My objective is to duplicate the sound of a good jazz venue as best I can. I'll never match it but getting close is fine. I've had various audio components through the years and tubes particularly DHT tubes/ASSET have gotten me the closest. So this is where I will settle down and appreciate.
Balanced AC power is fantastic !! 1800va balanced isolation transformer/conditioner. All aspects of music reproduction are improved for every single component.
Tripoint Tripoint Troy.
A wonderful grounding box component. When added to my system it increased the sense of natural sound quality and emotional engagement. The Troy has a humanistic and “soulful “ quality to it.
Coincident Speaker Tech Total eclipse 2
This wonderful speaker is transparent,open and involving. It`s large yet completely disappears as the source of sound within the room. Very easy to drive,94db and 14 0hm impedance (Minimum 10 ohm). I replaced the stock Solens capacitor with the Duelund CAST in the crossover.
Coincident Statement linestage
Superb performance. In my opinion , a masterpiece by Israel Blume. As would be expected, a wonderful match with its sibling the Frankenstein MK II.
Coincident Speaker Tech Frankenstein mark 2
A terrific 300b SET amplifier that is the foundation of my system. The EML XLS 300b tubes are a superb match with this amplifier.
Acquiring these 300b SET mono blocks changed the course of my music listening experience. They elevated the emotional engagement, tactility and “breath of life “ realism.
Yamamoto YDA-01
Wonderful music lover's DAC that has a very natural/organic sound quality. Duelund CAST addition(output coupling capacitors) makes it sound even better. It has a very minimalist circuit/design that was implemented well.
Ocellia Silver Reference IC
Very natural and pure sounding with excellent tone and timbre preservation.
Ocellia Silver Reference Speaker Cable
Same qualities/ comments as the IC.
Star Sound Technologies Sistrum Apprentice component platforms..
These Star Sound platforms are mandatory in my system. Effectively managing resonance and vibration leads to a very noticeable sound improvement with every component and especially the speakers. Excellent product.
High Fidelity CT1 Ultimate Digital cable
A highly impressive digital cable that mates beautifully into my system. Contributes to the natural sound presentation.
Pro-Ject Audio Systems CD Box RS2T
This is a superb Redbook CD playback transport. It’s both high resolution and impressively natural.
. I’m using the excellent Fidelizer Nikola II LPS. Splendid pairing.
Lavricables Grand and Master series Power Cables.
Pure silver wire and unshielded power cables. These are used with all of my audio components. They are very open, transparent, high resolution with beautiful natural tone and timbre presentation.
Abbas Esoteric Audio 3.2SE
Built by renown Ukrainian Abbas Zulfugarov. NOS DAC utilizing the classic Phillips TDA 1541 multi bit chip. Two 6080 tubes in the analog stage. 5 various rectifier tubes in the power supplies.
3 separate toroidal transformers (And 2 chokes ) for the power supplies.A very serious and successful upper tier DAC implementation. Using with the Abbas SPDIF and power cable.
Len, I do have some Stern recordings I really like. I heard him live once, back in about 87-88. I have never heard a worse sounding recital. It was like really bad 1984 vintage digital. I could not imagine how he could make his instrument sound so strident.
Charles, Of the three you mentioned, a priori I would buy them in the order Melos, Berg, and Emerson. A word of advice. Schubert knows his Schubert! He has directed me towards some recordings I truly treasure. I've never been a huge fan of Stern, but Tortelier was something special.
A place to start with Maisky might be his recording with Daria Hovora "Songs without words." This is music Schubert wrote as songs to be accompanied by piano. These have been reworked and presented as cello/piano duets. Tampering with Schubert's Lieder takes a brave soul, but Maisky and Hovora present some beautiful music here. As usual, DG sonics lags well behind the masterful musicianship. A recent release by him features Spanish music, and he is accompanied by his daughter. I also think this is worth having.
Another recording you might like is a disc by Truls Mork entitled Nocturne. It features music of Chopin.
