Hi Srajan,
I hope this finds you and 6moons doing well. I just wanted to say thanks for running the article on the SMc Audio revised DAC. I realize this falls well outside of the usual path of article submission, so I was pleased to see that you chose to run it. Beyond its publicity value for me (which is much appreciated, of course), I felt that Mr. Baumli made some useful observations and had some interesting things to say. I hope your readers agree.
Best regards,
Steve McCormack
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Hello Srajan,
I am really very happy to got one F5 amp before all sold out. As you said, it's quiet - dead quiet. I also thought the amp didn't work the first time I switched it on:-) ...so nothing goes missing in a recording. But what impresses me the most is that the amp has minimal traces of mechanical/electronic artifacts and an unforced rhythm that draws the listener into the music at the first note...
A "Chef -d'oeuvre". The master Nelson knows how to cook!
Kind regards,
Franck Tchang |
Hi Srajan,
Brief: Essence & CFA-1, to quote a Ft. Lauderdale friend, "slick as sh*t!"
Play by play: Peter Steinfadt of Frankfurter Hörgeselleschaft was at my home today with a brand new Crayon CFA-1. Peter said your trial amp had roughly 500 hours already on it. My friend Moritz (Offenes Ohr Berlin) scolds me when I 'jump' to conclusions (he's the only person I know who can simultaneously translate Latin into German and vice-versa ~ golden ears compared to my brass ones), however, I'm getting too old to doubt my first impressions, conversely, I understand my gut feeling better today than than say, twenty years ago.
The Crayon CFA-1 is 'better' than my Gryphon Tabu Century. Mind you, I only A/B'd about 15 minutes ('get the car fixed and he came an hour later as planned but cool). Revolver Norwegian Wood and Cash's Unchained Rowboat in MWI 9100ES to micromega Duo.Pro DAC, Zu Varial & Libtec, Michell banana adapters. Paul's bass was clear-cut, steel guitar 'floated' into nether; build a coffin for an O.K. Corral shootout, CFA-1 is the new gunslinger "Billy." Seriously, I can live without the CFA-1 but like the Klinger-Favre (at almost twice as much money and no phono or remote...), either of these amps are the 'first' I have heard where I admit there is a 'betterness' involved notwithstanding my preference for tone and warmth...
Excellent amp - your ears are fine!
Cheers!
John
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Hey Srajan,
Congrats on 7!
An important milestone, an important number, and an important achievement, from a number of aspects.☺
Best regards,
Jim Smith |
Hi Srajan,
I have just been listening to Nefes again and I can't get over what a well recorded CD it is. If you have the time and it is not too much trouble for you, could you please recommend some other CDs or SACD' for that matter that you use for reference. I find it difficult to find orchestral works that are of good quality, so if you have any of these that you consider reference quality I would appreciate knowing about them.
Once again, please respond only if it is not too much trouble for you.
Thanks,
Peter Borelli
Glad you like Mercan Dede's Nefes. It's one of my favorites. Renaud Garcia-Fons you already know. On the same higher octave of music and outstanding recording quality, I can recommend:
Vassili Tsabropoulis Melos - ECM
Hector Zazou & Swara In the House of Mirrors - Crammed Disc
Buenos Aires Madrigal, Sera Una Noche and Sera une Noche La Segunda on the m.a. recordings label
Anything by Quadro Nuevo on the GLM Musicverlag
Abed Azrié | Pedro Aledo Suerte - L'empreinte digitale (there are a number of later live versions of Suerte, all of which I have - this one is the best still and one of my all-time faves)
Corelli Concerti Grossi Op. 6 1-6 (Nicholas McGegan, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra) on Harmonia Mundi
This will get you started. If you agree with these recommendations and want more, there'll be more...
Srajan
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Hello Srajan
Firstly let me thank you for the delight you and the rest of the team provide. May I trouble you for the title of a CD which was used in a review, sorry I can't even recall which one. The CD exclusively featured bass guitar.
