Herd Audio

Listening in 2009

Music in 2008 didn’t inspire me enough to write a best of list. 2009 did. Thanks to some cool technical avenues, I feel much more in touch with new music: Simplify Media and connecting to a bunch of you with exquisite taste; iPhone apps such as Daytrotter and Panel; sprinkle in a bit of SiriusXMU and even Facebook (or better yet, friends). 

Seeing these bands as they come through town can often seal the deal, and iConcertCal makes sure I don’t miss my favorites (often travellin’ with some other bands worth discovering). 

Lastly, defaulting to hearing these wonderful albums on the stock iPod headphones doesn’t do them justice. My favorite audio equipment purchase of 2009 is a pair of Grado 325is headphones. Don’t skimp… indulge. May be a theme forming for 2010 as we eek out of the recession. Best to all. Have a great 2010. 

Artists, Albums: (in order of personal preference)

The Soft Pack, The Muslims: Heard them on Sirius. Saw them live at King Fu Nectie here in Philly. The future of rock and roll is back. 

The Antlers, Hospice: My coworker Sal turned me onto this trio. Emotional, engaging and impactful from start to finish. 

Grizzly Bear, Veckatemist: Couldn’t miss the hype. Saw them live at the Troc and was blown away. Talented and unique would be an understatement. 

Jason Lytle, Yours Truly, The Commuter: Opened for Neko Case at the Kimmel Center of all places. Pleasantly surprised being a Grandaddy fan. 

Neko Case, Middle Cyclone: Exquisite. 

Andrew Bird, Noble Beast: Been a fan for a while. Saw him live for first time at WXPN performing solo. Talented chap.  

Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca: Discovered via Panel (see above). Like Grizzly Bear (talented/unique) but a little brighter. 

Built to Spill, There is No Enemy: Been a fan for a while. Saw them live at The Troc. They’re always good live and so are their albums. 

Elvis Perkins In Dearland, s/t: My buddy John recommended Elvis P. He should marry Neko. 

We Were Promised Jetpacks, These Four Walls: A different John recommended this band with the best name ever! Glasgow’s answer to the Soft Pack, but more serious in a Scottish/damp sort of way. 

Telekenisis, s/t: Fun, straightforward pop… nuthin’ wrong wit dat. 

Wilco, Wilco (the Album): Always quality. 

Ben Harper & Relentless7, White Lies for Dark Times: Ditto, always quality. 

Eulogies, Here Anonymous: Discovered via Panel again. And again, some fun, straightforward pop. Yummy.

Compilations: 

Dark Was The Night: 90% excellent. Amazing for a compilation like this. Many of the above bands and like bands featured here. 

Warp 20 (Chosen): Being a sucker for a beautiful object, I ponied up for the Warp 20th anniversary celebration box set. Tons of amazing music beautifully put together. For the music alone, check out the (Chosen) discs with music selected by fans and Warp Records founder. 

Specimen's Specimens

About a month ago I saw Andrew Bird perform at WXPN here in Philly. He had these amazing looking horn speakers up on stage with him. I snapped a couple of pics and filed the images away in my head. Today I came across some blog publicity for Specimen Products, the maker of those wild horns. Specimen Products is an instrument creation, repair and audio equipment artist in Chicago. Beautiful stuff! Hear the wonderful tones of Andrew Bird as well. One of my favorite artists. His 2009 release, "Noble Beast" will make my Top Ten... 

Most beautiful

This is perhaps the most tasteful audio equipment I have ever seen. Oswald Mill Audio in eastern Pennsylvania, creates amps, analog gear, racks and speakers from beautiful vintage parts, local woods and slate. This is centerpiece audio art. I've yet to hear but hope to some day. Johathan Weiss, owner of OMA says in his About section, "made for those who understand that the finest things in life are not necessarily the newest." Well, he may not use the newest stuff, but he certainly makes it look like the newest. Way more classy than other gear I have seen.

It's been a while...

Yep, it's been a while. My energies have been completely directed towards a new user experience design firm that I joined as a partner and Creative Director (need to update my bio next). Figured it's about time to benefit personally from my own hard work. I've also stopped reviewing audio gear and music for other online 'zines. You see a theme here? Come back soon for gear and music reviews as well as some musings on what I'm experiencing in the design start-up world.

