HiFiSage now in Google Play Store

Just a quick announcement to say HiFiSage, the North American audiophile app, is officially in the Google Play Store an Apple App Store.

 

HiFiSage now in testing for Apple iPhone (iOS)

I am proud to announce that HiFiSage, The Audiophile HiFi Hub for North America, is now available to test at the Apple Store.

You may join the test at this address:

HiFiSage Test Flight

Thank you.

Need Testers - HiFiSage - new phone app (Android) for Audiophiles (North America)

I have created a free phone app for Audiophiles in North America called HiFiSage.

I am in need of beta testers to get approval for Googles Play Store. Here are the steps to join the test.

• Join this google groups: groups.google.com/g/audiosage-beta
• Then install HiFiSage: play.google.com/apps/testing/com.hifisage.app

If I can get 100 downloads, I will start work to get the app into the Apple App Store.



HiFiSage

Your all-in-one hub for audiophile news, used gear, shows & events.

HiFiSage brings the North American audiophile world together in one app — no subscriptions, no ads, no account required.

Stay informed:
• Daily news from Stereophile, Part-Time Audiophile, Positive Feedback, and Audiophile Style
• Curated Video of the Day from the audiophile YouTube community
• Morning briefing with the day’s top stories

Find gear:
• Search eBay, Reverb, US Audio Mart, HiFi Shark, Reverb and Facebook
• Results filtered to North American sellers by default
• Set keyword alerts and get notified when your brands appear in the news

Shows & events:
• Upcoming audio shows across North America
• Detailed show reports including AXPONA coverage

Save & organize:
• Bookmark articles for later
• Keyword alert history saved automatically

Buying Advisor:
• Ask questions about gear, compatibility, and value before you buy
• Understands your current system and listening preferences

Built by an audiophile, for audiophiles. Completely free.

The Hazelrigg Brothers Live (Audiophile Musicians)

I'd like to recommend musicians that deserve greater exposure and should be of interest to fellow Audiophiles.

The Hazelrigg Brothers are George and Geoff Hazelrigg (piano and bass) and John O’Reilly Jr. (drums). They released their latest album SYNCHRONICITY: An interpretation of the album by THE POLICE earlier this year and it has been a mainstay on the Billboard charts since then. They have a unique take on their sound that some would classify as jazz but the brothers would demur since they have a largely classical training and background. I also would highly recommend their previous album Songs We Like which is available through their label Outer Maker Records.

They are very fastidious about recording and only use a single stereo microphone to record their albums. In addition they make use of recording interfaces that feature the legendary D.W. Fearn's designs. In fact, the Hazelrigg Brother's day job involves the production of D.W. Fearn's recording devices as well as more mobile friendly versions under the Hazelrigg Industries moniker.

All recordings are made straight to high resolution DSD and can be downloaded at these resolutions from NativeDSD. They have also recently branched out into the world of surround and posted a Dolby Atmos mix of Synchronicity to Apple Music. They have a new album in production and if you listen carefully to my video, you will get a sample of what they have in store.

I was very lucky to be able to record a video of a recent concert and I have posted it to YouTube for others to enjoy.

Please support such innovative artists by buying their albums so they can produce more music for us to enjoy on our audio systems.

Love in Exile - Vijay Iyer, Arooj Aftab, Shahzad Ismaily @ Strathmore 04/13/2023

Like a Sirocco that emanates from warm dry air, the trio led by Vijay Iyer arrived at the Strathmore Music Hall on an unusually warm Spring evening.

Vijay Iyer laid down the musical bed with piano, Fender Rhodes, and synthesizer on which Arooj Aftab layered her vocals of middle eastern origin. Shahzad Ismaily provided mysterious bass tones from his electric bass while supplementing the music with a mini-Moog synthesizer.

With subdued lighting and the superb acoustics of Strathmore, it lulled the audience into a trance meditation of ethereal sounds.

Arooj Aftab was the only one to speak between songs but said little about the context and origins of this almost otherworldly music.

The hall was partially filled perhaps because their Love in Exile album was only released a couple of weeks ago. I bought a ticket without hearing the album based on the reputation of Vijay Iyer. This music deserves a wider audience.

Happy New Year

 A new year. Hope for good things to come.

