Complico - It Suddenly Hits You - December 2013

I always remember a Peter Serafinowicz sketch Complico where everyday items are sold with complicated formulas - it's ludicrous but highlights when sometimes you have lost the plot.

 

Around Christmas I have re-evaluated my system and have removed the ifi usb, TeraDak U9 power supply and Acoustic Revive USB 1.0-SPS so that I am now directly linking the Macbook Pro to the Berkeley Alpha UBS by the Tellurium Q Black Diamond USB.

The main reason for this was the slightly lacklustre performance of the Tellurium Q Black Diamond USB compared to my previous Tellurium Q Graphite USB. Was the Black Diamond not up to scratch or was it being choked by the downstream components?

After removal of the ifi usb, TeraDak U9 power supply and Acoustic Revive USB 1.0-SPS there was a definitive improvement in bass tightness, separation and fine detail - the Black Diamond USB was being choked.

Having recently bought the Light Harmonics USB and AES/EBU cables it's going to lead to evaluation between the Acoustic Revive 1.0-SPS, Tellurium Q Black Diamond and Light Harmonics USB leads and the Acoustic Revive and Light Harmonics AES/EBU cables - the USB shootout will be fully detailed in the future with two leads for sale. The Light Harmonics AES/EBU will not arrive until April 2014 so a little while to wait for that contest.

Hence Complico - from now on it's one in one out - that's a promise.

Chord Chameleon Silver Plus Interconnects - February 2004 - Part 4

The words kept ringing in my head "you really should try some Chord interconnects" and early in the new year buoyed with the success of my new Spendor floorstanders I found myself again in Gloucester Hifi.

I am advised to look at the Chord Chameleon Silver Plus interconnects and purchase 2 No - 1m pairs for between the NAD C520 CD player & Quad 34 preamplifier & preamplifier to Quad 306 power amplifier.

These are handsome cables - bright blue and incredibly thick compared to my bog standard wire leads with silver connectors - very excited to hear the difference they will make to my system.

The first connection is between cd player and preamplifier and yes there is an improvement in the sound but not anywhere near what I expected - disappointed. 

Next connection between preamplifier and power amplifier - absolutely amazing - the largest transformation I have ever heard by introducing a new component into a stereo system still to this day.

What can I say - it's night and day better - I play all my favourite cd's for hours and discover instruments, percussion and bass lines that I have never heard before - I am totally hooked - these interconnects are fantastic.

The audio bug was now in my bloodstream - hours after the euphoria of the Chord Chameleon's I was starting to plan my next purchase................

Spendor S5e - December 2004 - Part 3

My first trip to an audio dealership had left me completely bemused - did I have dodgy hearing or was the sales guy a knob?

I decided that the sales guy was indeed a knob and that this time I would do more background reading regarding suitable speakers so bought a copy of What HIFI and off I went to peruse the speaker section.

After a few days I noted some speakers that I would want to trial and dealerships that stocked them - one of the speakers was the Spendor S5e and they stocked them at (the sadly defunct) Gloucester Hifi in Three Cocks Lane which is near where I work.

A lunchtime visit immediately presents a more caring and supportive environment - no hurried demo here but a lot of questions concerning my listening preferences, room size, speaker placement positions and list of existing equipment - and they like Quad kit!

A demonstration is arranged and the Spendor S5e's sound mighty fine - Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here and The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street have great spacial presentation, detail, tone, timing and clarity - these are my new speakers without doubt.

As I prepare to shell out the cash the owner Phil casually asks that I may like to try out some Chord interconnects which should make a massive difference to my system - I didn't realise it then but the hook was already in my mouth and I didn't feel a thing..........

Review - The Gram - Cunic Ensemble November 2013

Time for honesty - I was asked by John Clarke who is the driving force behind Cunic Ensemble whether I would review his album on my blog - I said yes and John send me the tracks on mp3.

