#dark phono

[autisticfoxgirl333]

[seldritchowl]

"Amazing Grace"

"I once was lost, but now I'm found~" (song inspo bc yea) Drew something of my newest bg3 dark urge ('evil' run) character, Neosis! They are supposed to be opposite of Sarvos, but also still same in ways.

-----------

[violetvenom]

Phonos

Dark Urge - Sorcerer - Cambion - Incubus

Current crushplaything:

Astarion

Rogue - Vampire - High Elf - Lover

They will make each other so much worse! ♥

[barans-tavs]

i really should make a proper post introducing my tavdurges but i keep putting it off so here’s a very brief introduction to my sillies

tav — they/them — hunter archetype ranger

carrion — he/him — storm sorcerer — dark urge

phonos — he/him — school of necromancy wizard — dark urge

tavrin — he/him — circle of the moon druid

hymn — he/him — life domain cleric of mystra

[audio-luddite]

The music, here's some.

With all the recent talk of A&M albums I decided to look at the A in A&M.

Herb Alpert. He had an unexpected hit with a tune with a non-existent band. But that success lead to more and more and eventually starting his own label.

I played the two albums I have of his, "Beyond", and "Rise". Not fancy reissues just the vanilla originals. To a degree they reflect recovery from a bad place or two of Mr Alpert. The music is pleasant. The recording is very clear. A&M had high standards apparently. One of those was the first album fully done with a digital recorder according to Wiki-thing.

I wanted to play them as it had been a long time. Nothing in the chain was as it was when last played. Yes it was different. Different TT, phono cartridge, preamp, amplifier and yes speakers. More stuff yada yadda.

It was a warm up exercise. The machines need to warm up and get the thermals all happy.

Next up Daft Punk. Random Access Memories. Double album super well recorded. Both Digital and Analog. Apparently they had a classic AMPEX running and picked what sounded better when they were done. Really complex. The track "touch" is close to epic.

That was the intention. Lots of disco type sound, and those old synthesizers doing the Sci-Fi stuff for the fans. But they were shedding the robot masks and getting real and moving on. This thing won a few Grammies.

Hey even if it is digital and a total phoney studio atmosphere it sounds really good. Solid bottom end and tiny bits to tease out. It reminds me of Dark side of the moon you know. I bought it new, and was surprised to find they had been selling a 10 year anniversary version last year. Am I that old?

It is good and yes if you are under the spell of audiophilia it is worthy.

Sometimes you just gotta let it run. Digital is fine if that is what you got and what the artist wanted.

You will never guess what is next in line. Back in the mid 80s I surprised my wife with a show downtown. It was the touring company of "Tango Argentino". For the record the only Tango is Argentine. Tango California just don't sound right does it? She was mesmerized. The music the dancing, the costumes. It was a great show. I have the double LP original cast recording.

I cannot for the life of me recall if I bought the album at the show. Probably as the playbill from the show is in the bifold. This is not supposed to be an audiophile album, but it is very quiet, clear and detailed. By quiet I mean no tics, or noise or that stuff. So what is an audiophile album? Is it something with a single cut to show off to your limited bandwidth buddies? Or is it a well recorded document?

The bass is great. The Tango uses an accordion like instrument called a Bandoneon. Usually several. That and a gypsy like violin are all you need. Both those have really dynamic mids and treble. Oh ya there is a piano, but it is extra.

This is a studio recording, but had they miked the stage that would have been great. Did not as it was not practical given the time constraints. Still a simple and naive recording that honestly reflects the smoky brothel based heritage of the Tango.

I am going to stop typing now and listen.

[grustafus]

I, Grustafus Scrismatism, the same Earl of Sleepy Hollow Ridge, Illuminatus, am a write in candidate for Mayor of Sleepy Hollow township proposing to break up of New York State and to join Connecticut to extend New England from the Hudson to the sea. We support Long Island statehood! Expropriate foreign land lords! Cap urban rents! We will sell tracts to hotels under rent control stipulations; Eminent domain all the land south of Wall Street; at the fair price of improvements anywhere. We the woodland cartoon critter-crats Of the forest of bygone capitalist modes of production And forgotten rhymes and vindictive faraway laughter DEMAND these commonweal capitalize orderly legal code for our frank phone call radio tele-phono-graphy devices or we will NOT OBEY THE LAW of your primitive corporate socialism And we will seize your land by ancient right and custom in obedience to our religion, which is the true spirit of the law. THESE ARE THE STAKES! We are your new overlords. I AM the ministro ultimo; the boatman of Valhalla and I will bring the pain on you again; using only my mind; if you cease not to slander and blaspheme against my hysterical sisters. My mouth is as a giant wooden comedy Mallott on the scales of justice. I am the schizophrenic agoraphobe. Ronald Von Rumperialstilstkin, of the Illuminati, the original outcaste of NYC; top main head philosopher over above and beyond Yale; a Golemite being as old as time; and the ultimate dark lord clown minister of all the old world; one donald trump; one ronald macdonald; once and possible future president of these United States; A Hades that says RA, a dog god of confusion and keeper of the book of retards and the ill-begot. Watch for my monster tirade millennial talky horror show airing on the 1000th anniversary of doomsday, 2066. When in Babylon we say; ‘All that you see is as god wills it to be’. We love to see evil. Hold your friendly fire. I have studied the way of the cavalry charge. I am this deed wherein I try With judgement nigh To raise this flag pole straight and high Where witches fly Beyond the rye that you might buy Where orders of hospitaliers lye For name the cost of one odd lie When doctors hands will petrify And if I die please explode me in the sky.

[norahmusic]

A Trip to Music in Films (1/4)

We watch films because we need to dream, learn and share with the others. And we like to do it in a dark room, full of strange people, looking at a bright big screen and at a volume you cannot even hear your own thoughts, but never mind, we like to share emotions with the screen and the rest of these unknown humans seated in that movie theatre room while watching a film of our choice luckily. This type of environment creates a singular atmosphere of intimacy between the spectator and the story is being showed that causes a real connection, that is probably why we don´t mind to share that moment with people we don´t really know. Cinema enlarges life and it represents it to us in an audio visual production narrative format. But what lay behind this media product causes a catharsis between the spectator and the story, has to do with the ritual of tragedy, comedy or satyr classic Greek theatre brought us (1), (2) several centuries ago. Theatre was born over 2.500 years ago as a form of entertainment for society in the classical Athens in the 5th century BC (3).

As spectators, there is an emphatic resonance with what we see and listen to in films, becoming a part of that reality for a while; movies allow us to feel intense emotions without having to endure the events ourselves. We can also be any character we want without making more effort than getting ourselves to the theatre, sit and watch. Films help us learn about us, our environment, our history or the way others solve their issues in life. Films help us to encourage as spectators, to recognise ourselves in characters so that we can perform change. We will always resemble with one of the characters, because that is why we are choosing to watch that movie and not any another. They can drive social changes, giving visibility to what or whoever needs it, just like music does (4).

Now think about silent films (5). The first silent films started to see the light slightly before 1878, made by nouvelle filmmakers, photographers, researchers and writers like Georges Mèlies, the Lumiere Brothers (7), Edward James Muggeridge (6), Lewis Carroll or Charles Chaplin (9) among others, leaving us many jewels in the shape of films. The first featured length film (original 70’ running time) that had a story was “The Story of the Kelly Gang”, on 1906 by Charles Tait(8).

At the very first of film making, beginning of the 20th Century, films were often accompanied by a live music orchestra, bright piano or a quartet that enhanced scenes using music to convey a better understanding of the plot, the exposition and resolution of the film, as the film was going by. Technical development and honing on kinetoscope, phonograph and chronograph resulted on the Phono-Cinématographe (Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre System (5)) and it made possible to incorporate sound on films. Sound was included in films after 1926 with the production of films like “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” 1920 (10), “Nosferatu” 1922 (10), “Battleship Potemkim 1925 (10), “The Adventures of Prince Achmed”, 1926 (10), “Metropolis”1927 (10),“Don Juan, 1926 or “The Jazz Singer” in 1927 (10). This technical event resulted in new skilled positions in the filming industry for producers, directors, actors, music composers, musicians and technicians. The development of computing sciences and computer components throughout the 20th century and early 21st century, made possible the digital era in which we are, leading the electronic age of music and turning it into the digital film music, letting us enjoy films today with high digital effects and high quality sound we never could have dreamed of a century ago (11).

