Audio Ideas Guide

Hy End: Hy Sarick Reviews New Releases of Music from Sibelius, Vivaldi and Mussorgsky

"The Kullervo Symphony was the first large orchestral work attempted by Sibelius. Based on a tragic and quite gruesome story from the collection of epic Finnish tales known as The Kalevala, the work was very successful at its first performance. The work is diffuse and rambling at times with definite echoes of Wagner and Tchaikovsky..."

AM Listens to More Vinyl - Mobile Fidelity, Pure Pleasure & EMI’s Abbey Road Rock Classics

What interested me in the discography of the Liddypool boys was the compilation done by George and Giles Martin for the Cirque du Soleil show LOVE (0946 379 1 1), which is also available in an incredible surround SACD that takes full advantage of the medium (My 10 Favourite Pop/Rock Surround SACDs are coming soon to this space). Here we have 4 superb stereo sides that reshape and reinvigorate many Beatles tunes..."

Audio Ideas: Customer Service Making the GRADO!

My decade-old Grado SR-125 headphones don't owe me anything after all these years of monitoring recordings in progress, or offering wee-small-hours solace for insomnia. I had never liked the stock ear cushions, however, and had bought a pair of larger, deeper foam cushions from Strategic Audio Developments called upgradables that were much more comfortable (Attempts to Google this company were unsuccessful).

Antec A/V Cooler

"This quite inexpensive accessory is a platform made of plastic and aluminum that draws air in at the back, and blows it out underneath. You can see the two fans on the bottom. The fans run at two speeds, 1200 rpm on Low and 1600 rpm in the High position. The unit weighs just over 4 pounds, and is almost 2" high, and roughly 17" x 14" wide and deep, respectively. The fan noise level is said to be 22.45 dBA in Low and 28.7 dBA in High..."

Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pro In Ear Headphones

"In all my years as an audiophile I’m hard pressed to think of a piece of equipment that has had the kind of effect on my daily life that the Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pro headphones have. Certainly the timing is right, as I find myself commuting between Toronto and New York every week, and through midtown Manhattan to and from work on foot every day. I’m probably logging somewhere in the neighbourhood of seven to ten hours a week on the iPod with these things right now, and I’m loving them..."

Crystal Cable CrystalSpeak Micro and CrystalConnect Micro Cables

"These very impressive, if tiny, cables are said in their literature to be the result of "advanced metallurgy perfected at famous German and Dutch laboratories" using "ultra-thin silver conductors with gold infusions to fill molecular gaps". Both interconnect and speaker types are coaxial designs, with compact RCA, XLR, and spade proprietary ends, with WBT locking bananas on the speaker ends of the speaker cables, on which this review will primarily focus..."

Audio Ideas: The Noo Radio Tiew - Amateur Radio, Paid For By You!

"After a couple of weeks with the "noo Radio Tiew", I must say that I've never seen such a complete sabotage of a great radio service in my 45-year career as broadcaster and writer. Just about all the core values have been thrown away, starting with professionalism. Listening to these groping amateurs on the air takes me back to my days of running the Queen's University radio station, CFRC, in the late 60s and early 70s..."

Infinity Modulus II Home Theater Speaker System [AIG Archives]

"Here we have a compact combination of four identical satellites, a centre channel, and a subwoofer, all compact and stylish, the sub remarkably small for its bass extension. According to the manual, "With their versatile design, the satellite speakers can be placed virtually anywhere on shelves or stands, or mounted on a wall using the supplied base..."

AM Finds Some Special Vinyl in Speakers Corners, Union Station, Abbey Road & Other Places of Pure Pleasure

"I have to confess that in 2008 I've been very remiss in my music reviewing, and not for want of available recordings. There have just seemed to be too many other distractions, such as tuner and projector projects (the former in its final phase, and the latter just getting lit up, so to speak, with two reviews already posted), recording projects (two organ CDs with Ian Sadler), and numerous other activities, including grandchildren and the day-to-day running of AIG..."

Ox Box #5 - Music I’m Enjoying - From Mahler to Radiohead

"Hearing old favourites, now, on my Aurum Acoustics system is a very special experience.‭ ‬The excellence of the sound couples directly with the matter of artistic worth.‭ ‬I'm not saying the New Philharmonia was in my listening room,‭ ‬but,‭ ‬you get the idea.‭ ‬Neither had I realized how well recorded are both performances.‭ ‬The Mahler was recorded in Watford Town Hall in‭ ‬1969.‭ It's simply stunning in its detail and transparency..."