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1: General Asylum, How about Ella Fitzgerald??? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-03-28, 13:38:27 (108.34.204.30)
From everything that I have read, Ella Fitzgerald (my granddaughter is named Ella, after her, because my son said that Ella was all he heard as he was growing up!) had genuinely synergistic working re .......
2: Critic's Corner, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-03-27, 15:40:55 (108.34.204.30)
View YouTube Video Hoover was sicker than I ever dreamed. He always chased imaginary Commies, while the Mafia paid for his and his boyfriend's gambling jaunts. Living in a Babylon, is al .......
3: General Asylum, Another "Future Audiophile" Giveaway--Magnepan LRS+ Loudspeakers... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-03-25, 13:46:48 (108.34.204.30)
ATTN. MODERATORS: I am only posting this because Magnepan is going to give away a pair of very well-regarded loudspeakers to some lucky audiophile. I currently have no business relationship with Fu .......
4: Rocky Road, I think "Home Free" (1972; his first album) was his masterpiece (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-03-24, 15:37:28 (108.34.204.30)
Recorded in Nashville, with one session player overlapping from Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde." john .......
5: Speaker Asylum, Driver technology has evolved in some ways... here's a recommendation: Ara Tx Finale (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-03-22, 16:06:40 (108.34.204.30)
With the obvious caveats that the loudspeaker I recommend for audition is a ported/vented design, and doubtless has a more complicated crossover... In terms of a 2-way built for real music lover .......
6: General Asylum, 1) OK, I stand corrected; 2) I have heard great things about Perlisten... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-03-22, 11:36:55 (108.34.204.30)
1) Well, Scott, you got it right about Sewanee--we had to design a room with very good sound for 15 listeners (the students) and "good enough" sound for two listeners (the faculty members consigned to .......
7: Critic's Corner, Well, my mother's brother was a big shot in the CIA (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-03-22, 04:53:02 (108.34.204.30)
He had been in charge of training for the Bay of Pigs. The CIA paid for one room of his house to be made secure to hold secret documents and to avoid electronic eavesdropping. Of course, we referred t .......
8: General Asylum, PLEASE don't neglect diffusion! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-03-22, 04:47:00 (108.34.204.30)
The $1-million plus listening room I worked on at The University of the South in Sewanee TN was originally designed with no engineered architectural materials for diffusion. I persuaded them to .......
9: Classical Court, Thanks for the interesting information (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-03-21, 05:27:05 (108.34.204.30)
IIRC, David Hancock's piano at Holy Trinity Church had lettered on its fallboard: PIANO because, IIRC, it was a Baldwin with a Steinway action, but I might have that backwards. I'll check with Artu .......
10: Classical Court, Claudio Arrau plays "Gnomenreigen" by Franz Liszt. Live in Carnegie Hall (1953) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-03-20, 12:26:33 (108.34.204.30)
I've been neglecting The Tannhauser Gate--my little blog. So, to use Mr. Goldovsky's wonderful neologism, I have now "glected" it. So, please drop by, and leave a reply. It's a brief consideration of .......
11: Speaker Asylum, The father was a student of Anton Rubinstein's... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-03-19, 15:56:03 (108.34.204.30)
Anton Rubinstein founded the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1862... . When I took the music-history survey course at Brown University, it was taught by an older guy who, as a teenager, had heard the s .......
12: Speaker Asylum, Hoffman's father was the famous Polish-American concert pianist (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-03-19, 09:09:59 (108.34.204.30)
The younger Hoffman had three degrees from Harvard. He was the "H" in KLH. john .......
13: Speaker Asylum, Hmmm... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-03-17, 15:50:22 (108.34.204.30)
Well, my semi-educated guess is that the "plurality" of woofer drivers are what accounts for the rather high 93dB sensitivity. The impedance goes down to 2.5 Ohms at 40Hz... how interesting. I wonder .......
14: General Asylum, Was not that V6 also found in Volvos of the day? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-03-16, 12:14:05 (108.34.204.30)
Wiki says Yup, please see the link. Long ago, I was an accredited automotive journalist. Doing that work taught me that inline six-cylinder engines were more than just "Old-Fashioned." They were usual .......
15: Classical Court, But Dvorak's music for viola and two violins is nearly impossible to beat for charm! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-03-14, 16:24:34 (108.34.204.30)
View YouTube Video I used to play a violin part of the 4 Miniatures, Op. 75a for 2 Violins and Viola, just for fun. There's also the Terzetto in C major for Two Violins and Viola, Op. 7 .......
16: Vinyl Asylum, Nathaniel Rosen "Orientale" S-N-LE 2-LP set, going begging on eBay (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-03-13, 06:55:32 (108.34.204.30)
Well, here's an eBay seller whose dedication to the free-market principles of Adam Smith would have brought tears to Ronald Reagan's eyes. Somebody got hold of a nice Signed, Numbered Limited-Ed .......
17: Classical Court, Thank you NT (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-03-07, 15:20:32 (108.34.204.30)
john .......
18: Vinyl Asylum, Peesacake! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-03-06, 09:22:35 (108.34.204.30)
(1) If Qobuz has the audio, it is likely that the other streaming services do. (2) NON-Signed, NON-Numbered, UN-Limited Edition LPs are GOING BEGGING on eBay. See the link for a Near Mint (and it look .......
19: Vinyl Asylum, Has Anyone Ever Seen One of These Sets? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-03-06, 08:29:00 (108.34.204.30)
A signed, numbered limited edition of 1,000 2-LP sets, released in 1977 to document what they called "The Concert of the Century at Carnegie Hall." Which had taken place in 1976. Don .......
20: Speaker Asylum, I do wish that Winslow Burhoe had patented the Inverted Dome tweeter (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-03-03, 12:26:48 (108.34.204.30)
Of course, he invented the inverted dome in 1969, so that patent would have expired in 1986... You lucked into a very nice-looking loudspeaker! john .......
21: Classical Court, Ha! Gustav Mahler DID conduct the NY Philharmonic in little ol' Providence, RI (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-29, 06:24:37 (108.34.204.30)
The concert hall was on South Main Street; it burned down in 1942. From the Mahler Foundation: 1910 Concert Providence February 25, 1910 Chronology: Year 1910 Location: Infantry Hall Nature: .......
22: Classical Court, "The Brief Confessions of a Former Mahler Unbeliever" (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-28, 06:53:50 (108.34.204.30)
After the positive reaction to my exceedingly long article about Jerry Bruck's "experimental" Mahler recording of 1970, I decided that I really should "come clean" about my juvenile, snooty, long-i .......
23: Critic's Corner, Secret Agent Maxwell Smart's "Cone of Silence" (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-24, 07:47:25 (108.34.204.30)
Please bear with me, there is a method to my madness! When I was a kid, we all laughed at Secret Agent Maxwell Smart's "Cone of Silence." The fact that my mother's brother was a huge big shot in the C .......
24: General Asylum, Sometimes there is a localized, short-term blip in sales (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-23, 09:30:09 (108.34.204.30)
But, every now and then, somebody who lives in a place with no high-end audio dealer within reasonable driving distance, travels to a regional show and then he decides that he just wants to buy the en .......
25: Classical Court, The Young Man's Ysa˙e Solo Sonata 3 "Ballade" YT reminds me of Oistrakh's (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-22, 15:27:45 (108.34.204.30)
View YouTube Video Except, in places, the kid plays faster than King David did. Ysa˙e was a brilliant composer... I wonder if anyone has ever recorded the Ballade as a piano piece? joh .......
26: Critic's Corner, Thanks... and, this is (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-22, 06:17:14 (108.34.204.30)
Thanks... I literally put more than 40 hours into research, writing, and editing. Why? Because this is one of the few ways that I can today thank my teachers and mentors in music and in engineering. .......
27: Critic's Corner, It's one of those recordings that resists objective analysis (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-22, 06:09:37 (108.34.204.30)
The three conductors I revere most are Tennstedt, Celibidache, and Carlos Kleiber. Circa 1990, Tennstedt conducted a Mahler 1st. Unusually, with the Chicago Symphony. There was, post his death, a CD r .......
28: Critic's Corner, The longest recording review I have ever written, I think: 4,000 words (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-21, 16:02:04 (108.34.204.30)
Gustav Mahler wanted his Third Symphony to encompass the whole of creation. His working scores had these descriptive titles for each of his six movements: I. "Pan (the Greek god) Awakes" II. "W .......
29: Classical Court, Thanks, and please look at the YouTube I just remarked about above. nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-21, 11:33:00 (108.34.204.30)
nt .......
30: Classical Court, Mind-blowing violin playing (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-21, 11:28:35 (108.34.204.30)
Like a member of some self-flagellating Catholic sect, for many years I kept on my music stand the sheet music for Kreisler's Brahms violin concerto Cadenza. I think it by far the most musically "m .......
31: Classical Court, Hi, Chris, I sent you an email (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-21, 11:17:02 (108.34.204.30)
john .......
32: Classical Court, That of course was a nod to John Dowland, as you might have known. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-16, 06:49:50 (108.34.204.30)
SEMPER DOWLAND, SEMPER DOLENS .......
33: Classical Court, I am working on my own article about it--and, as usual, I am running long (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-15, 17:16:38 (108.34.204.30)
SEMPER JOHNNY, SEMPER SPATIOSE. .......
34: Classical Court, Should the catchphrase then be, "Laws, Sausages, and Classical Music?" (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-14, 12:42:44 (108.34.204.30)
nt .......
35: Classical Court, Norman Lebrecht let me post a remarkably inflammatory comment!!!!! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-14, 11:36:00 (108.34.204.30)
Norman ran a brief article about a young woman conductor who appears to been treated horribly by an administrator at the University of Iowa. The perp's name (his title is listed as Associate Director .......
36: Classical Court, That sounds unlikely to me... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-14, 05:57:06 (108.34.204.30)
I worked on at least six JMR recording projects with Jerry Bruck, and we became close friends. As far as I knew, Jerry's Horenstein Mahler 3 project: 1) Was an "Experiment," and that commercial rel .......
37: Classical Court, That IS what I am saying, except... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-13, 17:41:17 (108.34.204.30)
As I suggested, you can just "MacGyver Up" any old loudspeaker up there, and connect it with lamp cord from Home Depot. You WILL get the "Up" channel! Please look at it this way. As recorded, the Mono .......
38: Classical Court, Well, my understanding is that you can "MacGyver Up" (that's a pun) a Mini Atmos! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-13, 13:29:05 (108.34.204.30)
Jerry Bruck's four-channel mic array was a skeletal tetrahedron. Each axis (edge) was 1 meter. There were Left Front and Right Front cardioid microphones, naturally. HOWEVER, instead of a "stereo pair .......
39: Classical Court, My first listen to the Jerry Bruck 1970 Horenstein Mahler 3... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-13, 10:06:37 (108.34.204.30)
Greetings, Earthlings! Last night I got a sneak listen to this amazing reconstruction from Jerry Bruck's parallel "Tetrahedral Ambiophonic" four-channel analog recording chain for the Unicorn/Nones .......
40: Classical Court, Hmmm... I understand where you are coming from, Kal... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-11, 14:21:25 (108.34.204.30)
Dear Kal, I understand where you are coming from. But what you call pretentiousness, I thought was pomposity. But, more to the point, I thought it possible that the occasionally wayward grandiosity of .......
41: Speaker Asylum, Parts Express announces Woofer Replacement online Tool (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-09, 09:33:56 (108.34.204.30)
Parts Express now has an app on their website to sort through their inventory and make woofer replacement recommendations. The app has fill-in boxes for cabinet size, impedance, power handling, etc. W .......
42: Classical Court, His "Gurrelieder" was very good. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-09, 06:09:10 (108.34.204.30)
Especially because the Speaker's part was spoken by Colonel Klink, of "Hogan's Heroes." john .......
43: Classical Court, Gurrelieder was in fact, very good--especially Colonel Klink. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-03, 18:56:43 (172.56.112.11)
However, as much as Norman Lebrecht is a controversialist, I tend to believe what he said about Ozawa in his book "The Maestro Myth," and over and above that, I heard scuttlebutt from people connected .......
44: General Asylum, If the only two choices are, "The Deep State," or, "The Thousand-Year Reich"... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-03, 18:43:18 (172.56.112.11)
To ask some questions is to answer them. Lizzie Borden said that. Not. john PS: I know a lot about Strategic Studies (I applied to Air Force Academy, but was rejected on health/eyesight grounds), and .......
45: Classical Court, Amen on Steinberg! (+ a VERY controversial assertion) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-02, 05:46:26 (172.56.112.112)
That was recorded long enough that there still were players who had played under Koussevitzky and Charles Munch. Concertmaster Joseph Silverstein IIRC joined the orchestra in the back of the second vi .......
46: Classical Court, There actually is a guitar magazine called "She Shreds." nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-02-02, 05:40:07 (172.56.112.112)
nt .......
47: Classical Court, Sorry... just too fast, too pushed. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-31, 17:29:37 (108.34.228.120)
Music making is not an Olympic event where the stopwatch decides who wins. john .......
48: Critic's Corner, Please email me via Audio Asylum (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-30, 17:29:02 (108.34.228.120)
Or, try johnnywehardly at @ at the most popular email address domain that starts with the letter after "f." john .......
49: Critic's Corner, Thank you, Gary. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-30, 17:26:57 (108.34.228.120)
Places like the 30th-Street studio (or, Symphony Hall, Boston) engender a sense of awe in me. amb, john .......
50: Speaker Asylum, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING THAT! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-29, 17:48:44 (108.34.228.120)
I had read various versions over the years. Yes, Dick was a "true believer" in the transformative power of music. Funny, his first live (albeit PA-assisted) concert included Joseph Fuchs, whom I heard .......
51: Hi-Rez Highway, Please give the Bach Guild (1950s) Joseph Szigeti set a listen! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-29, 16:42:39 (108.34.228.120)
I immediately bought the Milstein set when it came out on LP. I later became a close friend of Arturo Delmoni's, who had studied with Milstein. So, in my world, NIL NISI BONUM when it comes to Nath .......
52: Cable Asylum, Sorry! What is the TOTAL length you need? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-29, 07:27:55 (108.34.228.120)
36 inches, 48 inches, what? john .......
53: Speaker Asylum, Shahinian Acoustics Super Elf Cabinet Drawings, circa 1992 (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-28, 16:35:34 (108.34.228.120)
Back in the day, I was very friendly with Dick Shahinian. I tried (this was before I was writing for TAS or Stereophile, please note) to see if I could get a company in Rhode Island intereste .......
54: Cable Asylum, What is the real length you need? nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-28, 16:16:17 (108.34.228.120)
john .......
55: General Asylum, Can't you start a thread in Central about my comment? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-26, 17:46:21 (108.34.228.120)
BTW, it was Jerry Bruck, not David Hancock. all my best, john .......
56: General Asylum, Perhaps this is a Cold-War Era "Audio Urban Legend." (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-26, 07:46:36 (108.34.228.120)
A much older friend and colleague once told me that the Audio Engineering Society, during the Cold War, was asked by some members to enact a Recommendation that the Positive signal terminal be Blue .......
57: Classical Court, 9-year old piano prodigy Nojél Scriabina (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-26, 06:04:17 (108.34.228.120)
View YouTube Video Which is the female form of "Scriabin." One has to wonder... but I thought that none of Scriabin's sons lived long enough to procreate. She has quite a few videos up .......
58: Jazz Alley, There's only one person shaking hands between Django and me... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-24, 18:45:07 (108.34.228.120)
Believe it or not, when I was living in Nashville, I twice shook hands with Stephane Grappelli. john .......
59: Classical Court, THANK YOU (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-24, 18:43:10 (108.34.228.120)
john .......
60: Critic's Corner, Thanks for the correction! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-24, 18:41:13 (108.34.228.120)
Now, please go read the article and learn about a very important singer. john .......
61: Classical Court, Definitely a true musician in every good sense of that phrase (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-24, 15:50:26 (108.34.228.120)
There's more than one violin version where it sounds like the shortest path between two points was replacing the violin's bow with a gasoline-powered chain saw. So her wonderful musicality is such a r .......
62: Classical Court, Chris, here is a guitarist for you, with a RECUERDOS DE LA ALHAMBRA by Francisco Tarrega for the ages (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-23, 17:15:07 (108.34.228.120)
View YouTube Video john .......
63: Critic's Corner, Correct--you can't go wrong by disregarding that claim... and more (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-22, 05:35:25 (108.34.228.120)
Hi, Doug. Very tactful of you not to comment on the Value Proposition that these speakers do not present! My prototype has a $425/each (including shipping from Europe) woofer, a $363 tweeter, and two .......
