I just heard a guy on the radio refer to Fountains of Wayne's "Traffic and Weather" CD as a lo-fi wonder. What's up with that? Most of the lo-fi recordings I've bought from street musicians sound like the band I heard on the street, which is definitely a good thing. Which is more than you can say about most of today's slickly produced pop and rock music CDs. They sound awful--voices never sound remotely human, guitars don't sound like guitars, and drums, forget about it, they bear absolutely no relationship to the actual sound of wood sticks hitting skins or plastic or brass cymbals. Then again, even if a recording started out sounding halfway hi-fi by the time it gets squeezed into a download and played over $3 earbuds, what could possibly be left of the sound? There's no there there, no wonder people don't connect with music like they used to.
It's not a lack of production values I'm knocking in today's music, far from it. Sky high budgets are squandered on sessions that drag on for months, and the engineers apply Pro Tools fixes to correct sloppy players' mistakes and out-of-tune singers. But after all that digital tweaking what's left of the music? Quick and dirty lo-fi recordings put out my major labels can sound great, the Cowboy Junkies' "The Trinity Session" CD, recorded in one day in a church twenty years ago still sounds amazing. The first few White Stripes CDs ain't too shabby either. PJ Harvey's "Rid of Me" is startlingly good. What these recordings all have in common is that they sound like they were made by people playing music in a room. What a concept!
But Bruce Springteen's latest, "Magic," sounds awful--an unmusical, soulless, digitized, dynamically compressed mess. I'm not alone in that opinion, somebody on Amazon said, "The sound quality on your (Springsteen's) earliest recordings was vastly superior to this latest effort. Phil Spector had his "wall of sound." I guess we can call this your "sinkhole of sound." I literally checked all the connections on my CD player, amp, and speakers to see why the sound was so bad."I threw on Springsteen's "Born To Run," hardly an audiophile classic, to hear the E Street Band charging through the tunes as if their lives depended on it. And in a way, they did. The Boss is still coasting on the fumes from that one.
The big round horns are amazing, but that thing in the center is a horn subwoofer.
(Credit: www.gokudo.co.jp/)The site's mostly in Japanese so I can't relate much info, but these pictures tell me all I need to know. Oh, and it's not just extreme hi-fi, this guy's into cactus plants, antique lamps, and aquariums. I guess he's not married.
It must sound amazing!
(Credit: www.gokudo.co.jp)
What a collection of great stuff!
(Credit: www.gokudo.co.jp)
The Speaker of the Year!
(Credit: Zu Audio)The Zu Audio Driud Mk. IV is the Audiophiliac's Speaker of the Year! As a former hi-fi salesman and now as a professional audio reviewer for twelve years I've heard thousands of speakers, but the Druid hit me hard. A total rock & roll animal, the skinny monolith/tower feels tremendously powerful, and my samples look extremely cool decked out in brilliant red metallic paint. I initially reviewed the speaker in the March, 2007 issue of Robb Report Home Entertainment. I'm still listening.
A number of American and Canadian speaker manufacturers now outsource production while maintaining sky high pricing, but Zu's home grown speakers are built with outright lavish quality standards and still sell at the low-end of high-end pricing (starting at $1795 a pair for the smaller Tone speakers). Zu also offers a center channel, surround speakers and subwoofers for home theater fans. All are sold factory direct, with a 60 day money-back satisfaction guarantee.
The Zu Druid Mk.IV is a large speaker, 50 inches tall, 11 wide, but since it is just 6.3 inches deep, it does not seem all that imposing. Yes, at $3,400 a pair, it ain't cheap, but it's less than some folks paid for a pair of scalped tickets for last night's Led Zeppelin concert in London. And I have a feeling Druids will still sound great long after a $3,400 flat screen display winds up decomposing in landfill. High-end audio is built to last--video not so much. It certainly gets old real fast, anybody out there still have their $15K first generation plasma set?
Zu speakers are assembled and finished in Ogden, Utah, and almost all of the parts are made in the US including the Druid's 10-inch full range driver and tweeter (Zu assembles and tests the drivers in-house). Keeping production at home allows Zu to offer all sorts of custom options and finishes, and you won't find any plastic parts in a Zu design. The speaker's internal silver alloy wiring is made by Zu, and instead of typical speaker wire binding posts, the Druid features a nifty copper clamping system to secure the speaker cables. Every detail of the design is first rate.
Zu's design methodology is more musical and less measurement oriented than most, which is not to say Zu's engineering is completely seat of the pants, just that the end result produces a sound that is, well, different than what I am used to. That said, the rhythmic pulse of jazz, reggae and all sorts of dance music is communicated with an energy that is far ahead of any I've heard from speakers of the Druid's size and price class. And yet the speakers' poise on classical music reveals a wonderful sense of refinement.
Voices emerge fully formed, more believably human: Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Jack White, Jeff Buckley, and Bob Dylan all but materialize in my living room. Stereo imaging is another strong point. On disc after disc the Druids display an uncanny ability to disappear as sources of sound. Depth and spaciousness are truly excellent. They sound great cranked way up loud, and yet sound awesome teamed up with the puniest of amplifiers.