On the Cunic Ensemble Twitter Page https://twitter.com/CunicEnsemble the description of 'The Gram' is Pop/Blues/Jazz/Folk fusion - this is not neccesarily a good start for me - but their list of influences buoys me with more confidence - Nick Drake, Tim Buckley, Alice Coltrane, Stone Roses, Chic, Beach Boys, Foo Fighters, Portishead, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder and the Beatles.

The album really is an ensemble of thirteen musicians and it does have that slight disconnection where say a group of four or five musicians would produce a more generic house sound that might be slightly more cohesive over a twelve track recording.

I am certain though that John was looking for the ensemble feel rather than the generic house sound - so in that respect he has hit the button.

Track 1 - Inspiration - Piano driven, gives way to guitar, striking vocal

Track 2 - Winter Bleak - Fleet Foxyesque at times (surprised they are not an influence!)

Track 3 - Freedom - Is that a banjo I hear?, voices not in harmony but complimentary

Track 4 - Yearning For Spaces - Jazzy, great piano, guitar lead as track progresses

Track 5 - Out Of Here - An Oasis track in the making!

Track 6 - The Gram Jam - Funky backbeat, instrumental

Track 7 - The Dread - Great vocal, simple guitar backing, sparse but builds

Track 8 - Feel The Unknown - Rock voice! 

Track 9 - See Feel - Strong female vocal, jazzy

Track 10 - D Nonsense - Complimentary guitars

Track 11 - It's All Just A Laugh - Jazz guitar, heavy work on vocals

Track 12 - Joined - Very apt title, good harmonies

I actually enjoyed listening to 'The Gram' - it is not quite like anything I have heard before. 

A lot of those influences come through although Nick Drake, Tim Buckley and Alice Coltrane would predominate over all the others.

Overall an interesting, thought provoking and enjoyable collection of songs - very different to my normal listen but hey everyone here's on a musical journey - check out Cunic Ensemble: 

 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cunic-Ensemble/192513247455311

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/cunic-ensemble/id665108444

November 2013 - The Next Step On The Journey - Tellurium Q Black Diamond USB

After yet another conversation conversation with David Brook at MCRU https://www.mains-cables-r-us.co.uk/ about whats good in the audio world my Tellurium Q Graphite USB lead was put up for sale and it didn't take long for a buyer to come along.

Money duly changed hands and I am now the proud owner of a Tellurium Q Black Diamond USB lead.

David is one of audio's good guys - he is a a great communicator and has a vast range of products at decent prices.

I first came across David when I enquired if he could improve my Kondo KSL - SPz mains leads which had standard connectors.

David recommended replacing the mains plugs with MK Rhodium Toughplug with a Furutech fuse and the connectors with Furutech FI-50 IEC plugs - as below

What a difference when they returned - amazing - people who heard the system could not believe that connectors could bring about such a tremendous improvement in sound quality.

Always had a great deal of respect for David after that and we have done business ever since.

I know what your saying - what's the Black Diamond USB lead like? Well there's the 30 day rule where it has to sit in my system for 30 days before I comment - initial impressions are very positive indeed.

False Start on the Digital Music Journey - November 2004 - Part 2

No equipment or dealer names will be mentioned below:

We have just moved house and my wife does not like the Heybrook HB1's black finish in the new living room - "if you get some new speakers I want them in a wooden finish to match the floor".

Having bought the Quad equipment around 1972 and having forgotten where I bought the NAD and HB1's from it was time to contact my local high street audio dealer to demo some speakers that would suit my budget (circa £1.5k) and my wife's wooden finish requirements.

After detailing my system to the dealer I was told that they would provide a similar set-up to mine allied to an award winning speaker that they said would blow me away and to bring along some cd's that I was familiar with for reference.

Cd's in hand I entered the shop and was led upstairs to the demo room - we listened to Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd and I just wasn't getting it - no more resolution, detail or soundstage.