64: Critic's Corner, THANKS for the hearty laugh!!! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-21, 14:48:16 (108.34.228.120)
They are a custom job for a music-industry guy who has been booking top acts such at Steely Dan and Bob Dylan for more than 40 years. We have upped the driver quality quite a bit; now it's time for th .......
65: Critic's Corner, Thanks! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-21, 08:09:35 (108.34.228.120)
Please read the Johnny Halladay article, and post your reaction. Thanks again, john .......
66: Critic's Corner, Belt and suspenders... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-21, 08:08:50 (108.34.228.120)
Hi, Or, I could use "Closed Box." I just want to stress that my design is Plain Vanilla. However, not every Passive Radiator design is a Plain Vanilla Closed Box. Dick Shahinian, bless his heart, i .......
67: Critic's Corner, IMHO, the 25Hz number does not add up (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-21, 06:36:02 (108.34.228.120)
If we are talking about an off-the-shelf driver, it is likely the Scan-Speak Illuminator 15WU/8741T-00 5.5" Woofer. The 8-Ohm version of that 5.5-inch driver has a claimed resonant frequency (Fs) .......
68: General Asylum, Rather amazing, thanks (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-20, 06:48:44 (108.34.228.120)
My daughter who is an adult now, at that age, was rather impressive too. Both she and her brother had vocal coaching from Sir David Willcocks and also from Sir Richard Marlowe, and no, I am not making .......
69: General Asylum, I think I get your drift, Monsieur! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-19, 14:23:06 (108.34.228.120)
She's a Keeper. john .......
70: Speaker Asylum, I'd suggest that you ask Chris at Solen in Montreal (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-19, 04:15:27 (108.34.228.120)
solen@solen.ca attn. Chris .......
71: Critic's Corner, Thank you! nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-19, 04:11:01 (108.34.228.120)
nt .......
72: General Asylum, I don't care if this video is a total fake set-up (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-18, 18:43:32 (108.34.228.120)
View YouTube Video It brings a tear to my eye. john .......
73: Speaker Asylum, The usual metric is, "Parts and Labor x 500%" (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-17, 05:29:45 (108.34.228.120)
So, a $700/pair pair of loudspeakers usually has $140 a pair in parts and labor. The rest of it goes to: 1) Dealer Markup and perhaps Importer or Distributor Markup, and possible Sales Rep Commission .......
74: General Asylum, Sony Music Mastering (since sold off for the air rights... sigh) NT (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-16, 15:57:39 (108.34.228.120)
nt .......
75: General Asylum, Thanks for the belly laugh!!! (And a favorite Hitler story of mine.) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-16, 15:55:31 (108.34.228.120)
The Nazis used tape recorders to try to fool Allied intelligence personnel as to where Hitler actually was, on any given day. As in, if Hitler was supposed to be addressing a rally in Meisenberg, but .......
76: Inmate Central, Actually, the issue IS Weight! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-15, 05:50:50 (108.34.228.120)
If I recall my history properly, Dr. (it's an honorary doctorate--that's what the "h.c." stands for in the traditional full company name--honoris causa) Porsche designed and built a true mid-engined p .......
77: Critic's Corner, I DID!!! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-14, 16:38:19 (108.34.228.120)
One of the most important mastering engineers in music history was lavish in his praise. Among other things, he said he was very happy that I had found a home for such "Long-Form/Think-Piece" articles .......
78: Inmate Central, Was that assembled in Finland? (I am not joking.) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-14, 15:21:42 (108.34.228.120)
I don't make a big deal about it, but, I spent several years as a part-time automotive journalist. I was accredited to Mercedes-Benz USA, for the US MB Club magazine THE STAR. In late 2004, I was the .......
79: Inmate Central, Sorry, that is not my style... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-14, 15:09:47 (108.34.228.120)
It's no big deal, and the Rules are well-meant. I just thought that someone might appreciate paying a lower price on AA Trader, than a higher price on eBay, which is the next destination. ciao, john : .......
80: Inmate Central, I was asking whether that applied to Inmate Central. Do I recall... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-14, 14:26:50 (108.34.228.120)
I was asking whether that applied to Inmate Central. Do I recall that there was a place called "Water Cooler"? Weren't the rules looser there? In any event, I can't take the post down now, but if the .......
81: Inmate Central, Charles Rodrigues "Total Harmonic Distortion, Cartoons from Stereo Review." (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-14, 13:22:23 (108.34.228.120)
I hope this does not violate any rule. I have just posted a Like New copy of this rare book on Asylum Trader, at what I consider to be a fair price. I had forgotten that I had put away a Backup Co .......
82: General Asylum, Scufflin' through those fallen autumn leaves!!! nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-14, 07:32:33 (108.34.228.120)
john .......
83: General Asylum, Why have I never seen a professional mastering studio that looks like that? (and an additional point!) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-14, 06:20:50 (108.34.228.120)
Hi. I'll stick with my assessment for the above reason. I have been in two of the most legendary mastering studios on this planet, and both of them, in fact, had loudspeakers from Duntech (one later s .......
84: Critic's Corner, Lots of people think I am important--the "self" is not part of that mix nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-13, 17:44:56 (108.34.228.120)
nt .......
85: General Asylum, She was a tough cookie. I enjoyed her writing. nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-13, 14:51:13 (108.34.228.120)
nt .......
86: Critic's Corner, Yes, I do say so for myself. Yeah, I know... I commit the Unforgiveable Sin... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-13, 14:42:59 (108.34.228.120)
that is, I don't hate my own guts. john .......
87: General Asylum, Apart from everything else, the guy was semi-literate. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-13, 09:04:33 (108.34.228.120)
There's a shot of the house, and there's an ILLUMINATED sign on a pole in front of the house: "The Fritz's" The proper usage would be the plural, to represent the family as a whole. Such a plural, .......
88: Critic's Corner, This might be the best thing I have ever written... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-12, 16:55:36 (108.34.228.120)
Most of the Americans I have met who had any knowledge at all about Belgian-French rock singer Johnny Hallyday seemed to write him off as a "Local-Hero Elvis Imitator." In this long and winding art .......
89: Classical Court, Thank you for those insights! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-10, 06:28:31 (108.34.228.120)
Dear Scott, Thank you for those insights. Please cut and paste them, and append them as a comment to the article on Tracking Angle. john .......
90: Classical Court, The Greatest Concert Pianist You've Maybe Never Heard Of? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-09, 07:49:56 (108.34.228.120)
Well, Michael Fremer wrote that headline... . I think the article is interesting not just because of Sergey Schepkin's performance videos of Preludes and Fugues 1 - 12 from WTC Book 1. I muse upon the .......
91: Classical Court, It is a very small clipping that did not include any identification of the newspaper (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-09, 07:25:00 (108.34.228.120)
The typeface looks to be that of the New York Times. OK, I found it in the Times archives, and the layout is different. It could be from the Providence Journal or the Boston Globe, but, does it rea .......
92: Classical Court, "Koussevitsky Chides Critics Who Panned Soviet Composer" (1942!) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-08, 16:52:18 (108.34.228.120)
Wowzers. I am decluttering, preparatory to downsizing. In one of those 1930s-1940s "How Not to Feel Like a Fish Out of Water at a Symphony Concert" books I collected 40 or more years ago, there was .......
93: Speaker Asylum, Here's a link to the 1974 patent; I beg to differ--it covers the loudspeaker (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-04, 07:42:25 (108.34.228.120)
I am not a patent expert, but, Dahlquist's 1974 patent 3,824,343 does seem to cover the loudspeaker's basic design, and not just a bracket. Now, Dahlquist does have three other patents, but, nobod .......
94: Speaker Asylum, It's a little complicated (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-02, 05:51:40 (108.34.228.120)
Textreme, in Title Case, is Oxeon's name for its TPCD fabric, which they will sell as fabric. They seem to be OK with SB Acoustics using a variant, TeXtreme (a capital "X" stuck in the middle), as the .......
95: Speaker Asylum, That seems to be what Jeff Rowland thought (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-02, 05:45:45 (108.34.228.120)
Thanks for your comment. I was told that Jeff Roland potted modules in his amps and preamps not for vibration control or thermal reasons, but to make it harder to reverse-engineer his circuits. Patent .......
96: Speaker Asylum, YEAH, I GOT THAT!!! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-01, 16:07:57 (108.34.228.120)
I don't see ANYTHING in the disclosed way of making the cones that would not have been transcendently obvious to anyone who had ever worked at a prep table in a good "tablecloth"-restaurant kitchen. O .......
97: Speaker Asylum, OK, I looked up US-8320604-B1 Composite loudspeaker cone Vandersteen; Richard et al. 2012-11-27 (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-01, 14:04:27 (108.34.228.120)
The above does not blow me away. For the sake of argument, I suppose that nobody had yet used a balsa layer as the Pastrami in the Sandwich. (Let alone milling the surface of the second piece of br .......
98: Speaker Asylum, With all due respect... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-01, 12:18:46 (108.34.228.120)
That sounds like a thoroughly obvious combination of well-known pre-existing elements. In other words, such a patent should not be granted. But I will look it up when I have a chance. john ::: TOPIC:: .......
99: Speaker Asylum, The current state-of-the-art material is "Thin-Ply" Carbon Fabric. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2024-01-01, 12:16:55 (108.34.228.120)
Also known as TPCD. The link is to a loudspeaker review I wrote that goes into great detail about Thin Ply Carbon fabric and its use in cones and domes. BTW, Rockport loudspeakers buys the fabric from .......
100: Classical Court, New Sergey Schepkin at-home WTC 1 videos! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-12-31, 06:59:14 (108.34.228.120)
The recorded sound is excellent. I love the playing, but what does everyone else think? BTW: "Playback on other websites has been disabled by the video owner." Therefore: Klicken Sie also bitte auf .......
101: Classical Court, Thanks, Old Friend (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-12-29, 16:45:47 (108.34.228.120)
When Wayne Green branched out from computer magazines to DIGITAL AUDIO, he just relocated editorial people from his computer mags. One result was that the past tense I had used to describe David Oistr .......
102: Classical Court, In 1987, I reviewed a live "Dream of Gerontius" conducted by Sir David Willcocks!!! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-12-29, 09:08:46 (108.34.228.120)
I no longer have access to my own computer file of that (doubtless preserved on a floppy disk long since thrown out), so above is a cleaned-up scan of the very yellowed newspaper. I am one very luc .......
103: General Asylum, I can understand that position. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-12-22, 14:55:38 (108.34.228.120)
The social (and socioeconomic) dimensions of the tension between "High Culture" and Popular culture have been a topic of intellectual dispute for nearly 100 years, ever since the British humor maga .......
104: General Asylum, I think that WHEREVER he is, Martin Luther is having the last laugh. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-12-22, 06:00:57 (108.34.228.120)
I have been working my way through all the Blu-Ray DVDs of Kenneth Clark's CIVILISATION series, and I can only think that a few hundred years in the future, some historian will be doing a series o .......
105: General Asylum, OMG OMG OMG! I just noticed... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-12-21, 16:43:50 (108.34.228.120)
OMG OMG OMG! I just noticed that it seems that the conductor is deploying his forces in some version of the legendary "Robert Shaw Diamond" choral-singer disposition. OMG. Robert Shaw did not position .......
106: General Asylum, John Rutter - Christ our Emmanuel / Chamber Choir of Europe (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-12-21, 08:49:01 (108.34.228.120)
View YouTube Video It seems I am on a roll, at least as far as finding great choral music is concerned. john .......
107: General Asylum, Well, isn't this REALLY what Christmas is all about? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-12-20, 17:15:28 (108.34.228.120)
View YouTube Video By which I mean, the fulfillment of Biblical prophesies and promises. So here we have Palestrina's "Super flumina Babylonis" from the University of North Texas College .......
108: General Asylum, Criminy. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-12-17, 15:17:48 (100.10.79.144)
I had not known that Vince Guaraldi had died of a massive heart attack after a performance, at age 47. Eternal Rest, Grant Him O Lord. john .......
109: General Asylum, A Heartwarming Jewish Meditation on "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-12-17, 07:47:14 (100.10.79.144)
Hats off to the New York Times for its Front Page placement of a heartwarming Jewish meditation on "A Charlie Brown Christmas." A quote: "If I'm crazy in seeing Peanuts this way, at least I'm not a .......
110: Speaker Asylum, Glad to have been of help (nt) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-12-17, 07:03:11 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
111: Speaker Asylum, IIRC, the Tweeter/mid module on Aerial's 10T was rotomolded out of some composite (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-12-16, 04:56:10 (100.10.79.144)
According to Wes Phillips' 1996 review, a "cast synthetic stone" called Novalith. I visited the factory and I saw one of the molds. Now the question that comes to mind is... if the Novalith was so .......
112: Speaker Asylum, THANKS! nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-12-12, 18:55:35 (100.10.79.144)
john .......
113: Speaker Asylum, You should investigate Tang Band's FRDs... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-12-12, 11:05:42 (100.10.79.144)
I put together a prototype (the budget constraints were a real challenge) that was nothing more than a Tang Band 1320 Bamboo-Papyrus cone FRD in a hardwood cabinet from IWISTAO. Photo above. I remo .......
114: General Asylum, Well, I learned a lesson, and... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-12-11, 16:16:20 (100.10.79.144)
Fortunately, Volume 1 was the best-selling independent label classical instrumental Christmas CD of the year... which meant that we could record Volume 2 at SUNY Purchase's Performing Arts Center. Vol .......
115: General Asylum, Do you mean the "Mid-Town Rumble"? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-12-11, 08:18:30 (100.10.79.144)
When you record in a church in the middle of Manhattan on a weekday afternoon, there is a certain amount of Urban Noise. If you remove too much of the noise, you take out some of the music, too. I sug .......
116: General Asylum, It's that time of year again... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-12-10, 12:58:41 (100.10.79.144)
My friends at Steinway, in their infinite wisdom, see fit to offer no-cost streaming of their entire Steinway & Sons Recordings catalog. No strings attached, no forms to fill out, no log-in. Which .......
117: Digital Drive, Bricasti get a new "Best Of" Award (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-12-08, 06:19:25 (100.10.79.144)
The new-ish website FutureAudiophile.com has rolled out their 2023 Gear of the Year Awards, their first such. Here's the CNO Digital award: Best Digital Audiophile Product of 2023 (Cost No Object) .......
118: General Asylum, Does anyone have a complete set of the run of "Fi" magazines they would like to sell? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-12-04, 06:10:49 (100.10.79.144)
Somebody got in touch with me and asked if I knew of anyone who had the complete run of "Fi" magazine. For those who have forgotten, "Fi" was the attempt, which lasted from about 1996 to 1999, to crea .......
119: Classical Court, I am told that the best recording is the "Music Minus One" version (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-11-22, 05:44:24 (100.10.79.144)
Nyuk nyuk. john .......
120: General Asylum, He played one of my pipe organ takes for me... it was amazing (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-11-22, 05:42:29 (100.10.79.144)
About one minute into the recording, the church's automated bell system began tolling the bell for the 6:00 PM Angelus prayer. The bell was in a separate tower outside the church. Standing at that div .......
121: Vinyl Asylum, Right. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-11-20, 04:38:26 (100.10.79.144)
Yeah. I never "got" the nostalgia for coal-powered steam trains. I guess that I was born too late for that. BTW, Dvorak loved trains. I believe that the double-stop slides at the end of his "American" .......
122: Vinyl Asylum, Funny, I was surprised that the MFSL was not a lot more expensive (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-11-19, 14:57:17 (100.10.79.144)
Mobile Fidelity was a label that specialized in recording antique steam train pass-bys. Really. If you want the whole story, read my article at the link. When they decided to get into the reissue busi .......
123: General Asylum, Positive Fedback's Website Seems Down... (nt) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-11-19, 10:14:41 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
124: Vinyl Asylum, Heh heh heh... thanks. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-11-19, 07:42:11 (100.10.79.144)
I have warm feelings for The Art of Tea... but you put your finger on what I consider its drawback to be--the kind of cleverness that creates distance. Whereas I find that in Sleeping Gypsy, the emoti .......
125: Vinyl Asylum, Thanks for your comment. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-11-19, 05:01:33 (100.10.79.144)
I think that list is a good reminder of how diverse and "experimental" the record business was 1960s and 1970s. Could Al Jarreau get a major-label record contract today? I rather doubt it. Today, the .......
