Tag: sound quality
PS Audio Proves Sound Quality is Metaphysics
No review disputes that the PS Audio DirectStream DAC (DSD) is musical bliss. Some reviewers have called it the component of the year for 2014. Where reviewers get edgy on PS Audio is not about the fact that it so amazing but about the science of why it is so amazing. What goes on beneath […]
May 26, 2015
How To Pick A Power Cable For Your Audio System
In order to make a noticeable improvement in sound quality with a power cord you should expect to pay not less than $500 for a 1 meter cord. Cords to consider at this price point are the Audioquest NRG 10, Audience PowerCord SE or a PS Audio AC-10. These are all good power cords that […]
April 20, 2015
Imagine in High Resolution Blu-ray
It is not always the case that a high resolution 96kHz/24bit sounds better than a CD at 44mHz/16bit. More often than not, the remastering matters more than the bit rate. This is one of those times. The high resolution Blu-ray and, presumably, the digital download available on HDTracks is taken from the 2010 remaster overseen […]
April 13, 2015
Yes, Close to the Edge, in 5.1 Surround Sound
Billed as the “Definitive Edition CD,” Steve Wilson’s remaster of Close to the Edge,” by Yes is exactly that. It is perfection—the final version of a classic album. Many people who were listening to music in the 1970s own more than one copy of Close to the Edge. It was initially issued as an LP […]
March 9, 2015
Can PS Audio’s DirectStream DAC Make 0 + 1 = 2?
The PS Audio DirectStream DAC (digital to analog converter) is a Stereophile Magazine product of the year for 2014. Many audiophiles who have compared it with other DAC’s have called it a “game changer.” For non-audiophiles, a DAC replaces the sound card in your computer with an external device that takes the digital signal — […]
December 1, 2014
Gentle Giant’s The Power And The Glory Perfect In 5.1 Surround Sound
Everything by Gentle Giant should be heard in 5.1 Surround Sound. Steven Wilson’s remix of The Power And The Glory in hi-resolution stereo and 5.1 Surround sound must make band members as happy as their fan cult. Dubbed “one of the most gifted and ambitious but perhaps also most underrated of the original wave of […]
October 20, 2014
Three Reasons to Buy A VPI Nomad
The VPI Nomad may do as much to bring music listeners back to vinyl as the iPod did to bring listeners to the MP3 digital download. The Nomad is VPI’s new entry level turntable. It includes an Ortofon needle, a built in phono pre-amp and a headphone amplifier, and it is priced under $1000. VPI […]
October 13, 2014
Apple Toward High Definition Audio Playback
Recent rumors about the new Apple operating system appear to be true. Apple’s iOS 8 will allow for high definition audio playback (HRA). This certainly explains why Apple has acquired Beats Electronics to upgrade their in-ear earphones. Apple has announced that they will offer high-fidelity iTunes music downloads which enable the high-quality 24-bit audio files […]
August 18, 2014
A Passion Play by Jethro Tull Stands the Test of Time
In his notes on the 2014 remix, Steve Wilson said, “I think that A Passion Play is a historically underrated work of art that deserves to be reevaluated.” Thanks to his remix in 5.1 Surround Sound to celebrate the album’s 40th anniversary, Jethro Tull’s masterpiece will not need another 40 years before it is finally […]
August 4, 2014
The Who’s, Quadrophenia in 5.1 Surround Sound
Forty years after its initial release, the 5.1 Surround Sound Blue-ray audio re-master of The Who’s, Quadrophenia, may well be considered the definitive final version of this rock classic. After giving this disc a listen you will conclude that it is un-improvable. By the end of the first track, as the sound of the sea […]
July 21, 2014