Savak: "Human Error / Human Delight"
- Written by Joseph Taylor
- Category: Recording of the Month
Ernest Jenning Record Co. EJRC181, Geenger Records GNGR108, Peculiar Works PW009
Format: LP
Musical Performance: ****
Sound Quality: ****
Overall Enjoyment: ****
Brooklyn-based indie band Savak has released five albums since 2016, including its newest, Human Error / Human Delight. The album was developed and recorded during the pandemic, and the band wrote and arranged the songs on Zoom. Currently, Savak consists of Sohrab Habibion and Michael Jaworski on guitars and vocals, with Matt Schulz on drums, so the trio pulled in a number of bass players to fill out the band.
The Incredible Transparency of the Vivid Audio G1 Spirit Loudspeakers
- Written by Jeff Fritz
- Category: Opinion
You may be wondering why I’m once again writing about Vivid Audio’s flagship loudspeaker, the G1 Spirit. That’s a good question. And there’s more than one answer.
A New Feature on "SoundStage! Ultra": Reference Systems
- Written by Jeff Fritz
- Category: Opinion
On April 15, just two weeks ago, we launched a brand-new feature on this site: Reference Systems. I’ll tell you all about that, but first, let’s recap what’s been available on SoundStage! Ultra.
Near the top of the SoundStage! Ultra homepage, you’ll find the regular tabs that are always present in the menu:
Gryphon Audio Designs Apex Stereo Amplifier
- Written by Jeff Fritz
- Category: Full-Length Reviews
The most anticipated SoundStage! Ultra review of 2022 did not get off to the smoothest of starts. Full disclosure: the missteps had absolutely nothing to do with Gryphon Audio Designs or SoundStage!
Nonetheless . . .
The Art of the Box: DS Audio and EMM Labs
- Written by Jason Thorpe
- Category: For the Record
Just recently, I received two fairly large boxes courtesy of FedEx. In and of itself, this is not a newsworthy happenstance, as non-Amazon packages arrive at the Thorpe residence with some frequency. Frequent deliveries are the blessing and the curse of the reviewer. Being a fairly materialistic male—or a gear whore, as my friend Neil calls me—the blessing part is obvious. I just loves me some box opening. The curse? Well, each component that arrives also has to leave, so I can’t just rip everything open like my daughter does on Christmas morning. No, I have to note the orientation of each bag, document, piece of foam and wire, and remember how everything fits together. I learned my lesson years ago, and now I take photos of each step of the unboxing so I can reassemble it all when it’s time to return the product to the manufacturer or distributor.
Colin Hay: "I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself"
- Written by Joseph Taylor
- Category: Recording of the Month
Lazy Eye Records America/Compass Records 7 4781 1
Format: LP
Musical Performance: ****
Sound Quality: ****½
Overall Enjoyment: ****
Colin Hay, lead vocalist and guitarist of the Australian band Men at Work, has released a series of albums under his own name since 1987, all well received by fans and critics. I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself, his 14th release, features the UK-born singer-songwriter’s interpretations of songs made famous by others. He coproduced the album with producer and multi-instrumentalist Chad Fischer, who provided the arrangements and much of the instrumentation.
The Ultra Jeff Fritz Reference System
- Written by Jeff Fritz
- Category: Jeff Fritz
The Ultra Reference System represents the culmination of many years of listening to the finest components available. It is my current review system, housed in the listening room I set up four years ago when I moved into my home here in southeastern North Carolina, and man, do I love it. Yeah, it’s a valuable tool for reviewing audio components because of its neutrality and amazing resolving capability—but listening to music over it is the real reward.
My Reference Audio System
- Written by Jeff Fritz
- Category: Opinion
Last month I wrote about “The Reference System” for the March 1 update of SoundStage! Ultra. In that article, I examined the notion of the reference audio system, outlined the types of folks who have them, explained why these systems matter, and provided some insight into how to go about assembling one. I concluded by promising to explore reference audio systems on SoundStage! Ultra “in greater depth and in some very exciting ways in 2022.”
Focal Scala Utopia Evo Loudspeakers
- Written by Aron Garrecht
- Category: Full-Length Reviews
Engineer and high-fidelity enthusiast Jacques Mahul founded Focal-JMlab in 1979. He began making speaker drivers at a family-owned engineering company in Saint-Etienne, France. Not long after, Mahul built his first speaker, the DB13, a standmounted design released in 1982 under the JMlab brand name. The DB13 was one of the first speakers to utilize a double voice-coil speaker driver, which enabled it to play as loudly as many floorstanding models of the time.
Joe Pass: "For Django"
- Written by Joseph Taylor
- Category: Recording of the Month
Blue Note Records B0033158-01/Pacific Jazz ST-85
Format: LP
Musical Performance: ****
Sound Quality: ***½
Overall Enjoyment: ****½
By the time Joe Pass began his recording career in 1962, he was 33 years old. A heroin addict through much of the 1950s, he had kicked the drug with the help of the controversial Synanon rehab program. His debut LP for Pacific Jazz Records, Sounds of Synanon, featured musicians who were fellow clients. During the five years that Pass was associated with Pacific Jazz, he appeared on recordings by other artists on the label, including Les McCann and Gerald Wilson.
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