Schubert, Thanks for your input, the Berg/Schiff was compared to the Melos/Rostropovich version in the review I read. I'll get the Berg recording also. I'm very curious to hear the different cello styles of Maisky,Rostropovich and Schiff. I do this all the time with jazz musicians who play the same instrument. Barry Harris and Gene Harris are both jazz pianists, they play and sound nothing alike.I love that. Charles,
As I agree with Arthur Rubenstein that the adagio of the Quintet D.956 is the most beautiful music ever written, I believe I've heard every recording of it. The best is from 1952 with Stern/Tortelier , . Sony Classical mono 0746 45899-2 . A great modern edition is the Alban Berg Qt. with Heinrich Schiff ,EMI Great Recording of the Century 566890-2 . Shiff, who has this music in his bones , is also fabulous with the Hagen Qt. on DG 439 744-2GH but natch EMI sound is better.
Bill, Thanks for your recommendations of Micsha Maisky and Schubert recordings. I'll get the Artemis quartet and see how they vary from the Melos quartet interpretation. Charles,
I read a long review on amazon that compared several versions of Schubert's string quintet D.956. Emerson, Berg and the Melos string quartets(with the added 2nd cello) were contrasted. Obviously one man's opinion (but compelling) I chose to first try Melos with Rostorpovich recorded in 1977. It was described as the more lyrical and soulful of the three(he felt all 3 were excellent, just different). 6.00 dollars on amazon, I love the low price of many CDs. The library grows. Charles,
Charles, it occurred to me that you might like to investigate some of the recordings of Micsha Maisky. He is a portage of Rostrapovioch, having studied under him at the Moscow conservatory. He is a superb musician, and it wouldn't be much of a stretch for me to name him my favorite cellist. His works with Martha Argerich are of the highest quality.
As usual, Al is dead right. The Schubert quintet is a masterpiece. I have two modern recordings, by the Belcea quartet and by the Artemis Quartet with Truls Mork. I prefer the Artemis/Mork. Looking through other available recordings, I would be interested in hearing the Guarneri, the Tacacs, and the Vogler.
Al, How bad can these be if they feature Rostropovich? Is the recording quality so bad that his musicianship doesn't compensate? I want good music and good sound. I'd prefer good music /average sound rather than good sound/average music if forced to compromise. Charles,
Actually Rostropovich recorded it multiple times, with various string quartets including the Emerson and the Melos, on Deutsche Grammophon. I'm not familiar with those performances, though, and I tend to be leery of DG sonics.
10-25-14: Brownsfan Schubert, in particular, is a right brain listen for me. His music is generally exquisitely well crafted, but his craftsmanship hides behind the shear beauty of his work.
10-25-14: Charles1dad Bill, Based on your grouping of "left" vs "right" brain composers and musician interpretation, I know I'll favor right brain perspective.
Bill (Brownsfan), beautifully said!
Charles, if you want to explore the music of Schubert there is perhaps no better place to start than his String Quintet, D. 956, Opus 163. It is widely considered to be among the greatest, and possibly THE greatest, piece of chamber music ever written.
Perhaps Bill or our A'gon colleague "Schubert" can recommend a good currently available recording of it. I believe that the only recordings I have of it (most notably Bernard Greenhouse with the Juilliard Quartet, and Heinrich Schiff with the Alban Berg Quartett) are long since out of print. Those two, btw, being wonderful performances, but which leave something to be desired sonically.
Bill, Based on your grouping of "left" vs "right" brain composers and musician interpretation, I know I'll favor right brain perspective. Probably why I love jazz to the degree that I do. The freedom to improvise and play what you feel and to explore/expand the basic melody.
Take a standard like "My foolish Heart" listen to Ella Fitzgerald sing it then listen to Carmen McRae. The effect and delivery is so different, so stamped with their personal approach.The beauty is you can enjoy both even as you recognize the contrasting presentation. Listen to Miles, Clifford Brown or Thad Jones play "I'll Remember April". Three different sounds yet each is an individual expression on how they interpret the song. I love it. Charles,
Charles, your analysis of my situation is spot on. It is hard for me to use restraint in dealing with bullies. I was the guy that took down the locker room bully. This just wasn't worth the trouble.
My two favorites with LvB piano are Brendel and Schiff, both of whom have been criticized for overly intellectual interpretations. I do like others that take more liberties, but they do not wear well with me for Beethoven. Small doses on occasion can be very rewarding, but then it is back to my old standbys. As I said, LvB and Brahms are for me left brain composers.