In the 1930s filmmakers started to figure out music as an emotional component and started to use music to support the film´s plot and character actions. Music became almost essential to set the mood, genre and to enhance characters in the film´s story. The first score composed for a film was “Birth of a Nation” (12) and it was created with classical works rather than diegetic sound like in “The Jazz Singer” or “Casablanca” (12). The first original soundtrack composed for a film was Max Steiner´s King Kong in 1933 (12).

In late 1930s and the decade of 1940s, filmmakers discovered the power of jazz in their films. Jazz (white jazz) became indispensable when it came to depict moments of fun and celebration in films. Over time, a more purist form of jazz (black jazz) with trumpets and saxophones was incorporated into films. Orchestras kept performing film scores on almost every film music genre as in “Fantasia” 1940 (12), “The Third Man” 1949 (12) or in “Duel in the Sun” 1949 (12) scores.

Symphonic scoring made a huge comeback in the 1950s thanks to Spaghetti Westerns (“Winchester ’73” 1950 (12), “The Searchers” 1956 (12), “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral” 1957 (12), “3:10 to Yuma” 1957 (12), “River of no Return” 1954 (12)) where twangy guitars, spanish trumpets were performed to accompany horse chases and gun battles. Orchestras also performed in many other film genres by that time (“A Streetcar Named Desire´s” 1951 (12), “La Strada” 1954 (12), “The King and I” in 1956 (12), “The Bridge on the River Kwai” 1957 (12)).

The 60s was the decade of unsettling music. Sci-fi and suspense films emerged strongly. Unusual sounds arouse to create different atmospheres in films (“James Bond Dr. No” 1962 (13), the “Pink Panther” 1963 (13), “Onibaba” 1964 (13), “The Jungle Book” 1967 (13) or  ”Z” 1968). Musicals came back shyly in this decade (“West Side Story” 1961 (13), “Une femme est une femme” in 1961 (13)). Another flavour of animated musical film was left in “Yellow Submarine” 1968 (13). “The Graduate”1963, “Alfie”1963 (13) and many other films made within the 60s incorporated pop music of that time in their soundtracks also known as needle drops. In this decade avant-garde music could be heard in films such as “Woman in the Dunes” (13). Spaghetti Western film compositions continued throughout the decade of the 60s (“The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” 1966 (13)).  Military march maintained its legacy in late 1960s as we can listen to in “Battle of Britain’s” Goodwin and Walton´s score (13), “War and Peace”1967 score (13), “The Shop on Main Street” 1965 (13) or “The Ipcress File” 1965 (13).

Experimentalism kept growing in the 70s though classical scoring giving characters and their relationships more emotional complexity in epic crime scores like “The Godfather” 1972 (14) or in crime action thrillers like “SHAFT” (14). In the late 70’s Orchestra Composition was recovered for “Star Wars”1977 (14), “Allegro Non Troppo” 1976, “Heavy Traffic” 1973(14), “Life of Brian” 1979 (14) . Synthetisers and computer generated music took the lead in the late 1970s and early 1980’s on the majority of film scores leaving us soundtracks like “Chariots of Fire” 1981 (14) or “Halloween” 1978 (14) or “Dersu Uzala” 1975 (14). The decade of the 1970s was defined by more complex orchestra and jazz compositions, disco film music (“Saturday Night Fever”1977 (14)) and reggae film music (“The Harder They Come” 1972 (14)) as an evolution of 40 years of rock, folk-rock, jazz, quartets and orchestra’s compositions in films. These changes in film music transmitted to fantastic and war films (“Die Blechtrommel” (The Thin Drum) 1979 (14), “Tora! Tora! Tora! ”1970 (14), “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie” 1972). Musicals felt out of favour in this decade.

In the the 1980s computer generated music experimented (17) a huge expansion, software libraries of sound appeared thanks to the creation of MIDI protocol. Classic music, vintage and modern pop (synth-pop) songs took the handover on many film soundtracks during this decade, like in “Blue Velvet” (15) or “The Secret of Nimh”1982 (15) or “Tootsie” 1982 (15). Disco evolved into modern dance music, hip hop consolidated and rock evolved into other flavours like glam rock. Historic moments got depicted in films like “Mephisto”1981, “Der Himmel über Berlin (Wings of Desire)” 1987 (15), “Babette’s Feast” 1987 or “Pelle the Conequeror”1987. Animated film music let us foresee the changes of this decade in films like “Akira” 1988 (15), “The Snowman” 1982 (15) or “Transformers” 1986 (15). Dancing movies arouse strongly on the 80s like “Flashdance”, 1983 (15), “Foot Loose” 1984 (15), “The Breakfast Club” 1985 (15), “Breakin’” 1984 (15) or “The Blues Brothers”1980 (15).

More reflections of the contemporary and social moments that went through in this decade can be heard in “Cinema Paradiso” 1988 (16), Scarface” 1983 (16) or “Come and see” 1985 (16). Classical Baroque music can be found on “Fanny and Alexander´s”1982 soundtrack (16). Hybrid music orchestra, computer made music (sampling scores), avant-garde music and modern pop in their soundtracks is what can be noticed in almost every genre in the 80s film music, since this decade was the one in which major technological and experimental innovation and improved digital recording decade (“The Neverending Story” 1984 (16), “My neighbour Totoro” 1988). The decade of the 1980s has revealed as the beginning of several film music series that lead to a rise of the soundtrack albums. These productions have lasted to the 2010s and 2020s in some cases (“Crocodile Dundee” 1986 (16), “Back to the Future” 1985 (16), “Aliens” 1986, “The Terminator” 1984, “Top Gun”, 1986, “Indiana Jones” 1981, “Die Hard” 1988, “Ghostbusters” 1984).

In the 1990s many technical advances boosted an improve on devices and software storage, data compression and many other technological features that made recording, sampling and music libraries better in music software. This advances also created new positions within the film music industry such electronic musicians and producers. Electronic music started to take off in this decade and film music introduced those in many score themes and soundtracks. But in the early 90s a taste for the old style sound, big band and disco genres with an anachronistic use of those songs arouse on film scores also “Ghost” Unchained Melody 1990 (18), “Pulp Fiction” 1994 (18), “Trainspotting” 1996 (18), “Belle Époque” 1992, “Indochine” 1992 (18), “Forrest Gump” 1994 (18), “Life is Beautiful” 1997 (18), “All About My Mother” 1999(18), “Muriel´s Wedding” 1994 (18), “The adventures of Pricilla, Queen of the Dessert” 1994 (18), “Wild Wild West” 1999 (18), “Men in Black” 1997 (18) or “The Cider House Rules” 1999 (18). Pop rock culture was brought to the screen as well through titles like “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” 1991. R&B and Soul music took a more relevant place in films like “The bodyguard” 1992 (18) or “Not Gon’ cry” 1997 “Waiting to Exhale”1995 (18) just like hip-hop style lived a big raise in film music in this decade as in “How to Survive in South Central” in “Boyz n the Hood”1991 (18) or “Fight the Power” anthem in “Do the Right Thing” 1989. More classical and ad hoc compositions with sparks and flashes of epic, magic and scary effects can be found on films like “Only Yesterday” 1991 (18), “The Lion King” 1994 (18), “The Nightmare before Christmas” 1993 (18), “Kolya” 1996 (18) or “Karacter” 1997. The Marvel Phenomenon started with comic series back in 1972, and suffered many changes until this “comic-styled” films turned reality in 1994 with “Fantastic Four” 1994 (18). This film series is still bringing to the screen impossible dreams and super-powered characters nowadays.