126: Classical Court, Someone unlikely once said to me "Penderecki is a Genius!" (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-11-18, 18:15:40 (100.10.79.144)
Coming from the person that came from, I was dubious. I asked him to elaborate. The reply: "Of course Penderecki is a genius--he makes Philip Glass sound like Mozart!" jm .......
127: Vinyl Asylum, Holiday Special: The 12 Days of Bargain Used LPs... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-11-18, 18:10:18 (100.10.79.144)
Tracking Angle is hosting an article of mine about "sleeper" bargains in collector LPs that cost less than $250, all the way down to $10. Here's the list of mini-reviews, renumbered according to af .......
128: Critic's Corner, Does anyone remember "Hoffman's Iron Law"? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-11-12, 16:03:52 (100.10.79.144)
The "H" in the original corporate name KLH was Josef Anton Hofmann, who was the son of the legendary Polish-American piano virtuoso Josef Hofmann. Josef Hofmann was the only-ever private piano student .......
129: Classical Court, Hmmm... Wasn't London Phase 4 just an earlier version of DG multi-miking? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-11-06, 15:36:29 (100.10.79.144)
"London Phase 4" used 20 microphones mixed down and recorded on four tape channels. Then the four tape channels were mixed and balanced to make the stereo LP cutting tape. DG was using lots of microph .......
130: Classical Court, Have you heard the Stokowski "Pictures" orchestration??? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-11-04, 15:01:41 (100.10.79.144)
I love it. IIRC, that was a London Phase 4 LP. ciao, john .......
131: Speaker Asylum, EWW-KAY, the KLH 20s will go to "Savers" today. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-11-02, 06:50:46 (100.10.79.144)
The one response I got was from a Cashier's Check Scammer. Obviously, not a native speaker of English. I sent him a list of pointed questions about audio equipment and the hobby that he had to answer .......
132: Speaker Asylum, Thank you for contexting the naysaying! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-29, 06:27:20 (100.10.79.144)
To the poster who said drop-in replacements would be preferable, perhaps I have kludged around more old loudspeakers than he has. Drop-in is nice, but not always possible. If the baffle has adequate .......
133: Critic's Corner, I dimly remember Klaus Nomi (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-29, 05:58:50 (100.10.79.144)
That was at the time that the British branch of the HIP Revival was first putting countertenors before the public. I think I first heard about Michael Aspinall from a review in Stereo Review in the 19 .......
134: Critic's Corner, The green icing might be a metaphor for tears. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-28, 06:03:25 (100.10.79.144)
jm .......
135: Speaker Asylum, My idea for a TOTALLY renovated KLH 20 loudspeaker (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-27, 12:42:53 (100.10.79.144)
Hi, I had been sitting on a not at all bad pair of 1960s-1970s KLH Model 20 loudspeakers, which was their top-of-the-line from about 1965 on. But I am losing my workshop space, and so I have put .......
136: Critic's Corner, Shonen Knife (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-27, 07:00:42 (100.10.79.144)
I have not seen that band name in 20 years. "Let's take a picture!" john .......
137: Critic's Corner, I BLESS THE RAINS DOWN IN AFRICA! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-27, 06:59:34 (100.10.79.144)
That song arrived later than my really impressionable years, when I would obsess about the hidden meanings of the songs. The music video with the hot Librarian is classic. john .......
138: Critic's Corner, Last night I had the sudden inspiration that... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-24, 05:46:02 (100.10.79.144)
Last night I had the sudden inspiration that admitting to listening to "Go All the Way" or "MacArthur Park" was the moral equivalent of confessing in polite company to drinking Pink Zinfandel... Which .......
139: Critic's Corner, Thanks! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-22, 16:50:21 (100.10.79.144)
It was touching to see that the band member Tom Finn, who was briefly Renée's boyfriend, posted a comment, and 128 people commented on that. "Walk Away Renée" was the Foundational Track of the "Baroqu .......
140: Critic's Corner, Because I am a classical-music record producer... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-22, 10:05:45 (100.10.79.144)
BTW, a true "Guilty Pleasure," more for its famous music video than for the music or the sound quality, is Ashley McBryde's "Brenda Put Your Bra On." View YouTube Video I previously po .......
141: Critic's Corner, My playlist of "Guilty Pleasure" Tracks (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-22, 06:58:48 (100.10.79.144)
These are the tracks I think many people might be surprised to learn that I listen to, from time to time. In a sense, these tracks will allow you to "Radio-Carbon Date" me. (That was a witticism.) The .......
142: Critic's Corner, The last two installments of the of the "Bookshelf for Lovers of Recordings" are now up! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-16, 11:56:05 (100.10.79.144)
11. A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane's Signature Album and 12. The Vinyl Frontier: The Story of NASA's Interstellar Mixtape Both of which I think are basically self-recommending. All .......
143: Classical Court, My mentor Boris Goldovsky was Fritz Reiner's Conducting Assistant (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-15, 08:57:11 (100.10.79.144)
Which I still think is remarkable. BTW, violinist Arturo Delmoni was Mr. Godovsky's Music Director for the Goldovsky Opera Theater. Arturo conducted appx. 350 fully-staged opera performances. Dr. Delm .......
144: Speaker Asylum, Well, Danny Richie (GR Research) posted a video... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-13, 15:03:44 (100.10.79.144)
Well, Danny Richie (GR Research) posted a video wherein he faulted an older Eggleston design for failing to chamfer the inside edges of the driver cutouts. View YouTube Video The pers .......
145: Speaker Asylum, The height is very convenient! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-11, 14:45:03 (100.10.79.144)
john .......
146: Speaker Asylum, Thank you... Corwin Butterworth studied at the legendary R.I.S.D. Furniture Design department (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-11, 05:47:06 (100.10.79.144)
He is a pleasure to work with. The above image is of a design of a couple of years ago. There might have been miscommunication by me about roundovers for behind the passive radiators, but this is j .......
147: Vinyl Asylum, I am so glad that its Inverted Hole is made from the finest PVC! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-11, 05:33:04 (100.10.79.144)
At first glance, it looks like a 2-way speaker. But that is a full-range driver with a front port. john .......
148: Speaker Asylum, There is a roundover, but it does not show in that photo. Here's one. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-10, 13:28:00 (100.10.79.144)
jm .......
149: Speaker Asylum, Prototype cabinet with a nice Richlite front panel (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-09, 15:15:36 (100.10.79.144)
This cabinet is for a Purifi woofer, two passive radiators, and a Fountek ribbon. The next one though, will be for a Purifi woofer etc. and a Beyma AMT. Corwin Butterworth (contact info on request) .......
150: General Asylum, It's a nice material--I bought the sample box. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-09, 12:41:47 (100.10.79.144)
One nice thing is that some of their products do not require the California Prop. 65 cancer-warning hang tag. But I dunno how much extra that is worth paying for, because those warnings are on so many .......
151: General Asylum, I THOUGHT I was posting in Speakers... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-09, 12:00:38 (100.10.79.144)
I glanced at the top threads and they all seemed speaker-related. BTW, without eyeglasses, I am legally blind in my right eye, but I compensate by not seeing that well out of the other one. So, if I a .......
152: General Asylum, Beyma TPL-75 AMT & Frank Sinatra (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-08, 14:06:57 (100.10.79.144)
View YouTube Video I replaced the Fountek NeoCD3.0 ribbon tweeter in a previous prototype (that also has a Bold North Audio BNA 4001 4-inch carbon-fiber woofer) with Beyma's TPL-75 Ple .......
153: Digital Drive, You would have to find a dealer, and listen. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-07, 08:22:06 (100.10.79.144)
I have heard the M1 Special Edition upgraded to the MDX Motherboard and new streaming board, and I assume that the M1 Series II and the M21 will sound even better, perhaps not so much in an A-B compar .......
154: Digital Drive, My Bricasti Model M3 DAC review (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-06, 16:52:42 (100.10.79.144)
Even if you are not in the market for a DAC, there is a great Qobuz playlist, and two female-vocal recommended tracks. I hope you enjoy it. Oh--the opening section discusses the pop-music phenomeno .......
155: General Asylum, All understood! Even though though the drivers are by Dayton, I think it looks like a bargain (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-06, 13:37:39 (100.10.79.144)
You could make it Open Baffle in the tweeter region, but that would require a cabinet redesign, and a Dipole AMT driver. The linked-to model, the Mundorf AMT17D2.2, costs $352. Each. Which would total .......
156: General Asylum, Here's a clever (Semi) Open-Baffle Kit--a bit of a bargain, I think (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-06, 10:16:56 (100.10.79.144)
(Front and Rear Views) Here's what Parts Express says: The Orian Bookshelf Speaker will deliver big and spacious sound with powerful output capability. The 5-1/4" coaxial midrange/tweeter uses an .......
157: Vinyl Asylum, I was under the impression that white Promo labels meant that (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-04, 12:55:59 (100.10.79.144)
I was under the impression that white Promo labels meant that the disc was royalty-free, at least as far as the recording artist was concerned. In the usual course of events, if some of the songs were .......
158: Classical Court, That opening looks deceptively simple... but it is not (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-04, 09:09:54 (100.10.79.144)
The first chord requires the violinist to hold down notes on the G and D strings, both strings stopped by one finger. So, we start out with the interval of a fifth... which is unusual in and of its .......
159: Classical Court, Of course I will! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-03, 19:09:20 (100.10.79.144)
john .......
160: Classical Court, "Kreutzer" is the "Inversion" or the "Contrapositive" of all previous keyboard-piano sonatas (IMHO) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-03, 16:06:03 (100.10.79.144)
Think about all the previous keyboard-violin sonatas: the piano lays out a straightforward melodic theme, and then the violin joins in. However, in "Kreutzer," the violin lays out an ambiguous, CHORDA .......
161: Classical Court, Arturo Delmoni & Stephen Martorella, Beethoven sonatas live (and free!) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-03, 07:06:31 (100.10.79.144)
View YouTube Video Save the date (as long as you are in the Northeast): Sunday November 5, 2 PM at the First Baptist Church in America, Providence Rhode Island USA Arturo Delmoni & Ste .......
162: Rocky Road, God Bless all the educators who did, and do, the right thing... and, a contra case (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-10-01, 15:14:39 (100.10.79.144)
When I was a young lawyer, my father, who was an elementary school principal, phoned me. A young kid had bruises on his back. The teacher was freaked out. The kid was a Hmong (Cambodian First Peoples) .......
163: Classical Court, I dimly recall a story, perhaps an Urban Conservatory Legend... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-30, 09:04:41 (100.10.79.144)
Supposedly, when Keith Jarrett arrived as a freshperson at the (then) Berklee School, he got settled in and then found the practice-piano rooms. He then warmed up and then began playing "Gaspard de la .......
164: Classical Court, The full jazz / orchestral crossover "Zodiac Suite" re-created for the first time since 1946 (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-28, 05:53:34 (100.10.79.144)
Fred Kaplan has written a wonderfully in-depth review of Aaron Diehl's remarkable project, which involved some degree of reconstruction or correction of the orchestral parts. Bravos all around. .......
165: Critic's Corner, Installment 10 (my fave!) of the "Bookshelf for Lovers of Recordings" is now up! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-27, 06:22:28 (100.10.79.144)
Installment 10 is: "Goodnight, L.A.: The Rise and Fall of Classic Rock-- The Untold Story from inside the Legendary Recording Studios," by Kent Hartman. This book is as readable (it's a real page-t .......
166: Critic's Corner, It is migrating... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-22, 17:40:17 (100.10.79.144)
I will talk to the web guy. john .......
167: Classical Court, Speaking of children's voices, this video moved me to tears. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-22, 14:48:01 (100.10.79.144)
View YouTube Video Another New Zealand group! The did not give metadata on the composition, which is too bad, in that more than one modern composer has set Sara Teasdale's poem, which .......
168: Classical Court, Barbirolli's live BSO "A Walk to the Paradise Garden" from 1963 is for the ages (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-21, 15:21:00 (100.10.79.144)
I never heard better playing out of the BSO strings. john .......
169: Classical Court, I must say, that Paganini Rhapsody of hers might be my all-time favorite (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-20, 15:00:13 (100.10.79.144)
Especially Variation 18... so delicate! john .......
170: Critic's Corner, Installment 9 of the "Bookshelf for Lovers of Recordings" is now up! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-20, 06:39:32 (100.10.79.144)
Installment 9 is the story of Duke Ellington's band's transformative Newport Jazz Festival performance in 1956. To distill it all into two sentences: Before the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, the Big .......
171: Critic's Corner, Installment 8 of the "Bookshelf for Lovers of Recordings" is now up! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-20, 06:32:19 (100.10.79.144)
No. 8 is the soap-opera-y tale of the making of Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours." My favorite story from "Making Rumours" is, during the recording of "Rumours," the two remaining original members from the .......
172: Classical Court, "The only mystery is why anybody would want to buy that album in the first place!" (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-18, 13:49:16 (100.10.79.144)
Ha! IIRC, a disk jockey on WBUR Boston played the living doo-doo out of it, and there's a statue in his honor in Nonesuch's Break Room. I could not decide what to study, so I studied everything I coul .......
173: General Asylum, Even Better... the "Mystic Moods Orchestra" (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-16, 09:43:20 (100.10.79.144)
"One Stormy Night" was the best-selling Philips LP in the year of its release (1966). Complete details at the link. john .......
174: General Asylum, Oops, sorry, "Gioia" nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-16, 05:47:26 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
175: General Asylum, Ted Goia lays Apple out in Lavender (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-15, 16:14:48 (100.10.79.144)
My take was that Apple wanted to pull the plug on Qobuz and Tidal, but Ted G.'s take is much darker. john .......
176: General Asylum, I'd call that "Nay-Saying"! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-15, 12:59:56 (100.10.79.144)
My expectation is that the build quality and engineering of anything by darTZeel is a cut above most other brands. But putting a system together is at least an order of magnitude more complex than the .......
177: General Asylum, Back in the day, darTZeel's "Unique Selling Proposition" was... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-15, 09:13:04 (100.10.79.144)
Back in the day, darTZeel's "Unique Selling Proposition" was its 50-Ohm coaxial "Zeel" analog connection (50 ohms from 1Hz to 1 MHz). Herve (sorry for the missing accent mark) first demo'ed at a S .......
178: Critic's Corner, Was there drama? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-11, 05:32:23 (100.10.79.144)
john .......
179: Critic's Corner, Within 30 days before he was shot there, Lincoln had been at Ford's Theater... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-10, 13:08:10 (100.10.79.144)
Within 30 days before he was shot there, Lincoln had been at Ford's Theater to see and hear Mozart's "Magic Flute," which must have been sung in German, because there was not a singable English transl .......
180: Critic's Corner, Awww... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-09, 15:58:27 (100.10.79.144)
How sweet. john .......
181: Critic's Corner, Did you know that Abraham Lincoln was a HUGE Opera Fan??? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-09, 06:36:20 (100.10.79.144)
Rilly! That historical curiosity and other chewy intellectual treats can be found in my Installment No. 8 of my "John Marks' Bookshelf for Lovers of Recordings" series over at Michael Fremer's Trac .......
182: General Asylum, Second-Empire Style! (not my fave) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-09, 06:29:15 (100.10.79.144)
OTT. john .......
183: Music Lane, Dean Martin gets "R-Rated" with Caterina Valente (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-07, 16:37:13 (100.10.79.144)
View YouTube Video Caterina Valente was born in France to Italian parents. Eventually, she spoke six languages, and sang in eleven. In the late 1950s, she was one of the top-selling fe .......
184: Critic's Corner, Sorry, by "CC" I thought you had meant "Classical Court," and I went looking there (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-07, 08:55:31 (100.10.79.144)
I write a mini-review over the weekend. john .......
185: Digital Drive, Neither sacrilege, nor Heresy... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-05, 17:09:49 (100.10.79.144)
I have heard some remarkable-sounding CD changers--but only of the carousel type, not the cartridge type. My Ultimate Sleeper for CD playback was the Pioneer CD Recorder with the Stable Platter mechan .......
186: Vinyl Asylum, Maestro Goldovsky would say, "Opera is a dramatic art, with music." (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-03, 15:24:47 (100.10.79.144)
That might have gone right past some people. What Mr. G. did not say was, "Opera is a dramatic art, with singing." Nope, the music as a whole, by which he meant to include the orchestra, is more impor .......
