Congratulations Gateway Mastering and DVD on your most recent list of Grammy nominees. Transparent is proud to have provided cables and connections throughout Gateway's mastering studios.
Below from their website:
54th Annual Grammy Award nominations
Gateway Mastering Studio’s Bob Ludwig and Adam Ayan work with many artists throughout the year. Some projects get recognized by The Recording Academy for outstanding achievement. Below is a list of songs and artists that have been nominated for a Grammy Award this year that were mastered at Gateway Mastering Studios.
There are 24 nominations in 17 diverse categories including Record of the Year, Best Rock Album, Best Country album, Best Bluegrass album, Best Blues, Album, Best Folk Album and Best Engineered Album non-classical.
Bob & Adam are eligible for certificates for any of the winning nominations. Bob is nominated for physical Grammy Awards in two categories: Best Engineered Album non-classical and Best Surround Sound Album
The 54th Annual Grammy Awards nominees that were mastered at Gateway:
1. Record Of The Year
The Cave
Mumford & Sons
Markus Dravs, producer; Francois Chevallier & Ruadhri Cushnan,
engineers/mixers Track from: Sigh No More
[Glassnote Records]
6. Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Body And Soul
Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse
Track from: Duets II
[Columbia Records]
Paradise
Coldplay
[Capitol Records]
11. Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Duets II
Tony Bennett & Various Artists
[Columbia Records]
Music Is Better Than Words
Seth MacFarlane
[Universal Republic]
12. Best Rock Performance
Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall
Coldplay [Capitol Records/ EMI/ Parlophone]
The Cave
Mumford & Sons
Track from: Sigh No More
[Glassnote Records]
Lotus Flower
Radiohead
Track from: The King Of Limbs
[XL/ TBD Recordings]
14. Best Rock Song
The Cave
Ted Dwane, Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford & Country Winston, songwriters
(Mumford & Sons)
Track from: Sigh No More
[Glassnote Records]
Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall
Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion & Chris Martin, songwriters
(Coldplay)
[Capitol Records/ EMI/ Parlophone
15. Best Rock Album
The Whole Love
Wilco
[dBpm Records/ Anti Records]
16. Best Alternative Music Album
Circuital
My Morning Jacket
[ATO Records]
The King Of Limbs
Radiohead
[XL/ TBD Records]
25. Best Country Solo Performance
I'm Gonna Love You Through It
Martina McBride
[Republic Nashville]
Mama's Song
Carrie Underwood
Track from: Play On
[Arista Nahville]
27. Best Country Song
Just Fishin'
Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell & Ed Hill, songwriters (Trace Adkins)
28. Best Country Album
Here For A Good Time
George Strait
[MCA Nashville]
34. Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance
Do Everything
Steven Curtis Chapman
Track from: re:Creation
[Sparrow Records]
44. Best Bluegrass Album
Sleep With One Eye Open
Chris Thile & Michael Daves
[Nonesuch]
45. Best Blues Album
Revelator
Tedeschi Trucks Band
[Masterworks]
46. Best Folk Album
Ukulele Songs
Eddie Vedder
[Monkeywrench Inc./Universal Republic]
59. Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)
Jorge Calandrelli, arranger (Tony Bennett & Queen Latifah)
Track from: Duets II
[RPM/Columbia Records]
64. Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
Music Is Better Than Words
Rich Breen & Frank Filipetti, engineers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Seth
MacFarlane)
[Universal Republic]
67. Best Surround Sound Album
Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs (Super Deluxe Edition)
Elliot Scheiner, surround mix engineer; Bob Ludwig, surround mastering
engineer; Bill Levenson & Elliot Scheiner, surround producers (Derek & The
Dominos)
[USM/UMe/Polydor]
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
TAS December Back Page Interview with Karen Sumner
Karen Sumner, one of the original founders of Transparent Audio, is featured in the December issue of The Absolute Sound. The Back Page Interview was shortened in the printed version but you can read the interview in its entirety below.
What ignited your interest in the high end? Did it come from the music side or the electronics side?
Music was the foundation of my interest in high-end audio. I took my first piano lessons when I was 8. I picked up guitar in high school, and I sang and played my way through college.