In the 2000s dedicated software samplers boasted with new features on samplers like battery and drums improved notably. Development of studio recording kept improving (pitch correction, auto-tune features) within this decade. Improvements on larger storage room and better data compressing in sampling devices gave electronic music the opportunity to gain quality and save budget on film music’s projects. The spread of Internet-mediated music sharing and digital downloads transformed the music industry. This availability inspired a new generation of musicians, who would go on to make their own marks. The way music was distributed and consumed was the result of the then emerging fourth technological revolution in which we are. The introductions of iPod and other mp3 players, digital stores and streaming services had a huge impact on music distribution. Music television shifted to focus on reality shows, shaping music trends and opportunities to artists. Internet music platforms boosted popularity thanks to the easiness in reaching artists. Indi bands pushed boundaries on this genre with inventive sounds. Hip hop, R&B, pop, emo-pop and Indi genres offered an emotional diversity in their music easing introspective and more eclectic moods for listeners. Synthpop, electropop, electrohouse, trance, chillout, indietronica, J-pop, K-pop,  genres became popular and left an impression on score suites (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” 2000 (20), “No Man´s Land” 2001 (20), “The Devils Backbone” 2001 (20), “Gladiator” 2001 (20), “Der Tunnel” 2001, “City of God” 2002 (20), “Goodbye Lennin” 2003 (20), “Lord of the Rings” 2001-2003 (20), “The Barbarian Invasions 2003”, “Shaun of the dead” 2004 (20), ”The Sea Inside” 2004 (20), “The Pianist” 2004 (20), “Wolf Creek” 2005 (20), “Tsotsi” 2005 (20), “Letters from Iwo Jima” 2006 (20),  “Letters of Others” 2006,  “Persepolis” 2007 (20), ” The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas”2008 (20), “Slumdog Millionaire” 2008 (20), “Departures” 2008 (20), “Red Cliff” 2008 (20), “The Secret in Their Eyes” 2009 (20), “Coraline” 2009 (20), “Inglorious Bastards” 2009 (20))  . Nu-metal bands, House DJs, snap music and rap lived a global influence in experimenting and merging styles thanks to connectivity, creating many new musical movements that lasted beyond this decade (19).

In the decade of the 2010s hybrid scoring technique increases notably in sound score production, combining real musicians, synthesised sound effects (“Inception” 2010 (21), “Robin Hood” 2010 (21), “Automata” 2014 (21), “Train to Busan” 2016 (21) ). We find synth and distorted dark electric guitars to recreate a crime western in “The Duel” 2016 (21) and synth dark chords to introduce us into a battle war atmosphere in “Dunkirk” 2017 (21).  Percussion samples and more needle drops in the shape of soul songs from the past are brought to the screen in film series and score compositions such as “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” 2011 or “The Dark Knight Rises” 2012 (21). More emo-classic tones with synth and new ambient effects can be listened in score themes and soundtracks like “A separation” 2011 (21), “Ernest & Celestine” 2012 (21), “Parasite” 2019 (21), “Song of the Sea” 2014 (21), “The Handmaiden” 2016 (21), “A Fantastic Woman” 2017, “Den 12 Mann (The 12th Man)” 2017, “Roma” 2018  (21), “White Snake: The Origin” 2019 (21) or “Pain and Glory” 2019 (21). The decade of the 2010s is characterised by globalization, social sharing and setting music as a worldwide language since a person from one country could follow in streaming a broadcast on the other side of the world and share it. Music platforms multiplied and improved notably and the consumption of music varied in between paying per song on a digital music marketplace or subscribing on a platform. Implications for music industry were huge since listeners could access many new and varied types of music than ever; and this actual speed music propagation benefited the filming industry too in a way. Rhythm and Blues, Hip Hop, Pop and Latin Music and K-pop have globalised and reached every corner of the world in this decade. The music-making process has amplified the power to reach anyone thanks to cheap recording devices and online compositional tools allowing emerging groups and artists to start faster and cheaper in the music industry and serving as pipeline for songwriters, singers and other artists to create collaborations in new ways and with a blending of genres never seen before. Artificial Intelligence improves listeners’ experience in music platforms offering a more personalized experience (recommended songs, offering shared playlists and finding new international artists). In the 2010s there is a rise of boy and girl bands that continues in the next decade.

2020s. Today the way to compose has evolved and experimenting with new sounds, manipulating recorded sounds, the employ of unconventional instruments to create unique scores in electronic compositions (“The Portable Door” 2023(22), “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” 2022 (22), “There is something in the Barn” 2023 (22)) that enrich the film´s emotional depth (electronic music and avant-garde music transports us to a crude and terrifying war world war I on “All quiet on the western front” 2022 (22), and a nostalgic trip on “Another Round” 2020 (22)). The pandemic in 2020 boosted a new de-centralized and virtualized way to collaborate and produce music since lockdowns occurred in almost every big city. Thanks to how evolved social media and music platforms were at the moment of lockdowns, we were able to re-connect and share easier. Trap music boosted, hip hop, have shifted towards plug, rap, reggaeton or jersey club styles did too. Synth-pop merged with pop-rock, emo-pop and cyberpunk ((“Land of Bad” 2024(22), “Reminiscence” 2021 (22), “The Mitchels vs. The Machines 2021” (22), videogame inspired music (“Guns Akimbo” 2020 (22), “Mutant Ghost War Girl”, 2022 (22)), gothic folk-pop, indie pop, hyper pop, nu-disco, pop-punk, emo-pop, house, indie rock, drill music and afro beats elevated the number of listeners considerably on mainstream media music affecting film music as well. Nostalgic feeling that persists after the pandemic has raised the demand of old songs, and so are acoustic, electric guitars, drum kits and hybrid electronic keyboards and orchestra sound (“Napoleon” 2023 (22), “Journey to Bethlehem” 2023 (22)). Electronic music and film soundtracks have experienced a return into the 60s and classics chords (“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” 2021 (22),  ”Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” 2023, (22)), the 70s, 80s and 90s and jazz music (“Drive my Car” 2021 (22)) due to a reconnection with our roots after Covid-19 but, this time, with a merge of styles (“Guardians of the Galaxy” 2023 (22) ,“The Zone of interest”, 2023 (22) , “Nomadland” 2020 (22) , “Poker Face”  2022 (22)) . In the 2020s for both, listeners and creators, the music industry keeps growing and recognizing talent regardless status, gender, sexuality, race or ethnic region and this reflex can be noticed on every score suite.

Film music acts as an emotional catalyst, making us feeling joy, fear, sorrow, tension while following the narrative shown on the story we´re watching. The narrative language in which film music becomes, makes our brains take an emotional journey, evoking memories, good and bad things we have gone through in our lives so that we don´t forget what the point still is, because there is always a point, and making us connect with our own feelings. Film Music helps us to live in a healthier way and escape of everyday tensions and monotony at the reach of our remote control.

The 4th technological revolution enhanced by technological advances and connectivity have modified the way we produce and consume forever. Filtering and selecting contents have become essential in this decade. Films and Music are our legacy to future generations and a tribute to past ones that left effort, energy, investment and tons of work in film and music making, so that we can have a film or a serial on our favourite digital platform nowadays.

Films and music are about sharing our culture, lifestyles and way of life in a more than a globalized and over-connected world, learn off what we see it´s still a personal choice. And this should serve us to improve our lives instead of dividing us. Take advantage of what we have, and take care of one another instead of destroying what we have will be always a personal choice. Huge teams of people work on filming and music industry productions because we all need to have dreams (and nightmares too...) and, that´s what life is about, balancing constantly, otherwise your road could be much more “interesting” than you expected.

Thanks for smiling. Enjoy The Road!

References in #atriptomusicinfilms2, #atriptomusicinfilms3 and #atriptomusicinfilms4.

[bestpctips]

Cyrus Audio TTP Review

Dark star You might not have been expecting Cyrus to join the vinyl party, but Ed Selley thinks it makes a convincing argument for itself. Read our Cyrus Audio TTP Review. Vinyl’s ongoing second wind has resulted in some unexpected developments in the last few years; the dramatic upswing in devices fitted with phono stages being perhaps the most notable. It has also prompted a massive increase…

[hifilounge]

Introducing The New Arcam Radia Series, Now on Demo!

