POWER LINE NOISE?

Colin – can we get meaningful measurements of power line noise? Is the noise too low-level to measure without exorbitantly expensive equipment? What equipment is required? Outside of laboratories, who has it? We buy all sorts of devices to clean up power. So why can’t we measure the noise that’s there and target it? Wayne […]

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CLASSICS: Maybe it’s just me but there seems to be a growing chasm between what’s new and the era where classics seemed to sprout like weeds.

In 1976 Swedish recording engineer, Gert Palmcrantz recorded live to analog tape a Swedish jazz group featuring Arne Domnérus, alto sax, clarinet; Bengt Hallberg, piano; Lars Erstrand, vibes; Georg Riedel, bass; and Egil Johansen, drums. That album, Jazz at The Pawnshop was released as a two-record set by Proprius Records on 180-gram vinyl in 1977 (Sony and Philip’s introduction […]

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AUDIO INSIDER

SEE THROUGH THE MUSIC

When you are watching a live show you can see the musicians and hear their individual instruments. The visuals add clarity to what you are hearing. Listening on your stereo system loses that visual element but in exchange adds a proximity advantage. You are now closer to the musicians than you could have ever been […]

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AUDIO INSIDER

THE BEST OF TWO WORLDS / PS AUDIO FR30 loudspeakers + AUDEZE headphones

Two of the most valuable tools we have at Octave Records are a pair of Audeze headphones and the FR30 loudspeakers. Putting the headphones on while setting up a recording mix is an incredibly important tool that allows us to hear deep into the music as if looking through a magnifying glass before switching to […]

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AUDIO INSIDER

TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION

Ever wonder why harmonic distortion figures include the word total? Surely we don’t benefit from knowing partial harmonic distortion. Or do we? Harmonic distortion happens when higher frequencies that are not part of the music are added to the signal when passing through our equipment chain. If we take a single tone, say 1kHz, then inevitably when we […]

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CAMBRIDGE AUDIO: The CXA61 – in a few words

HI-FI CHOICE … “If the old CXA60 was a close-but-no-cigar integrated, its successor might well have hit the jackpot at its price point. It isn’t perfect and needs care with partnering equipment if its inherent enthusiasm and eagerness to entertain is to be sympathetically framed. But, if not quite limitless, the CXA61 is potent beyond […]

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ROTEL: Intros 3 New MKII Integrated Amplifiers: A14 MKII, RA-1572 MKII & RA-1592 MKII @ NOVO

“Rotel has just announced that it will be releasing new, upgraded versions of its award-winning integrated amplifiers with the MKII designation. The new models include circuit design innovations and component level changes in key circuit locations, leveraging the design elements from the acclaimed Michi Series. The A14MKII, RA-1572MKII and RA-1592MKII are the proud recipients of […]

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Can audio components run too cool?

This is an interesting question. We’ve all experienced how different our systems sound when we first turn them on. Cold they sound like their temperature: stiff, sluggish, perhaps a bit sterile. Warmed up for an hour or so we become much more engaged. On the other side of the proverbial coin is the opposite: too […]

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