Best wishes,
Ramon Lambert
I'd love to help particularly since it's not a silly "which amp is better, A or B" type question but one about music. Alas, 6moons is far too massive an enterprise now to identify what you're looking for without a bit more of a lead. Like for example, who wrote it? What was the review about? How long ago was it published?
Srajan
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Hello,
What's badly missing in your web site is Lehmann Black Cube Linear heaphone amp review. This amp was Sennheiser's choice to demonstrate new HD800 headphones. It would be good to know how it compares against Ray Samuels Raptor or HeadRoom Home Max amps. And is there any sonic difference between the single-ended and balanced input versions? And maybe test could be done with HD650 and HD800 headphones? (I own HD650.)
Guntis Bukalders
Is it? Well, I sold my 650s (didn't like them) and don't have 800s. I also don't have a Raptor or Home Max as review units are always returned unless the reviewer buys them. While it appears you want such a review to assist in a purchase decision, I'm afraid it's unlikely these particular comparisons will happen.
Srajan
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Hi Srajan,
It was great finally meeting up with you in the Emillé/Rethm room last week. You kindly offered to update your piece on Sound Galleries, so allow me to bring you up to date on where we are.
To add to my selection of typical 6moons fare and maintain my reputation as the local 6Moons dealer :-), I recently decided to take on Avantgarde Acoustic hornspeakers. I am currently offering demonstrations of the Duo Omega and Uno Nano. These are typically driven by Tom Evans or Red Wine Audio electronics, fed by an Ancient Audio Lektor Prime, iPod via Wadia iTransport, Raysonic CD168, Consonance Droplet or Fonel Simplicité.
In a week or so I will be receiving a pair of Primo' which will be swapped over for a pair of Trios with Double Basshorn later in the summer. An increasing trend seems to be for customers to walk in with a Mac/PC or iPod containing their entire music library. I find these people become increasingly enthusiastic as they hear their music in ways they haven't experienced before. One music selection leads naturally to another as they follow their inclinations.
This is easily facilitated by our Isabella with built in DAC, USB input as well as the usual s/pdif inputs. We have also recently added the Weiss Minerva Firewire DAC that allows us to easily demonstrate the possibility of higher resolution music from the likes of Reference Recordings HRX, 2L etc. to great effect.
The portable music library approach definitely beats being limited to the half dozen or so disks that people traditionally bring along. For people who just casually walk in without appointments or music, we have our own fully loaded iPods, Macs and an Apple TV feeding the Weiss DAC.
We have also added the Fonel Simplicité Tube CD player and plan to take on some of their pre and power amp options in the near future. Some of the Fonel stuff has, of course, been covered by your syndication with Fair Audio. I was particularly taken with their Emotion amp and Renaissance pre which I tried out at Sound Galleries just before the Munich show.
Another addition is the Music First Classic passive magnetic and we intend to also add their MKII pre with remote in the future. Also featured in Fair Audio some time back were the Klangwerk Ella active speakers, which we feel give B&O a run for their money on sleek modern style, while retaining true High-End kudos. We eagerly await Markus's Manger-based speaker, which is currenly in the works.
We will be receiving the latest Zu Essence speakers next week in addition to a pair ordered by a customer, in a gorgeous custom yellow colour.
Several visitors to Sound Galleries mentioned your coverage and once again I very much appreciate it.
Kind regards,
Geoffrey
Sound Galleries, Monaco |
Hi Srajan,
Yesterday evening I enjoyed listening to my music from an ipod with my Future Sonics Atrio M8 earphones and Graham Slee Voyager phone amplifier more than I had done for long time via my main hifi system. Perhaps it was because these moderately priced equipment are exceptionally well made and voiced; or perhaps because I was in a mood of listening in a more intimate way with earphones; or perhaps because I was not mesmerising over sound qualities of my hifi but just listening to music. Come to think of it, it was probably all three reasons (and probably some more) and if I were a reviewer I suppose I should have written on all three. Would that break any code of conduct of the "objectivists" or the "subjectivists"?
