Tag Archives: nan pincus

World News

My Pal Puddy | The Far Corners

Posted on by Modest I. Predlozheniye
Hello my dear readers! Again I have been negligent in keeping up with my audio travels but I think if you watch Channel One you know exactly why it is important not to visit your audiophile friends all over the world right now. I have been spending time at home and I continue to listen to great music on my vintage system. The days are long but the music is still flowing like a breeze from the Caspian through my humble abode in the exclave. One exciting development in my recent life started with an unexpected phone call from a very old and now very famous audiophile friend from my old neighborhood named Vlad. Back in the 1990s I used to call him Puddy because he had a secret passion for watching Seinfeld and in the original English if you can believe it. Now he has been working in a top position in the government for over 20 years so he doesn’t allow anyone but me to call him this. (The nickname stuck not because Puddy resembles the recurring character on the television show but because his voice starts to sound like the beloved American actor Patrick Warburton when he becomes [...]

Original Resource is Part-Time Audiophile

World News

Primephonic Classical Music Streaming | REVIEW

Posted on by Nan Pincus
When approaching Primephonic (website), one of the few high-res (24-bit/192kHz) streaming services devoted to classical music, I was interested to see if they could go beyond the existential questions of survival that tend to dominate any discussion of the genre. Working a fundraiser at a classical radio station, I was once told by a listener making a donation that she also gave to endangered species protection funds. This well-intended listener revealed that the questions of survival are pervasive and exist at every level of the classical ecosystem from the local symphony and radio station, to agencies and record labels. As I logged into Primephonic for the first time, I was hoping that this angst would lead to genuine creativity in the streaming platform rather than just be a streaming platform without all that pesky stuff known as other genres of music. I was also hoping that it would advance the conversation in classical music, moving from the yes/no question of “will we survive?” to the broader question of “how will we survive?,” and maybe to provide part of the answer. After listening for several months now and seeing continuous updates to the platform, I feel like Primephonic is taking major [...]

Original Resource is Part-Time Audiophile

World News

McIntosh® to partner with Jeep® Grand Cherokee

Posted on by Eric Franklin Shook™
Does everyone remember the seats of mid-to-late ’90s Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs as fondly as I do? I believe it was Road & Track or possibly several auto-mags of the day that deemed those seats to be the most comfortable of the automotive century. As for the audio systems that came stock in those mid-to-late ’90s GC’s, they left plenty to be desired. Myself installing a few aftermarket systems in them for friends and friends-of-friends around that time. But times change, and industry catches up with culture. Music matters, and is now more than ever considered a hallmark trait of the luxury auto experience. With that, McIntosh Labs has become the new music source for that ultimate comfort Jeep GC’s are known for. More in the press release below. Press Release Below 2021 Jeep® Grand Cherokee Ushers in Luxury Sound by McIntosh® An Exclusive World-Class Audio System for the World’s Most Awarded SUV BINGHAMTON, NY (January 7, 2021) – The new 2021 Jeep® Grand Cherokee, now with three rows of seating, will debut with the auto industry’s only sound system made by the legends in luxury home audio, McIntosh Laboratory. Available first in the 2021 Jeep® Grand Cherokee L, the [...]

Original Resource is Part-Time Audiophile

World News

Sonner Audio Legato Unum Loudspeaker | REVIEW

Posted on by Eric Franklin Shook™
The story begins with my coverage of the Sonner Audio (website) Legato Unum at hi-fi shows, and what I found accompanying the brand. Touring the hi-fi show circus circuit I often found myself face-to-face with many of the audio industry’s most interesting characters. The bulk of them are pleasant and interesting people. A select few are extraordinarily engaging and charming. Gunny Surya, the President of Sonner Audio, easily fits into all of those aforementioned descriptions. If you care to explore our past show coverage of Sonner Audio loudspeakers, those articles can be found here, here, here, and here. Words and Photos by Eric Franklin Shook I feel very comfortable around people like Gunny Surya. His personality is not an act. The idea of him having a facade seems totally unfathomable. There is no artifice with him. Whether it’s the genuine passion he expresses for his company, or the earnest way he treats others with the same respect often reserved for long-time friends and family. It’s these little actions and details that collectively tell the same story: Gunny is true to himself and to those around him. He cares about what’s really important in life and so he guides Sonner Audio [...]

Original Resource is Part-Time Audiophile

World News

FOCAL Stellia Headphone, Arche Amplifier | REVIEW

Posted on by Nan Pincus
I don’t listen to headphones like the Focal Stellia (website). Okay, let me back up—I listen to headphones all the time, just not for pleasure, but rather to check my work in the studio and occasionally to make eq decisions on a master. Words by Dave McNair and Nan Pincus When Eric Franklin Shook asked me if I wanted to review some headphones, I said “Uh, I don’t think so.” “Wait, these are special ‘phones—the Focal Stellia AND their killer headamp the Arche,” he says. “Okay, I’ll give it a shot,” I reply since I know Eric to be the best at deciphering the fake news you can trust. Dave McNair’s Take So here I am with these gorgeous, French-made beauties. The Focal Stellia headphones look like they’d be at home on location at the season’s showing of the new Chanel or YSL line. Not too blingy but a certain unmistakable French elegance in fit and finish. After I whipped up a batch of Coq au Vin and got out a bottle of vintage Bordeaux, I sat down to listen to some Serge Gainsbourg. Tonight, the headphones will deliver you the words I can’t say The first thing I did [...]