187: Classical Court, I think srl1 may be right about the cause... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-03, 10:47:15 (100.10.79.144)
But it's not only Miss Wang's latest that is plagued. The Jeremy Irons "An Oxford Elegy" (REALLY!!! Check it out!!! Bully for him!!!) has much to commend itself. My GOAT however remains Sir David Will .......
188: Classical Court, Somebody should invent a digital "box"... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-03, 08:23:38 (100.10.79.144)
Somebody should invent a digital "box" that guarantees GAPLESS PLAYBACK. All it would need is a read-forward buffer, and a little AI, I should think. Any real software engineers want to comment? It to .......
189: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Thanks. nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-03, 07:54:30 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
190: Classical Court, Ah, you mean REAR "outriggers." (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-01, 18:44:32 (100.10.79.144)
OK! Yes, I am familiar with that, but honestly I think of it mostly for MCH recording for rear ambiance channels, rather than to get more definition, which I do not think rear mics can do, unless t .......
191: Classical Court, I dunno 'bout "Outrigger," but... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-01, 14:11:23 (100.10.79.144)
I have heard people speak of a "Hybrid" Decca Tree wherein the front + center (usually Omni) microphone is replaced by a "Mid-Side Matrix" array of a forward-pointing (or, somewhat downward pointing) .......
192: Vinyl Asylum, ??? I am inclusive and diverse!!! I contain multitudes!!! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-01, 06:51:33 (100.10.79.144)
BTW, please do listen to McBryde's "Gospel Night at the Strip Club." john .......
193: Vinyl Asylum, There's also Ashley McBryde! "Brenda, Put Your Bra On" (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-01, 05:44:39 (100.10.79.144)
[Chorus: Ashley McBryde] Brenda, put your bra on, there's trouble next door Grab a pack of cigarettes and meet me on the porch Marvin['s] baby mama 'bout to catch him with a whore Brenda, put your bra .......
194: Classical Court, Well, I think it depends... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-09-01, 05:27:56 (100.10.79.144)
Dear Chris, You wrote: BTW, I do NOT believe that Mark Stenroos (in the link) is correct that Command's "multitrack recordings" enabled them "to record more instruments individually and adjust their a .......
195: Critic's Corner, Installment #7 of the "Bookshelf for Lovers of Recordings" is now up! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-31, 15:14:52 (100.10.79.144)
"Temples of Sound: Inside the Great Recording Studios" is not what you would call "fast-paced," but it is very readable. Without doubt, this is the most gear-centric, technology-driven selection o .......
196: Critic's Corner, Bob Ludwig closes down his mastering lab (Stereophile) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-31, 06:09:53 (100.10.79.144)
A very nice two-part interview with Bob, by Tom Fine. Highly recommended. It's still up on Stereophile's Home page. The link is to my "Swan Song" interview with Bob, when I retired from Stereophile. a .......
197: Speaker Asylum, I'd strongly recommend phoning Solen and asking for Chris (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-29, 11:55:35 (100.10.79.144)
He should be able to fill you in on order status. ciao, john .......
198: Speaker Asylum, FLASH! 15% Discount on Sasandu Tx Finale Loudspeakers! (Time Sensitive) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-29, 10:45:00 (100.10.79.144)
Note, this is just an FYI follow-up to my previously published review. A reader emailed me about this, so I checked it out, and there actually is a (temporary) 15% discount. I have no connection with .......
199: Music Lane, SORRY FOR THE BELATED RESPONSE. I AM NOW CRYING. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-28, 15:35:32 (100.10.79.144)
If you had previously mentioned my introducing Francoise Hardy to you, I get more forgetful the older I get... sorry. But that I was able to enhance your father's listening... I am both humbled, and v .......
200: General Asylum, "To Serve Man." And, I guess a HORRIBLE personal story (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-28, 15:29:22 (100.10.79.144)
When my son was born, my then wife and I duly bought a copy of the "Penguin Book of Saints," and we decided that our little son's Name Saint would be Saint Peter Chanel. However, we did not burden hi .......
201: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Which TI amp chip? I love the LM3886! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-28, 14:55:30 (100.10.79.144)
How Nerdy is that? john .......
202: General Asylum, "IT'S A COOKBOOK!!!" (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-28, 14:49:14 (100.10.79.144)
Twilight Zone Reference. john .......
203: Speaker Asylum, Eckshewelly... that is a Wool Felt Ball Rug (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-26, 16:03:27 (100.10.79.144)
You can have a similar one for under $500. It sucks up sound! john .......
204: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Orchard Audio Starkrimson Monoblocks w/PSU upgrades--no brainer (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-25, 07:30:22 (100.10.79.144)
Even with the upgrade power supply, they are in your stated price range, and they have a 14-day money-back guarantee. They also will allow you to use short speaker cables and long balanced intercon .......
205: Speaker Asylum, It's the NEW State of the Art; and, Soylent Green Is People! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-24, 17:58:21 (100.10.79.144)
Perhaps I should have written "A revolutionary design that advances the state of the art." Of course, any such statement implicitly is put into the context of retail price. The "Revolutionary" part is .......
206: Speaker Asylum, Thanks for the laugh! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-24, 13:51:25 (100.10.79.144)
About $150.00 to $165.00. But if a large thin piece were suitable for half a guitar back, it would be more like $250 per board foot. The pieces I bought were suitable for ukulele sides. Whereas a ( .......
207: Speaker Asylum, SB Acoustics x Solen Sasandu Tx full review! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-24, 12:05:57 (100.10.79.144)
I think it's the longest equipment review I have ever written. ciao, john .......
208: Speaker Asylum, If anyone needs an artisan-quality loudspeaker-cabinet builder... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-24, 09:34:37 (100.10.79.144)
The custom furniture designer and builder I have been using for the past few years for my loudspeaker cabinets usually does large projects such as beds, dining-room tables, and other such furni .......
209: Speaker Asylum, Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Thanks nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-23, 08:55:03 (100.10.79.144)
john .......
210: Speaker Asylum, I'm not "holding a torch" for PFC (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-21, 13:03:33 (100.10.79.144)
I am just seeking confirmation that it is as dead as a doornail. john .......
211: Critic's Corner, Installment #6 of the "Bookshelf for Lovers of Recordings" is now up! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-21, 09:58:49 (100.10.79.144)
"Flowers in the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock and Roll, 1947-1977" is both a work of history and a work of criticism. James Miller suggests that rock's very success may have destroyed the wellsprings o .......
212: Classical Court, Say it loud and say it proud, please!!! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-20, 16:10:23 (100.10.79.144)
View YouTube Video (Please disregard the uploader's inability to spell "Fromm.") Of course, today, Opera is so inextricably intertwined with issues of class, and with issues of toxic s .......
213: Speaker Asylum, Bueller? Bueller? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-20, 14:56:04 (100.10.79.144)
Thanks, But can anybody name a modern amp design that includes onboard Power Factor Correction? And yes, "bringing a fresh perspective" can be a blessing so mixed, as to be unrecognizable as such... . .......
214: Speaker Asylum, Well, yes, of course... but: (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-20, 09:46:32 (100.10.79.144)
Well, yes, of course... but: One of "John Marks's Universal Laws of Everything" is: "If you let engineers engineer, they WILL engineer." IIRC, the Halcro amps were the first ones to have on-board P .......
215: Speaker Asylum, I think there's a nuance here... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-20, 07:45:49 (100.10.79.144)
I think that the phenomenon of "Current Starvation" happened to the Halcros below the clipping point, and it was that "Current Starvation" that made the Aerial 20Ts sound small. I also think it fits w .......
216: Speaker Asylum, HP was probably playing the Halcros very loudly (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-20, 06:29:51 (100.10.79.144)
Halcro used an interesting power-supply technology, a Power-Factor Correction circuit. Power Factor is the difference between real power and apparent power. (wiki) A power factor correction circuit .......
217: Classical Court, Yes, but... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-20, 06:06:41 (100.10.79.144)
Covid of course was a factor but, there was a "structural" problem too. The Metropolitan Opera Guild was a separate entity, apart from the Metropolitan Opera... Hmmm... one is tempted to say. The wiki .......
218: Classical Court, Yup. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-18, 11:35:59 (100.10.79.144)
Werner, I am told, supported many music students. john .......
219: Classical Court, (NYT) The Metropolitan Opera Guild Will Wind Down Amid Financial Woes (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-15, 18:30:46 (100.10.79.144)
NYT. Sad. john PS: Instead of linking to the NYT coverage that is easily found, I link to my recording of Meteropolitan Opera soprano Kaaren Erickson... whose music education in Germany had been p .......
220: General Asylum, Amen! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-15, 18:01:58 (100.10.79.144)
jm .......
221: Speaker Asylum, "The BBC Heritage"??? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-14, 12:59:43 (100.10.79.144)
I recall that my first real high-end loudspeakers, Spendor SP-1s, were not three-ways, but rather two-ways with a supertweeter, reputedly because the SP-1 was an improvement over the BBC BC-1. Appa .......
222: Classical Court, "Writing" vs "Publishing" (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-14, 11:48:26 (100.10.79.144)
There's a singer-songwriter who claimed to have written, I dunno, 3,400 songs. Whatever. But she has probably published fewer than 200... or even less. You can Copyright a song without publishing it. .......
223: Classical Court, The Blues Traveler song "Hook" makes fun of its own audience (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-14, 09:44:21 (100.10.79.144)
...for falling for the "Hook," which is the chord sequence of Pachelbel's Canon, transposed to A. The song also includes a harmonica solo that mirrors the usual Baroque chamber-orchestra elaboration o .......
224: Critic's Corner, Installment #5 of the "Bookshelf for Lovers of Recordings" is now up! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-14, 08:50:14 (100.10.79.144)
This is a history of pop music from the standpoint of the radio business. For a while, it looked like broadcast television would put many radio stations out of business, especially because much ear .......
225: Classical Court, I hear some Dvorak in the music from "Jaws." nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-14, 06:09:04 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
226: Classical Court, Of course, you are right... furthermore... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-13, 17:55:21 (100.10.79.144)
Of course, you are right... furthermore... there are some ancient tunes that are just part of the musical inheritance... so, if someone quotes from the "Day of Wrath" ("Dies Irae") theme from the Chan .......
227: Classical Court, Hey, I once represented Billy Joel Martin--Mozart would be a cool client. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-13, 14:47:46 (100.10.79.144)
I never met Billy Joel, and I never spoke with him. I had a power of attorney. john .......
228: Classical Court, Does this sound plausible??? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-13, 12:12:26 (100.10.79.144)
I have for decades believed that the Michel Legrand song that Noel Harrison made famous in an English version by Bergman & Bergman, "Windmills of Your Mind," is based on the first two phrases of the A .......
229: General Asylum, There are two theories about that (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-11, 07:32:26 (100.10.79.144)
People ask me for advice from time to time, and I do ask what their budget is... but I am dispensing free advice, and I am not trying to sell something so I can feed my kid. The contra philosophy is t .......
230: General Asylum, I'd rather answer the inverse of your question... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-10, 16:39:15 (100.10.79.144)
By which I mean, knowing what I know today, what advice would I give a newcomer to "Fine Audio"? PRECEPT I: The Great Fork in the Road is Between the (a) people who want "music in their homes," but on .......
231: Music Lane, Françoise Hardy (or perhaps, Edith Piaf) has been reincarnated... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-08, 17:55:02 (100.10.79.144)
View YouTube Video In an 15-year old Dutch girl with a gastro-entestinal ailment. Remarkable. The song sounds like the 1950s-60s chanteuse Barbara. That was the singer Barbra Streisand .......
232: General Asylum, Can you hear NOW, Herr Beethoven??? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-07, 20:07:52 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
233: Jazz Alley, The answer to your question is... tragic. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-07, 16:25:15 (100.10.79.144)
The histories I have read state that Strayhorn's father was a steelworker or other laborer and an angry drunk who was so outraged at his son's early signs of being gay that young Billy had to go live .......
234: Classical Court, You mean Joe Biden? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-07, 06:33:42 (100.10.79.144)
nyuk nyuk nyuk .......
235: Speaker Asylum, Each loudspeaker weighs 73 pounds... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-06, 05:29:28 (100.10.79.144)
So I don't think John Atkinson will be raising them 11 feet in the air, any time soon. Plan B would be to have a critic with a "Rancho Deluxe" listening room to set them up with more breathing room .......
236: Speaker Asylum, As far as I know, at least some of the staff at Danesian worked at ScanSpeak and SEAS (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-05, 05:36:59 (100.10.79.144)
As far as I know, at least some of the staff at Danesian previously worked at ScanSpeak and SEAS. So, "This ain't their first Rodeo." Also, it's a graph of the raw driver, and it's more of a molehill .......
237: Speaker Asylum, I deal with a variety of such issues in my soon-to-be-published review... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-04, 07:52:57 (100.10.79.144)
But, just for yucks: GOOD CATCH ON THE LOWER MIDRANGE, (UPPER BASS)! NB: That graph is of the woofer in a standard baffle board only, for standardized measurements. The woofer is not in a box, in o .......
238: Speaker Asylum, Thanks... Please note, lovely as that album is... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-04, 05:02:15 (100.10.79.144)
Lovely as "Indescribably Night" is, it is, at the end of the day, a rather "produced" pop record (although, with commendable classical and world-music aspirations). It is a creature of its time--I .......
239: Speaker Asylum, Video of Fully-Assembled SB Acoustics Sasandu Tx / Kate St. John "There Is Sweet Music...." (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-03, 09:58:19 (100.10.79.144)
View YouTube Video .......
240: Speaker Asylum, IIRC, on year "Audio" listed circa 3,600 loudspeaker models from 400 companies (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-03, 05:55:11 (100.10.79.144)
There are very few barriers to entry in the loudspeaker business, and what barriers exist are rather low. Furthermore, going back 30 years, in those pre-Internet days, audiophiles got their news deliv .......
241: Speaker Asylum, Ohm Acoustics is "For Sale" (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-08-02, 12:26:40 (100.10.79.144)
Asking price is $875,000. Current owners wish to retire. I think it's a lot of money, considering that their factory is a rented premises, and apart from the trademark, as far as I know there is no pr .......
242: Speaker Asylum, I suggest you phone Solen in Montreal and ask to speak with Chris (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-31, 07:06:57 (100.10.79.144)
Solen Electronique 3940 Boul. Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier St-Hubert, Quebec J3Y 6T1 Canada Phone: (450) 656-2759 https://solen.ca/en solen@solen.ca .......
243: Classical Court, Amen. nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-30, 15:42:55 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
244: Critic's Corner, Mr. Getty's music room (note...) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-29, 11:07:28 (100.10.79.144)
Note, I believe that all the art and all the objets de virtu were auctioned off last year for the benefit of their charitable trust. IIRC, the auctions (there were 10 auctions, by subject matter .......
245: Classical Court, Please email me via AA email (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-29, 06:46:18 (100.10.79.144)
john .......
246: Critic's Corner, My Mafia Name is "Johnny Puddles." (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-29, 05:59:39 (100.10.79.144)
Perhaps I should use that. john .......
247: Classical Court, OOPS! I will look into it! nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-28, 12:52:21 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
248: Classical Court, Dick Hyman recorded the "Knuckles O'Toole" Honky-Tonk LPs! nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-28, 12:51:28 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
249: Rocky Road, Mary Hopkins 1968 (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-27, 19:37:26 (100.10.79.144)
Her breakthrough hit "Those were the days" was an English translation of a Russian ballad "The Long and Lonely Road." john .......
250: Classical Court, RE: THE GREATEST George Szell Joke of All Time!!! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-27, 18:13:51 (100.10.79.144)
This link should work: https://www.amazon.com/Yunchan-Lim-Live-Cliburn-Transcendental/dp/B0C5TRWXLG/ Below! john .......
251: Classical Court, That's a "Lawyer Joke," but it works better as a Conductor Joke. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-27, 15:01:35 (100.10.79.144)
Thanks, john .......
252: Critic's Corner, How about... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-27, 13:46:03 (100.10.79.144)
"YAY! My 'Bookshelf for Lovers of Recordings' Installment #5 is now up!!!" The reason I said "Yay" was with the profusion of all kinds of new content on Tracking Angle, they have not been able to post .......
253: Critic's Corner, YAY! John Marks' Bookshelf for Lovers of Recordings #4 is now up!!! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-27, 11:41:14 (100.10.79.144)
#4 is "The B Side: The Death of Tin Pan Alley and the Rebirth of the Great American Song" by Ben Yagoda. Another exceptionally engrossing read, from a unique perspective. Here's my favorite quote: .......