Arguments about what is the correct approach I will leave to Frogman and Learsfool. For those of use who are consumers rather than producers, it is a case of preference and sometimes mood.
Schubert, in particular, is a right brain listen for me. His music is generally exquisitely well crafted, but his craftsmanship hides behind the shear beauty of his work.
Check out "the dreams and prayers of Isaac the blind" on youtube. I suspect you might really like this work. I have a recording by the Vogler quartet that is one of my most treasured recordings. I love this work, and it is one that just rocks the emotional buttons.
Once I get moved and settled, I will be toe dipping into some Jazz. I always liked what I heard of earlier Miles Davis stuff. He lost me along about the early 70's.
Hi Bill. Putting up with that broker and seller is thankfully a transient event and minor aggravation. In the big picture you and your wife have obttained the environment and home you've always desired, you win "big time". Good to know you have found friendly and helpful people so soon, that's a very good start.
It is understandable our reactions to Tatiana differ, you have a vastly broader reference base for comparison and I have virtually none. What struck me immediately though is her ability to make music communicative and bring it to life. Some musicians can have impeccable technical mastery and yet sound as Jwm described, mechanical. You can admire the obvious talent but not really want to listen to them much.
Tatiana and Rostropovich have this technical expertise but also possess the crucial ability to convey passion and emotions. This compels me to want to listen and most importantly, "enjoy" what they're playing. I realize that I judge performers in the same manner as I do components. They have to pull me in and allow the music to be expressed with heart and soul. If that's absent then so is my interest. This for example is why I can listen to Miles Davis "Sketches Of Spain" repeatedly. His trumpet playing and interactions with the orchestra just keep me engaged and interested. I could cite so many more examples. Charles,
Charles, the Tatiana/Monk duet would be heavenly, without question. For most of the last 40 years, I have been a classical purist. More recently, I have become more open to classical crossover. The Yo Yo Ma group dipping into a classical/bluegrass fusion is very appealing to me. Ma is not my favorite cellist by a long shot, but I appreciate his ambassadorship for classical music.
Charles, The "Russians" had a set up for training somewhat akin to the Soviet run Olympic mill that churned out some spectacular talent. The state was going to sanction certain activities and support them well. My daughter's teacher was a Ukrainian educated under the Soviets. She was excellent. While the Soviets, especially under Stalin, could make life quite miserable for composers, I have not heard that performers were singled out for persecution (or prosecution) for displeasing the man of steel. It is possible that the Russians had an advantage in sustaining and growing their performance legacy over the Germans. The atrocities of Hitler decimated the performing arts in Germany.
Rostropovich was special. I have never heard a negative word about his musicianship. I also never had the pleasure of hearing him perform live.
I have heard Starker, Ma, Mork, Gerhard, Bailey, and Harrell live (most of them more than once). Of those, Lynn Harrell gave the most memorable performance. Hands down, the best Dvorak concerto I ever heard.
I gave a listen to the Nickolayeva LvB sonata 32. It was excellent, but I don't think it hit the same button for me that it did for you. I will listen a few more times when I am not so stressed and exhausted. I suspect I would prefer her doing Schubert, Mendelssohn, or Chopin. I see LvB as a left brain composer.
The move and the closing were stressful and unfortunately contentious. The sellers broker was borderline sociopathic. They buyers weren't much better. The dark side is getting pretty dark.
However, I woke up Thursday morning having slept on a blow up mattress in a cold house at 5 am and was very happy. My wife and I came very close to walking away from the closing. I was frustrated and angry, but I shut down the emotion and acted based on reason and will. It is very agreeable to return to the safe confines of your SET Bliss thread, where people treat each other with respect.
No internet, no tv, and alas, no music. Although the Franks made the trip with me, it may take two more trips down to get a functioning rig down there. Nice house, nice neighborhood, and we had about 8 folks from our new church down there show up to help us unload.
Charles, I don't know if you have Monk's "Brilliant Corners" with Sonny Rollins, Ernie Henry, and Clark Terry, but it is oustanding, the best of Monk's work I've heard.
On Pannonica, he plays Celeste with his right hand, and piano with his left.
On Bemsha Swing, a tympany along with drums is played by Max Roach, with oustanding results. This is a good one.
