Celebrating 45 years of the original – the Keith Monks Record Cleaning Machine Keith Monks Audio today unveiled the new discOvery mini One Sapphire Limited Edition Record Cleaning Machine. This exclusive model takes all the benefits of the discOveryOne so successfully launched in 2013, and then improves on it. The Sapphire is the smallest ever…
Uncategorized
Bose QuietComfort 20i
The QC 20i’s noise cancelling is superb, they take away most of the roar of the train, the clatter of the tracks and some of the noise of the louder passengers, however there is one small foible with the noise cancelling: on a train when another train passes in the opposite direction the QC 20i’s pop. The odd pop is a small price to pay for the amazingly good noise cancellation.
Amazon Fire TV in, Apple TV and Sony SMP-N200 out
The Amazon Fire TV arrived on Friday and immediately replaced both the Apple TV and the Sony network media player in my family room system. One box instead of two, one SMPS instead of two and one ethernet connection instead of one.
The beauty of the Amazon Fire TV box is that I can now easily watch Netflix or Amazon Prime Video without changing inputs of my DAC or TV. Less chance for a macro to go wrong.
Hi-res digital recording of vinyl: Is it needed?
Having purchased a Thunderbolt ‘sound card’, the Zoom TAC-2, to make life easier when measuring loudspeakers it was too much of a temptation not to try recording some vinyl. This post is even simpler, linked below are four recordings of an excerpt from the same Nat King Cole track. The only change between recordings was the sampling rate. All are 24Bit Aiff files, one is 44.1, one. 88.2, one is 176.4 and the largest is 192kHz sampling.
Record Cleaning: worth the effort and cost?
So does the record cleaning help? A simple answer: yes. It doesn’t make damaged records perfect, but it does clean out crud, whether that is excess mold release agent, leeching plastizers, or just dirt. On some records is removes a good amount of the clicks and pops and on others it just removes a level of low-level masking.
Do turntable belts sound different?
So, an experiment. I recorded the output from my Dynavector P75 phono stage at 24/88 using Pure Vinyl 4. The turntable a Rega RP6 was fitted with a Audio Technica OC9 Mk II. The track excerpt was from Jambalaya (On The Bayou) from a copy of the Carpenters second hits compilation I picked up at a charity store. Sorry I didn’t have time to run the Keith Monks so it’s a bit noisier that it will be when I do.
You can click on the links below and download around a minute of the track recorded using the standard black belt or the optional white belt. No other changes.
See what you think. Any difference?
Mu-so by Naim, now featuring Spotify Connect
Today, Naim Audio confirmed that its new wireless music system, mu-so, will feature Spotify Connect functionality.
Mu-so can now add native support for Spotify to its long list of music streaming features. Spotify Connect gives premium subscribers the ability to stream millions of songs to mu-so wirelessly via the Spotify app on a mobile device. Mu-so communicates directly with Spotify’s servers, preserving the battery life of the device and leaving it free to open other apps and take calls without interrupting the music.
Naim is working towards introducing streaming services to its wider range of streaming products.
iPhone or Android in as few words as possible
If I used a Windows PC, I’d probably still use an iPad but I definitely would switch to an Android phone – probably the Nexus 5 and I’d immerse myself in the Google ecosystem. But I use a MacBook Air, so the link between computer, tablet and phone is just too strong to ignore. The Nexus is going back.
Are your LEDs too bright?
A recent product received for review made my listening room at night look as if it was flooded by daylight. The designer had chosen LEDs that were far too bright, I guess, to make the DAC concerned jump off the shelf in a retail environment.
A quick Google search found Lightdims the answer to problems I didn’t even know I had.
Introducing mu-so™ by Naim
The wireless music system to bring Naim musical enjoyment to every home. Naim today announced their long expected and awaited home music system, mu-so. Mu-so is a wireless music system designed to transform your music into incredible sonic experiences. Naim streaming, amplification and speaker technology combined to deliver the best music the world has to…