The guy doing the demo said that he didn't think Dark Side of the Moon was very well produced (What a bellend - I found it difficult not to laugh out loud!) and that we should try Marvin Gaye - What's Going On - I didn't hear anything better here either and at this point the demo guy said he was really worried.......

I could have a serious hearing deficiency as "no-one in their right mind could not hear the difference between your system and this system - you really do have a problem".

Wow a demo guy who is worried about my well-being or perhaps a demo guy who is having a hissy fit because I really don't rate the performance of his proposed system - not being one to provoke argument I thanked him for his time and left just in time to see him roll his eyes and shrug his shoulders to his colleague.

Just for reference I played out the CD's again and I preferred my system - this was my first step on my audio journey and I had trodden backwards.

I want to go forward not backwards - note to self - I hope all audio dealers aren't the same.

First Steps on the Digital Music Journey - New House - November 2004 Part 1

We are going back in time to the start of the journey - put on your safety belt your in for an interesting ride.

2004 - Moving to new house - hey it's detached - time to think about upgrading the stereo - little did I know - literally!

System moved from old house:

NAD C520 CD Player

Quad 34 Preamplifier

Quad 306 Power Amplifier

Heybrook HB1 Speakers

The system was connected with the cheapest possible interconnects and speaker wire - the funny thing was when most people heard it they went - wow!

I think it punched above it's weight even back then - a very good basic british system.

But the move into the new detached house and a nice large lounge had re-awakened something within me - more time to enjoy louder music without upsetting the neighbours - time to start upgrading - the journey commences!

Arcade Fire - Reflektor

Fact 1

Win Butler "I was born in Truckee, California so I know what a a shithole looks like
- Birmingham this is a shithole" (massive cheer from crowd) - Start of Arcade Fire at the NEC Birmingham UK - 2012.

Fact 2

On leaving the concert to my friends "they are an amazing live band - all that energy gets lost on their albums" - I wonder if anyone was listening to us as we walked into the night. 

Reflektor

That may be a flight of fancy but Reflektor has for the first time caught the energy of their live performances - it's not that polite usual buttoned-up approach - step forward producer James Murphy who must be congratulated on finally capturing their drive and verve on disc. 

Arcade Fire get funky -you know it's an Arcade Fire album but it rocks and it's instantly recognisable and delivers their trademark vocals with punch and verve.

Volume 1

1:1 Reflektor - sets out the intent - Arcade Fire at the disco - enjoying themselves!
1:2 We Exist - bass driven, sparse with good interplay between Win & Regine.
1:3 Flashbulb Eyes - echo, dub, reverb
1:4 Here Comes The Night Time - frantic start, slows down, traditional AF
1:5 Normal Person - AF rock out - the Stones would be proud of this!
1:6 You already Know - Jonathan Ross start & finish - world gone mad
1:7 Joan Of ARC - 70's beat & feel, strong backing vocals

Volume 2

2:1 Here Comes The Night Time II - AF circa Neon Bible then it blossoms
2:2 Awful Sound (Oh Eurydice) - atmospheric, eerie & singalong
2:3 It's Never Over (Hey Orpheus) - bass & guitar led, great backing vocals Regine
2:4 Porno - finger clicking, great organ (couldn't resist), tense
2:5 Afterlife - a grower, builds in stature to chorus
2:6 Supersymmetry - simple but complex - I know I've finally lost the plot

In my opinion this only reinforces the position of Arcade Fire as one of the most forward thinking and progressive indie bands alongside Radiohead and Massive Attack - exalted company indeed.

Arcade Fire are never content to stand still - someone once told me it is not the size of the organism but it's ability to change that will define it's success - based on this I expect to have Arcade Fire around for a while. 

I didn't feel there was a duff track on this album - it continuously surprised and delighted me with it's sonic bravado and sheer unbridled enthusiasm.

My favourite album of the year so far alongside London Grammar - If You Wait.    

