June 7, 2015

Playlist Week of 2015-06-06


* J.S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier Bk.1 (Kirkpatrick) (Archiv 2CD)
* Steve Reich: Another Look At Counterpoint (Amiata CD)
* Bill Evans: The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings 1961 (d.1-2) (Fantasy/Concord 3CD)
* Lloyd McNeil & Marshall Hawkins: Tanner Suite (Asha/Universal Sound LP)
* Marilyn Crispell Trio: Live in Zurich (Leo CD)
* Billy Cobham: Simplicity of Expression/Depth of Thought (Columbia LP)
* Weather Report: Mr. Gone (Columbia LP)
* David Torn: Best Laid Plains (ECM CD)
* Gary Burton/Chick Corea/Pat Metheny/Roy Haynes/Dave Holland: Like Minds (Concord CD)
* Pat Metheny Group: American Garage (ECM LP)
* Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays: As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls (ECM LP)
* Daybreak ltd.: Daybreak ltd. (Deva LP)
* Stephan Micus: Athos: A Journey to the Holy Mountain (ECM CD)
* Emerald Web: Dragon Wings and Wizard Tales (Sebastian Speaks LP)
* John Serrie & Gary Stroutsos: Hidden World (Narada CD)
* Marcos Valle: Vento Sul (Odeon/Light in the Attic LP)
* Thievery Corporation: Saudade (ESL LP)
* Vince Matthews & Jim Casey: The Kingston Springs Suite (Delmore Recording Society LP)
* Grateful Dead: Coliseum, Greensboro, NC 4/30/81 (selections) (SBD 3CDR)
* It’s A Beautiful Day: At Carnegie Hall (Columbia LP)
* Vashti Bunyan: Heartleap (DiCristina LP)
* Latin Playboys: Latin Playboys (Slash/Warner Bros. CD)
* Los Super Seven: Los Super Seven (RCA CD)
* Robert Pollard: Faulty Superheroes (GBV, Inc. LP)
* The Mars Volta: Deloused in the Comatorium (Universal/Music on Vinyl 2LP)
* The Mars Volta: Scabdates (GSL/Universal CD) †/‡
* Enslaved: In Times (Nuclear Blast 2LP)
* Mew: Frengers (Sony CD)
* White Hills: h-P1 (Thrill Jockey CD)
* White Hills: White Hills (Thrill Jockey CD)
* Locrian: The Crystal World (Utech 2CD)
* Minsk: With Echoes in the Movement of Stone (Relapse CD)
* Alabama Shakes: Sound & Color (Ato 2LP)

=iPod/iTunes
=car

Commentary:

My Clearaudio Maestro V2 arrived this week and, thanks to the precision Clearaudio Cartridge Alignment Tool and digital Weight Watcher stylus pressure gauge (which is accurate to one-hundredth of a gram), set-up was a breeze—much to my relief. I was back up and spinning records in less than an hour.

Of course, I was expecting the Maestro to sound significantly better than the stock Concept cartridge (as it should, being exponentially more expensive) but I was unprepared for how shockingly good it sounds. 

Seriously, all the usual audiophile superlatives apply here: more slam, deeper bass, cleanly extended high frequencies, more finely resolved inner details, with a silky smooth presentation from top to bottom. But most impressive to me are the almost dead-quiet backgrounds, with surface noise (when present) recessed deep behind the music. 

The Maestro features the same Trygon P2 stylus and boron cantilever found in their highest-end moving coil designs, with the magnets’ motor assembly housed in ultra-dense, resonance-damping ebony, resulting in luscious sound quality with superb tracking, even on the most dynamic LPs. Listening to vinyl records has never been so rewarding—or downright fun!


Worth every penny, and then some.

3 comments:

  1. Wow, can't wait to hear that! You are in a whole separate sound universe!

    Here's my lists from last week:

    Playlist 2015-06-08:

    *Anton Webern: Chamber Music for Strings (Schoenberg Quartet)
    *Rodger Coleman & Sam Byrd: Aphelion
    *Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2015-05-14/15 Nashville (wav)
    *John Coltrane: The Prestige Recordings (disc 14)
    *Miles Davis: Miles Davis in Stockholm 1960 Complete (discs 2, 3)
    *Jack DeJohnette: Made in Chicago
    *Last Exit: Last Exit
    *Last Exit: Cassette Recordings ‘87
    *Ingrid Laubrock Anti-House: 2011-08-06 Lisbon (CDR)
    *New Ting Ting Loft: 2015-03-23 “The Scent of Inevitability” (wav)
    *New Ting Ting Loft: 2015-04-13 “Honestly, Back and Forth” (wav)
    *New Loft: 2015-05-02 “Noise Facts” RVA Noise Fest IV, Richmond VA (wav)
    *Sun Ra: Purple Night “Of Invisible Them”
    *Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band: Lick My Decals Off, Baby
    *Captain Beefheart: The Spotlight Kid
    *Buttfinger: Fucked by the Fickle Finger of Farmville (track 1)
    *Edan: Beauty and the Beat
    *High Llamas: Snowbug
    *Junior Kimbrough & the Soul Blues Boys: All Night Long
    *Bob Marley: Uprising Live! (disc 1)
    *UYA: Z (Blue)

    Reading List 2015-06-08:

    *Egan, Jennifer. A Visit from the Goon Squad (started)
    *Thomson, David. Why Acting Matters (started)
    *Brosh, Allie. Hyperbole and a Half (started/finished)
    *Ennis, Garth, and Steve Dillon. Preacher: Book Two (started/finished)
    *Ennis, Garth, and Steve Dillon. Preacher: Book One (finished)
    *Schmidt, Michael. The Novel: A Biography (in progress)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ha! Interesting you bought a Clearaudio maestro 2. I am in the process of looking into buying a VPI Scout 11 turntable and my supplier highly recommended this cartridge. He said it was the best one he had heard. Then I remembers you rant about how good it was also. Looking forward to hearing it. What turntable are you running it on?

    Roddus.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi, Roddus! Sorry for the delay in responding to this. I've got a Clearaudio Concept turntable, which mates very nicely with the Maestro. I was seriously lusting after a VPI, but after upgrading the cartridge (and properly setting everything up), I am quite happy with my analog front end at the moment. Even so, I would sure love a high-end VPI, with the ring clamp and all that. Ha! Maybe someday!

    ReplyDelete