FAIRPORT CONVENTION: The Cropredy Box Old Boys XVI (3CD)

Recorded in 1997 during Fairport’s thirtieth anniversary concerts at the Cropredy Festival), it features all the surviving members of the band (with the exception of Ian Matthews) and presents them as individual line-ups. Every Fairport is represented, whether your own personal dream team is the dual-fiddle powerhouse featuring Ric Sanders and Chris Leslie or the […]

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The trouble with symmetry

Paul McGowan …. We love our symmetry. I’ve watched with fascination as people line up tableware, straighten wall mounted pictures, even get plastic surgery in the name of perfection. When it comes to setting up a stereo system symmetry gets us in trouble. This is a really hard one to battle because our tendency—my tendency—is […]

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One of the most difficult to reproduce bits of music is massed strings

Paul McGowan: One of the most difficult to reproduce bits of music is massed strings, whether they be cellos, violas, or violins.  It takes a complete and near perfect chain to get these right and they represent to me the biggest challenge and what I always turn to for the “final test” when designing product. […]

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ROBERT PLANT: Darkness Darkness

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlkTI45Q670 A few viewer comments: Youngbloods did it great. Plant does it that much better. This is fantastic These are the words my soul whispers everyday… By far the best cover song Plant ever did. The music is just incredible.

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The Man Cave

Paul McGowan writes: A fellow manufacturer dropped me a note recently in response to one of my posts regarding the declining acceptance of high-end audio in the home.  He writes: “Audio-as-a-destination-activity is the enemy of the rest of the household. It takes both money and the listener away from the family. Home Theater is a […]

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Distance affirmation

Paul McGowan: One of the more satisfying affirmations happens when two or more unrelated people make the same sonic observation. We send out an update and emailed observations roll in. “What happened to the bottom end?” Or, “The top end just opened up.” For better or for worse, it is fascinating that so many unrelated […]

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