Greetings friends, I hope you are well! 🙂

Fall is officially here in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. Temperatures are starting to cool off, and smoke from wildfires has dissipated. This morning it was chilly and I actually fired up my sauna for the first time in ages. Yeah!

I've managed to get in a couple of recent road trips in the Miata. It's been challenging to get road trips in with all the smoke from wildfires in the PNW, but when the air cleared for a bit, I zoomed off!

I was able to get in an impromptu drive through the clear air and moderate temperatures of the Chinook Scenic Byway, over Chinook Pass, and through Mt. Rainier National Park. Twisty roads with incredible scenery. Wildflowers were in bloom all along the roads in rather spectacular fashion.

I also managed to do a road trip to go to my 50th High School Reunion in Boise, Idaho. It sure was good to see some of my ol' high school pals again! Robert, Cory, and Jim, it was so great to visit with you and catchup on the last 50 years! Man, times goes by fast. 

When I lived in Boise as a youngster it was a quiet little city of modest size, and a nice place to grow up. Now it is a massive city with traffic worse than Seattle. It was a bit of a shock for me to see what it's turned into. But as a bonus, the freeway speed limit is 80 mph, so I let the Miata rip on the open sections! 

I'm hoping to get in another road trip in before weather intervenes. Hmm, where to go?

Well anyways, I think Fall might be my favorite season, as Fall colors emerge in nature, temperatures cool off from the blazing heat of Summer, Fall rains damp wildfires to reduce smoke, and of course, Fall is great time to enjoy listening to music on the audio system!  

It's audio time! 

Audio Note (UK)

Above: The mighty Ongaku! 

If you haven't read it yet, my feature review of the Audio Note (UK) "Level Five" Ongaku 211 integrated amplifier was just published at Positive Feedback HERE.   

The Ongaku is hands down the finest amplifier I've ever encountered, and it completely blew me away with what it could do. I thought I had a pretty good handle on what the upper limit of high-fidelity amplifier performance was, but the Ongaku showed me I still have a lot to learn, with performance that is so far above everything else I've experienced that I was in a state of shock and awe at what it could do.

That was even before I found out what the Ongaku's price is these days - MSRP Retail: $168,630.00 USD - gasp!  If you can play at that level the Ongaku is a no-brainer, and is simply the finest amplifier I've ever encountered. I'm in awe.  I predict you'll love it. 

I feel fortunate that I was able to listen to the Ongaku with the equally heady "Level Five" M8 RIAA phono preamp (review HERE), and the tippy-top-of-the-line Audio Note (UK) AN-S9 SUT paired with the exotic and also tippy-top-of-the-line Audio Note (UK) Io Ltd. field-coil, moving-coil phonograph cartridge and power supply. Sometimes being an audio writer is just so awesome, like now with this Audio Note (UK) Level Five kit, I mean, wow, just wow! 

There's more audio performance available to you than you've ever dreamed of, my dear friend, Harry. I mean, there's nothing hyped up about the way Level Five presents music, you don't hear it and go, "Now that's Hi-Fi!"

No, it's more like, "That album's a work of art. What a great performance. Just Wow. Incredible. They were musical geniuses."

It's a breakthrough of a type of audio performance that Audio Note (UK) doesn't get as much credit for as they should. I'm just grateful I've been able to experience this type of audio performance and tell you about it. 

Get where I'm going? There's a different realm of audio performance available to us that goes well beyond the usual definition of "Hi-Fi."   

Above: Io Ltd. field-coil, moving-coil, phonograph cartridge. Note the fine red field-coil leads exiting the back of the cartridge. 

Above: AN-S9 step-up transformer for moving-coil phonograph cartridges (left) and Io Ltd. power supply (right).

So, the Audio Note (UK) kit is state-of-art, or above, in the usual audiophiles aspects of performance around visuospatial prowess, but where it completely destroys most of the audio equipment I'm familiar with is its ability to deliver the real "feel" of the music, the "feel" the musicians and recording engineers really, really, wanted you to experience with their little musical masterwork, with all the emotional vibes and musical artistry intact.

This focus is evident across the Audio Note (UK) performance levels I've listened to, and it gets stronger as you move up in the levels. When you get to Level Five I found I really forgot about the audio kit, and got lost in the music instead. My listening perspective shifted from audio-oriented to music-oriented. In a dramatic way. It's a real thing, and that's why you see these groups of Audio Note (UK) owners on Facebook raving about the music. It's a given that the audio kit performs excellently, and now their focus has shifted to an immersion in the music itself. That's a cool space to be in.  