Writing with/for TONEAudio Magazine

My first couple of articles have been published in what I consider to be the best music and audio magazine on the web... TONE Audio. TONE has a great mix of gear reviews and music articles put together with top class visual design and photography. It comes out every other month as a PDF. Download the latest issue.

Feelin' 2007

Well, I had a 24hr flu/stomach virus for new years eve/day… and the ensuing grumpiness has me a little more critical of the past year’s (2007) releases. Think I should open up my horizons a little more in 2008 and move beyond “indie”-pop/rock. Still love my vintage jazz (on vinyl of course)… and adding vintage rock, country and blues. Thinking of exploring more “world” music in ’08. Is this what happens when the music fan passes 40? Below you’ll find most of my purchases from ’07 appropriately categorized:

Smells like roses (and plays often):
- The National: Boxer* (*My favorite album of the year.)
- The Good, The Bad & The Queen
- Arcade Fire: Neon Bible
- Andrew Bird: Armchair Apocrypha
- Sigur Ros: Hvarf-Heim
- Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals: Lifeline
- Robert Plant & Alison Kraus: Raising Sand
- The Black Keys: Magic Potion (2006)
- Patrick Watson: Close to Paradise** (**Highly recommended! Sounds like a new, fresh Jeff Buckley who might have recorded with Sufjan Stevens.)
- Radiohead: In Rainbows*** (***Moved them up from asparagus after watching this video.)

Asparagus (tastes good initially):
- White Stripes: Icky Thump
- Cold War Kids: Robbers & Cowards
- Wilco: Sky Blue Sky
- Feist: The Reminder
- Band of Horses: Cease to Begin
- Any Winehouse: Back to Black
- Peter, Bjorn & John: Writer's Block
- Interpol: Our Love to Admire
- Voxtrot: Voxtrot
- LCD Soundsystem: Sound of Silver
- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: Some Loud Thunder
- Beastie Boys: The Mix-Up
- Arctic Monkeys: Favourite Worst Nightmare
- The Besnard Lakes: … are the Dark Horse

Light a match (need I say more?):
- Pinback: Autumn Of The Seraphs
- The Ponys: Turn The Lights Out
- Manu Chao: La Radiolina
- Kings of Leon: Because of The Times
- Fountains of Wayne: Traffic and Weather

Just Published: 47 Lab Shigaraki Review for SonicFlare.com

Just Published: System Review consisting of the 47 Lab Shigaraki CD Player, DAC and Integrated Amplifier, with the Audio Note AN-E/Lx loudspeakers... written for SonicFlare.com. (This review format is not my favorite, and is the new format SonicFlare's publisher will be using for all future reviews.)

Note: This was my last post on SonicFlare.com. Moving onwards and upwards and continuing to review gear for Tone Audio.

Recent posts and reviews on SonicFlare.com

My latest review of the Monarchy Audio SE-250 mono’s with Gemme Audio Tanto loudspeakers.

Some great new music (and cuisine ;-) from Montreal: Patrick Watson and Besnard Lakes.

Just Published: Resolution Audio and Verity Audio Review for SonicFlare.com

Just Published: System Review consisting of the Resolution Audio Opus system and Verity Audio Rienzi loudspeakers... written for SonicFlare.com

"You have read how fantastic I think the Resolution Audio Opus 21 system sounds. To be fair, 99% of the time during its review it was playing through the Verity Audio Rienzi’s. That’s quite the advantage. As far as pairs go, having the Rienzi speakers as a mate is kind of like Edward Norton snagging Jessica Biel if ya know what I mean. He’s no slouch, but Jessica…"

Just Published: Mac Hag Kore Note System Review for SonicFlare

Just Published: System Review consisting of the Mac Mini, Hagerman Chime USB DAC, Kore-Eda amp and preamp, and the Audio Note AN-E/Lx loudspeakers... written for SonicFlare.com

4 in a Row

If the Red Sox can do it…

Just watched the Red Sox hit four consecutive home runs in a row off Chase Wright and the Yankees. First time the Red Sox have done that in team history.

Not really related at all, but I thought I’d catalog my last 4 posts on SonicFlare.com:

A short post on the stylish wireless Pioneer Music Tap system.

A post describing the systems in house now and up for review on SonicFlare.

See what I’m listening to lately in my second iMix for SonicFlare.

And a quick post on a Mac Mini wannabe from Nexus.

Just Published: Duevel Planets Review for SonicFlare.com

Just Published: Review of the Duevel Planets for SonicFlare.com.