254: Vinyl Asylum, The story I heard long ago... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-27, 11:28:37 (100.10.79.144)
The story I heard long ago was that "Surfacing" was recorded in a small studio and they had one really good microphone and the rest were not so good, so they literally built up the album one track at .......
255: Classical Court, THE GREATEST George Szell Joke of All Time!!! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-27, 11:24:24 (100.10.79.144)
George Szell arrives in Hell. He is assigned to a small, dark, dank, damp, oppressive cell, in which he is constantly menaced by venomous snakes. During a break, Szell looks across the hall and sees F .......
256: Classical Court, I just RAVED about a recording of Jed Distler as a Pianist!!!! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-25, 14:43:13 (100.10.79.144)
Positive Feedback Online just posted (thanks, Dr. David) a massive multi-review by me of noteworthy recent Steinway & Sons recordings, all of which are available for no-cost streaming at the links .......
257: Speaker Asylum, From Left Field... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-21, 10:19:33 (100.10.79.144)
Before you pull the trigger on metal plates, let me suggest that you consider the engineered composite called Richlite, which is what Gibson now uses for most of its guitar fretboards. Here's an in .......
258: Jazz Alley, Chet Atkins gave his personal Award of Recognition to Tommy Emmanuel (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-20, 11:06:38 (100.10.79.144)
Atkins gave awards to a total of four other guitarists. IIRC, Atkins also gifted or bequeathed an historical guitar to Emmanuel, such was his respect. Emmanuel turned professional at age 6. Atkins was .......
259: Jazz Alley, thanks for sharing nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-19, 06:34:23 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
260: Classical Court, There are three Peter McGrath CDs in the Phillips "Suitcase" Boxed set of... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-16, 07:47:01 (100.10.79.144)
"Greatest Pianists of the 20th Century." IIRC, two Earl Wild and on Nelson Freire. john .......
261: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Impressive article about the Orchard Audio Starkrimson (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-15, 15:42:39 (100.10.79.144)
I might be wrong, but it's the only affordable GaN amp that is fully balanced. It's on an introductory discount. They make 3- and 2-channel versions. The 3-channel would be good for a 2.1-way compa .......
262: General Asylum, My favorite Bette Midler quote.... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-15, 15:34:21 (100.10.79.144)
Johnny Carson asked Bette Midler what she was doing with her new-found wealth. So, this was in the early 1970s. She replied: "I'm saving it for a rainy day, because the next one is gonna be a f^#@i .......
263: Classical Court, Ha! I hand't noticed the HDCD notation (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-15, 14:06:21 (100.10.79.144)
Ah, the Road Not Taken. john .......
264: General Asylum, IMHO, the only unique asset is the trademark. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-15, 14:03:57 (100.10.79.144)
If somebody wants to start a high-end audio company, there are consultants who earn their livings by guiding people through the "Offshoring" process. It's so difficult to compete with, as Jerry del Co .......
265: General Asylum, I can't say that I disagree! (Interesting content below!) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-15, 14:00:44 (100.10.79.144)
It certainly was something that ARC's founder never envisioned when he sold his company. Synergy is one thing; cannibalism is another. It would have been one thing for, to make up an example, the own .......
266: Speaker Asylum, Amen. nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-14, 16:08:27 (100.10.79.144)
john .......
267: Classical Court, Live In Tokyo!!! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-14, 16:05:20 (100.10.79.144)
He was in such demand that he was to play the same program several nights in a row, and so the "live" CD is made up of various takes from different nights, but he himself told me that he put extra .......
268: Classical Court, Please correct me if I am wrong, but... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-14, 11:17:41 (100.10.79.144)
Please correct me if I am wrong, but I thought it was the case that because Van Cliburn's "Competition Win" electrified America and perhaps a few other parts of the world... [SIDEBAR BREAK] I read som .......
269: Classical Court, RIP André Watts... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-14, 09:52:34 (100.10.79.144)
Per Slipped Disc. I just submitted this comment, commenting upon another commenter's claim that Mr. Watts' Tokyo recital CD was "live." THIS COMMENT IS AWAITING MODERATION Amen on Mr. Watts' Tokyo rec .......
270: Critic's Corner, She's a great writer.... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-14, 06:50:18 (100.10.79.144)
But I was a little miffed that she held off mentioning her domestic partner until page 82... she had me very intrigued. On a more serious note, until Heritage Auctions achieved the result of somebody' .......
271: Critic's Corner, Thanks (nt) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-14, 06:45:35 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
272: Jazz Alley, In Columbus Ohio, that is (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-12, 07:25:49 (100.10.79.144)
I became a fan as soon as his first album came out. I interviewed him by email for my blog, link below. john .......
273: Critic's Corner, John Marks' Bookshelf for Lovers of Recordings #3 (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-11, 16:21:00 (100.10.79.144)
Michael Fremer's "Tracking Angle" has put up Installment #3 of my ongoing series about great books about the history of records and of the record business. #3 is probably the highest recommendation .......
274: General Asylum, The "Curse of the Bambino" Rules the Universe nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-10, 15:15:45 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
275: General Asylum, I am older than dirt, so I was there at the time (ha ha ha) and, in the business (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-10, 14:51:04 (100.10.79.144)
It's funny--these days, Michael Fremer's Tracking Angle is publishing my writing, but I have always had a respectful disagreement with him about the first CD demonstration (which I, a mere toiler in t .......
276: Classical Court, Thanks! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-10, 09:06:27 (100.10.79.144)
Will listen! john .......
277: Classical Court, Yes, exceptional --sounding-- recordings of string sections (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-10, 04:12:00 (100.10.79.144)
Yes, exceptional --sounding-- recordings of string sections is what I want. Off the top of my head I can name another (perhaps unlikely) one: Celibidache's Munich Dvorak New World. He's one of my t .......
278: Critic's Corner, "A cheerful ode to the importance of always wearing a condom" (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-10, 04:06:11 (100.10.79.144)
That's what one critic called Steely Dan's "The Fez." Not too many different words in that song. Mind-numbingly repetitious. BTW, SD began recording "The Royal Scam" in 1975, so their condom advocacy .......
279: Classical Court, Is this particularly great recorded string sound, or did I just need to be impressed, and this album got lucky? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-09, 14:36:49 (100.10.79.144)
Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande London Symphony Orchestra • Christian Gerhaher • London Symphony Chorus • Magdalena Kožená • Sir Simon Rattle (2016) 24/96 I was having an email conversation with Hype .......
280: General Asylum, ADC Technology is actually much more important than DAC Technology! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-09, 08:39:46 (100.10.79.144)
The reason that the Sony Phillips CD system came to dominate the world, while the Stockham system did not, is that the "genius hack" of the Sony-Phillips system was that it "rode free" on the insta .......
281: Vinyl Asylum, Well, yeah... nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-06, 18:08:58 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
282: Vinyl Asylum, IMHO the MIRACLE of the LP is that it works at all! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-06, 13:26:55 (100.10.79.144)
Please consider Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto. The top note of the first phrase of the violin-solo part of Mendelssohn's violin concerto is the octave E on the E string, circa 1,320Hz. A few meas .......
283: Speaker Asylum, The Sasandu Txes are Review Loaners (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-06, 09:51:48 (100.10.79.144)
In due course, the will be picked up. A Golden Eared friend whose main speakers are Vivid Audio B1s said he thought the SBA TeXtreme tweeter was better than the metal tweeter in his Vivid B1s... I ass .......
284: Speaker Asylum, Purifi PTT5.25X08-NFA-01 Woofer-Mid, 2nd-order crossover rolls off bass above 3kHz; tweeter at +0dB/FLAT (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-04, 08:01:42 (100.10.79.144)
OK, after having my fun with the Purifi 5.25 woofer-mid "Running Wild," I buckled under to Adult Supervision, and imposed a 2nd-order bass roll-off starting at 3kHz. View YouTube Video .......
285: General Asylum, Wilson Benesch and darTZeel, for starters... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-03, 05:47:19 (100.10.79.144)
ATC, for sure. Bricasti, for sure. Grace Design, for sure. Probably Gryphon. Or perhaps Luxman. Either VAC or CAT for tubes. Ultrasone headphones. OK? john .......
286: General Asylum, I rather doubt that Future Audiophile has the infrastructure or cash flow for Robocalls! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-02, 13:55:01 (100.10.79.144)
With all due respect, AFAIK it's one editor/publisher guy, and the rest are freelancers. I am only speculating, but, if I were trying to make a paying proposition out of my own personal blog (which .......
287: Propeller Head Plaza, Supposedly, if the outlet is correctly wired, you CAN do that (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-02, 09:40:20 (100.10.79.144)
But I am not going to test that Internet Hypothesis. john .......
288: General Asylum, The OP wanted to let people know about a chance to luck out and get a free subwoofer. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-02, 09:37:32 (100.10.79.144)
My thought being, "Future Audiophile" started circa seven months ago, and so they probably don't have that much site traffic. So, unlike the 1 in 120 million chance that most lottery tickets come with .......
289: Speaker Asylum, I plan to try to cross over from the Purifi woofer-mid to the Fountek ribbon @3k (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-01, 07:01:29 (100.10.79.144)
The woofer will roll off 2nd order, the tweeter roll in 3rd order--just a little "homage" to Dick Shahinian. ciao, john .......
290: Speaker Asylum, Jim Salk chose the SB Acoustics Satori Beryllium tweeter, and the Purifi woofer (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-07-01, 05:29:01 (100.10.79.144)
and the Purifi passive radiators on the woofer. It's a shame his business continuation plan fell apart. john .......
291: Speaker Asylum, Purifi's 6.5-inch dedicated midrange might be even better... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-30, 15:30:02 (100.10.79.144)
It has an amazing Agility Factor: 75.899. The 5.25 woofer mid's AF is 39.13. Jim Salk called the Purifi's 6.5-inch dedicated midrange the biggest "game changer" in his career--he used it semi-open- .......
292: General Asylum, Another "Future Audiophile" Random Drawing, the prize is a $899 Subwoofer (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-30, 12:56:31 (100.10.79.144)
The subwoofer being an SVS 3000 Micro: Some people have bristled at the fact that Future Audiophile wants you to answer survey questions, and that they claim to want your cellphone number only to .......
293: Speaker Asylum, Since the time I replied, I have learned that... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-30, 05:23:04 (100.10.79.144)
Since the time I replied, I have learned that the PTT5.25 has the same motor system as the 6.5-inch woofer. So, it's the same motor system, but the pistonic area of the cone is 34% smaller. That expla .......
294: Speaker Asylum, I have no personal experience with the SEAS... but on paper... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-29, 17:09:34 (100.10.79.144)
Assuming you mean: SEAS Excel W15CH001 (E0037) 5.5" Magnesium Cone Woofer I am sure it is fantastic, I have heard great things about the Hexadym magnet system. Problem is, the SEAS really needs a cros .......
295: Speaker Asylum, Replacing the Eton 5-312 woofer-mid with the Purifi PTT5.25X08-NFA-01 (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-29, 13:58:14 (100.10.79.144)
View YouTube Video It's folly to expect an iPhone video over YT to convey much. Please take my word that the Purifi is amazing... however, at circa $375 plus circa $50 shipping for the .......
296: General Asylum, There's an old German Urban Legend... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-29, 13:31:24 (100.10.79.144)
You wrote: "This does tell me that Audio Research assets are priced about right." Thank you! That is what I was trying to do. IMHO, to keep ARC from really going Bankrupt will require the infusion of .......
297: General Asylum, Arguably ARC-Related: Bed Bath & Beyond's online presence sells for the value of 15 Burger King locations! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-29, 08:49:35 (100.10.79.144)
People have been expressing wonderment over Audio Research's core assets selling for... a little less than the average value of ONE Burger King franchise location. Well, Bed Bath & Beyond's online pre .......
298: Critic's Corner, John Marks' Bookshelf for Lovers of Recordings #2 (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-29, 06:59:00 (100.10.79.144)
The second installment of my mini-series over at Michael Fremer's Tracking Angle is up. The book is Gary Marmorstein's "The Label: The Story of Columbia Records." It's a great book, but it is not a .......
299: Vinyl Asylum, At Pacific Audio Fest 2023 Ari Crane, Heritage Auctions Director of Vinyl Acquisitions Interviewed (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-29, 06:26:13 (100.10.79.144)
If anyone hasn't seen it on Tracking Angle, a reporter for Tracking Angle did an on-camera interview with the head of Vinyl Acquisitions for Heritage Auctions of Dallas, Texas. Heritage Auctions is th .......
300: Classical Court, They have both joined the Choir Invisible. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-27, 16:25:16 (100.10.79.144)
Margaret Thatcher eventually befriended Mandy. BTW, when the Queen gave a dinner for Margaret Thatcher's 70th birthday, the Queen (whose son wanted to be a Tampax) asked Baron Profumo--Christine's par .......
301: Classical Court, How about coming back as a Danish Modern molded plywood chair? (Christine Keeler's) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-27, 08:25:15 (100.10.79.144)
A friend of mine told me that in her youth, she was on an ocean liner, and that she and her girlfriend were miffed that they were not the most gawked-at girls on the ship. Christine Keeler and Mand .......
302: General Asylum, There were very few ornamented Strads. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-27, 08:14:26 (100.10.79.144)
There is a theory that Antonio Stradivari was first apprenticed to a furniture maker to learn marquetry inlay work... There are a few similar inlaid Strads, but most of Antonio's output was for lack o .......
303: Classical Court, It's one thing to make yicky pillow talk with your mistress... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-27, 06:19:02 (100.10.79.144)
It's another thing to make yicky pillow talk while speaking outdoors over an unencrypted cordless phone connected to a landline. I hope they don't entrust any security secrets to this Animatronic Figu .......
304: General Asylum, While you are right about brand recognition, PG4 was a real artist who made beautiful violins (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-27, 06:15:28 (100.10.79.144)
There's something that really moves me about the proportions and the curves. It's an evolution of the Amati style, rather than a break from it. One of my favorite modern makers uses Pietro Guarn .......
305: General Asylum, I was not praising McIntosh as Ethical Beings!!! You said: (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-26, 19:00:22 (100.10.79.144)
I was not praising McIntosh as Ethical Beings!!! You said: "They are quick to enter a hot market with half baked products in hopes of fast cash from diehard fanboys, leaving dealers to clean up the me .......
306: Speaker Asylum, The cabinet is very solid... and your comparisons are not that valid. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-26, 17:15:31 (100.10.79.144)
The truly comparable floorstander is from WAS, the Yvette, which weighs 175 pounds, but which costs considerably more. The other brands you mention are more hugher, to quote Homer Simpson. Cabinet .......
307: Classical Court, For me, he will always be, "The Man Who Would Be Tampax"! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-26, 17:04:19 (100.10.79.144)
Prince Charles, if anyone has forgotten, was in his garden, chatting over a landline via "cordless" phone with Camilla... at a time he was still legally married. He told Camilla that he wanted to be r .......
308: Jazz Alley, His album "Guitar Forms" is for the Ages. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-26, 15:16:23 (100.10.79.144)
Here's a previous review by me: Kenny Burrell: Guitar Forms (1965) This recording is be-bop guitarist Kenny Burrell's (b. 1931) orchestral collaboration with arranger and conductor Gil Evans, the s .......
309: Classical Court, I saw a news post that said competitors were told to stay in their hotels. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-26, 15:10:43 (100.10.79.144)
And not go out walking or sightseeing. john .......
310: Music Lane, I never said that she'd marry me in a minute! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-26, 15:08:45 (100.10.79.144)
I am sure she has more common sense than that. Someone once told me that there should never be two musicians in one family, and that the only exceptions are when they both are so bad or so good that i .......
311: Critic's Corner, NOT lovingly! IIRC, I said respectfully. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-26, 15:05:49 (100.10.79.144)
One thing DJT did was to make Bush look better. And the trope about Lesbians and Subarus is not in my view derogatory at all. It shows both practicality and lack of herd mentality. IMHO. john ::: TOPI .......
312: General Asylum, But, you can hear, and you know what you are doing. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-26, 14:59:57 (100.10.79.144)
Whereas, when a consumer good becomes "Definitionally Aspirational," anyone can aspire to it. That's why brands want to be aspirational--it removes the grunt work of connoisseurship from the equation. .......
313: General Asylum, Yes, I forgot the Wall of Sound; but I had not known about the guitar amp! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-26, 10:27:20 (100.10.79.144)
I heard the penultimate iteration of the Wall of Sound in Providence in 1972. That (I believe) was the last concert before the addition of the High Mounted Center Cluster. Oops, I also forgot Woodstoc .......
