retail $77 for 0.5m
- Cardas Neutral Reference Digital cable (AES/EBU, 0.5m) - retail $236 for 0.5m
Before I begin, a summary of today's listening conditions is in order. The BC21.1 preamp is out of order probably until next weekend, when I plan to perform the needed repairs. This means that the analog outputs from the Bryston DAC are routed directly to the inputs of the BC22 monoblocks, and the TacT performs the (digital) volume control duty. I now have an all solid state system for the first time since entering high-end audio proper. This has been an eye-opening experience - some good, some bad - but I will leave a detailed write-up until after the BC21.1 is back in the loop. The music is Ceu's self-titled album Ceu (2006), a punchy but chill Brazilian sound with clear, expressive vocals played through the Arcam. My trusty dog Brodie is lying at the other end of the couch, and I have just started a glass of the fairly good Chalone Vineyard 2007 Pinot Noir.
The Neutral Reference (NR) cable lives up to its name, and its main strength lies in the bass region. Bass notes are more clearly delineated and textured, with a quicker start and stop. Voices are presented slightly forward of the speaker plane, and background vocals are more distinct, or separated in depth, from the main vocal. Background silence between notes is decidedly blacker, though only by a shade. Overall, the NR cable conveys quickness and precision. The HSD cable is also very good, with a nearly equal dynamic performance to the Neutral Reference. Its presentation is more inline with the speaker plane, not forward of it. A main differentiator is that the HSD cable imparts a breathy, glow-y quality to vocals. I would even go far as to say the HSD yields more vocal emotion in that tube way, while the NR is more akin to a solid state sound. Somehow, the HSD seems also to give a more funky, almost laid back, rhythm to Ceu's tracks, like this is a cable that is more in sync with the musical sense she's trying to convey.
As you can see - strengths and weaknesses, plus's and minus's. In my current all solid state setup, I prefer the High Speed Data cable for its more tube like presentation. My choice will probably swing back the other way to the Neutral Reference cable when the tubed BC21.1 is back in service. In fact, when I had a detailed listen a couple weekends ago when the Blue Circle preamp was in the driver's seat, the Neutral Reference cable was my choice.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Major Ignition!
Last night when I turned on my preamp, I smelled smoke! Holy cow. Bending down to take a close look, I actually saw some wisps leaking gently from the top of the preamp cover. I have owned this preamp for 7 or 8 years, and it has performed flawlessly in every way, so - to put it mildly - this was unexpected and elicited quite a bit of alarm. I unplugged the beast, removed the cover, and found the culprit. I confirmed with Blue Circle that it is a blown filament regulator (a what??). After nearly a decade of faithful service, it just plain wore-out. Anyways, the plan is to buy a new regulator, which costs a few dollars from an electronics supply house, and install it myself with the blessing of the designer. The only operations are a couple of snips, unscrew, re-screw in the new part, then solder two leads. Simple - right? Right.
Here is a picture of the exploded device.
Lastly, I now have the Bryston DAC analog output connected directly into my amps. Digital volume control is provided by TacT. Hmm... Interesting. I don't want to write anymore on that right now, but I just know there will be plenty to report on the way this new configuration sounds when I get my preamp up and running again.
Here is a picture of the exploded device.
Lastly, I now have the Bryston DAC analog output connected directly into my amps. Digital volume control is provided by TacT. Hmm... Interesting. I don't want to write anymore on that right now, but I just know there will be plenty to report on the way this new configuration sounds when I get my preamp up and running again.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Tube Shoot-out: Genalex and JJ Tesla. The Final Verdict
Now that the Genalex have resided in my system for a couple of weeks and have plenty of burn-in time, I decided to revisit their performance and sound vs. the JJ Tesla. The main set of tracks used for today's listening is from Bebe's album Y., with which I have spent considerable time in the last week or so, and in particular this morning as I prepared for my previous Playlist Update! post.
Reading back over my previous Tube Shoot-out posting, my impressions are still more or less on-target, but I have a few final observations. The Genalex does "unstick" the music from the speakers a bit more than the JJ Teslas, push the soundstage back by comparison, and also - unlike my last posting - I feel the Genalex does perhaps widen the soundstage a smidgen. Sticking the JJ tubes back in the circuit yields a more exciting, up-front presentation with much more coherent PRAT, which to this listener is of first importance. By PRAT, I mean "Pacing, Rhythm, and Timing", and manifests as better bass timing, probably due to their faster, or more nimble, bass response. Dynamically, the JJ tubes shine head and shoulders above the Genalex in this system. Harmonic content with the JJ's is slightly leaner than with the Genalex's, but in retrospect I feel that the Genalex are on the lush side, so the net effect is that the JJ's restore harmonics to a better balance to my ears. To sum up - with the Genalex, I am listening attentively to the music and enjoying various audiophile aspects of the sound. With the JJ Tesla's, I am off the couch, dancing and smiling. Can you guess which one wins?