Top 10 (Ok, 13) albums of 2006:

Top 10 (Ok, 13) albums of 2006:

1. Neko Case: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
2. The Raconteurs: Broken Boy Soldiers
3. Built To Spill: You In Reverse
4. Film School: Film School
5. Beck: The Information
6. Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not
7. Band of Horses: Everything All The Time
8. Calexico: Garden Ruin
9. Sonic Youth: Rather Ripped
10. Thom Yorke: The Eraser

11. Phoenix: Its Never Been Like That
12. G. Love & Special Sauce: Lemonade
13. Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass

Favorite 2005’s discovered in 2006:

1. Field Music: Field Music
2. Page France: Hello Dear Wind
3. Hockey Night: Keep Guessin’
4. The Coral Sea: Volcano and Heart
5. National Eye: Roomful of Lyons
6. Grizzly Bear: Yellow House

Just Published: Verity Audio Visit part Deux

Just Published: My second now annual visit to Verity Audio in Quebec. Posted on SonicFlare.com.

Just Published: Red Wine Audio Sig 30 and Olive Symphony for SonicFlare.com

Just published: My review of the Red Wine Audio Signature 30 Integrated Amplifier and modded Olive Symphony music Server for SonicFlare.com

Just Published: Headroom Desktop & Beyer DT880 review for SonicFlare.com

Just published: My review of the Headroom Desktop amp and Beyer Dynamic DT880 headphones for SonicFlare.com

Started Writing for SonicFlare.com

You’ll soon see my first post on SonicFlare.com. There’s some really good audio e-zines out there and SonicFlare is one of my favs. I just love the idea of a blog format for audio gear reviews, new technology, audio opinion pieces and industry news. The availability of immediate response is what sets it apart from other e-zines... and in my opinion the most appropriate form for the medium. I’ve got some great gear slated to review for SonicFlare and am really happy of their system approach to reviewing and desire to reach new audiences and help them understand the experience of great audio gear. Check back soon for links to my articles for SonicFlare and join me there for active discussion and commentary.

Just Published: AudioEngine A5 review for Dagogo.com

Just published: My review of the AudioEngine A5 Loudspeakers for Dagogo.com.

Just Published: Verity Audio Tamino review for Dagogo.com

Just published: My review of the Verity Audio Tamino Loudspeakers for Dagogo.com.

(Why Trini? Cause it's an awesome album I mentioned in the review and the album cover art didn't make it ;-)

Just Published: Roksan FR-5 Loudspeaker Review for Dagogo.com

Just published: My review of the Roksan Caspian FR-5 Loudspeakers for Dagogo.com

If a MINI were audio gear, it would be…

Just got myself a new MINI Cooper S. It’s small yet big. It has space. It’s quick. It’s tight. It’s easy to use. Has a great display. It has a character all its own. It impresses you right away and continues to deliver. It’s reliable. It’s a bargain and offers a ton for the money. Well… if my MINI Cooper S were an audio component, it would be unlike anything I have ever heard (or seen). What comes closest? 47Labs Gaincard if it had a display.

Just Published: The ORB* system review for Dagogo.com

Just Published: My review of the ORB* system for Dagogo.com
(*O is for the Original CD-A8T cd player, R is for the Red Wine Audio Clarit-T amplifier, and B is for the Bastanis Prometheus Black loudspeaker system.)

Just Published: Heed Audio System review for Dagogo.com

Just Published: My review of the Heed Audio system for Dagogo.com

Music in Reviews

Here’s a list of music I’ve mentioned in my reviews for Dagogo.com:

For the Eastern Electric Minimax CD player review:
- Smog, Supper
- Rachael Yamagata, EP

For the Omega Minuet / 47 Lab Gaincard system review:
- Oscar Peterson, The Sound of the Trio
- Horace Silver, Song for my Father
- Gorillaz, Demon Days

For the Roksan Caspian CD player:
- Left of the Dial, Dispatches From the 80’s Underground
- Jeff Buckley, the Grace Eps
- Ben Folds, Songs for Silverman
- My Morning Jacket, Z
- Nada Surf, The Weight is a Gift

For the Sonic Euphoria preamp:
- Ivy, Realistic
- Morphine, Cure for Pain
- The Magic Numbers, (self-titled)
- The Who, 30 Years of Maximum R&B
- Aimee Mann, Lost in Space
- Hank Mobley, Dippin’

