Had a wonderful time listening to John Scofield and band at the Mohawk club here in Austin last night. Small, outdoor venue, great views everywhere, and a group of musicians that just played the grooves.

Sco’ kept the set up simple, played straight into a Fender amp (with perspex screen ) and let his fingers do the work. Man, can he play. Nice boots too!  Keyboard player Gerard Clayton was a revelation to me, simply amazing chops that complemented the music perfectly.

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Not sure why anyone (other than the owners) think this is a good path forward but Audiogon has initiated a new membership level. For $100 a year, or $10 a month, you can be an ‘Insider’ to the site which comes with various perks. The most valuable one is access to the Blue Book. I used to sign up for that when making major sales or purchases, I figured the price (was it $49 then?) was easily covered by appropriate pricing levels it provided.… Read the full article

These wireless speakers from Audioengine eventually showed up this summer for a review and I’ve been having a lot of fun with them since. Easy to set up, room-filling sound, convenience, you name it, there’s a lot on offer for the price (around $500 depending on finish). I’ll be writing a fuller review for the ‘Zine but am giving these all sorts of try outs from my main listening room to my desktop, and while I have enjoyed lower end bluetooth speakers, there’s something about a stereo pair that just sounds a lot better to my ears. 

A few times at RMAF I would stop by the Linkwitz Labs room and cheer myself up listening to the great sounds coming from what appeared to be plumbing fixtures cobbled into a loudspeaker. For it was so……

The man himself, Siegfried Linkwitz, together with his wife, engaged attendees with the sort of ‘yes we know, it might look odd but just listen’ expression of folks who could see much of the high-end audio industry for what it was.

Yes, I vowed to make a pair myself, spoke with owners of his multi-amped top design and generally smiled to myself at the quality on offer.

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Well, who knew but there’s a price. The domain ‘www.highendaudio.com’ is for sale….and the current bid apparently is north of $20k….where did I go wrong?  Hey, I’m available for weddings…..

I’ve been a subscriber for over 20 years and have the back issues to prove it in my basement. There’s no doubt it’s a beautifully produced magazine with wonderful photography which I happily browse  and consider too good to throw out when done. But the time has come to recognize that for me at least, the content is no longer there.

I took a look at the last year or so of issues as I got ready to consign them downstairs and, on a whim, took a page count.

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I was drawn to a kerfuffle reported online over a power cord demo at a recent audio society meet. Seems Dr. Waldrep upset some folks with his reporting. Seems to me the organizers of the event are over-reacting. Judge for yourself here

Now while typically on the side of science myself, I remember bringing an ‘exotic’ cord to a local audio event. When the host switched it into the rig for comparison purposes, we listened to it and his even more exotic cord on the same component, using the same music without further change.

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 Clarus®, the high-end audio cable brand that is a “sister” company to Tributaries A/V cables, is introducing a nine part series of consumer-informational videos: “Interviews with Jay Victor Cable engineer” that explain, in a straight-forward manner, the intricate processes that are behind the development of their Clarus Crimson and more-affordable Aqua cable lines. The nine videos in the series are viewable on YouTube by clicking here (or see direct links to each one below)

In each video, Jay Victor, the man behind the design of Clarus cables (and Tributaries cables since 2003), describes the application of both scientific principles and “Golden Ear”-based processes that were involved in the patented design of Clarus cables.

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The world’s largest used audio gear site (so we’re repeatedly told) made a big splash announcing the roll out of their new website design a week ago. I got the PR push, imagined it must be about time, then took a look. Hum…what’s with the images? Why is it difficult to drill down to items of interest (am always interested in something)? Maybe it’s just me, I figured. I am at the age where changes in design for new platforms and alternative look-and-feel have almost no appeal, so maybe I’ll get used to it.… Read the full article

I never really gave Doc Watson too much listening and tonight I feel like I’ve missed a giant. NPR’s Fresh Air did a beautiful show tonight using archive interview and performance material with him. The music is what matters most (and he could really play) but the life story is truly humbling, as is the man himself when he talks of what he’s gone through. Take the time to listen through all of this show, you won’t regret it.