I can easily imagine how one audiophile, who values the nth-degree of detail from his or her system and/or a lusher, more laid-back presentation, would prefer the Genalex, which is a fine tube. My brand of audiophile might have a different opinion. To each, their own!
Reading back over my previous Tube Shoot-out posting, my impressions are still more or less on-target, but I have a few final observations. The Genalex does "unstick" the music from the speakers a bit more than the JJ Teslas, push the soundstage back by comparison, and also - unlike my last posting - I feel the Genalex does perhaps widen the soundstage a smidgen. Sticking the JJ tubes back in the circuit yields a more exciting, up-front presentation with much more coherent PRAT, which to this listener is of first importance. By PRAT, I mean "Pacing, Rhythm, and Timing", and manifests as better bass timing, probably due to their faster, or more nimble, bass response. Dynamically, the JJ tubes shine head and shoulders above the Genalex in this system. Harmonic content with the JJ's is slightly leaner than with the Genalex's, but in retrospect I feel that the Genalex are on the lush side, so the net effect is that the JJ's restore harmonics to a better balance to my ears. To sum up - with the Genalex, I am listening attentively to the music and enjoying various audiophile aspects of the sound. With the JJ Tesla's, I am off the couch, dancing and smiling. Can you guess which one wins?
I can easily imagine how one audiophile, who values the nth-degree of detail from his or her system and/or a lusher, more laid-back presentation, would prefer the Genalex, which is a fine tube. My brand of audiophile might have a different opinion. To each, their own!
Playlist Update! Bebe, Y.
Bebe's latest album from 2009 is titled Y.. To my knowledge, this is only her second album - her first, Pafuera Telaranas, released in 2005 - has been one of my favorites for years now, and I mentioned it briefly in my inaugural Playlist Update last week. So, this second album had a lot to live up to in my mind... did it succeed?
Well, the answer is a resounding YES! In fact, to this music lover, the new album surpasses her previous effort. The songs on Y. continue to feature Bebe's electric, riveting vocals front and center, providing an anchor to each song. I cannot help but be drawn to her voice. For the most part, she controls it, keeping her voice under control. But occasionally, she really lets it fly and reveals an edgy, biting quality which helps propel a song to its apex. The compositions range from more relaxed, acoustic guitar-driven tracks (e.g., "Sinsentido" or "Nostare"), to harder electric guitar driven rock-style pieces like "Que Mimporta" , to others with a distinct pop'ish sound, such as "Se Fue", and everywhere in between (see "Pa Mi Casa"). All songs are of high musical quality, and all are a joy to listen to.
Other tracks of distinction include "Me Fui" and "Busco-Me", which features a cool out-of-phase nylon stringed guitar melody that opens the track and anchors it throughout. If it's possible to pick a favorite track, it might be "La Bicha", which has a compelling bass-heavy underpinning and a layered "chorus" of back-up vocals from Bebe herself.
I have mentioned eight of thirteen tracks by name! And it's not as if the other five tracks are slouches, either. In fact, there is a not a single track that I don't think is of high quality in the musical sense. The recording quality is also pretty good, devoid of muddy bass or rolled-off highs, with clear vocals, which all told serves to propel her excellent songs. Buy it, and enjoy!
Well, the answer is a resounding YES! In fact, to this music lover, the new album surpasses her previous effort. The songs on Y. continue to feature Bebe's electric, riveting vocals front and center, providing an anchor to each song. I cannot help but be drawn to her voice. For the most part, she controls it, keeping her voice under control. But occasionally, she really lets it fly and reveals an edgy, biting quality which helps propel a song to its apex. The compositions range from more relaxed, acoustic guitar-driven tracks (e.g., "Sinsentido" or "Nostare"), to harder electric guitar driven rock-style pieces like "Que Mimporta" , to others with a distinct pop'ish sound, such as "Se Fue", and everywhere in between (see "Pa Mi Casa"). All songs are of high musical quality, and all are a joy to listen to.
Other tracks of distinction include "Me Fui" and "Busco-Me", which features a cool out-of-phase nylon stringed guitar melody that opens the track and anchors it throughout. If it's possible to pick a favorite track, it might be "La Bicha", which has a compelling bass-heavy underpinning and a layered "chorus" of back-up vocals from Bebe herself.