For the Monarchy Audio SM70Pro and M24:
- Propellerheads, DecksAndDrumsAndRockAndRoll
- Fatboy Slim, Better Living Through Chemistry
- Beastie Boys, In Sound From the Way Out
- Johnny Cash, Orange Blossom Special

For the UPCOMMING Roksan FR-5 review:
- Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No. 1
- Sufjan Stevens, Illinoise

For the UPCOMMING Original CD-A8T, Red Wine Audio Clari-T and Bastanis Prometheus system review:
- The Blue Nile, Hats
- Bloc Party, Silent Alarm
- Charles Mingus, Jazz Portraits, Mingus in Wonderland

Wondering if there is any correlation between how much music I wrote about in a review and how much musical enjoyment I got from a component or system under review. ;-)

Language Barrier

What do these four things have in common? Fine Art, Fly Fishing, Fine Wine and High-end Audio? They all have their own exclusive language that can act as a barrier to the newcomer. This exclusive language is one that a budding aficionado must learn before being able to comfortably communicate with like-minded fans.

I find a similar situation at my work with the buzzwords, abstract analogies and forced sophisticated vocabulary. I’ve always tried to communicate in plain English, with meaningful and direct language. I am trying to do that in the audio gear reviews I write.

One very positive aspects of the launch of Apple’s iPod Hi-Fi is that they used some of the simpler and less exclusive audiophile buzzwords and defined them even in their description of the sound quality of the unit. Keep an eye out for the audiophile approved review of the iPod Hi-Fi and see how it compares language-wise.

My point with this little observation, the reason I am writing this, is that I think we (as audio equipment writers) need to develop and use a much more clear and easy-to-understand vocabulary when describing the experience of listening to great gear. And we need to put more emphasis on describing the listening experience versus the sonic characteristics of the gear or system under review. This will help in its own little way to eliminate the barriers and improve the chances of our true excitement for this hobby to reach a new and wider audience.

Just Published: Monarchy Audio review for Dagogo.com

Just published: a review of the Monarchy Audio M24 tube DAC/tube line preamp and the SM-70Pro stereo amplifier for Dagogo.com

Song: Artist: Album (Feb 06)

Black Grease: The Black Angels: The Black Angels – EP
Fear of Sleep: The Strokes: First Impressions of Earth
Finding Out: Golden Shoulders: Let My Burden Be
Kiss of Life: Supergrass: Kiss of Life – Single
Look At Her Face: The Coral Sea: Volcano and Heart
Moon: The King Of France: The King of France
Number 1: Goldfrapp: Number 1 – EP
Silver Agers: National Eye: Roomful of Lions
You Can Decide: Field Music: You Can Decide - EP

In & Coming In for Review for Dagogo.com

Here's a list of gear I will be reviewing for Dagogo.com to be published over the next few months (In parens are the expected publish time periods).

In Philadelphia:
Roksan Caspian FR-5 loudspeakers (May-June)
In Brooklyn:
Heed Audio System (March-April)
Bastanis Prometheus loudspeakers (April-June)
Red Wine Audio Clari-T amplifier (April-May)
Original CD-A8T CD player (April-May)

Upcoming Philadelphia:
Verity Audio Tamino X3 loudspeakers (TBD)
Upcoming Brooklyn:
Sota Turntable System (TBD)
Audio Note AN-E/Lx Loudspeakers (TBD)

Just Published: Sonic Euphoria PLC review for Dagogo.com

Just published: my review of the Sonic Euphoria PLC written for Dagogo.com

Lure them in with…

Style:

Lure them in with style, they’ll (learn to) hear the substance. Design gear to fit into people’s lifestyles and they’ll be more likely to welcome it in. Without a doubt, gear designers today are trying to design products that look cool, beautiful, intelligent and appropriate to the hobby of high-end audio. My surveys over the years have turned up very few companies one would really say design a beautiful product that could stand on its own for its sheer style alone. Who wants style without substance? No one, and I would say that of the companies I have found creating very sophisticated looking gear, gear that can easily fit into people’s lives physically and aesthetically, are companies already skilled at creating fantastic sounding gear that competes with the best in high-end audio. Companies such as Chord with their Choral system; Sudgen with their Bijou system, Audio Analog with their Primo system, the Eclipse speaker system with dedicated amplifiers… just to name a few. I am always looking to find out about more, so please email me with any.

