Hopkins' System

[hopkins]

Here is his article, that he mentions on his presentation:

Are You On The Road To... Audio Hell? Article By Leonard Norwitz And Peter Qvortrup

Are You On The Road To... Audio Hell? Article By Leonard Norwitz And Peter Qvortrup

www.enjoythemusic.com

It is an interesting read.

The method he suggests for evaluating systems - comparison by contrast - makes a lot of sense to me: the more "accurate" system is the one that will reveal most differences in recording, and not the one that tends to 'homogenize" sound.

This has been, in all modesty, my experience with the latest iteration of the PowerDAC that I use, and which constitutes an entire system in itself, if we exclude the digital source - and here the beauty is that with a well designed DAC, the digital source only comes down to the recording material....meaning the source itself just provided the data on the recording, nothing else.

By the way, this "comparison by contrast" approach does not require using the "best" recordings. A good system should be able to "dig in" to any recording and reveal it's individuality.

 

[hopkins]

Off topic - here's a reminder that emotion from music can come in so many ways and forms. One thing that always moves me is seeing people, from all walks of life, being happy together and letting loose when listening to music. Here is a good example:

Or here:

It restores my faith in humanity

 

[hopkins]

They say cat and porn videos are what people watch most on the internet, so maybe this one will boost my viewership

 

[hopkins]

The article on the Altec 755A on this website has been updated as the author was able to acquire a second unit and play the speakers in stereo: http://glowinthedarkaudio.com/altec-755a.html

Interestingly he found, as I did with the lesser 755C, a preference for listening to a single speaker in mono. One of the reasons may be due to the fact that pairs are difficult to match, but I think it goes beyond that. As I explained, use of a single speaker emphasizes the qualities of the speaker.

His article alternates between high praise and more measured comments, so it may be a little difficult for someone who has not heard these types of speakers to make sense of it.

Anyway, it would be hard to live with just that speaker, but it is great to have the opportunity to listen to it for some types of music.

 

[hopkins]

Relaxing to Milt Jackson's vibes and Frank Wess' flute:

My cat ran through the living room, demanding attention, so I cut the recording short after a minute and now it's time for bed. You can listen to the whole song on streaming services (track is "You Leave me Breathless"). Frank Wess' flute playing is well featured.

Album is on Qobuz: https://play.qobuz.com/album/og37nmbxujy0a

Opus de Jazz - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

LP rip (excerpts):

Opus De Jazz : Milt Jackson : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Tracklist: 1. Opus De Funk 2. Opus Pocus 3. You Leave Me Breathless 4. Opus And Interlude

archive.org

 

[hopkins]

Here is a lovely track, recorded in January 1946. The cast:

- Don Byas - tenor saxophone
- Johnny Hodges - alto saxophone
- Billy Strayhorn - piano
- Chubby Jackson - bass
- Sonny Greer - drums

It was recorded as part of a session of the "Esquire All-American 1946 Award Winners", organized by Leonard Feather. In his liner notes (https://archive.org/details/cd_esqu...ons_various-artists-52nd-street-all-stars-art), Leonard Feather explains:

"Gone with the Wind was cut at 2:45 A. M., when everyone had gone home but Byas, Hodges and the rhythm section. I had always wanted to record a ballad version of this lovely melody; here was the ideal setup. Thanks to the exquisite melodic sense of Don and Johnny, and the sensitive backing of Strayhorn, we had a masterpiece on the first take."

In his "solography" of Don Byas (http://www.jazzarcheology.com/don-byas/), Jan Evensmo does not mince his words:

"Rarely do you hear such a magnificent item as "... Wind", and the combination Byas/Hodges is just unforgettable! Typically, this was the item cut after most of the guys had gone home, the "business" was over and now one plays for the pleasure of it. There are DB items with more notes per second and more improvisation, but that is not at all the point. If you look for beauty, you find it on "... Wind", DB first and Hodges to sum up."

Don Byas solos first, and Johnny Hodges takes over from 2:28.

