Genesis at the New York Audio Show - April 12 - 15, 2013

[garylkoh]

This was one of the most requested albums during our demo at CES in Las Vegas, so I'll bring it with me to New York as well. It's a double album, so there's plenty to play.

Yello is a Swiss electronic music band with a millionaire industrialist and gambler as a lead singer. Yello has been instrumental in the spread of sampled rhythms that are so prevalent in popular music today. With their latest album, Touch Yello show that they are still the masters at electronic music.

 

[garylkoh]

Another great classical album is Venice - with preludes from La Traviata, the overture from Semiramide and L'Italiana in Algeri. With Georg Solti conducting the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House on RCA Living Stereo, it is a different sound and presentation to Fiedler's Boston Pops.

 

[garylkoh]

One of my favorite singers is also the most tragic. Billie Holiday lived an extremely hard life - raped at 11, and swindled out of her earnings as a singer and arrested on her death bed. In between, she revolutionized pop vocals, using her voice like a jazz instrument.

Unfortunately, most of her albums had mediocre sound.... this one is the best sounding by far. Originally released in 1957 with 6 tracks, and then re-issued by Verve in 1997 with 6 extra tracks. The latest by Waxtime with 2 extra tracks (total 8) sounds the best IMHO. Thanks to gregadd for leading me to this one.

 

[LL21]

One of my favorite singers is also the most tragic. Billie Holiday lived an extremely hard life - raped at 11, and swindled out of her earnings as a singer and arrested on her death bed. In between, she revolutionized pop vocals, using her voice like a jazz instrument.

Unfortunately, most of her albums had mediocre sound.... this one is the best sounding by far. Originally released in 1957 with 6 tracks, and then re-issued by Verve in 1997 with 6 extra tracks. The latest by Waxtime with 2 extra tracks (total 8) sounds the best IMHO. Thanks to gregadd for leading me to this one.

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I have remastered CD which is excellent. Sound quality quite good as well as you say

 

[garylkoh]

When I'm evaluating a top-flight system, it isn't the sonic bombast, loudness or huge dynamics that put a smile on my face. It's being able to smile with the singer, sway with the trumpeter and really get involved with the music. One of the pieces I use to demonstrate how an excellent system touches the smile muscles on your face and makes your body sway to the rhythm is Ella and Louis.

The first track must make you at least crack a smile, or the system fails the test of being being musically involving and making the emotional connection.

This album is a musical tour-de-force. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong accompanied by no less than Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis and Buddy Rich. IMHO one of the best albums ever made - my desert island disc. The Waxtime DMM re-issue is brilliant and I think is a little more emotional than the Speakers Corner re-issue. The original 1956 release was mono, and there wasn't a stereo version until an Italian pressing in 1967. The HD Tracks 24/96 download is purported to be direct from mastertape and is also mono.

 

[LL21]

When I'm evaluating a top-flight system, it isn't the sonic bombast, loudness or huge dynamics that put a smile on my face. It's being able to smile with the singer, sway with the trumpeter and really get involved with the music. One of the pieces I use to demonstrate how an excellent system touches the smile muscles on your face and makes your body sway to the rhythm is Ella and Louis.

The first track must make you at least crack a smile, or the system fails the test of being being musically involving and making the emotional connection.

This album is a musical tour-de-force. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong accompanied by no less than Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis and Buddy Rich. IMHO one of the best albums ever made - my desert island disc. The Waxtime DMM re-issue is brilliant and I think is a little more emotional than the Speakers Corner re-issue. The original 1956 release was mono, and there wasn't a stereo version until an Italian pressing in 1967. The HD Tracks 24/96 download is purported to be direct from mastertape and is also mono.


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Agree...I have the FIM Remastered version of this album plus the Mobile Fidelity remasters of Ella and Louis Again...both great...probably will go up on the deck for dinner tonite.

 

[garylkoh]

Set-up, tweaked, and open for business

The back end where the rubber hits the road - Genesis 2.2jr loudspeakers and Burmester 909 power amp.