Zu is clearly a force to be reckoned with.
Neil Young's latest release is available on DVD-A.
It's safe to say most, I mean like 99 percent, of music buyers don't give a hoot about sound quality. Why else would CD sales continue to plummet and worse than CD quality downloads go up every year?
OK, that's the mainstream, what about the other 1 percent; why have the audiophiles, according to a poll on the Stereophile website, already given up on SACD and DVD-Audio? Before I cite their feedback I'd like to point out that despite the naysayers, the super sound formats are still hanging on. Neil Young's latest release, "Chrome Dreams II" just came out on DVD-A, because he still cares about the sound of his music. You can still buy Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" on SACD, and it really is one of the best sounding remasters of all time. Amazon currently lists 3,436 SACDs and 3,303 DVD-As, so anyone interested in checking out high-rez audio can do so. Audiophile labels like Telarc and Chesky Records are still putting out SACDs all the time.
Ah, but Amazon currently offers just 596 Blu-ray titles and 687 HD DVDs. Gee, I would have thought the tens of millions of people with HDTVs would have gobbled up high-rez discs by the boatload by now. Aren't Blu-ray and HD DVD supposed to be the up and coming video stars?
Ray Charles on this recently released SACD.
(Credit: Telarc)Back to audio: thirty eight percent of Stereophile's readers believe SACD and DVD-Audio are "dead," and 23% more think the formats are "mortally wounded." Only 3% claim they're "alive and kicking." Wow, that's pretty bleak. But one guy wrote "I own about 900 SACDs. In Japan everything high-quality in Jazz, and/or classical music is issued in DSD/SACD/CD. There are stores exclusively dedicated to the format. DVD-A's pretty much dead." Somebody chimed in with the hope that SACD and DVD-A "May get resurrected via Dolby TrueHD if Blu-Ray and HD-DVD don't kill each other first." And I think another guy hit the nail on the head with, "The market has voted in favor of convenience over quality. Consumers are unwilling to purchase new hardware and make complex new connections for the sake of quality. . . But, as high speed broadband connectivity becomes more commonplace, all digital content will be distributed over the web. All physical media, including HD-DVD and Blu-ray, will become obsolete." Gee, I think, gulp, he's right.
Stumbled up upon this great video on YouTube that starts with the various band members crafting their instruments--carrot flutes, pumpkin basses, leek violins, leek-zucchini-vibrators, cucumberophones and celery bongos! The Vegetable Orchestra consists of 11 musicians, a sound engineer and a video artist. Based in Vienna, the orchestra plays concerts in Europe and Asia. From time to time workshops are given - on how to manufacture an instrument or on musical topics. The orchestra was founded in 1998.
The Audiophiliac at Laufer Teknik
(Credit: Steve Guttenberg)I just heard the Podium Model 1 flat panel speakers at Laufer Teknik, a brand new, high-end audio showroom in downtown Brooklyn, New York. Sam Laufer's shop doesn't carry Sony or Bose, in fact I doubt most audiophiles have heard of most of the brands on display there. The Podium Sound speakers are new to me, but these slender panels, which look like beautifully constructed room dividers, may break through to the wider market.
Laufer Teknik promotes uber audio, stratospherically priced exotica from cutting-edge manufacturers, mainly from Europe; Laufer also serves as a distributor for Behold electronics, Ascendo speakers, and Podium Sound. The goal is to bring advanced audio technology to new markets.
Skinny speakers, room filling sound.
(Credit: Podium Sound)As high-end designs go, the $8,000/pair Podium 1 speakers are the height of practicality--they radiate sound from their front and rear surfaces. The large sound is unlike any box speaker I've ever heard, much more like live music. But Sam Laufer isn't really courting the audiophile market; he believes there's a wider audience interested in buying quality sound. He has, for example, teamed up with a high-end food caterer to provide sound and music for parties. Hmm, sounds like a great new way to spread awareness of quality audio beyond the usual confines of the audiophile market. I hope so!
It's clear that Laufer's customers have a taste not only for sound, but just as much for the brand's artisan craftsmanship and innovative engineering. (How many Porsche owners ever really come close to pushing the car to its limit?) Yes, the components and speakers are expensive, but hardly out of line compared with high-end cars, clothes, and watches. Patek Philippe's top wristwatch goes for $900K, and buyers have to endure a one- to four-year wait to get one! Damn, how do they know what time it is while they're waiting?
I love the sound I'm hearing at Laufer Teknik, but it's the opulence of the technology that clinches the deal. Complete stereo systems start around $5,000. The Web site, www.lauferteknik.com won't be fully online until the end of the year.
