Yearly Archives: 2019

Opinion: Carpenters with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Let me begin with a brief background.  We had Carpenters in the house while growing up. I’ve always liked parts of their earliest albums the best, and have long felt that A Song For You is their masterpiece.  It captures the band at a creative peak, their careers having gained traction in a relatively short time. Songwriting was also top notch, with solid contributions from the Paul Williams/Roger Nichols and Richard Carpenter/John Bettis teams.  The album is a snapshot of this combination, and if I have to recommend any one album to someone curious about Carpenters, this is the one that I point them to without fail.

Carpenters With The Royal Philharmonic OrchestraHang onto that “snapshot.” We’ll be returning to it.

I recently gave a listen to the newest installment: Carpenters with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.  Apparently, this is the latest installment in the realm of repurposing old recordings by popular artists, with the RPO strings added on top.  Sure I’m oversimplifying it here.  But if a particular recording works in that context, and it sounds good, then enjoy it for what it is! This type of project has its fans.

Yet as I listen to this Carpenters RPO release, it sounds…strange. Something is vaguely yet subconsciously “off” about the whole thing.  To my ears it is unsettling, even disjointed.  Why is this?

A little more background. Over the years, with countless compilations and handfuls of CD album reissues, Richard has been quietly remixing and even re-recording parts of these classic recordings. Remember what I said about a snapshot in time?  Well, someone has taken that old family reunion photo, touched up Aunt Hortense’s warts, neatened up Cousin Roy’s hair, and replaced a couple of assorted other cousins with better head shots from a couple of more recent photos.  It looks nicer, but something seems wrong here.

I have never liked the remixes.  I also dislike the re-recorded parts even more.  From a moral standpoint, it could be the idea of tampering with the past that upsets some listeners.  But that is not what bothers me about them.

It’s how the remixes and re-recordings sound.  When A Song For You was recorded, I’m sure most of the recordings were tracked in the studio with most of the band in there, and overdubs were likely limited to things like guitar solos and of course, Karen and Richard’s trademark overdubbed vocal harmonies.  When you have all the musicians in one place, there is a certain vibe between them, an energy in the room that you can’t quantify, and is something that only musicians can understand.  Overdubbing during the original sessions tends to convey a similar energy–you’ve witnessed those original tracks playing back through your headphones.

On top of that energy and vibe, another consideration is how the overdubs are being recorded. In later cases, the multitracks were converted to digital, and these overdubs and re-recordings were all done digitally.  Why does this matter?

Those sonics during the recording of A Song For You are also a snapshot of how the studio sounded at the time.  The microphones used, the mixing desks, the echo chamber, the analog tape recorders, even the formulation of tape used…these all contribute to how Carpenters (the band) sounded when the album was originally recorded.

Not only that, there are the recording and production techniques used in the 1970s that have no ability to be recreated.  The mixing engineer had his own touch.  The mics were placed in specific places to capture the instruments.  Other decisions like using EQ, reverb, etc. on the original tracks were up to the engineer and producer. These are studio processes that happened on the spot when the recordings were originally tracked.

Now, enter the remixes.  They can sound fairly close to the original sonics, but once digital EQ and reverb are added, this adds a brighter “sheen” to the originals that wasn’t there.  Re-recordings make this far worse, though.  Now, we have an updated performance, recorded in pristine (or one might say “sterile”) digital technology, sounding all new, squeaky clean and pure, against a performance recorded in the early 1970s.  The two do not mesh.

This is like taking your family reunion photo, photographed on an old Nikon SLR, scanning it into digital, and inserting new head shots of a few family members in Photoshop taken with a new Sony mirrorless digital camera.

Hence, my issue with this new recording being unsettling, disjointed, and feeling like it was cobbled together. I understand that there are even more re-recorded parts now, and of course we have the RPO overlaid on top of it all.  All of it note-perfect, of course. With all the original charm and soul slowly sucked out of it over all the years.

While I see that many are enjoying this new recording, I simply can’t get past the sonic collision of old and new. The definitive versions of all of these songs will always be the original album versions, all of which I have heard at least dozens of times (at least up through their album Horizon).  Altered parts never did sound right (even the overdubbed guitar solo on the single mix of “Top Of The World”), but these remixes, re-recordings and now this latest orchestral project just removes me further from the originals.

The good things is, there are still a few scattered copies of the Remastered Classics CD series out there so one can get the original album mixes.  And of course, original vinyl lives on in used record stores around the world, provided you can ever find a clean copy that hasn’t been played out.

Phono stage changes

I have used a Musical Surroundings Phonomena II+ as my phono stage for about two years now, I’m thinking.  My preamp is a line stage, as most today are.

When I originally was shopping for tube preamps, I was leaning towards getting one with a phono stage built into it.  But the more I’ve thought about it in recent years, I may go a few days between playing vinyl, with the preamp running sometimes 8-10 hours per day. I would have been burning up the life of the tubes in the often-unused phono section had I gone that route.