314: Speaker Asylum, Final pricing is in the works, but the Value Proposition is going to be amazing. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-26, 08:37:07 (100.10.79.144)
To put it in perspective, Madisound will sell you a 6" Papyrus woofer from SB Acoustics for $192 each, while the TPCD version is $298. So, let's say that differential is 50%. But in dollars, it's only .......
315: Speaker Asylum, First listens are VERY NICE! nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-26, 08:28:22 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
316: General Asylum, Here's IMHO why McIntosh is DIFFERENT (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-26, 08:27:19 (100.10.79.144)
1) McIntosh was founded in, what... 1948??? 2) Back when JFK was porking a White House Intern who, at that time, legally could not give consent to sex in the District of Columbia (that means, Statutor .......
317: General Asylum, It could have been--philosophically speaking. But it was not. nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-25, 17:31:03 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
318: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Are you a darTZeel owner? Please elaborate. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-25, 15:12:17 (100.10.79.144)
john .......
319: General Asylum, I disagree! (And, a great "Ouchsie" or two!) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-25, 15:08:53 (100.10.79.144)
Now, everybody except Lizzie Borden and her parents know that I have nothing but bad feelings about the GhostMeters. I also thought that offering a very pricey tube integrated amp in Designer Color .......
320: General Asylum, No shortage of things to chew on... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-25, 10:49:05 (100.10.79.144)
I know a couple or a few people who most likely have so much money that they really don't have to think about money, but I can't imagine any of them buying a basket-case high-end audio company. And th .......
321: Speaker Asylum, The Assembled SBA Sasandu TeXtremes have arrived! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-25, 10:12:57 (100.10.79.144)
Wow, these are a lot bigger than I envisioned. Of course, each came in its own box, and each box was 100 lbs. Good packing materials. Excellent paint jobs. On first hearing, very impressive. john : .......
322: Music Lane, I'd marry the bass player in less than a minute. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-23, 16:45:26 (100.10.79.144)
nt john .......
323: Computer Audio Asylum, I think that it's an "open secret" in pro audio that... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-23, 16:39:58 (100.10.79.144)
I think that it's an "open secret" in pro audio that electret microphones can sound very good... but most people seem to be afraid to admit that such a "downmarket" technology can sound good. john ::: .......
324: Music Lane, No shortage of other great versions... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-22, 16:19:48 (100.10.79.144)
There was the British talent-show guy who was moved to sing it when his gf's newborn died: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-iOymDxKPs And of course, Gordon Lightfoot's early version is sublime: https .......
325: General Asylum, The Customs Inspector asked, "Do you have any pornography?" (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-21, 07:18:25 (100.10.79.144)
The Customs Inspector asked, "Do you have any pornography?" And the sailor replied, "I don't even own a pornograph." That's a very old joke. As for your question, I had only one slot for Early Technic .......
326: Classical Court, Wow, I envy you that, on both counts! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-20, 06:40:21 (100.10.79.144)
The SOUND that Dutoit got out of the Montreal orchestra was so ravishing that matters of phrasing and dynamics were really secondary for me, and he was pretty much a "Middle of the Middle Lane" conduc .......
327: Classical Court, Supposedly, my family name, early on, was "von Marx." (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-19, 15:06:00 (100.10.79.144)
I was being ironical to Scott. I hope he took it in the spirit of an attempted witticism. And, I do happen to agree with Scott that Digiphobia can be self-defeating. That said, I have also heard an .......
328: General Asylum, The Bob Ludwig Led Zep II AES video oral history is famous. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-19, 14:44:20 (100.10.79.144)
A fascinating story. BTW, my friend and colleague Chris Huston gets co-engineering credit for LZII, because he engineered one track. The album was recorded catch as catch can, during LZ's American tou .......
329: General Asylum, That was a series of video oral histories... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-19, 13:02:14 (100.10.79.144)
Easy to find on YouTube: "AES Oral Histories." The link below is to my favorite: Bob Ludwig's first-hand recollections of the recall and destruction of most of the copies of his legendary LP cutting o .......
330: General Asylum, John Marks' Bookshelf for Lovers of Recordings (a/k/a, my "Tracking Angle" Debut!) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-19, 09:33:43 (100.10.79.144)
I got inspired to compile a list of books not about music per se, but rather on the subjects of: 1) The history of recording technology; 2) The history of the record business; and 3) The interactio .......
331: Vinyl Asylum, NASA's Voyager Golden Records were cut at 16 +2/3rds rpms. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-18, 17:25:28 (100.10.79.144)
I love the fact that NASA packed along a phono cartridge; I hope they also sent a very small screwdriver. At the link is an VGR article I wrote. It was actually Lecture Preparation reading for when .......
332: Classical Court, The Grateful Dead's PP "American Beauty" is AMAZING nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-18, 16:38:12 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
333: Classical Court, "Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you." (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-18, 16:37:08 (100.10.79.144)
I think Karl Marx wrote that. Not. # # # But for the Environmental Protection Agency, I think Dodge would be selling Chargers with "Six-Pack" carburetor setups--for that true analog motoring experienc .......
334: Classical Court, It's an amazing process, but... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-18, 06:08:24 (100.10.79.144)
Now, my understanding of the nuts and bolts might be years out of date, but, here's the short version: (1) the tape playback has to be on a modified playback deck with a special tape head and electron .......
335: Classical Court, Plangent is an Expensive Process! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-17, 15:49:49 (100.10.79.144)
I am very impressed that they are using it for these recordings. john .......
336: Digital Drive, Bricasti has a real Balance Adjust control (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-17, 08:14:06 (100.10.79.144)
From the M3 User Guide: Balance/Standby The M3 has an analog balance control, it will affect both the balanced and unbalanced outputs exactly the same. Press the balance button and use the adjust knob .......
337: Speaker Asylum, I actually recommended that somebody consider buying that exact model.. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-17, 06:50:41 (100.10.79.144)
That Purifi dedicated midrange has the highest Agility Factor (I invented the term and the calculation) I ever calculated. Jim told me it was the biggest game-changer in his design career. Nice semi-o .......
338: Amp/Preamp Asylum, If you have basic DIY Kit Assembly skills... (Purifi) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-17, 06:22:55 (100.10.79.144)
I assembled a Hypex plate amp board (above) into a Ghent Audio kit of enclosure and connectors and internal wiring. If you are interested, AA-mail me and I can send you a video of the completed amp .......
339: Classical Court, FWIW & YMMV, my fave has always been Dutoit/Montreal/Richard Roberts (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-16, 18:04:56 (100.10.79.144)
No surprise, I judge all Scherazade recordings by the concertmaster. And, that's where the Reiner falls down for me. (Despite the fact that my idol Boris Goldovsky was, at one time, Reiner's assist .......
340: Speaker Asylum, Awwwwww. nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-16, 14:29:07 (100.10.79.144)
john .......
341: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Thanks for the info--there's No Free Lunch (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-14, 06:58:28 (100.10.79.144)
But the OP shot down my Parasound recommendation because of Form Factor. ciao, john .......
342: Classical Court, In the late 1970s, her live radio Tosca from San Francisco transfixed me (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-13, 17:42:14 (100.10.79.144)
I was a law student in Nashville at the time. john .......
343: General Asylum, My "Blues Name" is MANGO STRABISMUS BUSH. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-13, 17:33:35 (100.10.79.144)
Strabismus is Latinized Greek for "Deadeye." Which afflicted me as a child. In part because of that, I spent my first four years written off as a Retard. And, indeed, when I was born, my parents, who .......
344: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Here's a small footprint (external power supply) amp from Parts Express (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-13, 13:21:28 (100.10.79.144)
Dimensions: 3.7" x 6.6" x 1.2" (95 x 165 x 30 mm) FX Audio FX-1002A Hi-Fi Stereo Amplifier 160 WPC Black The FX-Audio FX1002A hi-fi amplifier powers the most demanding speakers with a strong 160 w .......
345: Classical Court, OK, here's my Maria Callas story... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-12, 19:01:36 (100.10.79.144)
A well-bred acquaintance of mine went to some event, such as a luncheon for the Metropolitan Opera Guild, and for some reason, he was seated across the table from Aristotle Onassis and Maria Callas. T .......
346: Amp/Preamp Asylum, How about a used Parasound Zamp from eBay? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-12, 09:54:19 (100.10.79.144)
A new one is $449. Used ones can be had for under $200. It's pretty bombproof. I specified the Parasound Zamp3 for the executive desktop stereos at Steinway & Sons' global headquarters. They have been .......
347: General Asylum, Thanks! nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-12, 09:46:46 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
348: General Asylum, Ah, the "Interlochen Theme"! (YT) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-12, 08:35:43 (100.10.79.144)
View YouTube Video I think I count 9 harps. My favorite recording is Slatkin, coupled with Elmar Oliveira's Barber Concerto. ciao, john .......
349: Classical Court, I am usually a huge "Pavarotti Anti-Fan." But this video shows what all the fuss was about... back when. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-12, 08:22:05 (100.10.79.144)
(I should email the YT poster that the word is not "oh.") I have long contended that, circa 1968, Pavarotti was one of the best, ever. And I have also contended that, unlike Mandy Rice-Davies, wh .......
350: General Asylum, Thank you. nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-11, 14:06:30 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
351: Critic's Corner, That was not my recollection... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-11, 06:48:04 (100.10.79.144)
Yes, updated versions of classic tube gear did get bought by reviewers from time to time. But I recall back when I was writing for TAS, that McIntosh sent me a monster huge, hard to lift by one person .......
352: General Asylum, "Oh, and they're marketing it with a picture of a woman" (underexposed and murky) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-11, 06:41:59 (100.10.79.144)
I cleaned it up. The message seems to be that if you have the money to buy a 19th-century factory hand truck to use as a sideboard, ARC is the brand for you! Some years ago, when Thiel loudspeakers .......
353: Speaker Asylum, It's to reduce edge-diffraction effects on the tweeter's response (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-10, 11:21:36 (100.10.79.144)
The thinking being, the wavelengths of the tweeter frequencies are less than the width of the baffle board--the WL of 4000Hz is 3.4 inches. So, if the tweeter is equidistant from both sides, there wil .......
354: Speaker Asylum, My point being, if you can articulate what you want, perhaps Jim can design a one-off for you. nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-09, 15:59:45 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
355: General Asylum, In "Bohemian Rhapsody", my long-ago Mondegreen was, "Mitch Miller--will not let you go!" (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-09, 15:56:10 (100.10.79.144)
Whereas, it is the Muslim exclamation "Bismillah!" john .......
356: Speaker Asylum, For me, it's not worth the trouble and expense (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-09, 11:36:41 (100.10.79.144)
Yes, Rockport does a great job... Starting at $38,000. For 2-way monitor designs, I like Richlite's density and self-damping. john .......
357: Speaker Asylum, Do I recall that early LS3/5A crossovers included transformers? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-09, 11:35:09 (100.10.79.144)
That usually puts a thumbprint on the sound. It can be euphonic, but... . john .......
358: Speaker Asylum, My Eton-Fountek build is 11.25 inches high, so it can be done. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-09, 11:32:39 (100.10.79.144)
My Eton-Fountek build is 11.25 inches high, so it can be done. My proposed Purifi 5.25-inch woofer/ smaller RAAL ribbon build should be able to fit in a cabinet 12 inches tall. AFAIK, most of Jim Salk .......
359: Speaker Asylum, Thanks, I agree (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-09, 10:27:08 (100.10.79.144)
The advances in driver materials and design over the past 10 years have been mind-blowing. The Purifi 6.5-inch dedicated midrange used in at least one of Jim Salk's designs has the lowest distortion E .......
360: Speaker Asylum, May I make a radical sugestion??? Or three or four??? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-09, 08:40:40 (100.10.79.144)
ABOVE: J. Marks Eton/Fountek design BELOW: Jim Salk AT Denmark/RAAL design It's kind of ironical that I am writing this, in that some years back, when my friends at Steinway & Sons asked me to .......
361: General Asylum, Banks make the world go 'round. nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-08, 14:04:01 (100.10.79.144)
nt. .......
362: Classical Court, He did in fact play "Moscow Nights" as an encore at the Tchaikovsky (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-08, 11:07:43 (100.10.79.144)
And, after his 8 minute or however long standing ovation, he addressed the audience in Russian. Kinda suspicious, don't ya think? He probably got away with it for being a Texan. BTW, Apparently, all t .......
363: General Asylum, Not intentionally, on ARC's part!!! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-08, 10:43:32 (100.10.79.144)
A quote from the linked-to article: "In 2008, 82-year-old Bill Johnson sold Audio Research to the Italian capital group Quadrivio, which had purchased speaker manufacturer Sonus Faber the year before. .......
364: Classical Court, Harvey Lavan Cliburn Jr. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-08, 07:58:08 (100.10.79.144)
As is the case with Van Morrison, "Van" is a nickname, but in Morrison's case, it's for "Ivan." Great vignette, thanks for sharing. I always thought it rather strange that Cliburn's win was viewed as .......
365: General Asylum, I think it's archaic US Navy slang for "Lowdown," as in "Stripped down to the undies." (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-08, 07:10:28 (100.10.79.144)
Perhaps I should have used "Scuttlebutt." A parallel word for "Skivvy" is "Skinny," which is a WWII usage for confidential information, because supposedly such information was typed on "onion skin" ty .......
366: General Asylum, Sometimes the problem is, being perceived as being the red-headed, left-handed maladroit stepchild... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-08, 07:05:52 (100.10.79.144)
Also known as, "Funny-Lookin' Kid Syndrome." I think that what put ARC on the wrong path was being involuntary corporate stablemates with McIntosh. That decision, which I find very questionable (What .......
367: General Asylum, Ted Green's Strata-Gee has all the Skivvy on the Audio Research situation. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-07, 17:52:18 (100.10.79.144)
To quote Science Office Spock: "Fascinating." john .......
368: General Asylum, I made the same point years ago in an article about the history of LS3/5As (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-03, 07:10:28 (100.10.79.144)
There are quite a few references out there along these lines (quoted from the linked-to article): The genesis of the LS3/5A was not as straightforward, however, as the Kingswood Warren boffins simply .......
369: Speaker Asylum, Honestly, my doctorate was in public/tax policy, economics, and law--I am just a punter (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-02, 16:22:38 (100.10.79.144)
Honestly, my doctorate was in public/tax policy, economics, and law--I am just a punter/hobbyist at loudspeakers. But, when a client has the scratch, I am a Team Builder, and I know the right people t .......
370: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Good call! nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-02, 07:53:23 (100.10.79.144)
john .......
371: General Asylum, You are welcome! nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-02, 07:52:27 (100.10.79.144)
john .......
372: Speaker Asylum, Madisound has the Audax gold tweeter on sale for about the same money! (cool photo!) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-02, 07:51:47 (100.10.79.144)
It's a lovely driver--when Winslow Burhoe heard my prototype above, he commented "That tweeter is a winner." The difference in Fses is not large--it's the difference between Piano Key No. 60 (G#) a .......
373: Speaker Asylum, Here are the Provisional Data Sheets (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-02, 06:47:56 (100.10.79.144)
Hmmm... the woofer does not look as smooth as I was hoping for. Purifi's 5.25-in. woofer-mid still seems to be the champ at that. john .......
374: Speaker Asylum, Well, while you are chewing... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-02, 06:03:46 (100.10.79.144)
Well, while you are chewing, if you find a standard definition of "Acceleration Factor," please share it! Where I come out on Agility Factory is, "Horses for Courses." I think that when you are tal .......
375: General Asylum, I believe that the previously-scheduled court date was kicked over to June 7th (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-01, 17:42:49 (100.10.79.144)
according to a commenter on a story on the Strata-Gee website .......
376: Speaker Asylum, Big news from SEAS! MetaModalTX drivers! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-01, 16:43:30 (100.10.79.144)
SEAS has announced (and, apparently, demonstrated prototypes at AXPONA) two new MetaModalTX drivers: the Excel Excel W19NX 5.25-inch woofer-mid, and the Excel T29X dome tweeter. MetaModalTX is the .......
377: Speaker Asylum, Sorry for the delay... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-06-01, 10:36:33 (100.10.79.144)
My impulse is to say, what Load Factor is good for (and this is why I do not agree with the guy who said "LF was OK, but AF he did not get") is that it allows you to calculate the relationship between .......