Frankly, I find this debate very esoteric to hifi. I think no one else outside the strict "audiophile" cycle would ever comprehend what the whole issue is about. Even in a mandane activity like car driving, reviewers report what it feels like driving the car as well as what the technical characteristics of the car are. Nobody ever thought of banning the one or the other. But in music, which is a more deeply emotional experience than car driving (at least for me), people hold very strong views of what a reviewer should or should not talk about. And this is not only a criticism to the "objectivists". Try as you may, you cannot find the resistance of a speaker cable costing hundreds or thousands of euro in either the manufacturers' literature or in the specialised press, just in case you had wrong inclinations to look at numbers, while you should be listening to music. Such paternalistic views are present in both sides.
I would like to thank you Srajan because with your follow-up to Michael's article, you tried to move on to more interesting grounds the old, rather sterile discussion. I like a lot the writings of Michael in general, but I am afraid his intervention may risk another round of useless abusing. Fortunately, like Michael, I only seldom look into fora.
Regards,
Ioannis Ganoulis |
Interesting think piece on Snarky and although I agree with everything you wrote, I don't think you stepped on the wrong side of the line even on the KR review. On occasion designers need to be brought back to earth. The real challenge in the value comparison is to keep a good sense for relative cost of the offering (i.e. workers' life conditions and compensation between China and the Czech Republic for example, direct Internet sales vs. a global network of distributors & retailers, 2.5 watts versus 30 watts) but as you pointed out, when better amplifiers made in Japan or Germany cost less, it is also our role to point it out.
I think it is a very American thing to expect black and white conclusions and not accept that a grey conclusion may just be a reflection of the facts, not an attempt at hiding the truth. That's an either with me or against me kinda mentality when our European education is far more about nuances and the fact that one truth may not fit all. The fact that some reviewers also religiously avoid any meaningful comparison or conclusion only makes matters worse, but you've never been in that category.
I guess my point is, don't beat yourself up and don't change - tweak if you feel like it - but if there is a Serbian amplifier out there costing 2% of the KR and doing a better job, who else would ever say it?
Frederic
I don't intend to fundamentally change, just perhaps refine walking the gloves-off talk to be fair, tactful and neither vague nor excessive. Of course e-mails from disgruntled importer can sway you if one is inclined to the occasional self doubt so feedback is always appreciated.
Srajan
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Hi Srajan,
I just had a look at 6moons and saw the report on Terry's Audio Art Café. It's really refreshing to see people do things like that purely out of passion. There aren't so many in this industry it seems. Vital of Emillé Labs is another of them. We even decided to work together and get a booth at the Whittlebury Show (UK) in September. Our importers / distributors will have their own booths but Vital and I like to show our products together and we just enjoy each other's company so we'll go for it and have fun !
All the best.
Eric Dubouays
Triangle Electroacoustique Export Manager |
Hi Srajan:
I just wanted to share this w/ you. I am researching the RWA Sig 30 over at AA (does that tell you which way I'm leaning?). You made the following comment a couple of years ago: "It's all fine and dandy to review the mega buck stuff and find little to criticize sonically - except that only 1 in 100 'philes might be able to afford it. But finding giant killers in the sane reaches... that's the real fun stuff to write about...."
That's why I love your stuff. Keep it up!
All the best,
Ed Schulte |
hello srajan,
i see you're getting a bit snarky and censorious in your latest reviews. well done, believe me, times being what they are what this hobby needs is a seriously value-oriented perspective. with forty years of hifi consumption under my belt, i'm getting seriously bored with the suckers are born every minute reviewing technique. what i want is comparisons, evaluations and judgments. remember to call me up if you're in rome.
p.s. you won't get nagra to send you their 845 amps for review but try to listen to them sometimes.
michele surdi
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Hi Srajan:
There you go again. Another great job on the MiniWatt. I had persuaded myself to simplify my life and turn to a SS amp and then you point out another "high value" jewel. I was leaning on buying a used Red Wine 30 watter. They can be bought (with volume control) for around $800 and I'd never have to worry about tubes, power cords, dedicated lines, etc, and then you plant the seed that possibly an Ampino or now MiniWatt could get me to a very satisfying place for even cheaper. Unfortunately, I don't get to listen as much as I would like now, so I am driven (even more than normal) to push the bang-for-the-buck envelope. Keep up the fantastic work. I always enjoy your efforts!