Electronics driving the system: Burmester 077 preamp, 069 CD Player, 111 Music Center and 948 power conditioner. The last box is a 10TB audiophile NAS by Certon.




The front end - comprising the Soundsmith Hyperion cartridge on the Vertere Reference Tonearm. The turntable is the Roksan TMS3.

 

[vinylphilemag]

Another nice looking rig, Gary! Wish I could be there; maybe next year...

 

[garylkoh]

Another nice looking rig, Gary! Wish I could be there; maybe next year...

It sounds good too. Ying Tan of Groove Note came in, and was impressed enough to pull an ACETATE out of his bag and let us play it.



A couple of lucky audiophiles got to hear it. One of them commented - "Elvis Lives".



One of them asked "May I tell my friends that I listened to an acetate?" I told him that I'll even post the evidence on What's Best Forum.

 

[garylkoh]

Classical, jazz, blues, all seemed to be equally requested during the show.

I wasn't surprised that Swedish House Mafia was the album most specifically requested during the show. SHM had played to sold-out houses in Madison Square Garden, New York City and Barclay Center, Brooklyn in March. At the end of March, they closed the Ultra Music Festival in Miami and the day after that, announced that they were disbanding. A limited edition Singles album will be released on Record Store Day, Apr 20th (this Saturday). We had a pre-release copy and ended up playing it at least once a day.

A couple of guys who were at the concerts commented that it sounded far, far better in our room than it did at the concert.

 

[Odyno]

Great demo Gary and off-course great music on vinyl ;-)

 

[PeterA]

@odyno, we will have the production version of Touraj's $35, 000 Vertere Reference Tonearm on the last t/t Touraj designed - the Roksan TMS3. TMS stands for Touraj Moghaddam Signature.

I saw this arm at the show and the list is now $38,500, not $35K. It went up 10%.

 

[PeterA]

When I'm evaluating a top-flight system, it isn't the sonic bombast, loudness or huge dynamics that put a smile on my face. It's being able to smile with the singer, sway with the trumpeter and really get involved with the music. One of the pieces I use to demonstrate how an excellent system touches the smile muscles on your face and makes your body sway to the rhythm is Ella and Louis.

The first track must make you at least crack a smile, or the system fails the test of being being musically involving and making the emotional connection.

This album is a musical tour-de-force. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong accompanied by no less than Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis and Buddy Rich. IMHO one of the best albums ever made - my desert island disc. The Waxtime DMM re-issue is brilliant and I think is a little more emotional than the Speakers Corner re-issue. The original 1956 release was mono, and there wasn't a stereo version until an Italian pressing in 1967. The HD Tracks 24/96 download is purported to be direct from mastertape and is also mono.


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I like the recently issued 45 RPM from Quality Records. April in Paris is it.

 

[mep]

I like the recently issued 45 RPM from Quality Records. April in Paris is it.

I think every song on this album is a keeper. This is a classic example of classic songs written back in the days when things were more pure and singers could actually sing instead of running their voices through a bunch of effect boxes in hopes of getting their vocals to be on key. Ella wouldn't win any beauty contests, but damn she had a voice.

 

[NorthStar]

I saw this arm at the show and the list is now $38,500, not $35K. It went up 10%.

Inflation?

 

[garylkoh]

Actually, I think that the price of the arm went down. It's now $27,600. $38,500 includes the Reference Tonearm cable......

 

[garylkoh]

Great demo Gary and off-course great music on vinyl ;-)

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

 

[Peter Breuninger]

Actually, I think that the price of the arm went down. It's now $27,600. $38,500 includes the Reference Tonearm cable......

I have the price placard clear in the video... just before some goofballs started dancing. Who me? Who else? We'll see...

 

[garylkoh]

I have the price placard clear in the video... just before some goofballs started dancing. Who me? Who else? We'll see...

Oh no! I'd sooner forget that episode

 

[Peter Breuninger]

Oh no! I'd sooner forget that episode

Bad, very bad (dancing). We needed to do the Texas Two Step. IDEA? A Texas Two Step workshop with Gen 2.2 Jrs. Get the whole room a stomping. It will go viral and we'll all be (in)famous. Never mind.