sunnuntai 30. joulukuuta 2012

Paul McCartney: Kisses on the bottom

This album definitely deserves to be notified. This is ex-Beatle McCartney's newest album since 2007. It's made with Diana Krall's band, featuring names as Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton etc. The album contains mainly covers from the past, from the good ol' days, but also two McCartney's own songs like My Valentine and Only Our Hearts. It carries very jazzy, relaxed feeling and it's produced with the names like Doug Sax at mastering and Tommy LiPuma helding the sticks for the whole production process. So, besides being very entertaining, almost thrilling musically it's also very pleasing on the ear. One of my favourite buys this year. Absolutely recommended.

torstai 27. joulukuuta 2012

La Rosita Zeta V3

I'm not that much a digital person myself, I have to admit. Music on vinyl have just sounded better to my ears. Until lately when I was introduced something different than usual.

Enter the French wireless streamer/DAC La Rosita Zeta in its latest incarnation, called the V3. The man behind the brand is a sort of wizard, Monsieur Dan Bellity who has years of background in a land of analog replay, modifying and building tube amps, horn speakers etc. La Rosita was established some seven, eight years ago when Dan Bellity discovered the possibilities of iTunes and wireless signal transmission via Apple's Airport Express. So, all Rosita models are 16/44.1 devices.

Zeta is an entry level model of the range and unfortunately no longer available. But, if you'll get one on your hands, you'll be rewarded. Even in its previous V2 status it easily killed my recent DACs like Burson DA160, MHDT Havana, RWA Isabellina and such. Fortunately Mr. Bellity offers the V3 upgrade for the older, nonexistent models like Zeta and Alpha for a reasonable cost. V3 is in a different league, I can assure you. If I've understood correctly, the V3 was so tremendous upgrade, that therein lies the secret of giving up selling the entry models no longer. Nowadays the range starts from the +4k€ Beta..

The sound of the Zeta V3 then? Well, in short compared to V2, which I was using almost six months; the new V3 module (that's is the secret of La Rosita streamers sound, it's the heart of it) offers more analog sound than the previous model. The sound is more neutral, it's more open and clear. There is definitely more air around the instruments and the layering of sounds in a soundstage is something to be heard. You can hear deeply into the soundstage which wasn't the previous model's strongest points. Both micro and macro dynamics has bettered greatly, so there's lot of detail like offered in a good analog rig. The midrange is very liquid and the whole presentation is extremely coherent. One point to mention is the silence which has to do something with the figures of digital noise floor..that quite possibly is explaining the quietness and harmonic naturallness offered here. The digital jitter should be nonexistent because of that? Can't be sure of that, but it really makes sense what you're hearing.

World's best digital? Only stupid would make a statement like that, but it's the best I have heard so far. Amazing and impressive. Definitely yes. After I got my upgraded Zeta V3 a few weeks ago, I have spinned only couple black ones since then..:-)

lauantai 3. marraskuuta 2012

The Day of the Buried, day of the dead. We walked through a graveyard and I couldn't help but think my beloved sister, who, after some 18 months of exhausting fight against evil cancer, died last June. On her birthday. Rest in peace, Kirsi. I miss you.

Also, there's a Hifi Expo 2012 going on  in Helsinki and for the first time in years, I wasn't participating. And I felt relieved, actually. Year after year the show has lost it's interest, basically because of offering very poorly set up demos by dealers who just don't have enough skills and experience to do that properly. Well, I could name a couple of dealers who would have managed to do that, but they missed the show this year like me..;-) But still, not even they would have the gear I'm interested in nowadays..

That said, I'm happy if someone got an itch..experienced something new and even sensational. In the end after all we're walking this path quite differently - someone has just started his traveling getting thrilled on everything new and exciting to come across, on the other hand, someone else has found a quiet, peaceful stop by and is just enjoying the opening view..

tiistai 30. lokakuuta 2012

Early X-mas..

Got a call this morning from shipping company. 'There's a crate coming from Germany - the sender is Auditorium 23', the guy said by the phone, 'could we deliver?'.  'Yes, sir!' I almost yelled and couldn't keep my voice calm. ;-) At last..

perjantai 26. lokakuuta 2012

Not much to say...even though this isn't a permanent stage at all, spending one week without music, decent two channel music that is, is really driving me nuts..:-) Crazy, huh?!

But I think I'll be greatly rewarded soon..

maanantai 22. lokakuuta 2012

Getting yourself into something..old


Le Grande Hypothesis: bigger - the better, newer eg. with latest technology, parts and software - the better, more expensive - the better..well, that is not (always) the case. In this commercial world we've only been taught (very cleverly though) to think that way - to buy some more..to buy something 'better'..and at the same time we've quite cruly been thrown away from the basics - from the roots. We've been actually fooled to think that way. 

