Class D AMPLIFICATION: Saviour or what?

Is Class D amplification the silver bullet for the next generation? We asked Paul McGowan of PS Audio. Here’s what he says: One of the notions alive and well with many in the high-end community is the idea that a class D power amplifier will cause listener fatigue over time; and that same notion seems […]

Read More

UNDERSTANDING: Room calculations

PAUL McGOWAN Our rooms are as important as our equipment yet only a scarce few of us have the luxury of choosing our room dimensions. Typically we take what we can get within our home and make the best out of it. With our new building in process, we’re heavy into the architectural tasks of […]

Read More

JAZZ: Verve Records helped spread jazz around the world

Verve Records was formed in 1955 by Norman Granz and their studio albums and live recordings by Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Billie Holiday helped bring jazz to a world audience. Richard Havers writes “Jazz stirs the possibilities for creativity in the moment. Jazz is about the human character; jazz is about feeling, […]

Read More

WE CARE: Because the quest for better is built into most of us; certainly me.

Originally published 2016 Paul McGowan ….. Now that we have a rough understanding of the differences between classic digital audio (PCM) and the format Sony popularized in their SACD version of digital audio (DSD), it probably makes sense to explain why any of this even matters. We  recognize that at the end of the day, […]

Read More

JEFF HEALEY: As The Years Go Passing By

  They tell us…. This compilation captures something truly unique. It contains a wonderful glimpse at the evolution of a performer… a look at an artist in three distinct phases of his career; the runaway rampant energy of the first big success, the confident virtuosity of one who’s ridden the wave and continued to move […]

Read More

THE DIFFERENCE: Is I would not recommend them to someone interested in achieving audio nirvana. That’s not what they do.

Regular readers will know I often am critical of a few well known speaker brands. This doesn’t sit well with owners of those brands and for that I apologize. I single out a few brands because, to me, they represent great examples of perceptual confusion—conflating two ideas together that don’t necessarily match. Take Sonus Fabers […]

Read More

BLUES: Our office playlist 29/10/22

John Nemeth – I’ll Be GladZora Young – Til The Fat Lady SingsMitch Grainger – HollywoodThe Hungry Williams – You Better Find Yourself Another FoolMick Clarke – Night SchoolTravellin’ Blue Kings – If Only…Robert Hill & Joanne Lediger – Pay One Way Or AnotherEric Clapton – Old LoveMark Pocket Goldberg – A Matter Of TimeJunior […]

Read More

QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE: Live In San Jose – September 1966 (CD)

One of the earliest live recordings of the quintessential San Francisco psychedelic jam band, the legendary Quicksilver Messenger Service! Features original vocalist Jim Murray alongside the classic Cipollina-Duncan-Freiberg-Elmore quartet performing their trademark tunes plus rare numbers such as Walkin Blues and All Night Worker! –Cleopatra Records 1. All Night Worker 2. Walkin Blues 3. I […]

Read More

CHARLES MINGUS: The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady (Vinyl LP)

Bassist / composer Charles Mingus is one of the most radical figures in American music. Throughout the ’50s, he worked as a sideman with legendary players Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and more. In the ’60s, he gained recognition as a bandleader, often followed by controversy for making strong-minded statements in the press about race, politics […]

Read More

TRADER HORNE: Morning Way (Ltd 180g LP with 7″ Single, in Deluxe Gatefold Sleeve with Extras)

The first release on the new Vinyl-Only Flashback label is the timeless psychedelic folk classic, Morning Way by Trader Horne. • Heavyweight Embossed Gatefold Cover • 12 Inch Vinyl pressed on serious 180g • 7 Inch Single with Picture Sleeve featuring Here Comes The Rain and Mercy Kelly • 16 Page Colour Booklet• Original Postcard […]

Read More

RANDY NEWMAN: 22 Songs – The Moore Theater,Seattle 1974 (CD)

The Moore Theater,Seattle, WA KISW-FM Broadcast 1974 Superb Live performance of Randy Newman from the Moore Theater, Seattle in 1974. Touring in support of the critical & commercial success of the just released ‘Good Old Boy’s’ album. The show captures him at his laconic & pithy best mixing dry mordant satire with concise observational musings […]

Read More