Hi All,

Exciting news! Earlier this week, Arcam unveiled its newest audio collection, the Radia Series, at a live presentation hosted at the Vinyl Factory in London. The new series comprises three integrated amplifiers, a dedicated CD player and a high-resolution streaming device. The latest lineup has undergone a comprehensive transformation, embracing modern design principles while incorporating hardware enhancements and features that would please even the most discerning audiophile. If you seek a music-listening solution that effortlessly combines elegance with sonic excellence, the new Radia series should be on your list!

Arcam Radia Series

A5 Integrated Amplifier with 2-way Bluetooth

The ARCAM A5 is for those intimate listening experiences with your favourite music.

The "A" in ARCAM stands for Amplification - this is our core competance. The A5 is the latest in more than 45 years of amplifier design and manufacture, going back to our first product in 1976 - the A&R Cambridge A60 amplifier. New components and materials have been painstakingly analysed and reviewed to ensure brilliant sound quality.

So you can play music straight out of the box, the ARCAM A5 includes a Bluetooth solution with Qualcomm AptX Adaptive technology. This provides up to 24-bit HD audio for the best sound quality from your phone or tablet, no matter what you are playing. It can also connect to Bluetooth headphones so your listening experience can continue sensitively after dark.

Hi-res audio is included with high resolution digital audio inputs included.

Like any ARCAM integrated amplifier, we pay particular attention to the built in phono stage to ensure your records sound as lush and engaging as possible.

A15 Integrated Amplifier with 2-way Bluetooth

The ARCAM A15 is the power house, with 80 Watts of output per channel. It is perfect for listening with tower speakers, in larger rooms, and more exuberant listening volumes.

The "A" in ARCAM stands for Amplification - this is our core competance. The A15 is the latest in more than 45 years of amplifier design and manufacture. New components and materials have been painstakingly analysed and reviewed to ensure brilliant sound performance.

So you can play music straight out of the box, the ARCAM A15 includes a Bluetooth solution with Qualcomm AptX Adaptive technology. This provides up to 24-bit HD audio for the best sound quality from your phone or tablet, no matter what you are playing. It can also connect to Bluetooth headphones so your listening experience can continue sensitively after dark.

Hi-res audio is included with high resolution digital audio inputs included.

Like any ARCAM integrated amplifier, we pay particular attention to the built in phono stage to ensure your records sound as lush and engaging as possible.

A25 Integrated Class G Amplifier with 2-way Bluetooth

The ARCAM A25 is the best sounding, and most feature rich of our Radia Integrated amplifiers. The visual luxurious highlights hint towards the more luxurious musical experience that it offers.

This is achieved with a 5th generation Class G amplifier design. You can expect the best sound quality and dynamics from what has always been a better sounding, and more efficient Class of amplifier. New components and materials have been painstakingly analysed and reviewed to ensure uncompromising sound performance.

The rich feature set includes a USB-C input for your laptop, be it PC, MAC or Raspberry Pie! This augments a Bluetooth solution that includes Qualcomm AptX Adaptive technology with 24-bit HD audio to ensure the best sound quality no matter what you are playing. It can also connect to Bluetooth headphones so your listening experience can continue sensitively after dark.

Like any ARCAM integrated amplifier, we pay particular attention to the built in phono stage to ensure your records sound as lush and engaging as possible.

CD5 Compact Disc Player

The ARCAM CD5 is for those intimate listening experiences with your favourite music on Compact Disc.

ARCAM has been a pioneer of Compact Disc playback since the development and introduction of the Delta 70 CD player in 1986, our own ground up design. The experience of producing high quality digital audio products since then has been poured into the ARCAM CD5. New components and materials have been painstakingly analysed and reviewed to ensure brilliant sound quality.

Hi-res audio playback capability is included for FLAC and WAV encoded CD and USB files.

ST5 High Resolution Streamer

The ARCAM ST5 is the high resolution upgrade for our Radia integrated amplifiers. The slim form factor includes a control link to these amplifiers, allowing the 2 components to act as one from your device. Sonically, this combination off ers better sound quality due to the benefi ts of isolated components with individual power supplies.

The ARCAM ST5 provides an inclusive feature set supporting the majority of smart phones and tables, as well as popular streaming services. Connect the ST5 to your home network with Wi-Fi or Ethernet to enjoy instant playback using Apple Airplay2 or Google Chromecast.

The ST5 will playback music directly from Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect, and for power users, the ST5 is Roon Ready, all with Hi-res and MQA support. All digital audio is output on the analogue outputs using an ESS ES9018 high resolution DAC with time domain jitter elimination for perfect sound, every time.

Now on Demo, please don’t hesitate to contact HFL if you have any questions or require anything else 👌

Regards,

Billy

[autisticfoxgirl333]

Battle Cat Time!

Which one is your favorite?

[odedmusic]

#OdedFriedGaon ‪#OdedMusic

[phonoselect]

PHONO RAD RECORD ALERT!! Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ -2010 . ‘Soundtrack’ to a book of photos taken by David Lynch. Unfortunately, there is no book :( . Musicians involved: Black Francis Wayne Coyne David Lynch Iggy Pop Suzanne Vega Vic Chesnutt + many more OPEN EVERYDAY 12-6pm *including holidays! Call the shop if you have any questions. 916-400-3164 @phonoselect #recordstore #usedrecordstore #recordstoresacramento #vinylrecords #sacramento #dangermouse #sparklehorse @davidlynchfoundation #davidlynch (at Phono Select Records) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmITzfwJnS-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[posttexasstressdisorder]

09-11-23

OK, got both units triaged.

Yaknow those times when ya go in for an oil change and end up needin' a rebuild? Almost that. Not quite, but close.

Several "we got that goin' for us, which is nice" things, but enough stuff requiring soldering to replace shit while I'm under the hood, as it were. Below is yer handy dandy photoessay of...

Situation Dynaco '23

First thing to realize is that both of these could date from as early as '59, to as late as '71 or '72. Some possible repairs along the way, not by me. But overall? Both the preamp and power amp look quite good for their age.

Here's the innerds of the PAS preamp:

Nothing overtly terribly wrong at first glance. I definitely need to spend some hours and elbow grease on a few issues, namely cleaning all the controls. The rotary input selector is really almost immovable. I need to clean and lube it before one of those wafers cracks. One of the treble controls is frozen in full on, which is where it stays much of the time. Volume, balance, and stereo-blend need cleaning. That's not bad for a 60-70-year-old piece of gear.

Now, looking closer at what is the first obvious candidate, the power electrolytics and selenium rectifier stack, we see one of the caps is deformed and spewed some gunk.

Now this was a kit-build unit. The factory-build units used rivets instead of tiny screws and nuts to mount the PC boards and other major components. Like the hardware, like the input jack array on the back:

Two missing screws/nuts. Luckily I have spares. That could've been part of the final straw, as well. But so far? Not much else to complain about.

The quad cap is surprisingly clean. Both of the PC boards in the PAS are in great shape, no real heat damage. Might hit a few of the solder joints with a hot iron to reflow, but that's it for the PAS.

So for the PAS we're lookin' at a general clean/lube, and replace the electrolytics and put in a diode kit to eliminate the selenium stack, and we oughta be back in business.

Now, the ST-70 is in much the same shape, but it has some obviously more serious needs.

What happened with it was I was listening one afternoon and heard a slight "fizzling" sound, like the bubbling of a soft drink freshly poured. Looked over at the amp to see the left front tube glow, kinda sparkle and then when it stopped, so did the fizzling, but not before the 5AR4 and remaining EL34 on the left side glowing red, ending up with heat damage.

I shut everything down and re-routed the PAS through my venerable old Altec-Lansing computer speaker system, Beige Era. At least I could still transcribe vinyl to SSD, with my Dual 1219/Shure M91ED fed into the phono section on the PAS. with the tape out on the PAS going to the mic/sound-in port on the Mac Nehalem tower. But when the PAS failed, all bets were off, thus, I'm pushed into action to grab a soldering iron again.

So here's the Beast, that front EL34 cracked, as well. You can see the ring of heat damage on the other EL34 of the left channel. That 5AR4 rectifier was almost silverless by the time of the incident, so I'm guessing that was the first point of failure.