378: Speaker Asylum, Different, and--a few industry pros have commented to me that they thought they are useful (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-31, 11:44:12 (100.10.79.144)
I have been messing around in electronics, in acoustics, and in physics, as a rank but very enthusiastic talented amateur hobbyist, since the mid-1960s. I can remember back (1960s-1970s) when the Magi .......
379: General Asylum, AFAIK there is no longer a US pressing plant that makes gold CDs... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-31, 11:24:16 (100.10.79.144)
Which means you have to buy from Japan or somewhere else, which is more expensive. john .......
380: Speaker Asylum, Jim Tuomy has six patents in Electroacoustics (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-31, 10:19:02 (100.10.79.144)
My co-author Jim Tuomy has six patents in electroacoustics, including those that were central to the "Final" electrostatic loudspeaker of decades ago. Jim was awarded the President's Medal at Bose .......
381: Speaker Asylum, Small World!!! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-31, 05:58:49 (100.10.79.144)
That must have been one very listenable loudspeaker!!! Here's a link to a video of my Eton/Fountek design with the woofer "running wild," that is, no crossover. There's a simple network on the tweeter .......
382: Digital Drive, Grace Design's m900 is sold with an MBG... and it's $660 (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-31, 05:45:16 (100.10.79.144)
The link is to my review on PFO. amb, john .......
383: Speaker Asylum, It's funny, I was just crunching the specs on the 8-Ohm MW19TX (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-30, 17:23:13 (100.10.79.144)
I was juggling the specs of the drivers used in the SB Acoustics Satori Sasandu Tx kit, a finished pair of which is supposed to ship to me this week, as mentioned in a thread I started below. I had .......
384: Classical Court, I have nothing to add... except that that image of Solti... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-30, 17:04:17 (100.10.79.144)
That image of Solti has always made me think that he is asking, "Why me, Lord???" And, if you read Culshaw's book, there's more than one episode that might fit. amb, john .......
385: General Asylum, Thanks, but I think it would have been a girlfriend... nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-28, 16:21:34 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
386: General Asylum, Well, at least they did not ask about my "Member of Parliament," so to speak nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-28, 08:43:53 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
387: General Asylum, I have no idea why he things "Cheryl Wheeler" is worth $200. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-28, 05:58:36 (100.10.79.144)
The overall sound is good, but the production is IMHO a bit flawed by the addition of synth (which I guess is not too bad) and drum machine (which I think is bad). It's as though the producer thought .......
388: General Asylum, You are welcome (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-28, 05:53:19 (100.10.79.144)
I hope somebody from AA wins! john .......
389: General Asylum, Thanks, Rod. I would have been tempted to get all "Woke" on everybody... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-27, 17:51:48 (100.10.79.144)
Thanks, Rod. I would have been tempted to get all "Woke" on everybody and ask the completely reasonable question whether that seller would have mentioned "Suicidal" had the pensive young singer been a .......
390: Critic's Corner, You say "Toto," and I... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-27, 15:46:15 (100.10.79.144)
You say "Toto," and I start singing: "I bless the rains down in Africa... " tee hee john .......
391: General Asylum, If anyone is interested, there's a random drawing for a Marantz CD 60 ($999) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-27, 14:24:21 (100.10.79.144)
I have nothing to do with this, and I think that Stereophile has been doing equipment give-aways too. I don't think my posting this just for everyone's information offends the AA rules; but if a Moder .......
392: General Asylum, OMG OMG OMG!!! The most HEARTLESS, BRUTAL USED-LP listing in history!!! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-27, 14:04:25 (100.10.79.144)
I was refreshing my memory to make sure that it was Greg Calbi who had mastered the North Star LP of Cheryl Wheeler's self-titled d .......
393: Speaker Asylum, Dunno 'bout IKEA--kinda doubt it. Here's my straw technique: (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-26, 15:27:00 (100.10.79.144)
The above image is a 5-inch two-way in a 10-Liter cabinet, with a Precision Sound Products double-flared port kit, and a straw-stuffed port. I start out with a bunch of straws that is larger in dia .......
394: Critic's Corner, What "Bad Information"? ARC is in Receivership, is it not? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-26, 03:44:44 (100.10.79.144)
Do you doubt that ARC's prices have gone up twice as fast as consumer prices in general? Do you claim that the GhostMeters were cheaper than a plain metal faceplate? Because that is what it seems you .......
395: Critic's Corner, How about... I had auditioned in the same general time frame... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-25, 15:32:47 (100.10.79.144)
How about... I had auditioned in the same general time frame... this was when I was writing the "A Stereo for Mr. Stevens" series in TAS, a solid-state ARC amp, I don't recall its model name, that was .......
396: Critic's Corner, As a reviewer, my experience with McIntosh was that I ... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-25, 13:33:35 (100.10.79.144)
As a reviewer, my experience with McIntosh was that I heard a coloration that I attributed to their Autoformer. Yes, the sound was smooth... to the point of Euphonic. Colored. Is anyone really surpris .......
397: Speaker Asylum, Morel Hogtalare? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-25, 12:45:13 (100.10.79.144)
Pronounced "Oag (as in oatmeal) ta LA ray." Which apparently is how you say "Loudspeaker," if you work in IKEA's headquarters. It's a co-developed product, designed to fit into IKEA shelving-unit c .......
398: Speaker Asylum, AtlasIED Announces Strategic Investment in Fyne Audio (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-25, 12:29:10 (100.10.79.144)
Here's interesting news from the "The Audio Voice" email newsletter, from the publishers of Audio Xpress and Voice Coil magazines: "May 19 2023, 09:10 AtlasIED, the commercial audio specialist tha .......
399: Critic's Corner, Yes, I have seen Luxman amps... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-25, 11:26:51 (100.10.79.144)
Yes, I have seen Luxman amps. I know they have lovely meters. But those are the kind of meters that are proven, old technology. The transparent meters on the ARC amps are new technology, and it just m .......
400: General Asylum, Thanks, but, I'd love to learn why they think they had the original master tapes in 2010 (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-24, 19:55:43 (100.10.79.144)
Did someone come in out of the cold with a shopping bag and say, "It was Uncle Freddy's final wish that these master tapes be returned to their rightful owners"? I assume that the original, in-machine .......
401: General Asylum, Well, that was a deep dive! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-24, 16:35:44 (100.10.79.144)
OK! The 2002 ALS CD reissue and SACD were apparently from uncompressed and un-equalized copy tapes that had been sent to EMI in England. Perhaps because it was EMI, they got a master copy and not .......
402: General Asylum, Sorry, what is the definition of "it"? Or, rather, the antecedent... . (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-24, 14:57:13 (100.10.79.144)
Hi. You wrote: "My understanding is that it was used for the AP Top 100 Jazz series mastered by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray." What is "it"? I was discussing the AFAIK universally acknowledged destruc .......
403: General Asylum, AFAIK, the original master tape of "A Love Supreme" was thrown in a dumpster decades ago! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-24, 07:40:14 (100.10.79.144)
Not that I witnessed that event. ABC-Paramount Records started Impulse! Records in 1960. Wiki says: "As a cost-cutting measure, ABC Records discarded many master tapes in the 1970s to save storage spa .......
404: Critic's Corner, I worked in a foreign-car garage... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-23, 17:58:12 (100.10.79.144)
That was probably 2005 or so. We performed the Last Rites on quite a few early Subarus that had gone past 100,000 miles and just gave up. I was unimpressed, but I thought I had some idea of why Subaru .......
405: Critic's Corner, Honestly, no. It is possible that the vendor ate all the NRE in exchange for a guaranteed order. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-23, 16:21:27 (100.10.79.144)
Honestly, I have no idea, and I did not go snooping, either. It is possible that the vendor ate all the NRE in exchange for a guaranteed order. But that just renames that cost--it's almost never free. .......
406: Critic's Corner, "A Rumination Upon Audio Research, VW's Phćton, and Subaru vs. SAAB" (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-23, 14:08:45 (100.10.79.144)
FWIW & Your Mileage REALLY Might Vary, I have shared on Positive Feedback Online some of my thoughts about the Audio Research situation. The Marketing course I took was one of the best courses I ever .......
407: Speaker Asylum, Amen, brother! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-22, 14:03:56 (100.10.79.144)
You wrote: "Those blueprints look like they would be a bear to build from scratch. Too many non-right angles and non-parallel surfaces." I say: AMEN! SB Acoustics has been making OEM cabinets since ci .......
408: Speaker Asylum, Right... but you still have to assemble the kit into the enclosures (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-22, 13:58:13 (100.10.79.144)
It's a complex cabinet, and lining the inside with damping material will be laborious. Madisound offers an assembled crossover; so does Solen. I think both vendors are open to capacitor, coil, and .......
409: Speaker Asylum, I expect SB Acoustics Sasandu Tx review samples next week... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-22, 09:47:01 (100.10.79.144)
Note! The photo below is NOT of the SB Acoustics SasanduTx!!! It is a photo of one of my own designs! The reason is stated below. SB Acoustics' top-of-the-line "Open Source" kit is the Sasandu T .......
410: General Asylum, I voluntarily left the practice of law in 2001 nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-20, 17:05:53 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
411: General Asylum, Thanks for your kind words. BTW, I was a very competent trial lawyer, but aspects of the job made me miserable (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-20, 10:11:48 (100.10.79.144)
I was surprised when The Absolute Sound ran a news item claiming that the identity of the new owner would be revealed two days before the next scheduled hearing in the matter. Then, the date of that h .......
412: Classical Court, Only one edit, I think, and belated thanks (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-19, 16:29:55 (100.10.79.144)
Chorale preludes have been stuck in my addled, post-Covid-twice brain. ciao, john .......
413: General Asylum, I don't think my data point about price increases since Day One was "speculative" (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-19, 11:40:38 (100.10.79.144)
If somebody wanted to quibble, they could argue that using a "general market-basket" inflation calculator such as the West Egg inflation calculator is misleading, so I should confine my comparisons to .......
414: General Asylum, IIRC someone from the company posted (on Facebook?) that vendors were being paid. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-19, 10:40:33 (100.10.79.144)
Not being adversarial, but do you have an independent reliable source for the assertion that "suppliers are not getting paid in a timely fashion"? I glanced at the initial filing, but it appeared to m .......
415: Classical Court, You really should hear the Marcello by Arturo Delmoni (Violin) , Timothy Smith (Organ) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-19, 08:48:22 (100.10.79.144)
It's Track No. 50 on this free boxed-set stream from my friends at Steinway. Recorded in the vast spaces of Riverside Church NYC with a pipe organ with 149 stops, 207 ranks, and more than 12,000 pipes .......
416: General Asylum, One press release--unsupported by any "Attaboy"s from anyone else--doth not a deal make (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-18, 17:18:53 (100.10.79.144)
I'll wait for a Judge or a lawyer to make an official statement... which, if it arrives, I would expect would only be... "the Receiver has notified the Court that it expects in X number of days to sub .......
417: Classical Court, Hmmm... a "Dark Horse" Debussy La Mer to contend with. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-17, 07:40:41 (100.10.79.144)
I was researching "Students of Nadia Reisenberg," and to my surprise, one of them was Kyung-Wha Chung's brother Myung-Whun. OK! So I opened up his discography on Qobuz, and chose his 2011 Seoul "La .......
418: General Asylum, An "Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors" is usually a Violation of Loan Covenants (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-16, 15:22:41 (100.10.79.144)
So, it looks like tomorrow the Assignee is going to ask for a 90-day add-on to the hold on all Collections Efforts, while the Bank will argue for Relief from Stay. Speaking of violating covenants, the .......
419: Classical Court, A tearjerking excerpt from a short film... please watch (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-15, 20:46:03 (100.10.79.144)
All praise and honors to the team that put together the short film, which this is an excerpt from. Absolutely brilliant, I think, that the angst-ridden young lady has to not only, watch a piano bei .......
420: General Asylum, Assuming one knows what one is doing... reissues are by definition more profitable than making new recordings (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-15, 08:40:03 (100.10.79.144)
Now, we all must start from the logically impregnable position that it is possible to lose money doing almost anything. You can run a bordello into the ground; it's easy: Simply charge the customer .......
421: General Asylum, The see-through meters were like the definition of a Gentleman? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-13, 07:58:03 (100.10.79.144)
Q. What is the definition of a Gentleman? A. A man who can play the bagpipes, but who doesn't. john .......
422: General Asylum, MFSL to Pay the Price: (Up to) $25 million (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-12, 12:32:07 (100.10.79.144)
The objecting class members having had their day in court, MFSL now has judicial permission to plash out up to $25 million to pay for its purported sins. I think that because, back in the Herb Belkin .......
423: General Asylum, The Spirio (over and above the financial disclosures) is one of the most compelling things in the Prospectus (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-09, 16:59:56 (100.10.79.144)
Current management has revitalized the company, lucked into the perfect product for the Pandemic, and paid down a lot of debt. IMHO, and I speak only as an educated layperson with opinions. Seek out y .......
424: General Asylum, Steinway is way busy building pianos; the loudspeakers are built by Lyngdorf and/or DALI (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-09, 16:17:48 (100.10.79.144)
Steinway has carried on valiantly during the Pandemic. While educational and concert-hall piano sales obviously were hugely impacted, Steinway's high-tech playback piano the Spirio (link) was the p .......
425: Classical Court, More like a "Vuja Day"! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-08, 22:33:02 (100.10.79.144)
If, as the Dalai Lama said (before he got canceled for Pedophilia), "90% of the game is half mental," Alma Mahler 100% was sure that she was at the top of her game, despite her being in a wheelchair. .......
426: Music Lane, Thanks. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-08, 16:56:13 (100.10.79.144)
Lightfoot was such a breath of fresh air, at a time when The Monkees were still a major attraction. Thanks, john .......
427: Rocky Road, The 50 Worst Bad Decisions in the History of Rock Music--Rolling Stone (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-08, 08:23:58 (100.10.79.144)
Fascinating! One of the top ten worst things (the list is in descending order) made me think of this joke: Q. What are three things a man should never do? A. 1) Ask a woman how old she is. 2) Ask a .......
428: Speaker Asylum, Yup. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-08, 07:08:51 (100.10.79.144)
I also think that the Spendors created more credible images. The played the track "Famous Blue Raincoat" like very few speakers could. ciao, john .......
429: Amp/Preamp Asylum, What McIntosh's lawyers could do... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-07, 17:05:50 (100.10.79.144)
They could have a US third party buy a unit and hand it over for inspection. They would then prepare an affidavit for that person to sign. They could then bring a Federal Court Action for violation of .......
430: Speaker Asylum, Thanks, they were that. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-07, 15:32:57 (100.10.79.144)
A pair of Spendor SP1s got me off the Fried merry-go-round. john .......
431: Classical Court, Reportedly, Alma Mahler asked the young Menahem Pressler... (attn. Chris!) (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-07, 10:38:33 (100.10.79.144)
Reportedly, Alma Mahler asked the young Menahem Pressler to "Drop Trou." When he was "on his way up" (and, this had to be before 1965), Pressler was playing for Alma Mahler in her NYC townhouse. It wa .......
432: General Asylum, Chris, please report to the Assistant Headmaster's office... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-06, 18:49:51 (100.10.79.144)
And, be sure knock on the door before you open it. You have to give him a moment to hide this month's issue of Penthouse. (No, nothing like that every happened to me when I was in a famous prep school .......
433: Speaker Asylum, The last Fried 2-way I owned (was there a C4?) had a... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-06, 16:37:56 (100.10.79.144)
The last Fried 2-way monitor I owned (was there a C4?) had a transmission line of sorts for its woofer-mid. The previous Fried 2-way monitor I owned (C3) had two holes drilled in its front panel, for .......
434: Speaker Asylum, I think there's a new surgical procedure that can fix that. nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-06, 08:29:14 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
435: Classical Court, I just sent an email, thanks. nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-06, 08:27:47 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
436: Digital Drive, I reviewed the Grace Design m900 for Positive Feedback Online (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-06, 08:10:21 (100.10.79.144)
You can't beat it with a stick, for $660. Made in the USA, with a transferable 5-year warranty. BTW, the above photo is from a German review, and I liked the photo very much; but it is not in my re .......
437: Classical Court, Can I send you an AA Email? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-05, 16:41:43 (100.10.79.144)
john .......
438: Classical Court, That's why I qualified my claim by, "for No Good Reason." (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-05, 16:12:30 (100.10.79.144)
Berlin's Philharmonie is not a shoebox, and it has a sterling reputation. My girlfriend spent an awful lot of time in Berlin while researching her dissertation. She loves the Philharmonie. The point I .......