I have mentioned eight of thirteen tracks by name! And it's not as if the other five tracks are slouches, either. In fact, there is a not a single track that I don't think is of high quality in the musical sense. The recording quality is also pretty good, devoid of muddy bass or rolled-off highs, with clear vocals, which all told serves to propel her excellent songs. Buy it, and enjoy!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Playlist Update! Inaugural Post
Welcome to the Playlist Update. This is where I will talk about new CDs that I've ordered, and discuss how I found them, which are my favorite tracks, what I think of the recording quality, and more. Here's my MO - I like to have CD quality, but it's unfortunately rare that a site will offer CD-quality downloads. So, I order physical CDs, rip them into iTunes, and then have the option to listen directly to the CD or thru wireless streaming. I also have the advantage of holding the CD case in my hands and reading the liner notes. Call me old fashioned!
I've recently ordered about 15 CDs from Six Degrees Records and CD Universe. However, I'm not yet ready to comment on any of those albums, so let me start with a recommendation of five titles that I've actually owned for a while and listen to fairly regularly...
Si*Se, More Shine. Carol C.'s voice has such an alluring, sexy quality. I enjoy every single track on this album, but of note are Mariposa En Havana and Sometimes.
Bebe, Pafuera Telaranas. Bebe is such an amazingly talented artist, and her voice is electric and edgy. Two of my more favorite tracks include Corre and Siempre Me Quedara.
Ceu, Vagarosa. I am new to Ceu, having discovered her on the great label called Six Degrees. She's Brazilian, and so is the music. Try it.
Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band, A Special Album. Cool. Cool. Cool. Great beats and some funny lyrics. Try Think Twice, a great track.
Supreme Beings of Leisure, 11i. The music is upbeat and, again, I love pretty much every track. The recording quality is decent, but overall it's a little bright sounding. But, that's ok - it's well worth it.
Enjoy!
I've recently ordered about 15 CDs from Six Degrees Records and CD Universe. However, I'm not yet ready to comment on any of those albums, so let me start with a recommendation of five titles that I've actually owned for a while and listen to fairly regularly...
Si*Se, More Shine. Carol C.'s voice has such an alluring, sexy quality. I enjoy every single track on this album, but of note are Mariposa En Havana and Sometimes.
Bebe, Pafuera Telaranas. Bebe is such an amazingly talented artist, and her voice is electric and edgy. Two of my more favorite tracks include Corre and Siempre Me Quedara.
Ceu, Vagarosa. I am new to Ceu, having discovered her on the great label called Six Degrees. She's Brazilian, and so is the music. Try it.
Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band, A Special Album. Cool. Cool. Cool. Great beats and some funny lyrics. Try Think Twice, a great track.
Supreme Beings of Leisure, 11i. The music is upbeat and, again, I love pretty much every track. The recording quality is decent, but overall it's a little bright sounding. But, that's ok - it's well worth it.
Enjoy!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Tube Shoot-out: Genalex vs. JJ Tesla
The Genalex tubes have arrived!! Let the competition commence! In the blue corner, the Incumbent: JJ Tesla Gold Pin E88CC. In the red corner, the Challenger: Genalex Gold Lion E88CC.
First off, I am NOT a big-time tube roller. Years ago, I did a little tube rolling when I first got my BC21.1 preamp. It was a fun and instructive experience, comparing ElectroHarmonix, Philips, JAN-Philips, and JJ Tesla brand tubes. I chose the JJ Tesla's because they gave me the best bass performance - namely a solid, tuneful, punchy performance - without sacrificing detail or mid-range smoothness. I have since used this brand almost exclusively, and haven't given further tube rolling much thought. But a recent post on the Blue Circle Forum got me back in the groove. So, an order for a pair of matched, high gain Genalex tubes went out to thetubestore, and a few days later they arrived via US Mail.
I used a handful of my long-time favorite songs that also often act as demo tracks since I know them well:
Si*Se, More Shine, "Mariposa En Havana"
Bossacucanova, Uma Batida Diferente, "Essa Moca Ta Diferente"
Tori Amos, The Beekeeper, "Sweet the Sting"
Feist, Let It Die, "One Evening"
Toy Division, Visage II, "Budapest Resonance"
CeU, Vagarosa, "Cangote"
A theme common to all of these tracks is fairly articulate, bass-heavy rhythms, with fairly wide soundstages. The artists Si*Se, Tori Amos, Feist, Toy Division, and CeU highlight female vocals. Bossacucanova highlights male vocals. I let the Genalex tubes burn in for about 24 hours before doing any serious listening.
In comparison to the JJ bottles, the more than twice as expensive Genalex tubes offer slightly more inner detail which was clearly evident in vocals, individual instruments such as horns, as well as in bass notes. You can only imagine how exciting this change is from the audiophile perspective. Also, the sounds seem to even further detach, or maybe a good word is "unstick", themselves from the speaker locations - i.e., letting the speakers disappear even more convincingly than before. I believe this also leads to a slightly more 3-dimensional soundstage, in that its depth has increased a little. The soundstage width does not seem to change, as far as I could determine.