Wishing you and yours the very best,
Ed Schulte |
Hello Mr. Srajan Ebaen
If it is of any interest to you, my experiences reflect your own impressions about this little MiniWatt wonder. First off, delivery to United States took just two (2) days. Unit was shipped on 17th of this month and arrived at my local Post Office on the 19th (amazing). The unit isn't fully broken in yet but it sings like a champ with my own 8" bipolar speakers based on drivers from Omega & modified Fostex FE206eN.
My speaker are pretty efficient and listening at around 11 o'clock gave more than adequate levels where 12:30 was the loudness limit which I did not feel was necessary or enjoyable for longer periods of time.
Your review is very accurate without exaggeration and when one considers its asking price, the idea of a "giant killer" comes to mind.
Thank you for yet another great review!
Regards,
Mariusz Stark
I had Sven Boenicke here yesterday delivering his top-line CHF 35.000 review loaner speakers - about 94dB, dual 8-inch widebanders assisted by Raal ribbon in solid tone-wood enclosure. I played him the MiniWatt on his own speakers and he was shocked too. I don't think too many people brainwashed by the power apostles will believe any of it but those who take a risk and give this a try (within the obvious qualifications of course) should be very pleasantly surprised. And yes, the giant killer thing is appropriate but has been wielded too often. I tried to 'underwrite' and instead produce a lot of photos and indications of volume settings with a wide variety of speakers to present the facts, hopefully sufficiently and enticingly enough for others to actually believe them. It would be a shame if in the present economic situation, those who can part with $269 for this amp delivered and have the right speakers and setup would disregard it. So your feedback is most appreciated. Once the MiniWatt folks gather more owner feedback in their gallery, this topic should get rolling nicely.
Srajan
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Hi, Michael:
Just wanted to say that I enjoyed your Fragile Souls piece, as well as the earlier article in which you argued that sensual pleasure, as opposed to the chimerical pursuit of 'live music', should be the sole criteria for judging the qualities of audio gear. I don't suppose you evoked anything but dismissive shrugs from the objectivists, but those of us who take the 'unscientific' approach can only be heartened when the case for listening to capital-M Music is made so well (and with such engaging graphics!).
Though I can't say I spend much time thinking about it, I have found it rather paradoxical that people with so little apparent imagination would be drawn to a pursuit that involves something as incorporeal and elusive as music. I think you've provided the answer -- it's the pleasure of feeling smarter than someone else, and it's hard to think of a bigger, softer target than the large numbers of us who care about hi-fi as a window into the music that gives us pleasure, without knowing or caring an awful lot about what the electrons are doing in one component as compared to what they do in another. Are we pathetic suckers who allow ourselves to be exploited by the audio-industrial complex? Could be, but then I'm reminded of the declaration made by a woman I knew in my younger days: "I don't care how neurotic or psychotic I may be -- as long as I'm happy!" Substitute "ignorant" and "deluded," and this could well serve as the Subjectivists' Creed. Hallelujah!
Best wishes,
Phil Koslow
Brooklyn, NY
Hi Phil,
I believe a dismissive shrug by an objectivist is merely a reflex-ive re-action so I don't take it to heart ;-) I'm continually amazed at all the hoops, rules and tests we're expected to jump or pass through before we're allowed to enjoy our music on our hi-fi. I think some of these guys would like to Regulate hi-fi where you'd need a prescription for buying anything more than over-the-counter copper cables.
Thanks for the kind and well-worded words on the article and graphics! I love those images yet someone, I'll let you guess on which side of the fence they sit, has complained they are misleading causing people to think that blind testing is painful and involves wearing a 'blindfold'. And they were serious. Oh my. A sense of humor is also apparently not part of the standard objectivist tool kit.