First time I've seen a rectifier completely DE-SILVERED from old age!

Again, remarkably clean overall underneath. You can see in the closer views below that one of the elctrolytics spewed its guts onto the side wall.

The driver board is in fairly decent shape. The heat damage to the left 7199 area is actually almost nothing compared to how dark some of them I've seen are. The excessive heat wasn't too terribly damaging, which is a good thing. The choke has never suffered a wax meltdown, which I've seen a lot, which also points to heat damage being minimal.

And yeah, I'll tell my obtuse originalist self to stfu and put a diode kit in here, too.

So for the ST-70 to live again, first it'll need a fresh matched quad of output tubes. The quad that are in there now was a matched set of Raytheons from Japan ('60s). The rectifier tube becomes meaningless when we put the diode kit in place of the selenium stack. The electrolytics are the original Dynaco parts! I'll replace them for sure, esp since it appears that one has spewed in the past.

And in the "Since yer under there anyway..." category, yeah, might as well freshen the bias pots along with the associated diode kit stuff.

So that's the situation as it stands. What'll it take? Parts money and tube money. But too much else needs payin' for first.

Last time I had to look up Dynaco parts was a good long while ago. Hopefully some of the old sites still operate. I'll look at them with an after-dinner cuppa coffee in a couple hours.

"Later that evening..."

Well, it looks like dynakitparts.com is still in the biz, so that's the go-to place for the parts. The PAS could get going with this:

plus a goodly amount of deoxit and a few hours of wearing the bifocals.

So with tax/shipping it'd be around $41 for the PAS.

The ST-70 would need the same treatment, which is oddly cheaper:

But, it will also need a matched quad of EL34/6CA7. The most like the square-shouldered "mullard clone" design I've got is gulp-inducing:

Meanwhile, the cheaper set would be JJ, which are generally good tubes:

That's still $120 plus shipping/tax, prolly close to $140 for the ST-70 to run again, plus $40 for the PAS would be $160 to get 'em both goin' with basic tubes, $250 for exact Mullard clone tubes. All of which is a pipe dream at this point.

I figured I'd need to do this sooner or later, but damn...I guess should shoot for just what the PAS needs, since it's the most reasonable. Getting the ST-70 going will have to wait.

Well fuck. I guess it was inevitable.  My Dynaco PAS3X went tits up.  Heard a pop and it went dark.  Great.  I haven’t opened it up yet to see what it was that popped.  Probably a capacitor.  Or one of the tubes might’ve given it up.

So it sits there, along with the ST70 that needs an output tube and probably more.  A buddy was supposed to send me one, but it’s been nearly two years he was gonna send one. 

See?  This is why being broke sucks.  There is no “discretionary income” for poors.  None.  Unless you can fix it with spit and duct tape, you are just fucked.

Until I can fix at least the PAS3X, my vinyl transcribing is effectively on hold.  My turntable fed into the PAS3X and its tape output went into the Mac Tower.  Beautiful sound on the transfers of what I’ve gotten made so far. 

Very few will even know wtf I’m talking about. 

Just an old man kvetching.

Go back to sleep.

[audio-luddite]

Different? Better?

The adventure with the 1990s high end tube amp goes on.

There is good, and there is bad. Clearing away the bad issue is it will cost money to keep this beastie running. The good is it has the seductive sound of the vacuum to tempt and to tease me. Such a tease.

Last night I played 4 albums. The result was interesting.

The first one was my original copy of "I Robot" Alan Parson's Project. It sounded really good. AP was a recording engineer of great talent and is responsible for Dark Side of the Moon among many others. If you are familiar with that you can appreciate that the mixes are complex and deep and leave much to be untangled. If you are a detail geek as I am it is required listening. Lots of fun.

Next up was a "special" I found in my densely packed hoard of LPs. It is on the Wilson Audiophile label titled Center Stage.

It has an amazing back story and provenance. It was commissioned by Absolute Sound Magazine and the recording engineers, and mastering gurus are a who's who of the high end. Everything custom and tweaked. They even note the tape preservative used. Yes tape and pure analog full on. Should be great right?

I know TAS used it to evaluate equipment and crown the winners of that month's SOTA awards.

I may have mentioned that you can have great music recorded well or poorly. You can have great recordings of good or poor music. Bad recordings of bad music stay in the bin where they belong. Some things are doomed to be test records and this is one of those.

In the full golden ear style of reviewing I will note my equipment. The Phase Linear 8000 series 2 tangential tracking TT with an AT7V cartridge front end. Preamp is the ARC SP-14 with 50 pf load on the phono, and the Amp is the ARC Classic 60. Speakers are my own "invisible speakers" bass reflex in lovely birch plywood cabinets.

The music was movie and Broadway tunes played by horns and woodwinds with percussion. Basically a symphony orchestra without any strings. There was good space and I am a full on fan of how drums are portrayed. They are big deep and with amazing texture. Horns let you show off lots of audiophile type tricks. But the music was BORING. After two cuts I could not help but think if I hear another John Williams tune I will throw up. No FN imagination just quotes of everyone from Brahms to Stravinsky.

This is big loud music, and I was falling asleep droogs. I played both sides and yes the technical production is full on high end, but this goes back in the heap for a long time. Just not fun.

Since I was bored I decided to pull up "Year of the Cat" Mofi which I have talked about before. Wonderful recording of the most boring singer in history. Now this was interesting.

With the Franken-Amp this is broad and front row and deep with really really good clear sound. With the tuber it was almost muffled. Mr Stewart was pushed back a few yards and there was fog or smoke around him. ( not literally just an audible fuzziness thing ) I could still hear it clearly and all the parts were sharp and good. The guitar was very nice and metallic. The treble was really good. This is a Mofi after all. But the perspective of the mix was far different. I was in full on WTF mode. I bet it was mixed in a studio with all Solid State gear.

Very different, but not better.

OK one more then I have to shut it down. Emmylou Harris "Quarter moon...." I just got a Mofi used record from a cool shop a 5 hour drive away. There was some groove noise like dirt, they said they had ultrasonically cleaned it. Under the noise the recording was very nice. Actually a bit of discwasher brushing cleaned it up noticeably. I suppose the mix is simpler and cleaner so the sound was as I recall it before no big changes.

One thing and I will come back to it again. There is a background singer with a really cool tone to her voice. She is there, but not as easy to separate out as I recall. That may be the mix as Mofi does fiddle it's masters, or it may be the tuber. I have the original vanilla disk right in the milk crate there. I will check it.

[ Update: I did check it next day. The original disc was much clearer and the other singer was very easy to distinguish and understand. So did Mofi remix it and mess it up a bit? Interesting that the old copy sounded just as good as the mofi. Old master tape copy perhaps?]

In a related thing I ordered a set of the driver tubes. (EHX Russian). Far cheaper than a full set of 6550s and likely 30 years old. I want to pull the covers for a peak and will throw those in. It is a lot of bother to do so. I need some things to do in there aside from look. I will also check the bias of the output tubes. I will also scope some capacitors on the PC board that can go funny. There are 4 electrolytics there that are not power supply related and are known to be vulnerable. Just to risk my life you know. I gave up motorcycles decades ago.

The Amp does help warm the room and there was frost on the car this morning.

Cheers to all.

[pandawritespoorly]

And: Chapter 2 - Without

Author’s Note: Thank you all so much for your patience again! I meant to have this up on Tuesday, but between school finally starting back up, and getting back into the habit of regular updates, it just didn't happen. I promise I wasn't disappearing again!

First | Last

Marinette sits up when she hears a notification from that app. She and Chat had found a messaging app that they could both use without revealing their identities, and had been using it to communicate without having to transform.

It was already hard enough to sneak away for attacks, they didn’t need to make it more complicated.

It’s just a quiet study hour in the library, and she’s alone, so she pulls out her phone.

 Cat Boy: hey bug

Cat Boy: weird question

Cat Boy: do you

Cat Boy: do u think that i weigh 2 much

 Little Lady: no!