Original Resource is Part-Time Audiophile

World News

Audeze LCD-1 Headphones | REVIEW

Posted on by Eric Franklin Shook™
This is the story of the Audeze LCD-1 and my emotional rejuvenation. As the pandemic pushed me into a bit of a social lull, I turned to the arts. Days began to fly off the calendar like confetti. Before long, I noticed that I was feeling less and less. When I stop feeling the music is when you know I’ve stopped feeling. By nature I’m a people person. I need human interaction to breathe and think. I need to hear human voices, and see the eyes of someone friendly looking back at me. Don’t get me wrong, music is a powerful thing, but it could never supplant my need for intimacy and connection. Still, amidst my pandemic blues, I feared that music was also losing its potency and emotional currency. Words and Photos by Eric Franklin Shook Listening to music is such a large and consistent part of my life, and has always been fuel for my emotional fires. Countless days have been spent in front of my stereo system, reflecting on my life and relationships. In each therapy listening session, I am going through my emotional inventory, and feeling them one by one as a parade of artists seemingly [...]

Original Resource is Part-Time Audiophile

World News

Homebody’s Hi-Fi Halloween: Posing My Dog as Nipper

Posted on by Nan Pincus
When it became clear that I wasn’t going to be hitting the Halloween parties this year, I was still eager to participate somehow in the ritual. I decided to let a season of quiet isolation at home intersect with fulfilling a longtime ambition: posing my dog, Winter, as Nipper, the RCA dog made famous in the Francis Barraud painting “His Master’s Voice,” which was used promotionally first by the Victor Talking Machine Company, and then by its acquirer Radio Corporation of America. Words and Photos by Nan Pincus Let me give a little background on Winter first. When I finished graduate school in 2016, I felt like a grown up who was ready to adopt a dog from a shelter or rescue and give her a loving home in exchange for the steady companionship, knowing looks, and forced stability of habits that a dog requires. I ended up adopting Winter when she was four months old and fairly quickly I realized that despite not having any fox terrier ancestry, she had a great resemblance to Nipper. Winter is a fairly typical dog, partial to chamber music, squirrel watching, and rambling through the woods with me, her foolhardy human. She prefers [...]

Original Resource is Part-Time Audiophile

World News

Focal and Naim Offer Premium Music Systems at Special Bundle Prices

Posted on by Eric Franklin Shook™
RALEIGH, NC — We’ve had a bit of a summer love affair brewing at PTA, and Focal/Naim have been at the center of it. Currently our man in so-cal Grover Neville, is reviewing the Focal Kanta N°2 tower speakers, along with the Naim Uniti Nova. Early reports from Grover on both components are eagerly positive. On the east coast our own Dave McNair and Nan Pincus are being swept away by the Focal Stellia headphones, and Focal Arche headphone amplifier. A stunning combination if I do say so myself. Finally, you may have read Marc Phillips‘ recent review of the Naim Mu-so 2nd Generation—which he really enjoyed. As you await our forthcoming reviews, do take advantage of the aggressive bundle deals from Focal/Naim that run from November 1 through December 31, 2020 (while supplies last), and include free cables (worth $500), and 5 years extended warranty when bought on bundle. All listed in full detail below. Press Release Five Easy Pieces: Focal and Naim Offer Premium Music Systems at Special Prices With a combined 88 years of handcrafted audio expertise, Focal and Naim understand how to create the very best music systems. Now they are making them even easier to [...]

Original Resource is Part-Time Audiophile

World News

McIntosh Announces MA12000 Hybrid Integrated Amplifier

Posted on by Eric Franklin Shook™
BINGHAMTON, NY (PTA) — Our own Marc Phillips shot me an email yesterday morning with a heads up on the new ‘behemoth sized‘ integrated amplifier launching from McIntosh Labs. Along with the forwarded technical info and photos, a simple message from Marc that read, “I wanna review this so hard.” Having not even opened the first document or cracked the seal on any of the photos, I knew this was something serious. I immediately reached out to fellow staffer and columnist Nan Pincus for her reaction to the new 350-Watt MA12000 Hybrid Integrated from McIntosh Labs, as she had recently published a fantastic interview (found here) with McIntosh Labs President & CEO Charlie Randall, where she sought his perspective on the turntable side of hi-fi, and how McIntosh connects with consumers. Nan’s initial unbridled reaction to the sheer size of the MA12000: “A mad scientist made a microwave that forgot it was a microwave and self-actualized its way into being an integrated amplifier.” Upon seeing just a picture along with some brief details of the new MA12000 Integrated, reviewer and columnist Dave McNair had this to say: “Wow! I wanna get one, and I’ve never lusted over McIntosh before.” Given [...]

Original Resource is Part-Time Audiophile

World News

iFi introduces Micro iDSD Signature

Posted on by Eric Franklin Shook™
SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND (PTA) — I’ve been a fan of iFi Audio electronics for some time now. iFi always has a great presence at audio shows, and their booths do more than impress. Currently I have an iFi Zen Blue in for review, and my experience with it is revelatory. But I won’t give away too much there. Recently Nan Pincus and myself have been going strong down the head-fi rabbit hole and have developed a lust for new and exciting headphone related gear. iFi’s iDSD products have been on our radar for some time now, and this new Micro iDSD Signature surely tantalizes. Do check out the detailed breakdown of ports, inputs, and outputs on the iFi Micro iDSD Signature at the bottom of the press release. Press Release Below iFi serves up micro iDSD Signature dish Sporting a host of enhancements both inside and out, one of the most highly acclaimed hi-res DAC/headphone amps on the planet just got even better – meet the micro iDSD Signature iFi audio, the acclaimed maker of audio devices for home and portable use, has redesigned one of its most popular products to create the micro iDSD Signature, delivering a host of improvements [...]

Original Resource is Part-Time Audiophile