Genesis Launch Party

garylkoh

WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Sep 6, 2010
5,599
225
1,190
Seattle, WA
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
Everytime we launch another pair of our line-source loudspeakers to the high seas, I invite the members of the Pacific Northwest Audio Society to come and enjoy some music. Not many of us have the space to house a 4-tower line-source loudspeaker, so it's a rare opportunity to spend an afternoon or an evening with such a system. As we normally run the speakers in for at least a week prior to shipping, there's usually a Friday night or a weekend that we can have a party.

Before this pair sails off to Brazil, I'd like to invite Seattle/Bellevue-based WBF members to come and join us. I'm planning on putting the Burmester Top-line electronics on this pair instead of my usual gear. No R2R (unless someone is kind enough to bring a machine) but analog and digital will be available.

Date: Sat, 7th May
Time: 3pm till late

Place:
Genesis shipyard :)
654 S Lucile St
Seattle, WA 98108
Tel: 206 763 8383
 
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rsbeck

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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Wish I could be there for that -- can't wait to hear the reports!
 

garylkoh

WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Sep 6, 2010
5,599
225
1,190
Seattle, WA
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
Well, because this is the What's Best Forum.... the gear:

Roksan Xerses 20+ turntable
FM Acoustics 122 Phono Stage
Weiss Minerva DAC
Burmester 089 CD Player
Burmester 088 Preamplifier
Burmester 911 Mk III Power Amplifier
Genesis 2.2 Loudspeaker
 

DonH50

Member Sponsor & WBF Technical Expert
Jun 22, 2010
3,947
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Monument, CO
Alas, too far to make the trip... I respectfully suggest that, rather than host such a prestigious event in the confines of such a dank/wet/gloomy locality, you should hold auditions where the air is clear and clean (if a little less dense) and sunshine abounds. That is, to achieve the highest sound, you should place your speakers in a higher place.

BTW, my house sits at 7500' in the CO Rockies. Just saying... :D
 

c1ferrari

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 15, 2010
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Alas, too far to make the trip... I respectfully suggest that, rather than host such a prestigious event in the confines of such a dank/wet/gloomy locality, you should hold auditions where...sunshine abounds. That is, to achieve the highest sound, you should place your speakers...

IN SAN DIEGO :cool:

Thanks, Don -- I couldn't have said it better, myself ;)

Seriously, Gary -- hearty congratulations!
 

mullard88

Well-Known Member
Jun 5, 2010
948
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1,588
Congratulations Gary. Any idea on the room in Brazil where the speaker is headed to and the associated equipment it will be matched with?
 

garylkoh

WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Sep 6, 2010
5,599
225
1,190
Seattle, WA
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
I was going to keep a running playlist on Sat, but with all the great music, most of us were too mesmerized to do anything other than keep the CD player, record player and music server fed. So, here's what few notes I took of music brought in, and from my collection. It turned out to be an expensive session for everybody because inevitably, someone brings in something that was a "must have". With all the smart phones present, Amazon and Acoustic Sounds made money that afternoon :D

Some listening notes:

1) Mantovani and his Orchestra - Operatic Arias: Decca London original pressing.
Even though it was a little noisy with clicks and pops, massed strings on the old London pressing is IMHO incomparable. I was on to side 2 by the time people started streaming in, and no one wanted me to take it off until the side ended.

2) Milt Jackson & Wes Montgomery - Bags meets Wes: 24/96 high-rez download



3) One of our members stopped by on the way to the opera - he was going to be watching The Magic Flute at the Seattle Center that evening, so of course, he brought in a CD to preview. The CD wasn't very good - so I brought out a copy I had on my server.

After all the "oohs" and "ahhs" had died down, I broke the news to everyone that it was an mp3 downloaded from Amazon as part of their "99 Most Essential Opera Classics" collection. Every time I pick up a CD from Amazon, I get a $1 credit towards an mp3 purchase, and every once in a while, Amazon has these amazing deals - I paid 99cents for the 99 tracks.

Checking on Amazon today, the deal has expired, but they will inevitably come back. Don't pooh pooh these, as the quality can be quite amazing.



4) After the Magic Flute on mp3, a change of pace with Sting - The Dream of the Blue Turtles on vinyl.



5) Here's a rare album - Carol Kidd's self titled album on ALOI records - AKH 003. This LP I bought off the hands of Ivor Tiefunbrun at the Linn factory when as a student, we visited on a tour. It was so good, everytime I made a move to take the stylus off, someone would yell "STOP". We ended up playing the entire album. I know that there will be at least Jerry trying to hunt this one down since both Joe and I own a copy each.

