Description

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.
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Components Toggle details

    • BPT Signature 3.5 plus
    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.
    • Frankenstein tubes.
    Tube complement 
    EML XLS 300b output.
    RCA 5U4G rectifier (1953)
    RCA 6EM7 driver (1960s).

Comments 1956

Owner
Andrew,
Thanks for this one. I listened to the amazon samples, this guy can play! I've never heard of this French jazz guitarist, I like him and the other two musicians on this recording. I know of many jazz guitarists but there's always someone new to discover. I ordered it tonight.
Charles,

charles1dad

Charles that's very cool! I think you will love Leon Bridges then I can't stop listening to this CD despite the Motown feel it sounds very fresh and new at the same time, I love the production style and Leon's voice is tremendous and distinctive.

jond

Owner
Hi Jond,
I grew up in Detroit during the Motown heyday of the 1960-70s. We lived less than a mile from the original studio on West Grand BLVD. It wasn't uncommon to see and interact with the artists and musicians in those days, fun times.
Charles,

charles1dad

Another rec, not sure if you like the motown style sound at all Charles but I am listening right now to Leon Bridges Coming Home and its a nice fusion of jazz, blues, and motown. Very fun listening check it out!

jond

Charles,
My pleasure, I'm trying to "pay it forward" ;-)
I'm glad you like the CD.

lak

Owner
I Listened to "The Boss" today and I like it. The title cut is my favorite, it just swings! Drummer Shinji Mori really caught my ear, he was influenced by the great Elvin Jones, it shows. This is a very well done live recording with the presence, energy and drive intact. Thanks Lak for this recommendation.
Charles,

charles1dad

Charles thanks listened to Yutel Lateef last night very nice and I see the resemblance to Kirk K!

jond

Owner
Jond,
I listened to Knuffke again tonight and I really like him. I prefer him to the "atmospheric" ECM recordings I've tried. Here are a few more you may like.

Yusef Lateef "Cry!-Tender"
Elmo Hope "Homecoming"
Doug Raney "You Go To My Head"
Charles,

charles1dad

Charles so glad to hear you like it! And thanks for your rec listening to Harold Land, Tidal didn't have West Coast Blues but enjoying Grooveyard at the moment.

jond

Owner
Now something very different but oh so good. Julie London "Julie Is Her Name" Volume II. This is her, guitarist Howard Roberts and bassist Red Mitchell. Sultry and engaging, Roberts is accompanying gorgeously (so is Mitchell with natural, beautiful acoustic bass). Julie doesn't have the vocal range of Sarah Vaughan(who does?) but I like her a lot! This is a very good recording that I'll listen to on a regular basis. Another very good one by her is "Julie" this time with a big band and done very well. Both of these were recorded in 1958, they knew what they were doing.

One last recommendation is Harold Land "West Coast Blues" this features an excellent sextet playing some beautiful music. Land is a superb tenor saxophonist.
Charles,

charles1dad

Owner
Jond,
I received my CD of Kirk Knuffke "Arms & Hands" today. It's definitely Avantgarde and is good. It passed my "will I listen to it again" test. Kirk is a good player and is influenced by Don Cherry based on my listening. After I played this recording it put me in the mood for to play Ornette Coleman "The Shape Of Jazz To Come". They are cut from the same stylistic cloth. Kirk has a very good tone on his cornet. I'd like to hear him play some "straight ahead" jazz out of curiosity. Now I'm listening to Ornette's "Tomorrow IsThe Question".
Charles,

charles1dad

The Bridge does look like another winner!
I placed an order ;-)!

lak

The Bridge sounds very good, I'll look into it for some sample tracks :-)

lak

Owner
Okay I seem to have good outcomes with the name Yamamoto so I ordered "Midnight Sugar". While in an ordering mood I got Sonny Rollins "The Bridge"(long overdue). This is said to have sublime playing by Jim Hall and excellent interactions between him and Rollins. I just love good jazz guitar accompanying (oh those beautiful chords they play!). I'm really looking forward to listening to both of these recordings.
Charles,

charles1dad

Lak, I am a fan. Have what a wonderful trio and Autumn in Seattle. Also excellent recordings....

agear

Here's a CD that's light, smooth and jazzy.
I really enjoy it. It's very well recorded with excellent sonic's.
If you like the samples you can find on the internet I'm sure you will like:
"Midnight Sugar" Yamamoto, Tsuyoshi Trio (A Hybrid Super Audio Disc, FIM)

lak

That sounds like one for me Charles.
Thanks, John

roxy54

Owner
Hello, If any of you are fans of Oliver Nelson I strongly recommend "Nocturne". He plays both the alto and tenor saxophones and is joined by vibraphonist Lem Winchester. He plays beautifully from beginning to end!
Charles,

charles1dad

Owner
Hi Jond
Yes, that is a good term for this music. I could listen to this type of music for certain periods of time but not on a regular basis. Compared to this, the Tardo Hammer style of playing is my preference.
Charles,
.

charles1dad

Charles I tend to call that style of music atmospheric, it can be very relaxing to listen to at times and is usually well recorded. I would put a lot of Bill Frissell and Paul Motian into that category, two artists I really like and pretty sure at some point they both recorded with ECM.

jond

Owner
Well if the these YouTube samples are representative of his type of music, he is definitely in the more abstract realm of Jazz than the straight ahead bop or modal genre I like. I could see this recording being used for demonstration music at audio shows given it sound quality more so than the music. Of course this is simply a reflection of individual taste among us all. I suspect "The Boss". Is probably more of what I generally listen to. I am willing to try new stuff of course, but that YouTube video reminds me of an ECM type of aesthetic and sound.
Charles

charles1dad

To me "dark" is somber, deep-tone and almost mournful, but definitely not happy and light and fast-paced. I have other CDs that I consider to be in a similar style such as the ones by the Helge Lien trio.

gsm18439

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u6hnPzl94Y

I am game. Sounds good...

agear

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