MONTEVERDI The Other Vespers

There is only one eyewitness report of Monteverdi directing Vespers music after his permanent relocation to Venice: the Dutch tourist Constantijn Huygens attended a Vespers for the Feast of St John the Baptist on June 24, 1620 (probably at SS Giovanni e Paolo), and ‘heard the most perfect music I think I shall ever hear […]

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SPENDOR: 365 days, 144 hours: How to build a Spendor loudspeaker?

    Designed and manufactured in Great Britain from original designs, Spendor loudspeakers – which include the accessible A-Line and the enthusiast D-Line and Classic – deliver a transparent and musical sound that performs well above their price point. Indeed, so good are Spendor loudspeakers, the A4 floor-standers won a coveted five-star What Hi-Fi? Award […]

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HELIUS DESIGNS: in conversation with Howard Popeck – part one

Geoffrey ….. why is there such diversity between audiophile values and the audio engineering establishment’s values? I’m not sure there is – indeed, I would argue that, more often than not, audio engineers are just audiophiles who have taken their interest to the next level and gone pro. Perhaps I should start by suggesting that […]

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Kurt Elling The Questions – AllMusic Review by Matt Collar

Continuing the fruitful creative partnership that began with 2016’s Upward Spiral, vocalist Kurt Elling once again pairs with saxophonist Branford Marsalis for the lyrical, ruminative 2018 effort The Questions. Joining them are pianist Joey Calderazzo, drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, guitarist John McLean, pianist Stu Mindeman, bassist Clark Sommers, and trumpeter Marquis Hill. As the title […]

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MILES DAVIS: The Last Word – The Warner Bros. Years (8CD Box Set)

In 1985, Miles Davis shocked the music world by moving from Columbia to Warner Bros.. He immediately started working on an album called ‘Perfect Way’ after a tune by Scritti Politti, later renamed ‘Tutu’ by producer Tommy LiPuma. When ‘Tutu’ (a tribute to Desmond Tutu) was released in 1986, it re-ignited Miles Davis’ career, crossing […]

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HELIUS DESIGNS: VTA – “As a starting point, when people refer to Vertical Tracking Angle, VTA -they usually mean Stylus Rake Angle, SRA – in other words, the perpendicularity of the stylus with respect to the groove”

Geoffrey Owen: Somewhat like Terry Wogan and his listener, I feel my first article secured one noble reader. My hope now is to double that number in this follow-up. In my last piece, I suggested the audio industry was populated by three distinct stereotypes, these being gods, gurus and mystics; the first two I’ve covered […]

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