The Phonomena II+ did sound good, yet something was bothering me–background noise.  I am using the Audio Technica ART7 moving coil cartridge, which has a very low output of 0.12mV.  With the Phonomena’s gain set to maximum, sadly the noise of the electronics (that low “rushing” noise of amplification) was audible above the surface noise of the quietest records I own.

I had two phono stages on my short list–the Rogue Audio Ares (preferably the Ares Magnum with upgraded Cinemag step-up transformers), or a Conrad-Johnson EV-1, which matches the rest of my C-J-based system.  As luck would have it, my “wanted” post on US Audio Mart resulted in a hit within 48 hours, and it only took an extra day or two before I took up the seller on his offer and had it shipped in.  It arrived, in beautiful condition, a bit dusty inside, but nothing a careful cleaning won’t take care of.

Now, keep in mind I do not yet own a step-up transformer.  All I could cobble together was an ancient Musical Fidelity AC-1 pre-preamplifier I had on hand.  I got everything connected, and noticed a couple of things.  First, that AC-1 is one sensitive little beast–it picks up hum from just about anything.  I finally had to half dangle it off of a nearby shelf to minimize the hum.

And through the EV-1, the sound of everything connected was rather lackluster.  But I kind of expected that.  I don’t know how transparent the AC-1 is but more importantly, these are apparently the original tubes in the EV-1, and it did sound kind of tired.  It did sound a little better after using it for a couple of hours, but it wasn’t where it needed to be.

Time to replace the tubes.  The EV-1 uses two 12AX7, one 12AU7, and one 5751.  Uncle Kevvy to the rescue–I decided to try some Gold Lion 12AX7s and a 12AU7, and one Tung-Sol 5751 from Upscale Audio.  I did see a note on about some earlier C-J preamps being hard on the 12AU7, and didn’t quite get a straight response from Upscale about my concerns (the email, to be fair, wasn’t directly from Kevin Deal).  So I ordered the 12AX7s and the 5751 from Upscale. I’m using his same Tung-Sol 5751 recommendation in my C-J power amp and it is sounding excellent.

A long couple of days of Internet digging turned up the Brimar CV4003, which is the British military equivalent of the 12AU7, and happens to be Uncle Kevvy’s favorite 12AU7.  I ordered two, one as a spare, and they are en route to me from Turkey (of all places).  And the price was very reasonable. In fact, I may order a couple more spares next month, along with another matched set or two of spares for the preamp (which uses the Mullard CV4058/M8080–by far the best 6C4 variant I have used).

That leaves the SUT.  More digging. I fancied making my own with existing transformers, but ended up buying a kit from a small place called K&K Audio. They are a US distributor for the Swiss-made Lundahl transformers.  I spent a couple of weeks digging for the right transformer ratio to use with my ART7, and finally settled on 1:20, which will give me the gain I am looking for, plus the load impedance is almost dead on where I wanted it (120Ω, and the combination works out to 117Ω).  I ordered the K&K kit version with the Lundahl LL9226.  One deciding feature was that K&K’s kit allows me to set the step-up to any one of the three ratios it offers (1:5, 1:10, 1:20), so I am future-proofed when I get a higher-gain cartridge in the future.

Finally, I’ve added a set of Vibrapods and Vibracones to the mix, and those are arriving here soon as well.  The EV-1 proved to be slightly microphonic on its old tubes, so these will help.  (I’ll have a separate post on the Vibrapod/Vibracone system once I get them all in my system.)

The day that McIntosh jumped the shark…

Yes, it finally happened.

McIntosh has jumped the shark.

Known for decades as a manufacturer of power amplifiers, preamplifiers, tuners and integrated amps (with a few speakers along the way), McIntosh was not into the source end of audio equipment. They have apparently added DACs and digital sources in recent years, and have only added turntables amidst the vinyl resurgence.  Their last ridiculous turntable model used a pointless blue meter on the front. Why?  Because McIntosh.  It served no other purpose than branding.

This latest, however, is typical of the lame “lifestyle” products out there today. This is an all-in-one unit. Preamplifier (with tubes…more about those in a moment), phono stage and power amplifier. And it even has a remote. And Bluetooth.  And additional inputs on the back.

And just what is up with those tubes jutting up out of the plinth?  Seriously??  So if we mishandle a record (let’s face it–we’ve all done this), we have these nice tube cages all nice and in the way so we have even more chance to fumble our records. And how is anyone going to properly align a cartridge with all that junk in the way?  I would hope they are removable.  And I also would hope that sickening green glow could be shut off. To its credit, there is no fugly blue meter on the front of this abomination.

