You know how life just goes along and you think nothing is ever going to change, and then something totally unanticipated happens that resets everything? Well, this Saturday evening I had one of those precedence setting events that caught me completely by surprise, and rewrote the book about what I thought I knew about ...... Read More »

Well, it's been a nice past week of music listening and Hi-Fi Tom-foolery here at Jeff's Place: vintage vinyl, new remastered vinyl, playing with Acoustic Revive accessories, listening to the prototype Sablon Audio Panatella interconnects, listening again to the Leben CS660P amplifier and Leben RS-100 (not the 'U') preamplifier, listening to a variety of 300B... Read More »

It's been storming with incredibly intense thunder showers here on the East Side of Washington State in the Pacific Northwest of the US, which makes it a perfect morning for staying inside, listening to music, and getting caught up on a little writing. On this rainy Sunday morning I'm drinking some fine Peet's Sulawesi-Kalosi coffee,... Read More »

I just bought a couple of new records that I thought you might be interested in, the first one being Sam Cooke's Night Beat. Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in 1931, Sam Cooke was the son of a Baptist minister and grew up singing and playing gospel music in church. Cooke was a talented vocalist and... Read More »

Nothing beats a little good music along with my Peet's coffee on a Saturday morning, and this morning with the sun breaking through the Pacific Northwest rain clouds I'm almost giddy about the music I'm listening to right now, the Miles Davis Quintet - Great Prestige Recordings 45 RPM box set that Chad Kassem did... Read More »

It's a chilly (-5 degrees Fahrenheit with windchill) but sunny Saturday morning here in Washington State in the Pacific Northwest of the US, so it's a great time to catch up on posts and listen to some music. By the way, I try to stay up on all the comments, so if I miss one... Read More »

A couple of weeks ago, while getting ready for a bicycle ride, I injured my lower back quite severely and so have been out of action, first flat on my back for almost a week, then followed by a week of physical therapy (with three more weeks to come), but now I'm starting to feel... Read More »

Stereophile has been my favorite audio rag for a long time. They have the best Editor in audio (John Atkinson), the best writers (too many to name), and provide the most balanced coverage of the audio hobby in all its forms of any print magazine I’m aware of. Stereophile gets it. As a bonus, Stereophile... Read More »

While traveling through Turkey recently, one of the more frequent questions I encountered was about books, both as smalltalk in the "What have you been reading lately?" or the "What are your favorite books?" context, or at times with the much more interesting context of, "What books best describe the essence of your American experience?"... Read More »

Over time I have found friends - which includes you dear readers - to be a rich source of good recommendations for music. This time the recommendation comes from my globe-trotting friend, Rebecca, who told me about the Rodrigo y Gabriela 11:11 CD while we were traveling through Turkey. Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero are... Read More »

I just got in for review at Positive Feedback Online what can only be described as a really astonishing USB cable that connects a USB DAC to a computer - the Acoustic Revive USB-2.0 SP. On the DAC end there is a single USB-out connector, but on the computer end(s!) there are two USB connectors... Read More »

I really enjoy hearing from all of you. Every once in a while something really amazing comes to light among the music lovers that stop in for a visit, and this time it's Chris' post about his Tannoys (and more!) that really blew my mind. Chris and I have traded a couple e-mails, and Chris... Read More »

Fellow music lover Charlie Schnyder asked me if I would be willing to write a quick and easy “how-to” post about getting started with a computer hard drive as a digital source. As Charlie mentioned in his e-mail to me, there are a lot of music lovers who would like to take their existing CD... Read More »

It's Memorial Day here in the States, which is about remembering soldiers who have died during military service, and was enacted after the American Civil War (1861-1865). This morning I've been working on my review for Positive Feedback Online of the Acoustic Revive speaker cables, RCA interconnects, and RCI-3 cable insulators. Coincidentally, I just ordered... Read More »

I've been very pleased to read how various Stereophile writers (Stephen Mejias, John Atkinson, Robert Deutsch, John Marks, and Art Dudley, if I remember correctly) have praised the Leben CS300 and CS600 integrated amplifier based Hi-Fi systems featured at the Salon and Image Show in Toronto over the last few years. The common thread in... Read More »

Quite a few years ago I bought an Acoustic Sounds test pressing of You Get More Bounce With Curtis Counce and I have really enjoyed it. The test pressings used to be offered cheaper than the regular versions of the LP because they didn't have any cover art, so I bought them whenever I could... Read More »

FedEx just dropped off a box of LPs from Acoustic Sounds that I ordered a few days ago, so I'll be reporting on those LPs as I listen to them. First up is the Cowboy Junkies' The Trinity Session , named for the Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto, Canada, where they recorded the... Read More »

It's always nice to get out and listen to some live music to recalibrate your expectations for home Hi-Fi listening. While staying at the La Conner Channel Lodge in Washington State I was able to listen to some nice jazz piano playing by a local musician, whose name I unfortunately did not catch. Even though... Read More »

I've always enjoyed Joe Henderson's music, but his albums can be a little hard to find, so I was particularly pleased to find out that Analogue Productions has released Page One as part of their 45 RPM Blue Note Reissues series. My copy of Page One just came in the mail last night and I... Read More »

The Analogue Productions 45-RPM version of Miles Davis' Someday My Prince Will Come that I ordered a little while back just arrived a few minutes ago. I'm a big Miles Davis fan, and this is my favorite Miles Davis album, so I could hardly wait to unpack it and put on the VPI Classic for... Read More »

The Lionel Hampton Quartet Speaker Corners LP I bought from Acoustic Sounds arrived today. The album has four tracks on it, with Just One of Those Things and Stompin' at the Savoy on Side 1 and How High the Moon and The Nearness of You on Side 2. Lionel Hampton, the King of the Vibes,... Read More »

Dorothy Masuka is the 'Grand Dame of African Music' and a must hear for those not familiar with her. This is the kind of music you hear and it puts a smile on your face and you wonder 'Why didn't I find out about this earlier - this is great music!'. I fired up Dorothy’s... Read More »

I have been listening to Stan Getz’s Bossas and Ballads a lot since I bought it from Amazon a while back - I just can’t seem to get enough of it. The material for this album was recorded just before Stan’s death in 1989 and ranks up there with his best recordings like Getz /... Read More »