Next up in the Audio Note (UK) review series we've been doing with Peter Qvortrup here at Jeff's Place and Positive Feedback, are the above mentioned AN-S9 SUT paired with the exotic Io Ltd. field-coil, moving-coil phonograph cartridge and power supply. It just doesn't get better than this, guys. 

For those who think digital playback can match vinyl playback, well you are about to be disappointed again, because as good as some of the best digital is these days, it still can't hold a candle to those ol' licorice discs spinning through a top-notch vinyl front end!  

But not all is lost on the digital sound quality front, so take heart, as even though it can't match analog at the tippy top of the mountain, it still can be very good. And guess what? Peter Qvortrup asked me if I would like to give some of their DACs a try. We can use the CD 5.1x as a transport. Oh yeah! I'd love to, Peter!

I mean, the CD 5.1x is a formidable digital player, so I'm really curious to hear what the DACs have in store for us.

So digital or analog? I've got one solely analog setup here in my office system - my vintage system centered around my vintage Thorens TD-124 turntable and vintage custom Stokowski Altecs from way back when. It's killer kit. I love it. 

I've got two audio systems that are digital only - my vintage Altec A5 Voice of the Theatre and Altec Corona 832A based systems - and I love them too!

The main system with my Tannoy Westminster Royal SE loudspeakers has the Audio Note (UK) kit in it, both state-of-art analog, and some darn good digital too. So anyways, I'm looking forward to checking out some DACs and telling you about them.  

Stay tuned, there is much more to come about on the Audio Note (UK) front! 

Leben HiFi Stereo Company

In case you are wondering, the single audio component I've owned longer than any other - going on 20 years! - is the Leben Hi-Fi Stereo Company CS-600 vacuum tube integrated amplifier. It has been rock solid in reliability and has always delivered the music in fine fashion. It's stood the test of time. 

Above: Leben HiFi Company CS-600X integrated amplifier.

That's actually the new CS-600X in the photo above (review HERE), which I liked even better than my ol' CS-600 that I reviewed and bought nearly 20 years ago now.

Above: Leben CS-60T step-up transformer for moving-coil phonograph cartridges.

However, that's not the Leben news I'm wanting to share with you, as I've got the Leben CS-60T step-up transformer for moving-coil phonograph cartridges here, and I've been listening to it with the superb Murasakino Musique Analogue ‘Sumile’ MC phonograph cartridge (below). 

Above: Murasakino Musique Analogue ‘Sumile’ MC phonograph cartridge. 

By the way, the Sumile is mounted on the lovingly crafted artisanal Acoustic Revive RHS-1 headshell, with that combo mounted on the Schick tonearm of my vintage Thorens TD-124 turntable. 

Above: Acoustic Revive RHS-1 headshell with Sumile cartridge.

The Leben CS-60T step-up transformer for moving-coil phonograph cartridges is a natural for combining with the Leben RS-30EQ phono stage. 

Above: Leben RS-30EQ phono equalizer (left) and Leben CS-60T (right). 

I've found there's a synergy "performance addition effect" when you combine components from the same manufacturer, as they are voiced to be complimentary to each other, as is the case with the Leben RS-30EQ and CS-60T SUT. Did I mention I really like the way the Leben RS-30Q delivers performances on vinyl? It's really good. With the CS-60T SUT it's better. 

My first impressions of the CS-60T SUT are very positive, and I'm hoping to get some more listening time in with it soon.

Above: Leben CS-300XO!

I'll be combining the recently arrived CS-300XO EL84 integrated amplifier with the Leben RS-30EQ phono pre and CS-60T SUT for the full Leben experience here in the near future. 

Lots more to come on the Leben front! 

The Vintage Altec Corner

Above: Leben CS-300XO integrated amplifier in my AV system, just to the right of my Leben CS600 amplifier.

I've been putting some run-in time on the Leben CS-300XO integrated amp in my vintage Altec A5 Voice of the Theatre loudspeaker-based audio-visual system. I get in quite a bit of film fun in this system, and the CS-300XO is sounding mighty fine. 

Just for kicks, I've also been rolling in some NOS GE 5751 vacuum tubes for the stock Sovtek 12AX7s. 5751s only have about 70% of the gain of 12AX7s, but with my high-sensitivity vintage Altecs the lower gain doesn't really matter, as even at 70% the 15 watts output of the CS-300XO can still rattle the windows without turning up the volume very far at all. Remember we're talking vacuum tube watts here, which seem way more powerful than the same amount of solid-state watts. 