As I mentioned in a reply to a post at Sonicflare.com, I believe price range will be key, as I can see a range (for a complete system) of between $400 and $2000 to be comfortable, as this is a range consumers are used to spending on cool gear from a new Xbox 360 system to a new Apple MacBook Pro, and even higher possible like the expense of a flat-panel TV.

Connectivity:

Lure them in with connectivity (to their portable players, wireless networks, etc.) they be more likely to buy/use the gear and then hear the difference.

This is starting to happen in high-end audio with better sounding D/A converters connected via USB cable or other digital connections such as the Monarchy Audio M24 preamplifier that I am now reviewing for Dagogo.com. I can easily connect my Apple Airport Express digitally to the M24 with an optical cable, and let the M24 work its magic with a tube output stage. I send the tunes wirelessly from my laptop using iTunes and am in sonic heaven. Other companies such as Wavelength Audio, have introduced similar items to better connect to our current and favorite tools. Some of these items are even attractive and could fit with the ipod or powerbook aesthetic.

Publicity:

Bose is a company we would like to dislike, (cause their stuff just doesn’t sound very good) but they are masters at marketing. Similarly companies like Tivoli and Bang and Olufsen might have audiophiles turn their noses up, but these companies have found a way to be highly successful and reach the masses with their products. Sonos is a company that reputable has better sound than those previously mentioned, has cool looking designs and functionality that really fits into today’s technical habits. Sonos is even doing a great job with marketing.

We all know, once you get started and learn to hear the difference and understand the enhancement high-end audio can bring to your musical enjoyment, then there’ no turning back and fighting the upgrade bug. The upgrade bug is what keeps this industry alive and maturing along with its customers

Love:

As in love for music.

Here’s one thing the over 30 crowd can do to help the industry/hobby along… bring your children along. Make music (high-end music) a family affair equal to that of watching a movie together. When the kids are really young, you can start with narrated stories. When they start to get older, move to dance tracks… little kids love to dance. When they start to get a little older, let them learn musical history through your oldies. And even more importantly, let them teach you a thing or two about their current favorite music. Have it become a two-way dialog!

Just like we might bring our spouses into this hobby by having hem experience it with us, so can we do the same with our kids. They may drop interest at some point, as some other new cool thing takes control of their excitement, but they will never forget, and eventually, when they’re able to afford the higher end stuff, remember fondly their parent’s enthusiasm and want to relive that experience.

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Sidebar: There's more thoughts going on around the topic of high-end audio preservation and propagation over at The A5: The Allied Association for the Advancement of the Audible Arts.

Just Published: Verity Audio Tour for Dagogo.com

Just published: an article of my visit to Verity Audio of Quebec City for Dagogo.com

Top 12 2005 in A-orta (Alphabetical-order) ...and more

Top 12 2005 in A-orta (Alphabetical-order):
Ben Folds: Songs for Silverman
Clap You Hands Say Yeah: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Clem Snide: End of Love
Daniel Lanois: Belladonna
Death Cab for Cutie: Plans
Love as Laughter: Laughter’s Fifth
Nada Surf: The Weight is a Gift
The Spinto Band: Nice and Nicely Done
Stars: Set Yourself on Fire
Stephen Malkmus: Face the Truth
Sufjan Stevens: Come on Fell the Illinoise!
The White Stripes: Get Behind Me Satan

EP’s (Bands to Watch):
Dirty on Purpose: Sleep Late for a Better Tomorrow
Silversun Pickups: Pikul
Voxtrot: Voxtrot EP

Some Good Songs (Not Great Albums):
Archer Prewitt: Wilderness
Black Mountain: Black Mountain
Coldplay: X&Y
Gorillaz: Demon Days
John Doe: Forever Hasn’t Happened Yet
My Morning Jacket: Z
Spoon: Gimme Fiction

Need to Buy (Huge Potential):
The American Analog Set: Set Free
Broken Social Scene: Broken Social Scene
Doves: Some Cities
The Magic Numbers: The Magic Numbers

A Heavy Disappointment

Last weekend I went shopping for a new TV. Budget was a factor as I had hoped to keep my purchase under a grand. Hope being the key word.

I had done plenty of research on the Internet leading up to this trip to the local Circuit City. I wanted to be a little more selective in my choice of big-box retailer, but an earlier visit to a small local high-end A/V proved fruitless.