The first time I heard the track on my Altec speakers, I was breath-taken. Listening after to the recording on YouTube, it is clear that something is lost. For example, when Hodges starts his solo, the first notes are really striking, with a beautiful tone, very different from Don Byas' (also beautiful tone), that does not seem to come across as well on the video. The tone is "thinner". Still, the video is pleasant, IMO. Perhaps I will record it again with my Tascam recorder and let others be the judge. I will also record it with another vintage speaker that I will be receiving soon

EDIT: I made some new recordings with an iPhone and my Tascam DR-100 recorder, see here: https://www.whatsbestforum.com/thre...ly-coupled-audio-recordings.28325/post-943572

The track is available on Qobuz, as part of a compilation, and that is the one I streamed:

https://open.qobuz.com/album/3561302505022

I have another version, included in the Duke Ellington Centennial box set, which has some noise reduction. The noise actually does not bother me, it is part of the charm of of these old tracks.

Here is the original "release": https://www.discogs.com/release/7982837-Various-Esquires-All-American-Hot-Jazz-1946-Award-Winners

 

[hopkins]

He could not resist answering the question, quite candidly, and I could not resist posting this funny video:

The viewer's comment was: audiophiles' descriptions of sound make much more sense when I'm high - are all audiophile "stoners"?

I guess most of the audio reviewers out there are not (or as Paul, no longer are) "stoners", though reading Srajan Eban's prose on 6Moons, you'd think he was stoned out of his mind...

It's not easy describing what a system sounds like. It is probably easier to talk about music, than sound. Interestingly, one of the greatest attributes that some find in good systems is the ability of a system to "disappear" and let the listener listen to the music. But in the right state of mind, this could be experienced with the most basic system. So is it just a "state of mind"? I don't know...

 

[tima]

They say cat and porn videos are what people watch most on the internet, so maybe this one will boost my viewership

Whenever I played Mozart this cat would come into the room, sit on me and listen.



If I played Rachmaninov he would leave. Cats are fickle.

 

[morricab]

Whenever I played Mozart this cat would come into the room, sit on me and listen.

View attachment 124353

If I played Rachmaninov he would leave. Cats are fickle.

I would leave too with Rachmaninov...one Russian composer that I really cannot listen to.

 

[hopkins]

I would leave too with Rachmaninov...one Russian composer that I really cannot listen to.

Maybe all you need is to Jazz it up a little:

It seems Rachmaninoff himself thought so (at least for that specific piece):

How Rachmaninov came to loathe his Prelude in C sharp minor

The composer resented its popularity — but later said he admired one of several jazz versions of the piece

www.ft.com

 

[hopkins]

There is actually "music for cats". Someone gave me this CD:

https://www.discogs.com/master/1942563-David-Teie-Music-For-Cats

The "genre" is not defined on Discogs, so it is classified as contemporary classical music. A search for "music for cats" on your favorite streaming service will come up with hundreds of albums.

Here is an example by the same artist, who happens to be a professional cellist:

How can you tell if your cats appreciate it? Excellent question, thank you for asking. Well, on David Teie's website, we are told:

An independent study conducted by researchers at the University of Wisconsin and published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science verified that Music for Cats resonates conclusively with its audience, writing that “cats showed a significant preference for and interest in species-appropriate music.”

Home | Music for Cats | David Teie

In the long battle for feline affection, cat owners may have some fresh ammunition. David Teie, a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, recently teamed up with animal scientists to develop “Music for Cats,” a series of whirring, lilting and at times squeaky musical tracks designed for cats..

www.musicforcats.com

Give it a try!

David Teie has also written a book, which I have not read, which discusses how music impacts us emotionally:

Human Music: From Arias to Metallica, Where Music Comes from and Why It Affects Us : Teie, David: Amazon.fr: Livres

Human Music: From Arias to Metallica, Where Music Comes from and Why It Affects Us : Teie, David: Amazon.fr: Livres

amzn.eu

 

[hopkins]

I unexpectedly found a Western Electric silver frame 755A in excellent condition from a trustworthy seller - a very friendly audiophile with good experience of these models. It looks great and it sounds great.

 

[hopkins]

For what it's worth, I took some measurements with REW of the frequency response of the Altec 755A (blue) and 755C (green):



The microphone was placed roughly a meter away. Both were done with the drivers in the Silbatone-like cabinets (pictured in the previous post).

The 755A is more sensitive so the output level had to be increased by roughly 5db to match the volume. I have not yet finished the open baffle I started working on, and will be curious to see how they sound, and how it affects the frequency response. I will make some recordings in the coming days.