Aerial photography reveals geometric patterns of farmlands

I dreamed of 747s over geometric farms dreams Amelia dreams and false alarms 
- Joni Mitchell, Amelia, Hejira album

Aerial photography has given us access to imagery that was previously unseen to many of us, opening our eyes to unexpected art in the most unexpected places.

We recently shared some great examples that reveal the abstract beauty of otherworldly landscapes from this unique perspective. This time, we shifted our curiosity to scenes with a mix of natural and man-made elements.

In his “Farmland” series, Wyoming-based aerial photographer Mitchell Rouse reveals some surprisingly beautiful patterns that will tickle your fancy for all things neat and geometric.

Pat Metheny Side-Eye - Strathmore 11/13/2021

As the logjam of long delayed concerts breaks free, Pat Metheny and his current Side-Eye project played to an appreciative audience at Strathmore Hall in Bethesda, Maryland. My friend and I had front row seats to the proceedings as my pictures reveal.

Pat was joined by two young musicians, pianist James Francies and drummer Joe Dyson, that provided the forward propulsion for a range of songs from Metheny's catalog. Supplementing the proceedings were Pat's "mad scientist" rig known as the Orchestrion. Pat has downsized this MIDI controlled "player piano" from his original solo extravaganza he played at Strathmore many years ago.

Pat is the consummate artist and professional musician. It is such an honor to witness someone playing at the top of his game.

Return Of Prog Royalty - King Crimson @The Anthem 09-11-2021

On a historic day for Washington, DC, the progressive rock band King Crimson staged their 50 year career spanning music to a packed audience at The Anthem. Chief Crim, Robert Fripp, seemed in good cheer and proceeded to lead his bandmates through a sampling of Crimson's music from the very first album, In the Court of the Crimson King, through the Discipline era and beyond.

The three drum version of the band is unique to this incarnation and quite rare in most music settings. 

Robert Fripp orchestrated from his perch surrounded by his custom electronic array driven by the searing guitar sounds he is famous for (e.g. David Bowie's Heroes).

This was the final performance of the North American tour. One wonders if this could also be their last concert on these shores (DGM Dave Singleton Diary)? 

Long live King Crimson.

Concerts are back!

In what has to be the top double bill of the summer, Jackson Browne and James Taylor took the stage at Merriweather Post Pavilion last night. 

It was a typical late summer night in the DC area featuring early evening thunderstorms and muggy atmosphere. But as the daylight faded and a rainbow appeared, Jackson Browne took the stage. He had a fantastic band that featured legendary slide/guitar player Greg Liesz and renowned Bassist Bob Glaub. Mr. Browne seemed truly moved to be back playing at Merriweather again. He recorded part of his hit album "Running on Empty" at the fabled pavilion.

James Taylor joined Jackson for a rousing rendition of the song "The Pretender".

James Taylor took the stage to an enthusiastic reaction after the strong Jackson Browne set. He literally has the best band in the business. It includes the The Steve Gadd Band. Drummer Steve Gadd has appeared on many legendary recording sessions including the ground breaking drums on Steely Dan's Aja. Appearing with the band was bassist Jimmy Johnson (Flim & the BB's, Alan Holdsworth), guitarist Michael Landau, and trumpeter Walt Fowler.

I attended separate concerts of Jackson Browne and James Taylor at Merriweather over 40 years ago. I took this photo of James at that 1976 concert.

Jackson joined James for an encore of the hit song "Take it Easy".

There is no doubt that attending concerts again is back in vogue.

VTV Purifi Amplifier Review

 My latest YouTube video.

A DIY Speaker YouTube Video

 My latest YouTube video is now live. Enjoy!

Jodi Essex Interview

I just edited a video for my friends at The Vinyl Revivers. It's an interview with Christian Rock artist Jodi Essex. I was happy to help put this video together. Take a look and "smash the subscribe button" as they say. There should be more exciting music interviews to come.

The DC Hi-Fi Group is now on YouTube

Bruce Hornsby & yMusic @ Strathmore 3/6/2020

Bruce Hornsby and yMusic played a fantastic concert of modern chamber music and Hornsby original compositions on Friday March 6, 2020 at the Strathmore Music Center.

yMusic played a 45 minute opening set of modern extended string quartet (i.e flue, clarinet, trumpet) music featuring music by several composers as well as yMusic's own self penned compositions. Other pieces played were from recent Grammy award winning composer Caroline Shaw featured on fellow New Amsterdam Records stablemates the Attacca Quartet.