The downside is that, in the time domain, the bass performance seems not quite as aligned with the upper frequency spectrum, as in the JJ's. The net effect is that I am not as driven to tap my toes with the Genalex in the system. Also, the bass amplitude comes across as ever so slightly shelved down with the Genalex, as if bass had been turned down by a dB or two.
Keep in mind that these observations are with the TacT calibrated when the JJ tubes were in the preamp and well burned in over several months. To even up the playing field, I re-measured the TacT with the Genalex tubes in the system, and then re-calibrated using the same response curve (see Fig. 2 in my TacT post from January 1). Looking at the measured frequency response between the JJ and Genalex, there is not an appreciable difference; yet, after the re-calibration of the TacT, the sound did change somewhat, with a slightly more open mid-range balance. The frequency extremes didn't seem to change significantly.
How does this all translate into whether I prefer the JJ or the Genalex? It's a coin toss at this point. I prefer the seeming inner detail and soundstage improvements offered by the Genalex, but prefer the bass performance of the JJ's. Since I'm a PRAT kinda guy, then I may end up transitioning back to the less expensive JJ's. But I am first going to let the Genalex burn in a few more weeks before making any final determination.
If you have any stories to share on your own tube rolling experiences, please add your comments!
First off, I am NOT a big-time tube roller. Years ago, I did a little tube rolling when I first got my BC21.1 preamp. It was a fun and instructive experience, comparing ElectroHarmonix, Philips, JAN-Philips, and JJ Tesla brand tubes. I chose the JJ Tesla's because they gave me the best bass performance - namely a solid, tuneful, punchy performance - without sacrificing detail or mid-range smoothness. I have since used this brand almost exclusively, and haven't given further tube rolling much thought. But a recent post on the Blue Circle Forum got me back in the groove. So, an order for a pair of matched, high gain Genalex tubes went out to thetubestore, and a few days later they arrived via US Mail.
I used a handful of my long-time favorite songs that also often act as demo tracks since I know them well:
Si*Se, More Shine, "Mariposa En Havana"
Bossacucanova, Uma Batida Diferente, "Essa Moca Ta Diferente"
Tori Amos, The Beekeeper, "Sweet the Sting"
Feist, Let It Die, "One Evening"
Toy Division, Visage II, "Budapest Resonance"
CeU, Vagarosa, "Cangote"
A theme common to all of these tracks is fairly articulate, bass-heavy rhythms, with fairly wide soundstages. The artists Si*Se, Tori Amos, Feist, Toy Division, and CeU highlight female vocals. Bossacucanova highlights male vocals. I let the Genalex tubes burn in for about 24 hours before doing any serious listening.
In comparison to the JJ bottles, the more than twice as expensive Genalex tubes offer slightly more inner detail which was clearly evident in vocals, individual instruments such as horns, as well as in bass notes. You can only imagine how exciting this change is from the audiophile perspective. Also, the sounds seem to even further detach, or maybe a good word is "unstick", themselves from the speaker locations - i.e., letting the speakers disappear even more convincingly than before. I believe this also leads to a slightly more 3-dimensional soundstage, in that its depth has increased a little. The soundstage width does not seem to change, as far as I could determine.
The downside is that, in the time domain, the bass performance seems not quite as aligned with the upper frequency spectrum, as in the JJ's. The net effect is that I am not as driven to tap my toes with the Genalex in the system. Also, the bass amplitude comes across as ever so slightly shelved down with the Genalex, as if bass had been turned down by a dB or two.
Keep in mind that these observations are with the TacT calibrated when the JJ tubes were in the preamp and well burned in over several months. To even up the playing field, I re-measured the TacT with the Genalex tubes in the system, and then re-calibrated using the same response curve (see Fig. 2 in my TacT post from January 1). Looking at the measured frequency response between the JJ and Genalex, there is not an appreciable difference; yet, after the re-calibration of the TacT, the sound did change somewhat, with a slightly more open mid-range balance. The frequency extremes didn't seem to change significantly.
How does this all translate into whether I prefer the JJ or the Genalex? It's a coin toss at this point. I prefer the seeming inner detail and soundstage improvements offered by the Genalex, but prefer the bass performance of the JJ's. Since I'm a PRAT kinda guy, then I may end up transitioning back to the less expensive JJ's. But I am first going to let the Genalex burn in a few more weeks before making any final determination.
If you have any stories to share on your own tube rolling experiences, please add your comments!
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