Listening Now

Free - Fire and Water
1970 - Japanese SACD - DSD Rip
http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/

Listening Now

Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
2011 - Japanese SACD - DSD Rip

Listening in Integer Mode on Pure Music on Mavericks OSX - never heard this better - absolutely wonderful - this is exactly what I mean by a digital music journey - you never know what's round the corner.

Pure Music - Integer Mode Is Back!

Since OS X Snow Leopard the Pure Music player by Channel D has not been able to offer native integer support - very sadly missed - but what if Apple reinstated native integer support in a free OS X - then I woke up.........!! 

Last night downloaded OSX Mavericks (for free) from the App Store and waited for it to install.

When it had finally installed opened Pure Music player by Channel D.

 Select Preferences

Audio Setup

Tick Native Integer Format Support

Apply and sit back and listen to the best digital playback yet - thank you Apple.

Listening Now

Arcade Fire - Funeral
2005 - AIFF Rip in XLD

This is a classic - got Reflektor on pre-order - review here shortly.

Review: Miles Davis - Kind of Blue DSD Rip

Never had I heard so much nonsense talked about a single album "it's as vital as air and water" and "without this in my day I cannot function" - something tells me these guys have never known the touch of a woman.

Am I going to give an in-depth spiritual review of a 'Kind of Blue' - No I'm going to review the sound quality of the DSD rip from the Japanese SACD purchased from CD Japan http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/ against my previous favourite which was the gold cd Mastersound edition.

I'm also a lucky chap because I have heard an original pressing of the album on my brother in laws Naim Reference system with a Shindo 301 turntable, Shindo reference phonostage and Focal Utopia speakers - special times indeed.

This SACD was ripped using a PS3 http://bit.ly/17CPUX9 and converted on my Windows PC before being copied to my Drobo NAS and transfered into the Pure Music player on my MacBook Pro.  

I am going to operate a five star system against each CD / SACD in five categories:

Value For Money ***
£24.18 CD Japan + £15.25 Post Office handling charge

Content *****
It's my favourite jazz album

Production ****
Nice work on the production - Bill Evans piano seems more forward in the mix but other than that - very little tinkering from the Mastersound copy. 

Sound ***
It's a typical DSD over CD package - it's better at the edges and keyboards seem more realistic. You can hear more of the brushstrokes on Jimmy Cobb's drums and follow every pluck of Paul Chambers bass. The piano by Bob Evans & Wynton Kelly is clearer and more distinct on all tracks. This DSD rip is slightly better than the Mastersound cd bot not revelatory like some DSD recordings. The Mastersound cd has a way with the trumpet of Miles Davis that seems strangely lacking from the DSD. 

Overall Package ***
This is an purchase for real die-hard Miles Davis fans - of which there are many. The difference in sound quality from the Mastersound edition is noticeable but not always positive. I still play both editions so that is an indicator that it has not followed most of my DSD rips into the 'must listen' category. 

Drobo 2nd Generation NAS

In a series of articles I will be featuring parts of my musical system in greater detail to promote good working ideas and highlight future possible upgrade routes to my set up.

My Drobo 2nd Generation NAS device is my external library where all my music is stored in either AIFF, FLAC or DSD.

The Drobo has four drive bays for SATA hard drives and connectivity through USB 2.0 and Firewire 800.

Mine is connected through firewire to my MacBook Pro - a standard firewire lead comes with the Drobo but a noticeable improvement was heard by connecting a Oyaide Neo d+ firewire cable which has stayed in my system since introduction.

The drives which have worked best in my Drobo are Samsung 2T SATA - these are very reliable and relatively quiet in operation.

Drobo, Inc. implements a storage technology that they call BeyondRAID in their Drobo storage devices. While not a true RAID ISO spec extension, it does provide for using up to 12 SATA hard drives in the devices and consolidating them into one big pool of storage. It has the advantage of being able to use multiple disk sizes at once, much like a spanned volume/volume set, while providing redundancy for all disks and allowing a hot-swap upgrade at any time. Internally it uses a mix of techniques similar to RAID 1 and RAID 5.   

