Lou Reed’s last solo album, released in January of 2003, is somewhat of a Spinal-Tap ish homage to Edgar Allen Poe.

His wife Laurie Anderson often talked about “Difficult Listening Hour,” but this one just might become an acquired taste. This link to the Wikepedia entry has a full list of the credits – and it’s pretty major. The two disc version is just over two hours long, and you’ll probably have to work up to a full listening.

However, I suggest “Vanishing Act.” This track is so intimate, yet big at the same time, it will get you to sit up and take notice. It’s also one of the most engaging male vocal tracks to see what your system is capable of. Great as the vinyl sounds, you might want to stream it first. You’ll either love it, or it will be nevermore.

Leave a comment and let us know what you think!

Record of the Day is brought to you by Bergmann Audio, and Supreme Acoustic Systems.

The table featured here is the Modi, with their Thor linear tracking arm.
Cartridge is a modified LYRA Helikon SL, modified by Ana Mighty Sound
Phono Pre is the award winning XP-17 from Pass Labs
Cables by Cardas Audio
All on top of the Pagode Master Reference MKII, courtesy of MoFi Distribution

Though the performance for the album was recorded in September of 1979, at the Santa Barbara Bowl in California, I had seen this show a month earlier at Alpine Valley Music Theater in Wisconsin. It still stands out as one of the most amazing live experiences I’ve had.

Mitchell has always surrounded herself with stellar performers, but this was a special lineup featuring Jaco Pastorius, Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, MIchael Brecker, and Don Alias. The setlist was the best of her material to date, starting with “In France They Kiss on Main Street” and “Edith And The Kingpin” from The Hissing of Summer Lawns, and ending with “Woodstock.”

Originally mastered by Bernie Grundman, the current remaster pictured here is also handled by Mr. Grundman. I can honestly say this is one of the few records I think I wore out. Whether you were there, and re-living the experience, or just someone who digs Joni Mitchell – this is a record you should own.

Considering how popular and loved Ms. Mitchell remains, this is a rare glimpse of her at her absolute peak.

Record of the Day is brought to you by Bergmann Audio, and Supreme Acoustic Systems.

The table featured here is the Modi, with their Thor linear tracking arm.
Cartridge is a modified LYRA Helikon SL, modified by Ana Mighty Sound
Phono Pre is the award winning XP-17 from Pass Labs
Cables by Cardas Audio
All on top of the Pagode Master Reference MKII, courtesy of MoFi Distribution

As I mentioned yesterday, in collaboration with Supreme Acoustic Systems and Bergmann Turntables, we begin our quest to play a record every single day (though we usually do more than that) start to finish, and share it with you.

Today’s record is the Pretenders’ debut.

And while we’re at it, why not the Mobile Fidelity remaster? This version is available on MoFi SACD and Original Master Recording LP (MFSL-1-372). If you can find them, expect to pay about $50-$80. Side note: there was also a Nautilus Super Disc done (NR-38) from the mid 80s I think that is not half bad either.

But this is not a pressing shootout. And there are 208 different versions of this album. Including 8-track!

Released January 11, in 1980 the Pretenders self-titled debut found me working behind the counter in a hifi shop. Our manager burst through the door with a copy in hand, proclaiming “you have to hear this.”

He wasn’t wrong. Chrissis Hynde picked up the baton for women that really rock from Patti Smith and never looked back. It still has the same energy and urgency it had on that sunny January day. The sleeve instructs you to “play it loud,” and that’s all you need. Put this one on, crank it up, and enjoy this hard rocking record that the title classic is hardly enough praise.

No matter what the reason, there’s a certain group of audio enthusiasts who always bristle at spending more than a pittance on cables, regardless of the system’s price. Here’s a great solution from Vera-Fi Audio: Their new Ranger line of cables.

Is this reason enough to sell your $70k Odin 2s on Audiogon and buy a nice vintage Alfa Romeo GTV with the proceeds? Maybe. Got your attention?

While we didn’t conduct a shootout with a five-figure pair of Nordost cables, comparing these to budget cables from Blue Jeans, Tributaries, and Clarus that we do have on hand, the Ranger cables reveal more musical information. They are not harsh or etched in any way. $79 buys you a well-executed pair of interconnect cables, delivering more performance than what you’ll find at Best Buy or Amazon that is similarly priced. (We compared that too)

Vera-Fi says that they will soon have a phono cable as well as speaker and power cables to round out the lineup. We’ll report back as soon as we have samples. For now, we’re ordering a 6M pair to go from the three tape decks plugged into our Manley Skipjack.

Cable choice is a quicksand that plagues more than beginning audio lovers. If you’re starting from the beginning, a loom of these cables will get you rolling and on a great path. And if you’ve been shopping for a sports car on Bring A Trailer and need some extra dough…

Just sayin.

You can find them here, at Vera-Fi’s site…

On a recent visit to Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs in Sebastopol, California – mastering engineer Shawn Britton asked me “What was the first record you bought with your own money?”

Easy – Edgar Winter’s They Only Come Out at Night. Still have it and it’s still in perfect shape.

We’re collaborating with Supreme Acoustic Systems and Bergmann Audio to play a different record, every day for a year and showcase it on their Modi table and Thor linear tracking tonearm. For now the cartridge is a Lyra Helikon SL rebuilt and upgraded by Ana Mighty Sound in France. (They do fantastic work btw…)

The rest of the playback chain is rounded out with an XP-17 phono stage from Pass Labs and cable from Cardas Audio. All placed on top of the latest Pagode Master Reference rack from Finite Elemente, courtesy of MoFi Distribution. (with super-cool carbon fiber top shelf!) Clean power is being supplied by IsoTek Systems’ V5 Sigma.