Mr. Hornsby then took the stage and proceeded to play both new and crowd favorites on solo piano with subtle MIDI controlled synthesizer provided by an Apple MacBook. Hornsby is an incredibly versatile player easily mixing Rock, Folk. Classical and Jazz idioms in one composition. He also has an instantly recognizable sound that reminds me of James Taylor's comments he once called "Genetic Chords". Bruce played these recognizable "Genetic Chords" on the song The Way It Is to great effect.

After his solo set, he was joined by yMusic to help flesh out compositions from his latest album Absolute Zero which features yMusic's accompaniment. Despite the challenge of integrating Hornsby's freewheeling style and the need to provide charts to the quartet, yMusic proved more than capable of playing off script and improvising with the pianist. Clearly both Bruce and yMusic were in their element and having a very good time.

yMusic's accompaniment on such favorites as Mandolin Rain was particularly poignant.

Hornsby also referenced his recent surprise walk-on at a Bon Iver concert at DC's Anthem music club. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver is also featured on the album Absolute Zero.

The show ended with a fun song composed by yMusic which featured Hornsby singing along with Alex (from yMusic) without piano.

A truly musical and fun night for fans of Bruce Hornsby and adventurous music.

Radar Development

I recently watched a very nice film about the development of Radar in England just before WWII. Free to watch with Amazon Prime. Castles In The Sky

More posts in 2020

I hope to post more to this blog in the coming year. My posting has been dominated by my work on The DC Hi-Fi Group website.

Cheap RAAT usb device - Roon Endpoint Raspberry Pi

This is my recipe for creating an inexpensive Roon endpoint.

Cheap RAAT usb device.

1. Buy Raspberry Pi 3 B+ ($35)
2. Download Allo Dietpi RAAT ready image (dietpi.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2317)
3. Use something like Rufus for Windows to burn Allo image to a micro sd (rufus.ie/)
4. Follow instructions to further customize Allo running (dietpi.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2317)
5. Plug Raspberry Pi into USB Dac of choice (I use the excellent Khadas Tone Board).
6. Use Roon Settings - Audio to configure your new Endpoint
7. Enjoy musical bliss

Fist bumps all around - Chick Corea & Béla Fleck @ Strathmore 05/10/2019

It was an extraordinary evening at Strathmore Music Center where certified virtuosos Chick Corea and Béla Fleck enthralled the audience with their music.

The concert started with the perennial favorite Children's Song No. 6. This song has been played in many incarnations. Most famously in Chick's most famous Band - Return to Forever. Béla and Chick took advantage of each of their instruments strengths to make this a rousing kick off to a concert of nearly two and half hours.

The concert continued from strength to awesome highs as the two musicians egged each other on to new musical plateaus. A wide variety of songs composed by both Chick and Béla were featured including many that appear on their excellent live recording Two.

During a short intermission, I had an opportunity to chat with the designated piano tuner who was touching up the piano between sets. He pointed out two interesting modifications that Chick requires for his Yamaha grand piano. One is a somewhat Rube Goldberg looking device that reroutes the piano's normal right side sustain pedal to the far left side. The other tidbit is the addition of small cylindrical metal weights precisely positioned at either end of the keyboard. The piano tuner was puzzled about their function but commented that he was instructed not to disturb them!

Several brand new compositions were played including a beautiful song by Chick called Reminiscence.

Béla introduced a song he composed for his newborn son, Juno, while waylaid in what he described as the "hell" of  the Dallas Ft. Worth airport. He spoke to the challenges of travelling musicians that caused him to miss his son's birth.

The concert ended how it began on a musical high note with two songs for the encore. The audience left fully satiated but always wanting more.

The new Khadas Tone Board USB DAC with the Sabre ES9038Q2M DAC chip is the new leader in low cost extreme high quality DACs. This device sounds fantastic. The sound quality is backed up by truly exceptional measurements that are only a whisker away from professional DACs selling for thousands of dollars.

Selling for only $99, it features both analog and S/PIDF outputs. The only oddity is you have to supply your own case. Currently you can have a 3D printed case made for about $20.