6) Another album that we played the entire side on: The Queen - Maxine Sullivan and her Swedish Jazz All Stars - Kenneth Records KS2052. According to the liner notes: "The whole LP was 'in the can' within six hours including breaks! In these times perhaps one had to better add: This is an original recording. The sound you hear really DID take place at the same time - no mixing, cutting or editing, no fooling of the listener!"



..... to be continued
 
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garylkoh

WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Sep 6, 2010
5,599
225
1,190
Seattle, WA
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
A CD that Keith brought in had all of us fascinated. It's locally produced in Seattle. James Ehnes - Homage.

This is a CD/DVD set that had James Ehnes playing violins and violas from the Fulton Collection. This is one of the most important private collections of instruments in the world - with Stradivari, Guarneri, da Solo, and Guadgnini. We played several tracks, as well as an excerpt from Bruch's Scottish Fantasy played on nine violins ranging from the 1698 Guarneri, through 8 Stradivari. A landmark recording with great performances.

If anybody's curious as to the different sounds of various violins, this album is a must-have.

 

garylkoh

WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Sep 6, 2010
5,599
225
1,190
Seattle, WA
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
Four albums from my collection that I know the audience started searching out for the moment the side finished. Sorry, but I waited a couple of days so that the guys who were there could get the albums first.

1) Bill Cunliffe Trio - Live at Bernie's. Groove Note GRV1009-1DD. While thousands of albums have been mastered at Bernie Grundman's studio, this was the first to have been actually recorded there, and direct to disc at 45rpm. They moved in a 9foot Hamburg Steinway into the hallway outside the control room. In the liner notes, Bill Cunliffe says "When we heard the playbacks, we all flipped. These were the warmest, and most natural sounding recordings of a trio we had ever experienced."



2) Jacintha - Here's to Ben. Groove Note GRV1001-1. This is the album that probably started Jacintha's (my fellow Singaporean and my sister's classmate in school) international reputation. It was recorded live to 2-track direct and mastered by Bernie Grundman direct to his tube driven Sculley lathe. We played The Look of Love from the 45rpm bonus LP from the original first pressing. The FIM XRCD2 is good, but the original was great!



3) Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio - Misty. Cisco TBM-30-45. The 45rpm 180gm super vinyl re-issue mastered and cut at the JVC Mastering Center and pressed by RTI is IMO better than the original pressing. The raw detail and dynamics of the piano on this first recording is better than on Midnight Sugar. Strangely, the LPs have lower noise and tape hiss than the SACDs.



4) Because the first three are practically "unobtainium", I played a "sleeper". Johnny Adams - Sings Doc Pomus - The Real Me. Analogue Productions APP 028. This was introduced to me by Touraj - the owner of Roksan - and I've been playing it constantly since for the heartfelt feeling that Adams can put into his voice. This last album is still easily available at Acoustic Sounds, and it's CHEAP! Get it before other audiophiles find out ;)

 

Joe Pittman

Well-Known Member
Sep 14, 2010
35
1
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Seattle, Washington USA
www.kosmic.us
Hi John,
I really enjoyed the "OrientOccident" CD by Jordi Savall. As I mensioned, a similar album I recommend is "Calamus, The Splendour of Al-Andalus" on MA Records M026A. This Arab-Andalusian music of the 12th to 15th centuries is really great music.
Joe
 

garylkoh

WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Sep 6, 2010
5,599
225
1,190
Seattle, WA
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
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garylkoh

WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Sep 6, 2010
5,599
225
1,190
Seattle, WA
www.genesisloudspeakers.com
Thanks again, Gary. It was a fun evening.

Here are a couple of CD's that I brought and which we sampled.

John

Another CD brought in by John that I thought was outstanding was Frank Vignola - 100 years of Django. If you (like me) like the music of Django Reinhardt, this is another must-have CD. Vignola plays often at the local Jazz Alley, so catch him live there too.

 

garylkoh

WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Sep 6, 2010
5,599
225
1,190
Seattle, WA
www.genesisloudspeakers.com

flez007

Member Sponsor
Aug 31, 2010
2,915
36
435
Mexico City
Great tunes, I have not heard them all so my shopping list keeps growing faster than my wallet!

Gary - whenever you feel you want to try your amps with an awful-sensitivity rating, I am in! :)
 

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