So join me on a wacky journey for a year. It’s not like I’m not playing records all the time, but this is on one level, more fun because it’s a commitment to doing something every single day, at the start of the day. Morning coffee, then put a record on.

I can’t think of a better way to really evaluate this turntable and tonearm. Stay tuned and thank you in advance. And a heartfelt thank you to everyone helping make this happen.

If you’ve never heard a pair of single-driver speakers, the Songer S1-X might be too much for you to take in. They might freak you out. They are that good. And like a handful of speakers that are truly special, providing a sonic experience like no other, the S1-X is destined to join that rare category.

Our full review is in process, but these speakers deliver an experience that I’ve never heard in over 50 years, and I love, love, love single driver speakers and ESLs. With a pair of the legendary Quad 63s and a pair of 57s here on hand, I still consider the S1-X magic. Even more so with Songer’s $30k A3 integrated amp, a 300B SET design.

The difference here is that the S1-X is a field coil driver, which is much more complex than a standard full-range driver, such as a Lowther. (which we are still huge fans of as well – but this is next level) The driver is handmade by Ken Songer in a lengthy process.

We’ll have all the details in the upcoming full review, but suffice to say that even if this setup is not your cup of (or you think it isn’t), you should experience it at a show, Songer’s place, or our place. It’s a data point that will stick with you forever, even if your bag is something more like a gigantic pair of cone speakers. There’s so much more to tell you, but these are one of my top ten favorite audio experiences. Of all time. In over 50 years of listening. That good.

There is an intimacy to the reproduced notes via the complete Songer system that is, at the same time, wonderful, inviting, and unique. Forget everything you think you know about single drivers. These do more everywhere. And they rock. Don’t be surprised if you see these on the cover of February’s issue as our Product of the Year. They are that good. I’m scheming on how to finance a pair as we speak. That good.

-Jeff Dorgay

https://songeraudio.com/

As we’re winding up the review on the YG Descent (a three-way floorstander), that is coming in at right about $30k per pair, and is the top of their Peaks range, the two-way, all-aluminum Carmel 3 has also landed. We thank YG’s new distributor Hiram Toto of Supreme Acoustic Systems for being kind enough to leave the Descents a few more weeks so we can compare and contrast, as they are similarly priced.

While YG is well known for their aluminum-bodied speakers, it is a controversial aesthetic choice, one that usually polarizes potential customers. Because the Carmel 3 is the entry level speaker in YG’s Reference lineup, we were curious to reveal the differences, as a potential buyer might.

You’ll have to read or full review for that, as it is outside the scope of a distilled piece. Suffice to say that the Carmel 3 on it’s own is a brilliant design, one that combines the tech of the XV, Sonja, and Hailey 3 (reviewed here) in a more compact cabinet. Even in our 24 x 36 foot room, the Carmel 3 delivers impressive bass response, and creates a massive soundfield, driven by the Pass Labs X600.8 power amplifiers.

The Carmel 3 delivers incredibly high performance, in a compact enclosure, and for those not having a room big enough to house the top YG’s, leaves precious little on the table in terms of ultimate resolution. Our test pair came fresh out of the box, and Toto tells us that good as they are already, they will continue to improve over the next week or so.

More to follow, please stay tuned.

https://www.yg-acoustics.com/products/carmel-3/

While the new Harbeth 40.5XD is a fantastic speaker (we’ve got a review going live any day…) don’t discount the 40.2s, especially when you can buy this pair, complete with stands for just over $10k at TMR.

If you’ve never heard the big Harbeths, they are quite special. Though these speakers are fairly large at about 30″ tall, 17″ wide and 15″ deep. They weigh about 85 pounds each, so tiny British monitors they are not.

But with big speakers comes big sound. If you’ve ever listened to a pair of smaller Harbeths and thought “If only I could get more of this…” The monitor 40 is the answer to your wishes. Even though the cabinet has a fairly large frontal area, these big monitors disappear in your room like a pair of LS3/5a’s, but with big bass and slam.

With an 87dB/1-watt sensitivity rating, anything beyond about 40 watts per channel will work, but if you can pair them up with a big solid-state amplifier, it’s a completely different movie. They take another big leap.

The top photo is merely for illustration, but this black pair complete with a pair of Tronger stands (A $2,000 value by themselves) is on the block at TMR for $10,499 in ebony. You know you want em!

Please click here for a purchase link. (bottom photo, courtesy of TMR)

If you are itching for a pair of crazy money headphones, but don’t have crazy money, check out the Focal Clear Mg. Now pushing close to $2,000 brand, spanking new, you can pick up this pair from TMR for $929. They even include a fresh pair of ear pads. (No small bargain, these are about $200 a pair all by themselves)

Where Focal’s top of the line Utopia phones use a beryllium driver, as their top range Utopia speakers, the Clear Mg uses a magnesium driver. (hence the Mg moniker) The biggest differences between these and the $4,000 Utopias is in ultimate tonal balance, and low level resolution. Both phones have great bass response and are super comfy for long term listening sessions.

The magnesium driver lacks a tiny bit of ultimate low level resolution compared to the Utopia, and the overall tonal balance is slightly warmer as well. Like me, you may actually prefer this sound to the Utopia regardless of price. The Clear is easy to drive with whatever you have, but you will be rewarded as your headphone amplifier gets better. We’ve used these with everything from a gen 6 ipod up to the dCS Lina stack. Not all top phones are this easy to drive – a definite bonus.

And at $929, this is a great deal. Just click here to purchase.