"I don't know much about science but I do know what I like." Martin Amis
Cheers & thanks again for reading,
Michael |
Hi Srajan
Thanks for constantly introducing your readers to great new products. RWA Sig 30.2, Yamamoto A08, Dayens Ampino, ASI Liveline, Crayon CFA1 and now the Miniwatt Tube Amp, to name a few. What makes this even more astonishing is that these products are highly affordable. I cannot remember any other magazine offering its viewers an insight into so many new products. Everybody seems to review only the tried and tested brands.
Keep up the great work.
Regards
Prem
I feel fortunate that these manufacturers solicit us since in half the cases, I would otherwise not even have known they existed. After having established that we are interested in showcasing such products, we seem to now be on the radar of smaller manufacturers. If they keep it coming, we'll keep 'em coming.
Srajan |
Hi Srajan,
Thanks for sharing the review by Francis Baumli. Well written, very interesting, and my ears are envious!! Offer him one of those high paying, short hours, but very rewarding "reviewer positions" you've been speaking about...and hopefully with 6moons.
All the best...
Ed King |
Dear Sir,
I read your report on the recent High End Show in Munich.
I agree with you that the MOC location is ill-suited to listening to music and that this Show has become dull and unimaginative. I was therefore astonished to read your final comments "There was a little outboard show at the Fleming Hotel which I didn't visit on principle..."
I beg your pardon? On what principle? What status quo are you trying to maintain? How can you say, in one breath, that the main show is lousy and yet "on principle" you choose not to visit an 'outboard' show trying to put right what the main show fails to do? And all the more extraordinary as you were actually staying at a hotel less than 50 metres from this 'outboard' show! Bizarre...
You cover THE show in Vegas, don't you? Is that not an 'outboard' show of the CES? Do you not remember that the High End Show in Germany was founded exactly to counter the dull, unimaginative mainstream audio shows of its day? Now it has become the status quo (and all the more boring for it) you pay lip service to it "on principle"? I guess your "principle" must therefore exclude you from a huge swathe of audio happenings that your readership want to know about - but which you censor. One understands censorship when it is used to 'protect' dictatorial regimes, but censoring developments in audio...?
I do not subscribe to censorship, and my "principle" in so doing is out of respect for free speech, the basic tenets of democracy and the certainty that restricting freedom inevitably stifles creativity. Perhaps next year you should report on the North Korean or Zimbabwean audio scenes?
Yours sincerely,
Simon Yorke
Hello Simon,
I myself haven't lived in the US for 4 years nor covered the Las Vegas show. When I did, the event was in the Alexis Park and T.H.E. Show was right next door within a 3-minute footwalk. I haven't been back since everything moved to the Venetian.
When I go to Munich, I go there on my own nickel. No one pays my way, I cover all expenses out of my own pocket. Including travel days, actual attendance and writing the report, I lose about 2 weeks of time. When I return, I then have to make up that time as far as review assigments are concerned. If I don't go to the show, my business isn't affected as we are a review magazine. Manufacturers know how to find us and send review loaners regardless of whether they or we were at any particular shows.
I have little sympathy for manufacturers who would make the life of the press even harder. The Munich show is convenient because everything is under one roof. The organization which brings foreign visitors like myself into town has put this event together. Manufacturers like yourself who offboard attempt to take advantage of the other event's traffic. Without it, you'd have nothing. And, you chose a hotel which was not anywhere near the M.O.C. Why put the burden of finding you on the press? Participate in the main event where everyone else is. Don't make more work for us than it already is to cover such a massive event.
Perhaps you should reflect on my reality before you jump to any geopolitical conclusions. Censorship? Will you accuse those magazines who sent no reporters at all of it? It's nothing of the sort. I decided to support the main event, you decided not to. You took a calculated risk that not everybody would see you. That was your decision. Mine was to stay at the M.O.C. Next year I'm not going at all to instead do a show I haven't before - perhaps Athens, perhaps Stockholm, perhaps Tokyo. And I didnt say this show was boring. I said the spirit of the exhibitors was. Big difference. There's nothing wrong with the venue per se. The old argument of "not conducive to good sound" doesn't wash. Some manufacturers manage just fine to put on a compelling demo there. If they can, others should be able to as well.
Srajan |
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