I knew exactly what CC had in stock before I arrived. I went directly to the 30” tube HD sets. My budget would not allow me (at the time) to get anything larger than 26” in something flat (LCD). I was not into the idea of another tube, I wanted something light and thin. Well I found a special tube TV that looked like a flat panel from the front and almost side. It was the Samsung SlimFit TX-R3079WH.

Its claim to fame is that it is 1/3rd thinner than competing 30” tube TV’s. Depth-wise that may be true, but the mass reduction in the back of the TV is even greater, with what seems like 2/3rd of the rear’s mass removed, making it appear like a flat screen TV attached to a small cube box about 12”x12” in the back. It’s a really smart-LOOKING form design. But as I ill point out in a sec, I think that reduction in stuff from the rear of the TV definitely affects the picture.

When I was viewing the TV at the store, I noticed a discoloration in the upper-left corner. One of the reasons I was dumping my old TV was that I had parked un-shielded speakers next to it for too long and the corners of the picture had discolored to a purple-green. This Samsung, the floor demo, had the same issue. I asked the sales person about that and he said that the demo must have been placed next to unshielded speakers just like I thought.

Well, I had read in the very extensive online customer review section of CC’s website, that about 1/3rd of the buyers of this TV had the same problem at home. The other big issue that many commentators mentioned was the bowing of the image both left and right and top and bottom. I didn’t see that kind of bowing on the store model.

So I took my chances, mostly because I like the physical form factor, especially compared to the other 30+ models in the store. This Samsung looked lighter and while much lighter than the competing models, was actually still quite hefty at 120+lbs.

My wife begrudgingly helped my bring this into the house, up some 8 stairs from the street then up to the second floor den in our house. I set it up, turned it on and to my sweaty disappointment, fond both of those dreaded characteristics mentioned by the commentors online: the bowing and the discoloration. Man was I pissed! I played with it for a night anyway, and if not for the issues mentioned above, plus the fact that the universal remote would not work my cable box… I would have kept it. I couldn’t imagine lugging the thing back to CC, nor was my wife too happy to help.

But back to CC it went. The return was painless. When looking at other TV’s, a different salesman than from the day prior told me he would have never sold me that TV for just the issues I had. He said it was a flaw in the design, that the internal speakers themselves were not properly shielded. UGH! Lessons learned: believe what you read (especially in this case with well over 100 comments and a good 60% mentioning these issues.)

Happy ending: so neither my wife nor I could imagine lugging another even bigger and heavier tube TV up the stairs, no matter what our budget was. We ended up getting a 32” Sharp Aquos LCD flat panel. It was my plan all along ;-) Kidding.

Just Published: Roksan Caspian CD for Dagogo

Just published: my review of the Roksan Caspian CD player written for Dagogo.com

Just Published: B&O PR event for Dagogo

Just published: coverage of Bang & Olufsen PR event written for Dagogo.com

A Mellow Mix

Here are some of my latest indie favs, in a mellow choice mix:

Song: Artist: Album: Year

To Turn You On: Roxy Music: Avalon: 1982
Animals + Insects: The Stills: Logic Will Break Your Heart: 2003
Looks Just Like The Sun: Broken Social Scene: You Forgot It In People: 2002
Talk About The Passion: R.E.M.: Murmur: 1983
Those To Come: The Shins: Chutes Too Narrow: 2003
Blame It On The Tetons: Modest Mouse: GNFPWLBN: 2004
Michigan: Ambulance Ltd: Ambulance Ltd: 2004
God Answers Back: Clem Snide: End of Love: 2005
Think Again: Archer Prewitt: Wilderness: 2005
Pulsar Radio: Love As Laughter: Laughter's Fifth: 2005
Teenage Spaceship: (Smog): Knock Knock: 1999
The Yellow Ones: Pinback: Summer In Abandon: 2004
I Love You Golden Blue: Sonic Youth: Sonic Nurse: 2004
Cindy Tastes Of Barbecue: Luna: Rendezvous: 2004
Wipe Those Prints and Run: Beulah: Yoko: 2003
What Sarah Said: Death Cab for Cutie: Plans: 2005

New Griffin iTrip

The new and nifty and much more usable product design of the Griffin iTrip (with LCD) led me to try FM transmitters once again for enjoying my iPod in my car. I have a CD only sound system in my car and had tried numerous FM transmitters when I first bought my iPod about a year ago.