439: Classical Court, "FWIW Verizon Hall is an awful sounding hall." How could it not be??? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-05, 13:17:16 (100.10.79.144)
The floor plan is in the shape of the body of a cello. Really. If there are Five Important Things to avoid in concert-hall design, "Deviating from the Classic Shoe-Box Design for No Good Reason" is No .......
440: Speaker Asylum, let me try again (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-05, 11:09:52 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
441: Amp/Preamp Asylum, What in God's Name is a "Ruby Golden Light Fever Gallbladder Capacitor"??? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-02, 12:59:03 (100.10.79.144)
Scroll down on that page to see it. john .......
442: Music Lane, Please see my post in the Vinyl Asylum, and click on the link. NT (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-02, 09:34:00 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
443: Vinyl Asylum, The under-appreciated aspects of Lightfoot... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-02, 04:39:10 (100.10.79.144)
Gordon Lightfoot was a boy chorister. He competed nationally, and his favorite showpiece song was the Schubert Lied "An Silvia," which is a German translation of Shakespeare. Lightfoot's non-hit so .......
444: General Asylum, My Nashville wine story, circa 1978 (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-05-01, 08:38:20 (100.10.79.144)
I was coming out of a liquor store, IIRC on West End Avenue. I had just bought some affordable California red. A guy was in the parking lot, lounging against the trunk of a Lincoln Continental. He saw .......
445: General Asylum, 1982 Pichon-Longueville La Tour was the best glass of wine I ever had (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-30, 08:04:19 (100.10.79.144)
Circa 2005 Clark Johnsen (RIP) invited me and the former recording engineers for the BSO and FM station WGBH to his place for a semi re-enactment of the wine tasting described in the book "The Judg .......
446: General Asylum, What is the ideal wine? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-29, 20:44:48 (100.10.79.144)
A dark Hermitage? A trumpeting red Bordeaux? A mellow red Burgundy? A bright Champagne? A genuine Pinot Grigio? A Chardonnay, and, if so, California or PNW? One of my favorite audio Mantras is, "In or .......
447: General Asylum, You are welcome... and, my dissection of Olivia Rodrigo's "drivers license" (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-29, 20:40:45 (100.10.79.144)
Not to brag, but... how many other classical music record producers / audio journalists are out there, who got a degree (from anywhere) in American Civilization with a focus on Material Culture and Te .......
448: General Asylum, A bit of legalism, then; an extended meditation whether the High End has been living on Borrowed Time... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-29, 16:14:24 (100.10.79.144)
AFAIK, the Involuntary Liquidation I was co-counsel for Petitioners on, of a Savings-and-Loan Creep who ended up in jail (My, that felt good!) remains the largest in the history of the Rhode Island Fe .......
449: Vinyl Asylum, YEAH. nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-26, 11:53:57 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
450: Vinyl Asylum, I had a checkout-girl/cashier once who was very fast on her feet, thinking-wise (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-25, 17:54:15 (100.10.79.144)
I was buying some kind of a small appliance, and she asked me if I wanted an Extended Warranty. I deadpanned that I did not plan on living that long. Without skipping a beat, she immediately riposted, .......
451: Classical Court, G# Minor is the least-used key in successful Rock Songs... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-25, 17:49:38 (100.10.79.144)
The only one I know of is the title track to "Brothers In Arms." OK, where is my "Musik Nerd Weltmeister" trophy or medal? john .......
452: Speaker Asylum, I sent you an AA Email. nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-24, 11:10:47 (100.10.79.144)
nt .......
453: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Not needlessly to prolong (I am about to start a new thread), but... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-23, 18:06:40 (100.10.79.144)
I called in a very very competent electrician to straighten out the Homer Simpson GCFI installs in my girlfriend's house, and he told me that "technically," all the downstream outlets were supposed to .......
454: General Asylum, "Chateau Debbie," with the cycle-fender MG sports car in the lobby (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-23, 17:49:12 (100.10.79.144)
Unforgettable. IIRC, one year--I think it was the year New England got hit with a huge blizzard--Plinius was showing at Chateau Debbie and they played a bootleg of the 1982 BSO Colin Davis Gerontius, .......
455: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Well, yes; BUT... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-22, 18:29:00 (96.238.9.137)
Yes, you are right as far as you go, but, AFAIK by Code, the "Ground Fault" outlet requires a sticker to be placed on it that says "NO EQUIPMENT GROUND." So, are you recommending that a phono stage no .......
456: Amp/Preamp Asylum, You are wrong; please see my above response. NT (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-22, 11:07:25 (96.238.9.137)
NT .......
457: Amp/Preamp Asylum, NO. But I am not glad that the Bozos who set that Failure Cascade in motion did not face trial. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-22, 11:06:50 (96.238.9.137)
IMHO, if some a-hole violates safety codes, for example, doing your own 115V electrical wiring when you are totally not qualified, and ignoring the requirements to get a permit and have before and aft .......
458: Vinyl Asylum, PURELY PREVENTATIVE! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-22, 10:57:55 (96.238.9.137)
The priest held two medium-sized candles, about 15 inches long and perhaps 1.75 inch in diameter. He crossed the candles in front of me and then moved the "X" forward until both candles were touching .......
459: Amp/Preamp Asylum, There's a whole Wiki page on it, No Foolin' (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-22, 07:23:37 (96.238.9.137)
Sometimes in professional audio or Public Address hook-ups there is not the time available to diagnose the source of a hum, and in that case the usual technique is to "Lift the Ground" on one piece of .......
460: Vinyl Asylum, You can get blessed against Scrofula on the Feast of St. Blaise. Seriously. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-21, 18:41:35 (96.238.9.137)
An Armenian Christian Bishop, Martyr, and Saint, Blaise (or, Vlasi) is the Patron Saint of diseases of the throat. Wiki: In many places, on the day of his feast the blessing of St. Blaise is given: tw .......
461: General Asylum, When I was in law school I took a course in Real Estate Investment Trusts... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-21, 18:30:04 (96.238.9.137)
When I was in law school I took a course in Real Estate Investment Trusts, which were a hot topic in the 1970s, and then they blew up. I didn't get into the SEC reg weeds, given the audience, and also .......
462: General Asylum, I was at a Musicology Conference, and one of the presentations was... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-20, 20:52:31 (96.238.9.137)
I was at a Musicology Conference, and one of the presentations was about how Country Radio was the radio genre that was most in thrall to "consultants," so that the Manager did not pick the music, the .......
463: General Asylum, She was smart enough to size up the situation properly. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-20, 15:23:08 (96.238.9.137)
People who were less on the ball might have fallen for a false equivalency, and ended up in a world of trouble. I can imagine a scenario where one of FTX's promoters could have successfully answered t .......
464: General Asylum, I have to do a major re-think on Taylor Swift... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-20, 11:55:46 (96.238.9.137)
I have to do a major re-think on Taylor Swift, even though I will always continue to gag upon hearing "At Fifteen." She was in discussions with Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX Crypto Currency company about th .......
465: Vinyl Asylum, Sorry, I have no idea about the provenance of the Norah Jones LPs (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-19, 17:26:59 (96.238.9.137)
I am sure that the customer service people at Acoustic Sounds and Music Direct should be able to tell you, and they should also honor Money Back Guarantees. ciao, john .......
466: Vinyl Asylum, The five blind guys feeling the elephant could probably give you a better answer... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-19, 14:39:30 (96.238.9.137)
The five blind guys feeling the elephant could probably give you a better answer... but, Thanks! The first thing I think you should do, for context, is (slight irony) prayerfully read Bob Ludwig's .......
467: Vinyl Asylum, That was recorded with one stand-mounted multichannel microphone (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-19, 07:48:33 (96.238.9.137)
into a portable DAT recorder that was duct-taped to the mic stand. A Calrec Soundfield mic. It's an amazing recording. john .......
468: Classical Court, My sophomoric little brain envisioned all the lady singers, up on the risers, doing Kegel exercises (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-19, 07:46:48 (96.238.9.137)
BTW, I actually did listen, and it was pretty darn good! Not as powerful at the MTT, but perhaps even slightly more detail. Thanks, john .......
469: Classical Court, I think I did listen, and I just listened again (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-19, 07:18:20 (96.238.9.137)
I thought that the Tilson Thomas recording's sound was a little more "immediate." One of the things that for me put the MTT version over the top was Judith Blegen's "In Trutina"... but Miss Janowitz i .......
470: Classical Court, I can't recall them all... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-18, 15:52:20 (96.238.9.137)
Rattle; Muti; Shaw; Levine; Previn; Blomstedt; Mackerras; Ozawa; Chailly, and Hickox. I knew I would not be able to listen to, let alone recommend, with a straight face, a recording by a guy named .......
471: Classical Court, The dust has settled on my "Carmina Burana" Shootout... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-18, 12:39:14 (96.238.9.137)
Through the Magic of Qobuz (TM), I am now all "O Fortuna'ed Out." My chief criterion was clarity rather than impact, but if I could have both I was happy. I took note of David Hurwitz' 10/10 for Da .......
472: Speaker Asylum, Thanks, but I'll pass... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-17, 14:55:23 (96.238.9.137)
I am saving up for SBA Satori TeXtreme and Purifi! ciao, john .......
473: General Asylum, THANKS! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-17, 14:48:25 (96.238.9.137)
john .......
474: Vinyl Asylum, Old people usually have progressive age-related hearing loss of high frequencies. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-16, 17:40:01 (96.238.9.137)
nt .......
475: Vinyl Asylum, I think I recall an actual Rodrigues cartoon... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-16, 07:23:44 (96.238.9.137)
I think I recall an actual Rodrigues cartoon where a middle-aged couple is leaving a concert hall after a performance, and the poster on an outside wall says "DAVID OFFTRACK" and shows a violinist. jo .......
476: Music Lane, Does anyone not remember Roberta Flack? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-16, 07:19:06 (96.238.9.137)
Miss Flack must have the highest Batting Average in Popular Music History. So to speak. By which I mean, her discography is rather small, but her success rate at getting Billboard No. 1s and Grammy no .......
477: Vinyl Asylum, I was looking for a pun or a gag... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-15, 17:39:18 (96.238.9.137)
Such as, "David Offtrack"! Seriously. john .......
478: General Asylum, Thanks! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-15, 17:37:23 (96.238.9.137)
john .......
479: General Asylum, I was told that they closed down the World of McIntosh (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-15, 17:36:17 (96.238.9.137)
FWIW & YMMV. john .......
480: General Asylum, To say nothing of the tile floor! nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-15, 15:10:16 (96.238.9.137)
nt .......
481: General Asylum, Please check out Room 584 (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-15, 15:08:49 (96.238.9.137)
as I suggested below. Thanks, john .......
482: Vinyl Asylum, Two comments... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-15, 09:50:57 (96.238.9.137)
1) Rodrigues had an almost Medieval fascination with death. That shows up more in his cartoons for Playboy and National Lampoon than in his audio work. But this one is the exception that proves the ru .......
483: General Asylum, In my experience, when that happens, there usually is a reason... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-15, 09:41:12 (96.238.9.137)
In my experience, when that happens, there usually is a reason... and the reason is often-times, non-obvious. NOTE, I am talking about home systems, and not audio show rooms, which always have Angelic .......
484: Vinyl Asylum, For reasons of corporate agendas, the "Soundtrack LP" "Sunrise" is not the one in the movie! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-14, 11:46:47 (96.238.9.137)
Quoting from my former Stereophile column (with added emphasis for clarity): By the way, according to John Culshaw's autobiography, although English Decca licensed out the performance used in Kubrick' .......
485: General Asylum, Gravesen is very impressive, and also he is a GREAT woodworker (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-14, 06:49:27 (96.238.9.137)
Add to Gravesen, Hi-Fi Compass and also Erin--they all sing Purifi's praises. But, in a world over-run with 6.5-inch woofers that cost $14 each (link), it takes a very special and well-heeled customer .......
486: Vinyl Asylum, Dick Hyman stayed a secret. Fine was credited on some but not all (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-13, 18:51:28 (96.238.9.137)
Dick Hyman stayed a secret, AFAIK. Fine was credited on some but not all Knuckles O'Toole releases (there were reissue and greatest hits LPs, including "Stereo" reissues of the 1955 original). Enoch L .......
487: General Asylum, Hmmm... they don't look that sharp to me. (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-13, 18:48:16 (96.238.9.137)
Purifi has shall we say, to use a basketball term, a "very deep bench." I assume that the did accelerated-aging testing... on everything. The undulations look rather wave-like to me; the transitions f .......
488: Vinyl Asylum, WoW! Thanks! and... AMAZING REVELATIONS!!! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-13, 16:54:36 (96.238.9.137)
It must be some version of that. Researching now, I learn that "Knuckles O'Toole" was DICK HYMAN, and the Enoch Light was Producer, and Robert Fine was the engineer. 1955. Amazing. Thanks, john ::: TO .......
489: General Asylum, Well, yeah, there are "Graphene" drivers, but... not really (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-13, 15:34:06 (96.238.9.137)
Graphene has been used for a few years as a laminar coating or, if you will "dope," for metal drivers: In that case, a SEAS Excel Magnesium woofer with Graphene surface treatment. $598 for a singl .......
490: General Asylum, AXPONA Attendees... 584 should be an interesting room! (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-13, 13:57:18 (96.238.9.137)
Sinar Baja Acoustics, the world's largest manufacturer of OEM loudspeaker drivers, has an "Upscale" division called Satori. Satori's ultra-premium drivers are called TexTreme, after the Thin-Ply Ca .......
491: Vinyl Asylum, Does anyone remember this "Novelty" LP from the 1950s or ealy 1960s? (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-12, 17:47:02 (96.238.9.137)
My aunt and uncle belonged to a Record Club--I believe it was the RCA one, because they had the BSO Munch La Mer. There was one Novelty LP that fascinated me. It was Gay Nineties Honky-Tonk piano-and- .......
492: Classical Court, That attack was IIRC mentioned in one volume of the series of (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-12, 17:35:41 (96.238.9.137)
That attack was IIRC mentioned in one volume of the series of books of violinist profiles called "The Way they Play." I had thought that they had ID'ed the assailant long ago, and that it was noted th .......
493: Critic's Corner, Which way? Portrait, or Landscape? nt (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-12, 17:24:16 (96.238.9.137)
nt .......
494: Critic's Corner, None of that flew over my head... IN FACT (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-12, 17:19:54 (96.238.9.137)
In fact, Pacific Microsonics signed me to a non-disclosure agreement and authorized me to go hunting for investors for them. I made a couple of presentations, and got close, but the deal would not clo .......
495: Speaker Asylum, Here's a top mount ribbon from LCY... pricey, at $555 each (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-12, 14:25:57 (96.238.9.137)
It can connect directly, so it has a little crossover in there, with a choice of a 10kHz or 13kHz crossover point. It claims to be a dual-ribbon design, for superior dispersion. I take that to mean .......
496: Vinyl Asylum, One of my best friends was a big shot at Tweeter, Etc., and I saw the changeover (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-12, 12:05:05 (96.238.9.137)
When I lived in Nashville, I bought records at Nicholson's, which also had a little hi-fi department. They were one of the first McIntosh dealers in the USA. They were so old school that they had turn .......
497: Vinyl Asylum, The "Betamax" decision (1984) was the Horseshoe Nail that killed component audio... or at least (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-11, 17:22:36 (96.238.9.137)
The "Betamax" decision (1984) was the Horseshoe Nail that killed component audio... or at least to the extent that Home Video displaced Component Audio as the Consumer-Electronics portion of the gener .......
498: Classical Court, Pipe organs are not easy to tune--my understanding is that it is not a linear process (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-10, 10:26:52 (96.238.9.137)
When you tune a piano, the relationship between hammer movement and pitch is rather linear, AFAIK. The "Zone" in which a pipe organ pipe can have its pitch changed is narrower and AFAIK not linear. It .......
499: Classical Court, You are right... my violin teacher always urged me... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-09, 18:09:23 (96.238.9.137)
You are right... my violin teacher always urged me to practice is the largest room I could find, and not listen to the sound of my violin but to focus on the sound coming back from the room. Erm, easi .......
500: Critic's Corner, So, one guy from Canada is claiming that a working majority... (0.00)
Posted by John Marks on 2023-04-09, 17:49:22 (96.238.9.137)
So, one guy from Canada is claiming that a working majority of executives at the world's three largest record companies can't hear, and are easily led. And are otherwise fools. OK! The fact of the mat .......
Found total of 500 records, Query: , Author: John Marks in All Forums, Time: 3 sec.