Little Lady: not at all kitty

Little Lady: underneath all that armor and magic leather im pretty sure your waist is the same size as mine

Little Lady: if anything you dont weigh enough

Little Lady: im bringing snacks on patrol

Little Lady: this is non negotiable

Little Lady: text me ur favorites

Little Lady: but later. what brought this on

 Cat Boy: just civilian stuff

Cat Boy: i know i’m not overweight

Cat Boy: but seeing the numbers andstuff all the time it can kind of stick in ur head you know

Cat Boy: and then u start thinking about it

Cat Boy: and it sticks around longer

 Little Lady: and then it’s taken root

 Cat Boy: yeah

 Little Lady: then we have some weeding to do >:(

 Cat Boy: :)

Cat Boy: thanks bug

 Little Lady: not a problem

---

Little Lady: do i do enough

Little Lady: like

Little Lady: all of this

Little Lady: is it good enough

Little Lady: paris and the kwamis and the akumas and hakwmoth

Little Lady: shouln’t I have fixed all of this bu now

Little Lady: it’s what im here for

Little Lady: but theres sill so much wrong and i feel like im not enough right to cancel it all out

Little Lady: and i just

Little Lady: i feel so bad

Little Lady: but half the time i dont even kno what i fel bad about u kno

Little Lady: i jsut fell bad

Little Lady: abuto evryting

Little Lady: o goodenss it 3 am

Little Lady: sory

Little Lady: ignreo tihs

 Cat Boy: bug

Cat Boy: breathe

Cat Boy: five things you see

 Little Lady: pilwo phonoe tiki cieling um

Little Lady: blankt

 Cat Boy: four things you feel

 Little Lady: bed

Little Lady: pilow hair sheets

 Cat Boy: three things you hear

 Little Lady: cars wind and keyboadr clicks

 Cat Boy: two things you smell

 Little Lady: the candle i had burning and bread

 Cat Boy: bread?

 Little Lady: bakery nearby

 Cat Boy: oh okay

Cat Boy: one thing you taste

 Little Lady: cookies

 Cat Boy: there we go

 Little Lady: thank you

 Cat Boy: no problem

Cat Boy: do u want to talk

 Little Lady: later. maybe on patrol?

Little Lady: i’m tired. haven’t slept all weekend

 Cat Boy: …

Cat Boy: bug it’s MONDAY

Cat Boy: wait no

Cat Boy: TUESDAY

Cat Boy: go to bed

 Little Lady: goodnight kitty

 Cat Boy: gn littlebug

 Today 9:32 AM

 Little Lady: hey! im not that much shorter than you!

Little Lady: >:(((

--- 

“Are you sure, Lila?��� Adrien asks, a frown creasing his face. “That doesn’t sound like something Marinette would do.”

“Well I-”

“My dude’s right,” Nino agrees, “That doesn’t sound like Nette at all.”

Adrien watches Marinette brighten quietly as the rest of the class comes to her defense. They all believe Lila still, yes, he’s not going to let the liar turn them on their Everyday Ladybug. Not on his watch.

After class, the dark haired girl approaches him. She gives him a soft hug, whispering a quiet ‘thank you’.

---

“Adrien,” Marinette calls.

The blond stops, turning. “Hey, Marinette. Did you need something?”

She shakes her head, giving a small smile, holding out a paper bag. “You were gone all morning for that photoshoot. I thought you might be hungry.”

Adrien freezes, staring at her in shock.

After a moment, she cringes, looking away. “B-but um, if you aren’t-”

He shakes his head, realizing his mistake. “No! No! Thank you so much! I just- You surprised me.” He gives her a grateful smile, trying to keep himself from crying. “I- that- I wasn’t expecting this. You’re wonderful, Marinette, really.”

She blushes violently as he takes the bag, digging into the pastries with a smile.

“I don’t usually remember lunch after shoots, so…”

She stares at him in horror. “That’s it,” she declares, “I’m bringing you lunch now. Everyday. No matter what.”

“How much? I’ll pay-”

“No, Adrien, we’re friends. You don’t need to pay me. Maman is always saying how she thinks you need to eat more anyways, so my parents would probably just give you free food if you so much as glanced in the window. I’m just making their dreams come true.”

He laughs, and she takes a moment to appreciate such a carefree look on the busy model’s face.

He’s happy.

That’s good.

---

Cat Boy: u okay bug

Cat Boy: u seemed upset today

 Little Lady: im fine

Little Lady: just

Little Lady: tired

Little Lady: i should probably go now class will start soon

 Cat Boy: okay

Cat Boy: if you say so

 Adrien tries not to let his worry for his partner show as he slips his phone into his pocket and makes his way to Bustier’s class.

The battle was easy - Ladybug didn’t even need her Lucky Charm - but Cataclysm had been a requirement for this particular fight, so he hadn’t had time afterwards to check in with his friend.

He’s never good at focusing when he’s worried.

Nino slings an arm around him as they meet up on their way to class.

“Hey dude, um, I hope you don’t mind sitting with Nette today. She’s pretty wiped out - Al’s said she said somethin’ about a big commission? I dunno’, but we figure the less high up she is, the better, so I’m takin’ her seat today so she can go ground level.”

“Oh that’s fine! Is she okay?”

Nino gestures at the girl as they enter. She’s slumped forward, making her already small form even smaller, and while her sketchbook is out, the page is blank, and her pencil isn’t anywhere to be seen. There’s a to-go cup of coffee in the corner of the desk, and her head rests on her hand, her eyes staring blankly forward, unresponsive.

Adrien winces. “Goodness.”

“Yeah…” Nino shakes his head, then heads towards the girl’s usual seat. “You take care of her, alright?”

Adrien nods, sliding into his usual seat. “Hey, Mari,” he greets softly.

She straightens, blinking a few times before turning to face him with a weak smile. “Hey.”

“You feeling alright?”

She doesn’t get a chance to respond before Ms. Bustier walks in and class starts.

The lesson feels slow. Between Marinette and Ladybug, Adrien has the urge to hug someone and tell them that they’re okay, and that they’re good.

Both girls, at this point. The look in Marinette’s eyes is the same as Ladybug’s when she’s overworking herself to avoid thinking about something. The nights when he sees her patrolling even though she isn’t scheduled and he has to transform to go talk her into resting. The fights where she throws herself at akumas less thoughtfully, more brash. The post-battle interviews where her answers are slightly delayed, her eyes endlessly tired.

So when class is finally over, Adrien puts a gentle hand on her shoulder to keep her from going. Once everyone has filed out, he gives a small, worried smile.

“Are you feeling okay, Marinette?”

“I’m fine.”

“Marinette.”

She hesitates, her eyes straying from his to stare at nothing in particular. “I’m fine, Adrien, really. I’m just… just tired.”

“The coffee probably isn’t helping,” he teases.

“The coffee is my lifeblood.” She smirks, then sighs. “But I’m more than just sleep-tired.”

“Oh.”

She stands, gathering her things. “But thank you. For asking. And for caring.”

“Not a problem.” He hands her her sketchbook. “You deserve it.”

She looks at the sketchbook, then at his smile, and gives a genuine one of her own. “Yeah. Yeah I do.”

---

Author’s Note: Next (and final) chapter will be up sometime next week! I'll try to post weekly one-shots until I have A Shy 'Sparrow' fully written, and then I'll put that on a regular schedule.

Thank you all so much! Have a lovely day and stay safe! 💞

First | Last

[taww]

First Take Review: Gryphon Essence Preamplifier & Stereo Amplifier

Okay, let’s get this out of the way: with a combined retail of over USD $40k (and that doesn’t include another $6k for the optional Zena DAC module), The Gryphon’s Essence preamplifier and stereo amplifier are by far the most expensive electronics I’ve ever had in my home! They might be the Danish firm’s entry point into separates, but that’s akin to calling a $146k Aston Martin Vantage “entry level.” There was a time in the not-so-distant past when spending such sums of money on stereo gear struck me as pointless excess. Perhaps I’ve been numbed by flipping through too many issues of The Absolute Sound or walking the halls of an audio show; perhaps I’m just entering a life stage (mid-life crisis, anyone?) where I’m allowing myself to indulge in such luxuries. Whatever the case may be, I’ve now had the good fortune of several months with the Essence combo, and despite a number of people prodding me for this review it’s been quite difficult to put into words how they perform. Why? Because every time I sit down to do the “work” of reviewing I just end up getting sucked into the music and forget to do the reviewing bit! But, here goes...