The NOS GE 5751s are cleaner, quieter, and more dynamic sounding than the 12AX7s in the CS-300XO, but I have to say the stock 12AX7s have their own charm by being richer, warmer, and with more of a sense of spaciousness than the 5751s. 

Before too much longer my plan is to  transfer the CS-300XO into my office system (below) with the Leben RS-30EQ phono pre and CS-60T SUT.  

Above: The office system with vintage Altec loudspeakers!

I love my office system, with its vintage Altec loudspeakers made for Conductor Leopold Stokowski way back when, and upgraded with Duelund CAST tinned-copper crossovers in the Duelund-Altec Dare To Dream project. This system just oozes good vibes! 

My restored vintage Thorens TD-124 turntable is a joy in this system as well, and just adds to the charm of the vintage vibe I've got going on in my office system. I'm really looking forward to hearing the full set of Leben CS-300XO, CS-60T SUT, and RS-30EQ phono preamplifier in this vinyl-based audio system!  

Above: vintage Altec Corona 832A loudspeakers with Duelund CAST copper crossovers!

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I've also been loving the Leben CS-300F in combination with my vintage Altec Corona 832A loudspeakers, which were upgraded with ultra-performing Duelund CAST copper crossovers during the Duelund-Corona 832A Serendipity to Ecstasy project. 

Above: Leben CS-300F

The Leben CS-300F driving my Coronas is a match made in heaven, and along with the Duelund CAST crossovers, the performance is truly impressive.

My vintage Altec Corona 832A loudspeakers with the Duelund CAST crossovers powered by the CS-300F have really rocked my world, and that's with an inexpensive digital source providing the tunes! Such a huge room-filling presence. So good!

I'll try to work in some comparisons between the Leben CS-300F and CS-300XO as well.  The CS-300F and CS-300XO share similar design ideas, but the CS-300F uses a different circuit with NOS GE JAN-6197 power tubes and NOS 17EW8 (Hi-Fi) input/drivers that are no longer in production, compared to the readily available EL84 and 12AX7 tubes used in the circuits of the CS-300XO.   

Lots of vintage Altec and Leben Hi-Fi Stereo Company fun to come!

The Music

Something weird has happened to me lately. I've been getting into listening to the Beatles, or the albums their respective members, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.

That's a big divergence from my usual jazz or opera that I've been enjoying a lot lately. Recently I've been thinking about my favorite Beatles albums, or the independent albums of the Fab Four. 

I honestly can't remember the last time I listened to John Lennon's Imagine. 

"John Lennon. Imagine. 1971. Haven’t listened to the album in ages, but what a great album. What a songwriter. One heck of a musician. We lost him 46 years ago. “How can we go forward when we don’t know which way we are facing?”" was what I said in my Facebook post about it.

The lyrics across the album's songs could have been composed yesterday, instead of 1971, as relevant as they are to the current vibe of the world culture. And the recording is really good. It's a studio sort of recording, and that's easy to tell, but it is so artfully done they deserve an award for that. Oh wait, they did get awards!

According to Wikipedia, "BMI named "Imagine" one of the 100 most performed songs of the 20th century. In 1999, it was ranked number 30 on the RIAA's list of the 365 "Songs of the Century", earned a Grammy Hall of Fame Award, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll". Rolling Stone ranked it number 3 in its 2004 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" ..."

Well, the album just blew me away in my Westminster-based system. This is seriously impressive music, and the recording artistry is superb. Audio pal Paul James said, "It's a next-level piece of music ..., " and I couldn't agree more. Next-level music, with a few bows to tradition. I'm sure I hear Ramblin’ Jack Elliot echoing in there at times.

I've been telling myself lately that my favorite Beatles album isn't one of the Beatles albums proper, but a 2-LP compilation, The Beatles Love Songs. I've got the Parlophone UK version from 1977. The quality of the albums is superb. The master tapes were in good shape back then. 

What the story is really about with Love Songs is the brilliant songwriting collaboration between Lennon and McCartney. They were brilliant together. If you don't think so, just listen to some of McCartney's solo songwriting efforts. Great of course, but not up to these Lennon & McCartney efforts. The sparse nature of the recordings, the best of analog tape recording techniques and equipment of the time, with only a few instruments and vocals, really allows the full message of their songwriting and the music to hit me. These songs really were making history back then, and it is easy to forget that these days. These were special musical documents from an earlier recording era, an earlier era in the development of music. I'm sure glad we have them.

Ok, well that's about all for now. I'll save my favorite Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison albums to tell you about later, but I can't help but think how important this era in music and recording was, and it still me impresses today.

As always, thanks for stopping by, and may the tone be with you!