The pricetag is typical McIntosh.  Thing is, McIntosh apparent is pushing this to the 1%-ers who hear that McIntosh is a “high end product” from their peers at the country clubs and $1,000/round golf courses, the ones who can’t be arsed to set up their own system and want a fancy trinket for their etagéres.  While most hipsters aren’t well-heeled, even they would avoid this pretentious addition to the turntable world.  (After all, the hipsters already had their Runwell, which apparently didn’t sellwell and likely won’t endwell since the hipsters moved moved to dualwell, aka cassettes, because vinyl became too mainstream for their precious existence.)

See, here’s the thing. We live in a disposable society.  The precious few who would buy this, who aren’t even remotely in McIntosh’s target market, will likely use this to stream MP3s from their phones. And occasionally play a scratchy old record from grad school. If the turntable breaks, the amplifier quits, or even if the tubes wear out, they’ll give it away, or throw it in the trash, and promptly replace it with another expensive trinket, this time without that pesky old turntable.

For anyone else, what happens if the power amp fails?  Or the bluetooth radio goes haywire?  Or what if the motor dies in the turntable?  They have to find someone who will repair it, or they are stuck with an expensive doorstop.  All-in-one lifestyle products may look good on paper, but the failure of any one component renders them useless, and the inability to upgrade any one piece gives it limited utility.  On top of it, you can’t even upgrade. What if you need more power to drive larger speakers? What if a new digital format comes along? Yep, your stuck with what you bought.

A person can do so much better if they buy a proper turntable, integrated amp and speakers, with a digital source tacked on or even an old CD player.  If one part fails, replace it–your other components are still good. Need to upgrade your digital source? Go ahead. Power amp not cutting it?  Trade up!

Remember, too, back in the 70s, an all-in-one record player/tuner/tape player was typically regarded as very low end playback equipment. Think about it.

So the all-in-one concept is somewhat flawed. But what is even more flawed is that now, in 2019, McIntosh has finally dipped into the realm of lifestyle products. I never liked the McIntosh sound (I have long found them to be harsh and mechanical sounding, although I’ve surprisingly never had a chance to hear their tube amplifiers), but I have always respected their position in the marketplace, and appreciate their longevity. Back before they were corporate owned, they had a certain charm about them.  But today, it feels like this type of product came straight from the corporate marketing department. This does not represent McIntosh at its best. It is more a knee-jerk reaction to market pressures.  Hopefully this thing dies a slow death. They deserve better.

I could lambaste Pro-Ject for doing the same (yes, they also have an all-in-one turntable), but more because they keep churning out more and more models and variations, rather than improving and focusing on a smaller lineup of turntables, and getting their quality control shaped up. They have all but abandoned the high-end market for lifestyle and novelty turntables.  (A “Yellow Submarine” turntable? Are you f**king kidding me??)

So take a good long look at this McIntosh turntable. If it lasts out the year, I would be surprised. No well heeled audiophile will touch an all-in-one turntable for this much money. The hipsters and millenials can’t afford it. Where’s the market?  Well, um, there really isn’t one.

RIP, MTI100. It was nice knowing you.

Using the LG Magic Remote with the Martin Logan Motion Vision Soundbar

I lucked into a good deal on a lightly used Martin Logan Motion Vision soundbar.  The flaw in my new LG TV is that the digital output is constant, not variable via the remote control.  I did not want the soundbar in this application to require an extra remote and a list of instructions for others to operate.  I considered a universal remote, but, the Magic Remote offers a cursor mode that is most helpful. Plus, it also works wirelessly.  More on that shortly.

The soundbar has a learning mode–you can teach it the IR signals from your remote.  I went to the task of setting the volume and mute buttons, and it seemed to work OK.  Yet I was trying to adjust the volume and nothing was happening on the soundbar.  I tried programming again when the TV was on but this time the learning commands failed.

I soon realized that LG’s Magic Remote operates in IR mode when the TV is off, but goes into wireless mode when the TV is on.  Was there a way to disable the wireless mode on the remote?  None that I could find.

Digging around on Google, I finally located a possible solution via the AVSForum–there was a way this forum member had accessed a menu on his LG OLED TV to add a soundbar.  I had no such menu.

Or rather…I actually did have such a menu.  LG hides this behind the “STB PWR” button, which is for using a set top box (like you would get from a cable company).  When you press this button, the TV goes into a setup mode where you can pick various peripherals to set up, including soundbars.

Since there is no support for the Martin Logan soundbar, the trick here is to pick any of the listed soundbars, but then go back to the learn mode on the soundbar and have it learn the remote’s IR signals.  The act of choosing the external soundbar sets the remote into IR mode for the volume and mute buttons.  Once I did that and programmed the remote, we now have remote volume control!  The soundbar has a function where it will turn on when it receives a signal from the TV via the optical digital input, so even the power is being handled.

The only drawback is that the remote is glacial in its volume adjustment speed–it ticks up or down at about two levels per second, and the soundbar has 100 possible levels.  Thankfully I don’t tweak the volume too often.