Men and women see things differently. Take audio: A guy might be impressed with a big honkin' speaker, but a woman probably sees a hideous box. Being a guy, I might not be the most sensitive to what females want from a hi-fi, so I'm more than willing to hear about it from the other side. I stumbled upon a well-written piece on a speaker manufacturer's (Klipsch) site that does just that. It's jam-packed with great advice--and don't worry--it never even mentions Klipsch speakers. Sarah Knight's "Get Turned On: A Woman's Guide to Purchasing Audio Gear" is a fun read. Here's an excerpt: "It's important to determine everything you want this system to do. Will it be used to listen to music, watch movies and TV, play video games or all of the above? For instance, if all you want to do is listen to music, a 2.1 system (two speakers and a subwoofer) should suffice. But by adding movies and TV into the mix, you might consider a home theater system that includes 5.1-channel surround sound, which means three speakers positioned in front, two for surround speakers at the sides and a subwoofer placed in the front corner to capture those deep-driving sound effects you feel and hear."
Of course, the tips are equally valuable to male shoppers. When I sold high-end audio female customers were pretty rare, but fact is, women's ability to appreciate quality sound is probably better than men's. They don't get caught up on the technical bits so much, they focus on the sonic/musical results. Which is, after all, what it's all about.
(Credit:
Overstock.com)
OK, you blew your budget on a high def display and now high speaker prices getting you down? Step right this way, Overstock.com has the cheapest speakers around! Check out their SDAT CES500 5.1 Home Theater Speaker System that goes for $48.99!!! The package includes a wood, 60 watt, 6.5-inch subwoofer, and five small satellite speakers with 2-inch drivers. That's great if you have an A/V receiver, but if you don't consider the Emerson Dolby Pro Logic Home Theater System that comes with a receiver and goes for $69.99. You get a receiver and five speakers, but no sub. But hey, it's sooo affordable!
The Emerson system
(Credit: Overstock.com)Moving upmarket Overstock.com offers a five piece home theater package with large, three-way tower speakers, full size center speaker, and nice surround speakers; the SDAT Hi-Fi Surround Speaker System goes for a still very affordable $144.99. It looks pretty snazzy.
Interested in wireless speakers? Overstock.com has a 5.1-Channel 2.4GHz Digital Wireless Speaker System for $164.99!!! I have NO idea how good these products are, and the website's feedback ranges from raves to outright pans, and quality issues are frequently mentioned. You're on your own.
The wireless system
(Credit: Overstock.com)
The big SDAT Hi-Fi 5-piece Surround Speaker System comes in black or natural finishes
(Credit: Overstock.com)
Feel the glow!
(Credit: Shenzhen V.A.L. Technology Co., Ltd)If you've had your fill of swoopy iPod speakers and yearn for the good old days check out the R601 Tube Hi-Fi FM/AM Classic Radio manufactured in China by Shenzhen V.A.L. Technology Co., Ltd. It's a modern vacuum tube amplified table radio, and a major step up from the typical cheesy retro radios you see in chain stores. You know the type, a flimsy plastic box with a crappy radio tucked inside. The R601P is the real deal.
This bad boy, all-tube radio pumps out 7 watts over its 4 inch driver, and even features an ultra cool Magic Eye signal strength tuning "meter." The radio's wood case measures 12 inches wide, 8.5 high and 7.5 deep. It weighs 15 pounds. It's not totally retro, the R601P is magnetically shielded to eliminate monitor and TV screen interference. An iPod dock isn't included, but you can hookup an iPod over the R601P's input jack. An optional subwoofer is offered.
If R601P's mono sound is a little too retro for your tastes, move on up to the R801 Tube Hi-Fi Stereo Classic Radio ($849). The radios are available in the US through Quest for Sound.
Now with stereo!
(Credit: Shenzhen V.A.L. Technology Co., Ltd)
The one and only Beatles DVD-Audio release
A reader responding to my The Beatles on iTunes? Who Cares? rant came up with this great summation: "iTunes are to audio what McDonald's is to hamburgers, but if this is how the public wants to buy music, then let 'em have it." Right on! Sound quality doesn't matter anymore, just the so-called convenience of downloading 1s and 0s at the cheapest possible price, or better yet for free. Why buy the complete "Sgt Pepper" when you can just get "With A Little Help From My Friends"? That's where it's at.
If a remastered recording sounds "better," but no one can hear it, does it sound better? No, not really. I get the feeling that the remastered tag has just been reduced to a catchphrase, something to connote goodness. Hey, it's been remastered, so it's got to be better. Yeah right, maybe, maybe not. I think Apple did a lousy job on the Beatles "Let it Be... Naked" CD a few years ago.
It's curious, the Beatles' Apple's supposed "remastering" for low-fi iTunes was mentioned again and again by The Audiophiliac's readers, as if the new digitalization would reveal new sound from the old tunes over 128 K iToons. Puh-leeze! Yes, sure, maybe they'll also put out remastered CDs or DVD-Audio like Apple did with last year's Love release. Maybe we'll get multichannel, 5.1 Beatles on Blu-ray, sure, why not? Now that would be something. We audiophiles can dream, but the market will collectively yawn.