Living in a major metropolitan area might be the first big hurdle, but I just could not find success with any of the transmitters I had tried in the past. I tried the Monster iCarPlay, the Griffin RoadTrip and one other that I can’t remember. None worked well and were barely listenable when they worked at all. Strangely enough the Monster unit picked up every single bump in the road. The main body of the transmitter acted like a microphone and amplified taps to its case and wire. It also only had eight stations to choose from, so if your local area was crowded in the lower part of the FM band, you were out of luck. Even when it did find an empty enough location on the FM dial, the sound was worse than the worst FM station you had ever heard. It was dull and flat and noisy.

Even though the Griffin RoadTrip allowed you to try your FM transmission on any station available, and even though it didn’t suffer the sensitivity to bumps like the iCarPlay, it sounded just as nasty at all times.

My buddy Rudy had the original Griffin iTrip and said he was pleased with its performance. With the old iTrip, you had to complete some complicated maneuvers on your iPod itself to choose a station and begin play.

The new Griffin iTrip with LCD makes that entire ritual painless. It’s a joy to use. Just find an “empty” station on your car stereo, then turn the chrome ring on the right of the iTrip to that same station, push the chrome ring in, press play on the iPod and you’re in business… well, almost. You best have the volume set just right on your iPod. Too loud and the sound will distort, too soft and you’d have to turn your car stereo’s volume up and the sound will be too noisy. Actually, it’s noisy even when you get it just right. I found that I also had to set the iPod’s EQ to “Treble Booster” to get a sound that was almost acceptable.

And that’s just it… get everything right: clear and empty station, volume level and EQ on the iPod, and the sound is just barely acceptable and only just when moving and the road noise can mask most of it. I’ll keep my Griffin iTrip for when I’m completely desperate to listen to what’s on my iPod, otherwise I’ll just burn CD’s for my 6-cd changer and be much happier.

Just Published: 47Lab and Omega for Dagogo

Just published: my review of the 47Lab Gaincard and Omega Minuet speakers written for Dagogo.com

Sandy ’s Jazz List

Here's a list of most of my jazz (mostly vinyl) and some I wish I had.

Any suggestions to grow the collection most welcome.

Piano:
Herbie Hancock: Maiden Voyage *
Herbie Hancock: Headhunters (experimental, funk)
Vince Guaraldi: A Boy Named Charlie Brown
Vince Guaraldi: Cast Your Fate to the Wind
Bill Evans: Everybody Digs Bill Evans
Horace Silver: Song for my Father
Horace Silver: Blowing the Blues Away
Dave Brubeck: Time Out
Count Basie: 88 Basie Street (n)
Duke Ellington: Money Jungle
Thelonius Monk: Monk’s Dream (n)

Thelonius Monk (Quartet with John Coltrane): At Carnegie Hall (n)

Organ:
Jimmy Smith: Midnight Special
Jimmy Smith: I’m Movin’ On
Jimmy Smith: Got My Mojo Workin’
Jimmy Smith: Back at the Chicken Shack (n)

Guitar:
Kenny Burrell: Midnight Blue *
Grant Green: Idle Moments
Grant Green: Feelin the Spirit

Bass:
Charles Mingus: Mingus Ah Um
Charlie Haden: Night and the City

Trumpet:
Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue *
Miles Davis: Miles Smiles
Miles Davis: In a Silent Way
Lee Morgan: The Sidewinder
Freddie Hubbard: Hub-Tones
Quincy Jones: Walking in Space

Sax:
Cannonball Adderley: Somethin’ Else
John Coltrane: Blue Train *
John Coltrane: A Love Supreme (n)
John Coltrane: Soultrane (n)
John Coltrane: Giant Steps
Stan Getz: Getz/Gilberto
Hank Mobley: A Caddy for Daddy
Hank Mobley: Soul Station
Oliver Nelson: The Blues and Abstract Truth
Lou Donaldson: Blues Walk
Dexter Gordon: Go!
Sonny Rollins: Way Out West (n)
Sonny Rollins: Saxophone Colossus
Sonny Rollins: Tenor Madness (n)

Drums:
Art Blakey: Moanin’ (n)
Art Blakey (and the Jazz Messengers): Mosaic *

(n) = Sandy needs to buy :-)
* = fav top 5

Just Published: EE MiniMax CD Review for Dagogo

Just published: my review of the Eastern Electric MiniMax CD player written for Dagogo.com

Bio: Sandy Greene

Being into high-end audio gear is but a portion of my time with music… about the size of a slice of pie.