Here is an interesting article (in French) illustrating an original cabinet option for the Altec: https://anamightysound.com/fr/dans-...me-exemplaire-partie-1-western-electric-755a/

Concerning the cabinet, the author tells us: "you will also note the presence of a short exponential 'waveguide'. This was calculated and designed in order to overcome frequency response accidents in the low midrange".

I am not interested in exploring these type of elaborate cabinet options for the time being, and am just taking note of them. I would also be curious to hear what they sound like in a voigt pipes (though I would not want those in my living room!). For the time being, I will finish up the open baffle, as I think it will provide an interesting comparison with the Silbatone cabinet.

Listening now to Sarah Vaughan & Clifford Brown (mono album). Lovely!

 

[hopkins]

I removed the video of the open baffle as it is pointless to show something that is, at this stage, far from optimal. The 755A in my Silbatone-type cabinets are sounding very nice, clearly superior to the 755C, but I feel there is more potential to be uncovered, so I need to make a few adjustments. The low impedance (3 ohm measured at the speaker terminals) is also something I need to consider. More to follow.

 

[hopkins]

I was glad to read very positive impressions of ECDesigns' PowerDAC-SX by a customer on AudiophileStyle. He uses Wolf Von Langa Son speakers. He concludes:

"John's [ECD's John Brown] approach is different. He chooses to minimize noise and jitter, not by tuning things but by omitting as much as possible, confident that the result will be right and musical. I think he has succeeded: to me the PD-SX emanates rightness to a high degree."

He did find that the source still "mattered" unlike me, but seems to get excellent results with a relatively affordable source (RaspberryPi with Ian Canada reclocker type HATs), and in any event is happy with the results (like me).

He was also impressed with the sound using headphones (TakeT H2) as I was.

 

[hopkins]

Here is another measurement of the 755A, with the open baffle:


The measurement was taken in a relatively small space (my office). It is an improvement on the measurement with the Silbatone cabinet, and the sound is better as well (at this stage, to my ears). The high end roll-off is less pronounced depending on the height at which the microphone is placed (baffle is tilted back) - my measurement is not optimal - but regardless, there's not that much going on past 10kHz.

There is that dip in the upper bass/lower mids, which interestingly JE (je2a3) found here with his open baffle: https://jelabs.blogspot.com/2019/04/a-visit-to-j-robs-and-silbatone-755a.html

It is not worse, even probably better, than an LS3/5A frequency response (from Stereophile, taken in an anechoic chamber!)




But frequency response is not everything. That's a good thing, because having heard a few Rogers LS3/5A, they are complete opposites of the 755A - lack of articulation and low level detail, which make them unlistenable to me. That is probably one of the consequences of having a crossover filter with more than twenty components... The 755A is an impressive speaker, but the cabinet choice is certainly important.

I have to play around with different configurations, and some improvements I think can be made on the open baffle. Any suggestions are obviously welcome.

The author of the GlowInTheDark website seemed to enjoy his "Telefunken" open cabinets: http://glowinthedarkaudio.com/telefunkenopenbaffle.html

This is an interesting option.



Work in progress!

P..S. I feel the 16 watt per channel ECDesigns PowerDAC-SX is a perfect match for the 755A

 

[hopkins]

An excellent new documentary on Eddie Durham is available on YouTube:

 

[hopkins]

For @PeterA

 

[hopkins]

Sad new received yesterday

Jan Evensmo (1939-2024) - JazzArcheology.com

Jan Evensmo was the founder of Jazzarcheology.com, a guide to the treasures of Vintage Jazz. Unfortunately, Jan passed away the 4th of February 2024. We will on this page post greetings from all his jazz friends. Feel free to send your personal greeting to post@evensmo.no and we will publish it...

www.jazzarcheology.com

 

[hopkins]

In spite of its limited frequency range, listening to mono recordings on the Altec 755A is extremely enjoyable. Very dynamic, great clarity and presence. Is there a better way to illustrate that than by listening to some Clifford Brown? That trumpet intro (the song actually starts 30 seconds before) is memorable. Knocks me off my feet

Does the exciting nature of the sound transpire in the video? I don't know. But listening certainly is very exciting. The system itself could not be simpler, and I can move around the speaker - in the middle of the room during the day, along my couch for quiet late night sessions. I'm a fan!