Put above on a context of building an emotionally involving and satisfying audio system and you're completely lost. Or at least I was. For me it took some 20 years to recognize and 'learn' that..;-)..and furthermore - to survive. Starting to sound almost religious, ha? That's quite a common story for most of us and - educational - for sure. But I've had a lot of fun, too

Learning only by yourself through 'trial and error' I think you can't reach the ultimatum, you'll need also a healthy dose of luck to come across some experienced hobbyists, manufacturers, DIYers etc. with real insight to natural sound reproduction. Just to get you on a track. You kind a start to see the bigger picture..or not..


 Ears and audio reproduction

We all have such devices..or at least should have. When our ears tells us that there is something wrong in our stereo system  - there usually is. Simple as that. That is the main reason for an almost endless search for something better..but we often soon realize that the better we craved for is mere different instead of better. And off they go - the gear, that is. :-) During years I've done that so many times, it's useless to count. Biggest reason for that, in my opinion, is the complete wrong direction, that the audio industry took after the sixties. Better known today as High End..very cleverly executed fraud. ;-) 

I have been thinking that a lot lately. By 'fraud' I mean the choices the industry and audio press together created during that time; focusing on widening the audio bandwidth by terms of measurements, started using multiple drivers with complex crossovers in their speaker designs, started talking about holographic, pinpoint imaging, resolution and accuracy as major creators for convincing, believable stereo sound,  started concentrating to megawatt transistor amps (watts are cheap, you know) due lower sensitivity figures in speakers instead of simple, low wattage tube amps, abandoning analog and focusing digital, lowering the quality of speaker drivers (yes!) etc. etc. I think the list could go on.

Our ears tells us that all these, very consciously made choices have actually made the whole musical experience less involving, unnatural, lifeless and clinical. One can argue with that, of course, but do think about that, when you're sitting in front of a live chamber quartet playing together.. and try to recreate that in your listening room..not an easy task, but manageable, yes, at least in certain degree with the right gear. And that recreation certainly has nothing to do with usual high end hi-fi suspects like pinpoint imaging, ultra extended audio bandwidth etc. It's more like feeling the vibrancy, feeling the subtle dynamic swings and intensity of a performance - you kind of breath the same air with the performers. :-)


The Real Ear Openers and The Old

It was some four years ago when I found Omega loudspeakers. 8" AlNiCo fullrange driver with whizzer cone fitted into very nice cabinets made by L. Chockos from Connecticut, USA. It was a vario vent design without crossover. The coherence and speed with startling immediacy hit me like lightning, I instantly knew it was a point of no return. Eventually the speaker turned out to be a bit peaky from the top, so I sold the pair. But I now knew the path to follow. Omega do has, imo, even more balanced driver and speaker in their current line up and it's based on their 6" AlNiCo driver - the Omega 6" XRS. Very balanced and musical speaker. Well done, Louis!



To be continued..











lauantai 20. lokakuuta 2012

A quick visit at local library today. Grabbed this one for bed time reading. Always liked Kate Bush's earlier recordings, especially the ones on vinyl! Mystic lady, perhaps not anymore after I've read this Graeme Thomson's Under The Ivy: The Life and Music of Kate Bush. 
Just another Saturday morning? Well, no..today I'm giving up one of my all time favourites in audio - DeVore Fidelity The Nines.

Had them almost two years and during that time I discovered the very special nature of them compared to other so called conventional speakers.

Very special ones and I'm going to miss them..:-(

The new owner though will be some lucky chap!:-)
www.devorefidelity.com  and could be bought from here: www.holistiskhifi.se

perjantai 19. lokakuuta 2012


The most important thing. Music - a universal language, which speaks us, often quite subconciously, giving us good vibes, and good vibes only (bad vibes doesn't count)..what you say about the next one? This young Korean artist thrills me greatly..what a clear, strong and sensitive voice at the same time..I'm sure I'm not going to miss her next visit in Finland - Youn Sun Nah:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKZQxZjGhYQ

Check out also her other YouTube videos.

Getting started

And I don't mean picking berries ;-)..even though I do like berries - just think about a handful of blueberries in a mug covered with fresh milk or yoghurt..simply delicious!

That said, in this blog one could find similarities or even an analogy from the berry picking metaphora to related subjects etc. And for a reason, of course. :-) Whatever you may find, just remember it's just a one man's hilarious study of things about certain subject..what has been learnt (or not, ha ha).

The biggest reason for opening this blog was simple, I had nothing to do..ok, that is not completely true, but will perhaps give you a clue..I could easily imagine that this chatting (with myself?) won't necessarily give anything to most people, but that isn't the point here. What is the point then? Well, to be honest, I don't know that exactly myself either..maybe it's just sharing views, pics, thoughts, opinions etc. for the sheer fun of it. And for the plain love to this subject, to this sometimes miserable hobby - for being an audio enthusiast (and a music lover)! ;-) There you have it. Enjoy!