The arrival of the Gryphon components was a case of one thing leading to another. My first experience was when I strolled into Gryphon’s room at RMAF 2018. After being disappointed by so many other mega-buck systems at the show, I was delighted that this one actually sounded like music! Frankly, a lot of über-expensive show systems landed on my ears like amusical hi-fi effects or whimsical fancies of what some people think music should sound like, rather than an actual musical performance. Like other big systems, the Gryphon rig was imposing and fancy-looking, but with a decidedly purposeful, even stark, aesthetic. And the sound - so tangible and luscious, maybe a little dark and brooding, but in a way that connected me emotionally to the recorded performance rather than distracting me with sonic affect. 

At the time I was happily running the Valvet A4 Mk.II monoblocks, and also had @mgd-taww​’s Pass Labs XA30.5 at my disposal. Both delivered the pure and colorful musical flavors of Class A amplification, and both are superb amps. But things got thrown for a bit of a loop when I settled on the Audiovector SR 6 Avantgarde Arreté speakers as my new reference. I had auditioned them at AudioVision SF with the Gryphon Diablo 300 integrated amp ($16k) and the sound gave up nothing to high-quality separates - big, bold and dynamic with tremendous poise and nuance. Coming back to the Pass and Valvet amplifiers (coupled with a Pass Labs XP10 line stage) certainly wasn’t a let-down, but they didn’t have quite the same level synergy with the Audiovectors which sounded more complete and visceral with the Gryphon integrated. 

This combined with the strong aural memories from the RMAF room led to a call to Gryphon’s US distributor, Philip O’Hanlon and Pandora Pang of On a Higher Note. Philip acknowledged that the Diablo was indeed excellent but teased that Gryphon had recently introduced a new line of separates worth consideration. The Essence had just arrived in the States and he had one more set in stock if I were so inclined... and next thing I know, a pallet loaded with what my wife lovingly referred to as “an illegal arms shipment” landed at our doorstep.

Serious crates for serious gear

Like all separates in The Gryphon’s 35-year heritage dating back to the original DM100 amplifier, the Essence line features pure Class A operation with minimal negative feedback, but brings it at a lower price point ($22,990) with more conservative aesthetics and practical packaging. Prior to the Essence, to get a Gryphon amp one had to shell out anywhere from $39k for the Antileon EVO to $57k for the flagship Mephisto (double those if going for monoblocks). The tradeoff is a lower power rating - just 50wpc, albeit in pure class A and doubling into 4 ohms and again into 2 ohms - so you’ll want to pair it with a reasonably efficient speaker. The Essence preamp meanwhile is a repackaging of the Zena preamplifier launched in 2018 (also $17,500), reskinned with cosmetics to match the amp. It features fully balanced operation via a discrete DC-coupled Class A circuit with zero global negative feedback, and can accommodate either of two optional internal modules, the Zena DAC ($6,000) or an MM/MC phono stage ($2,250). Being strictly digital I opted to evaluate the DAC, which I’ll talk about in a later installment. I’ll also save more details about the design and operation of this beautifully-crafted gear, including Gryphon’s unique Green Bias system, for a more in-depth review. For now, let’s get down to the business of how it sounds...

The Essence Preamp

When the Essence components arrived I clearly needed my wife’s assistance to safely unpack and set up the 45kg/99lb Essence amp. But she was busy making reeds for her oboe that evening, so I initially made do setting up the preamp (it weighs in at “only” 13.4kg/29.5lbs) and comparing it to my Pass Labs XP10 with the Pass Labs XA30.5 amplifier.

Firing up the Essence preamp from a cold start was one of those “damn, I don’t understand how a preamp can make this much of a difference” moments. Even though the Pass XP10 is a very solid performer - I find the sound of my PS Audio DirectStream significantly improved by it vs. feeding an amplifier directly - the 3x-as-expensive Gryphon outclassed it from the first note, taking musical resolution from the micro to nano level.

The first thing I noticed was how the entire back of the stage opened up. I never realized how triangular it sounded before, becoming narrower as you went deeper. With the Essence it suddenly feels rectangular and whole, with winds, brass and percussion able to naturally spread out and breath on the stage. It didn’t even take a big orchestral recording to experience this - my very first track was an intimate vocal with piano accompaniment, soprano Elsa Dreisig singing Strauss songs with pianist Jonathan Ware (Qobuz). The sense of the space - a church, as you can see from this video - and where the performers occupied it became strikingly tangible. Piano has starting clarity, with all its complex overtones unfolded and laid out for your ear to sample at its leisure. Dynamic resolution is also unlocked - subtle gradations in vocal intensity flow so organically. Going back to the Pass pre, macro dynamics weren’t Iacking, but the transitions somehow came across more synthetically, as if the volume dial was being turned rather than the performers modulating their instruments in the original performance. 

One thing that didn't change too much was overall tonal balance. I find the Pass pretty neutral and extended, if anything having a subtly warmish character to it, at least by solid state standards. The Gryphon doesn't deviate notably from that, leaning slightly in that direction though with more sophisticated and varied tonal richness and density. The quality of the frequency extremes, however, is a different matter. Most striking is how triangles sparkle and ring with startling presence on the Gryphon. With a claimed frequency response out to 1MHz, the Essence pre delivers the highest highs with a sense of ease and finesse. And the bass is everything people have come to expect from the Gryphon house sound - deep, taut and powerful with beautiful tonality. The Pass Labs wasn’t missing any of the music per se, but the deepest bass notes and highest overtones sounded constrained vs. the effortless and wide-open delivery of the Essence.

So, yeah - a preamplifier that costs 3x as much as the Pass XP10 sounds clearly superior. Not much of a news flash, and a much fairer comparison in the Pass lineup would be the XP32 ($17,500) or at least an XP22 ($9,500). But what took me aback was how a preamplifier like the Essence could bring out so much life and nuance that was being curtailed by an otherwise fine piece like the Pass. The net effect was to make the musical performance feel significantly more tangible, visceral and unclouded - something that even the change of a DAC or amplifier doesn’t consistently achieve. The Gryphon Essence pre is simply an incredible conveyor of the musical signal.

And we haven’t even tried the amplifier yet...

The Essence Amplifier

Once I got my wife to assist in positioning the hefty Essence amp in the cabinet (safety first!), I hooked up the Audiovectors via my usual Audience Au24 SX cables and powered up the Gryphon using the stock power cord (the amp requires a 20A IEC connector, so standard cords won’t work). I played a bit with the Green Bias settings but obviously settled with it in red-hot Class A operation for serious listening. And while the amp has since benefited from multiple months of break-in, it was apparent from its first notes that the Essence had resolution, clarity, dynamics and tonal completeness on an altogether different level from any amp I’ve experienced in my system. But there was something else remarkable about its presentation that’s taken me many months to put my finger on, and I think I might be finally getting it.

The Essence amp has a very special ability to deliver the leading edge of a sound with incredible speed, precision and clarity. I’ve heard amps with fast leading edges (some attribute this to high slew rate), I’ve heard amps with very clean ones (lack of distortion and ringing). The Essence delivers a combination of fast and clean that is truly exceptional, and perhaps close to the state of the art. Every impulse and note attack hits you with perfect timing and delineation, then decay with similarly impeccable control. By comparison, amps like the Pass Labs that struck me as very pure have a bit of fuzz to them. Ever listen to an AM radio station when the signal gets weak, and all the starts and stops of sounds get staticky and fuzzy? There was a bit of that feeling going back to other amps in my system... no, they weren’t literally fuzzy and distorted. It’s just that the Essence amp sounds exceptionally lithe and clean, removing an extremely subtle layer of distortion that became difficult to un-hear in other amplifiers. 