As a teenager, I was quite into the Who, The Clash (long live Joe Strummer), English Beat, REM, Minutemen, etc. While in college in Pittsburgh, I dropped into the whole "College Music" scene with the likes of Dumptruck, Chameleons UK, Feelies, etc. I was in my first band in college with two friends from art school. We were called the "Stinky Bovines" and we were two guitarists, a bass player, and a drum machine playing at parties and the like... heavily influenced by REM, The Feelies, VU, Camper Van Beethoven, The Jazz Butcher, Lloyd Cole, etc.

When I graduated and moved to NYC, I was very deeply into the Brit music scene with the Sundays, Stone Roses, The Jam, etc. Joined my first band as a guitar player in NYC, then called "Feast Of Saints," now called "Scout." Female-led lite-goth. Played all the local city and some of the east coast venues.

Soon decided it was more fun to be in a band and spend all that time with close friends, so I started another band with a bunch of my friends from Carnegie-Mellon. We were called "Ms. Lum," and we ended up getting a record contract with Bar-None Records in Hoboken; home of They Might Be Giants, Yo La Tengo, Freedy Johnston, etc. We did pretty well... of course it didn't last forever. There were some other bands afterwards, but then I had my first child (son) and playing music took a back seat to listening to music. For a while I was making electronic-based music solo at home and was very into the likes of Underworld, Laika, DJ Shadow, etc. Currently, I am still following the indie music scene. Some of my recent favorites: The Strokes, Kings of Leon, Stephen Malkmus (of Pavement), the Montreal music scene with the likes of: Arcade Fire, The Still and Stars… the list goes on and on. My 20 gig iPod 16gb iPhone is full!

My obsession with musical equipment and recording transformed into a mild and cost-constrained (due to the kid) obsession with audio equipment.

When we moved from Brooklyn to Philly, I decided I was going to dedicate a room in my new house to 2-channel audio. My system started out modest and has grown from there. It’s still not extravagant by high-end audio standards, but I am quite proud of it. I am a user experience designer by profession and worked with some of the companies listed in barter for some of my gear… that made the wife quite happy and eliminated any sort of buyer’s remorse.

The current system consists of: a Rogue Audio Stereo 90 stereo tube amplifier, their 99 Magnum preamplifier, Bel Canto M300 amps and Pre3 preamp Heed Obelisk integrated amplifier with X2 power supply, and Meadowlark Kestrel II Audio Note An/E-LX speakers. My front-end consists of a Transrotor Leonardo turntable with Dynavector 10x5 Rega Exact Transfiguration Phoenix cart into a Gram Amp II Heed Quasar phono preamplifier. I love my relatively new Eastern Electric Minimax tube CD player, I am reviewing a Naim CD-5i cd player My digital source is a MacBook 12" laptop computer going into the DAC card on the Obelisk and I have a vintage KLH model 18 fm tuner. My cables are Shunyata for power, Van Den Hul for interconnects and Straightwire for the speakers. The system is the centerpiece of our living room and always on. When we entertain, it’s often about throwing on a vintage album (more about that later), drinking some good beers or wine and great conversation, which always leads to, “Who’s that? That sounds amazing!”

I still play guitar once in a while, especially with my 8 10 12 year old son who is getting quite good. We have a drum kit in my basement that I play once in a blue moon... but listening to great sounding music is my release these days.

After setting up the system I fell in love with small group jazz. Named my second child (daughter), after the "First Lady of Song" herself, and really became obsessed with small group jazz from the late 50's and early 60's... Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, Kenny Burrell, Grant Green, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly, etc. Have a couple dozen jazz cd's and building a nice collection of Jazz vinyl... my latest and favorite hobby.

Anyway, being a dad of two, it's hard to get to concerts, but my favorite dates are nights out with the wife or friends to the classic Ortlieb's Jazz House in the Northern Liberties or better yet... Johnny Brendas in the same hood... my favorite part of Philly!

Currently I work up in New York City in Wilmington, DE (thrillsville) with a big financial institution as their User Experience Director trying to improve wholesale banking applications websites I am a partner in a small user centered design firm. Needless to say, music is what keeps me sane. 

I guess it’s a natural progression: music-crazed, hormone-phased teenager to insomniac-rocker in NYC to vintage jazz album-collecting audiophile. It’s been fun the whole way!