The Drobo is powered by a switching power supply which is provided in the initial start-up pack and is perfectly adequate. I do not like switching power supplies and believe linear power supplies to be the way forward.

I have commissioned a linear power supply for my Drobo from Paul Hynes Design http://www.paulhynesdesign.com/ - I will write a separate article on Paul Hynes power supplies and the extraordinary effect that they have had on my system in the very near future.

The Drobo has a very intelligent light system to indicate drive health and capacity - the four vertical green lights indicate a healthy drive - red indicates drive failure and the horizontal blue lights along the bottom indicate drive capacity.

Because my Drobo sits outside of my music bench it is sat on 4 No Vibrapod No 1 Isolators http://www.vibrapod.com/vibrapod.htm these lessen the transference of resonances from the base which the Drobo is sat on. 

Overall I am very pleased with the performance of my Drobo Gen 2 NAS and have not encountered any problems in three years of continual useage.

Review: The Police - Every Breath You Take - The Classics - SACD Stereo

Were The Police ever cool? There were always bands that were more hip but when you had a few drinks and Roxanne came on - up you get and do that funny Sting dance - it's something deeply primeval in us!

My view is that whilst the reputation of those hip bands has waned The Police's star has risen and their legacy is now widely appreciated - hence we come to the SACD  Every Breath You Take - The Classics.

I have the redbook CD of The Very Best of Sting & The Police (2002) which duplicates a lot of the songs so it's good to be able to make comparisons.

The only Police track that is present on the 2002 Best of collection and is not present on the SACD is So Lonely - which is a pity because it is a great track.

The SACD contains two tracks not on The Best of collection - Don't Stand so Close to Me '86 and Message in a Bottle (new classic rock mix) - I didn't copy them onto my MacBook so can't vouch for them.

As this is my first music review on this blog - a little housekeeping - all SACD's are ripped using a PS3 and converted on my Windows PC before being copied to my Drobo NAS and transfered into the Pure Music player on my MacBook Pro.  

I am going to operate a five star system against each CD / SACD in five categories:

Value For Money *****
£15.91 Amazon

Content ****
It's the Police's greatest hits but it's not Floyd, The Beatles, Stones etc

Production ****
I like the production on this SACD lot's of detail and space - don't get that 'it sounds different from what I remember' feeling from over-production which is quite common

Sound ****
Very good - tracks come alive - loads of attack on Roxanne - stand out tracks for me - King of Pain and Wrapped Around Your Finger which really deliver - can't even compare to the redbook version it's night and day better on every track.

Overall Package ****
This is an excellent buy - every track is a classic and the production and sound quality of this SACD is first-rate - at £15.91 from Amazon this is a real bargain and should be on everyone's playlist.

Watching Now

Yes I Know - It's a digital music blog.

But it's the England v Poland world cup qualifier #nomusictonight

Come on England!

Listening Now

The Charlatans - Forever. The Singles
2006 XLD Rip

A Night for Jon Brooks
The Charlatans & Friends
Royal Albert Hall, London
18th October 2013
Brain Tumour Charity

Listening Now

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV
2012 SHM-CD (Japanese) XLD Rip
#ledzeppelin

How Best to Rip Redbook CD - XLD

I rip all my redbook CD's by using X Lossless Decoder (XLD) for Mac OSX.

X Lossless Decoder:
Lossless audio decoder for Mac OSX







This is a walkthrough for setting XLD to maximise performance.

XLD is a freeware lossless audio decoder for Mac OSX.

Please note it must only be used to rip music in your ownership for your own personal listening pleasure,

XLD can be downloaded from http://tmkk.undo.jp/xld/index_e.html

Once downloaded the settings are important to maximise ease of use:

Go to Preferences on the XLD Tab

General Tab

My preference for file output is AIFF but there are many options for output.

My output directory is my Drobo NAS where the music is stored.