Coming from the Pass XA30.5, the Essence’s midrange was less overtly warm but even more substantive in tone. The Pass is certainly on the warm and lush side for a solid state amp, but past Gryphons I’ve heard had their own dose of chocolatey richness, so I was initially surprised by the balance of the Essence. It has the midrange density and lush tonal colors I was expecting from a Class A Gryphon amp, and yet it also sounds close to dead neutral in character. There’s a crystalline transparency that makes everything else sound a bit cloudy by comparison. Class A amps usually get the tonal part right, but can sound a bit sluggish or rounded dynamically; Class AB amps often have great transient speed but with some roughness around the edges and a bit of tonal hollowness. The Essence backs its exceedingly snappy and clean transients with real tonal substance and an infinite palette of realistic tonal colors. It can simultaneously preserve the gravitas of a string bass ostinato, the glowing warmth of a French horn, the delicate nasality of an oboe and the ethereal lightness of a flute all in balance. Orchestral recordings have never sounded this vivid and realistic in my home.

An interesting display of the amp’s prowess was in violinist Hilary Hahn’s recording of the Vieuxtemps Violin Concerto (Qobuz). The album also contains Mozart’s popular “Turkish” concerto which probably gets most of the plays; the Vieuxtemps is infrequently performed and mostly known by violinists as a sort of advanced student concerto (yes, my teacher made me study it). Vieuxtemps was a Belgian virtuoso of the romantic era and while the concerto has its charms, its orchestration is rather clunky. This actually made for a fascinating sonic experience in the concerto’s orchestral exposition, where different instruments pass melodic fragments back and forth in somewhat disjointed fashion rather than the more cohesive harmonization and counterpoint you’d get from a German master. A flute here, a clarinet there, a timpani roll or violin flourish coming and passing - the Essence conveyed each one with striking clarity and trueness of timbre and dynamics, arranging all the instruments across the stage in perfect proportion. So much of the feel of an instrument lies not just in its tonal makeup but the shape and feel of its notes - the reedy breathiness of a clarinet, the ringing “bong” of a timpani, the firm attack of a trumpet, the brush stroke of a violin. This is where the Essence’s leading-edge precision and lack of electronic haze help it truly evoke the feeling of sitting on the stage with the musicians, each and every instrumental entrance having that tactile realism.

Having been a classmate’s of Ms. Hahn’s I also have first-hand experiences of her playing, and the Essence strongly evoked memories of hearing her performing in recitals or practicing in our conservatory. Though we were both teenagers at the time, she had already developed her distinctive tone and focused intensity, and hearing that reproduced so vividly through the Essence and Audiovector speakers is uncanny.

The frequency extremes of the Essence amp, particularly in combination with the Essence preamp, are also something special - the crazy-wide specified bandwidth of Gryphon components is no joke. The speed and tautness and slam of the bass brings realistic clarity to the foundation of the music. It’s bass that I like to call “sneaky” for the way it doesn’t unduly call attention to itself, but then will come out and smack you in the face as in a live event. Instruments like string bass or contrabassoon are naturally portrayed in the orchestration, rather than getting buried in the mix. The top end is extended and articulate, capable of bringing out all the energy and brilliance of string, brass and percussion instruments, and yet certain recordings that tend towards brightness actually sound warmer and smoother than I've heard before. It sounds so pure and free from distortion, so that if there’s any distortion already present on the recording it does nothing to aggravate it. Sibilants and tape hiss and clipping are still there, yet come across less obtrusively, making them easy to tune out in favor of the music. 

Case in point: the DSD remaster of Strauss Don Juan, recorded in 1958 by the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell (Qobuz). My wife and I have listened to this recording dozens if not hundreds of times and while the performance is riveting, the recording quality has always been a bit hissy and strident. My wife asked to listen to it again on the Gryphon setup for study purposes and halfway through I remarked, "does this recording sound a lot less bright to you?" She concurred - we had never heard it sound so clean and natural, and for the first time I didn't notice the tape hiss at all. The Gryphon gear really does excel at extracting the essence of the musical performance locked in the recording, neither artificially filtering nor amplifying the distractions of its mechanical limitations. I’ve heard far too many ultra high-end systems that need absolutely pristine audiophile material to sound their best. With the Gryphons, every recording in my collection has never sounded more distinguished and compelling.

The sense of space that the Essence preamp conveyed with other amplifiers becomes even stronger in combination with the Essence amp. I have never heard the different sections of a symphony orchestra arranged so palpably. Winds and percussion have clearly delineated space behind the string section, and delicate clarinet solos that are typically a bit hazy in recordings are conveyed with both clarity and intimacy. There’s something about the Essence’s blend of clean transients, tonal rightness and harmonic resolution that bring out the distinct ambience and texture of each recording - the aural equivalent of the “mouth feel” of a wine. Going back to otherwise excellent amps makes everything feel a bit more homogenous, a hair less stimulating.

There are a couple of potential shortcomings to call out, and they may be interrelated. The first is that the bass in combination with the Audiovector speakers isn’t quite as hard-hitting as with, say, the 600wpc Class D Legacy iv2, or as what I heard with the Gryphon Diablo 300 integrated; nor is it as plump and room-filling as with the Pass XA30.5. Quality-wise it’s exceptional - fast and deep and pitch-perfect in ways they can’t match - but sometimes I just want it to fill out the space a bit more and punch me in the gut a little harder. I mostly miss this when listening to pop tracks, e.g. anything from Billie Eilish where the raw punch of the Legacy amp factors more strongly than the n-th degree of refinement from the Gryphon.

The other nit is that the soundstage, while vividly painted, feels a bit less “generous” than bigger-sounding amps like the Legacy or Pass Labs, or the Gryphon Diablo for that matter. There’s a bit more emphasis on the precise constituency of an orchestra, as opposed to its sheer scale - a little more of the trees, a little less of the forest. To some, this may make the Essence feel a hair light in presentation, despite its rich and layered midrange.  Ears I trust tell me moving up the Gryphon line to the Antileon EVO or Mephisto can give you the best of both worlds, but those are obviously at increasingly exorbitant price points. 

I’ll need to try tweaking these area of reproduction more (e.g. cables), but as it currently stands, I could see the Essence best matching with speakers that are tonally richer and a bit less critically damped on the bottom end, vs. requiring care with something leaner and more laser-focused. It’s slightly lean with some recordings on the Audiovectors, and I’d definitely want to check before paring it with the likes of a Magico. It goes without saying that when you get to this level of fidelity (and cost), you should expect to spend a fair amount of time and effort on component matching.

As a side note, I was able to further extend the capabilities of the Essence via Furutech’s DPS-4.1 power cord (custom built with 20A connectors) and DSS-4.1 speaker cables. These upped the clarity and transparency yet another notch or three, opened up dynamics further and created a wider sense of space on recording after recording. I’ll have more on these excellent cables and how they synergize with the Gryphons in a future installment.

Capturing the Essence

It’s been challenging pinning down the character of the Essence system, the amp in particular. Even more so than other great Class A amps I’ve heard, including from Gryphon, the Essence amp has a combination of purity, openness, refinement, clarity, speed and dynamic life that defy the usual idiosyncrasies and limitations of Class A vs. AB vs. D. It’s dynamically fleet, rhythmically incisive, tonally sophisticated, dimensionally resolving, and sneakily powerful and punchy. In combination with the superb companion preamp, it uncovers a sense of space in virtually every recording I throw at it with greater detail and palpability than I’ve heard before, without seeming artificially holographic like some tube amps. The tonal purity and resolving power of this pair are simply at a level I have rarely experienced anywhere at any price. Moreover, the name “Essence” couldn’t be more apt - all these sophisticated qualities are squarely focused on conveying the beauty and quirks of the original recording without need for enhancement or editorializing to make it enjoyable. The closest aural recollection I have of this sort of musical resolution was the MSB Reference + Magico M3 system at RMAF 2018, which had a significantly superior DAC and a total cost approaching $300k. 

As for the price... well, I can say that the monies spent on a piece by The Gryphon clearly go towards obsessive engineering and craftsmanship in the service of state-of-the-art music reproduction, rather than ostentation or frivolous excess. This is musical fidelity of the highest order, and my new reference in amplification.