I add to ITunes as that is my library which is utilised by my Pure Music player software.

File Naming Tab

I keep the default here for format of filename

Batch Tab

Unaltered

CDDB Tab

Metadata Tab

I use ITunes to find cover art or embed manually in the info tab of ITunes.

CD Rip Tag

These are the important settings:

XLD Secure Ripper is better than the other modes.

The offset correction value is related to your MacBook Pro - set automatically but check the database http://www.accuraterip.com/driveoffsets.htm

I test before copy to double check for problems.

CD Burn Tab

As default

Now you are all set to rip redbook cd's with XLD.

Put a cd into the drive and let ITunes get the metadata and identify the cd - then when asked if you would like to import the cd into your ITunes library click No, close ITunes and open XLD.

Go to File - Open Audio CD - CD Name and click.

A box will pop up Detecting Pregap.

Then the title box will appear say No to the ITunes request to import the cd into your ITunes library and close all ITunes windows - click Extract.

The ripping process begins.

Congratulations you have completed your first rip using XLD.

I then check and manually add any outstanding metadata using the ITunes info tab including album art if not automatically available.

This blog is a two-way affair - if you have a better / different strategy for ripping in XLD - let me know!

Listening Tonight

Massive Attack - Collected
1991 AIFF - XLD Rip

Listening Tonight

Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
AIFF - XLD Rip

The 30 Day Rule

One of the key rules I set when creating this blog was that any new component has to sit in the system for 30 days before proper evaluation and comment.

If you own or are considering buying a ifi iUSB - if first impressions are correct I think you are going to very much like what I have to tell you in thirty days time.

If your usb dac or converter takes any power (some take very little such as my Berkeley Alpha USB) from your computers usb bus you should consider the iUSB because it separates the usb power and signal outputs and when the output is via a dual-path usb lead such as the Acoustic Revive 1.0SPS the noise floor is lowered allowing more fine detail to be unearthed.

So move on six months and then all of a sudden I was thinking it is odd that the iUSB for all it's clean power credentials appears to be powered by a wallwart power supply.

What if........................To be continued in 30 days - Rules!!!!

Listening Tonight

The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
Japanese SACD 2011 - DSD Rip

How to Extract DSD Layer From a SACD

Just recently I have been extracting the DSD layer from SACD's and the results have been sensational - it's all there - detail, definition, defined soundstage, and real musical presence.

Before I go further this information is only for use by people like myself, who want to rip their personal SACD collection for archiving and personal use. I am not intending this information to be used for any illegal activities - I abhor pirating and ripping content not in ownership.

What You Need To Get Started 

PS3 Capable of SACD Playback: CECHB ~, CECHA ~, CECHC ~, CECHE ~
Firmware 3.55 or Earlier - (This is Vitally Important)
Controller
16GB USB Stick

Go To: http://www.computeraudiophile.com
Click: Forum
Click: Software
Click: SACD Ripping Using Your PS3 (Part2)
Private Message ted_b asking for his primer

Follow the instructions to the letter and you will be able to extract DSD files from your SACD.

My Berkeley Audio Design Alpha Dac is not DSD compatible so I rely on my Pure Music Player to convert the DSD files on the fly.

I process the ISO files on my Windows PC and then transfer the DST files to my MacBook Pro by copying them back onto the USB thumb drive and inserting this into the Mac.

After extracting all the files I copy them directly onto my Drobo NAS by drag and drop and then copy them from my Drobo to the 'Add Flac & DSD' window of Pure Music exactly the same way.

Pure Music bookmarks the files - they will appear in ITunes as bookmarks but can only be played by Pure Music on the fly.

The first time I heard the DSD rip of Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here - I was mesmerised - I know all the tracks backwards, this being one of my favourite albums but to hear for the first time the clarity, depth and soundstage the DSD layer contains - this is something I will never forget.

Give it a try - I am no computer geek, so if I can do it - anyone can.