My first stereo system expanded my musical tastes. When I was 14, my dad and I built a stereo system from a Heath kit and Radio Shack speaker drivers. I bought records with my allowance, and I started picking out my own arrangements from the records — folk, blues, and some rock. The amplifier blew up frequently. I’d test tubes for the amp at the local hardware store to keep the amp running. I consulted with our local Radio Shack (which was more like a real hifi store in those days) about ways I could improve the system. I was constantly seeking ways to get more information off my records.
I have been a music lover and electronics geek since childhood.
Women in leadership or executive positions were uncommon when you began in the high end. What was that like for you?
Jack Sumner, our friend Carl Smith, and I started Transparent Audio in 1980. They both continued with their careers and helped me evenings and weekends until they could join the company full time with me in 1986. I was the front person making contacts over the phone and travelling all over the United States to meet potential dealers in the early 80s. In the beginning, we couldn’t afford decent hotels. There were no cell phones or GPS. Asking directions or getting out of the car to use a pay phone was out of the question in some of the places I ended up while looking for my destinations. Thirty years ago, travelling was definitely not comfortable or safe for young women.
If it had not been for the many wonderful people I met in the industry who welcomed me and were genuinely interested in what I had to say and demonstrate, I would never have persevered. Jack and Carl also provided valuable advice and encouragement. Mentors and fearlessness (and maybe some naïveté) were important.
Yet women are still not a large part of the hobby. Why do you think that is? What can we do to change that?
Women love music just as much as men do. Many more today have the discretionary time and money to seek out a great hifi system. These women are really no different than any other potential first time system buyer. They are drawn to the idea of putting together a better hifi system because they want to get closer to the music they love. Audio magazines and retailers haven’t made enough effort to reach outside of a relatively small group of primarily men who have spent years experimenting with equipment as an end unto itself.
Magazines and dealers could do a lot to make the hifi hobby more accessible to all potential first time system buyers by talking more about the music listening experience in the context of an entire system of components rather than primarily focusing on the merits of the latest and greatest amplifier, speaker, or cable.
We need to help neophytes, whether they are successful professional women in their forties or aspiring music lovers from the MP3 generation, unlock the mysteries of what to listen for in a well balanced audio system and provide some how-to guidance.
How do you define high-end audio to someone unfamiliar with the hobby?
High-end audio is a listening experience that grabs you, and it can happen with the simplest, most basic system. High-end audio experiences happen when a system makes you want to explore music and improve the performance of the system in ways that help you engage more completely with the music you love.
What is the first thing you listen for in a high-end audio system?
The natural balance of music’s fundamental tones to harmonic frequencies is the most important element because natural tonal balance helps our minds and bodies relax enough to be open to deep listening experiences. Poorly matched components and cables and improper system set-ups frequently skew tonal balance upward. This upwardly skewed tonal balance emphasizes harmonics and system noise more than fundamental tones. The sound can be tiresome and irritating. In contrast, one never grows tired of the sound of a well-balanced system. It invites the listener to absorb the intent of the music performance totally particularly when the system is capable of revealing other critical musical elements such as dynamics and low-level information.
What is your best “how to” advice to a person who is assembling his first high-end audio system?
Go to a specialty audio retailer who demonstrates a love for music. Seek out a person there who is expert at setting up systems and who will readily answer your questions and help you solve any service problems. Work with a retailer who will help you upgrade your system when you’re ready to take the next step.
Outside of audio, what do you do for fun?
In the winter, I attend more than 30-40 live concerts, mostly classical orchestral, solo artist or small ensemble, and opera. I listen to a lot of music at home. I’m an avid golfer and sailor. I like to design gardens, houses, and interior and exterior architectural details. I collect art. I like cooking food that is beautiful to look at, delicious, and healthy. I paint and sketch when I get a chance. I really like to read, but I will pick up an article or book about current events, people, or history before I’ll read a novel or poetry (which I also enjoy).
What still inspires you about your work?
My biggest inspiration is the Transparent staff. They have taken full ownership of our mission to provide our dealers and distributors with high performance products and services that help them create the best music systems possible for their customers.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Transparent's Carl Smith Leads Symphony Discussion
On Saturday afternoon October 1st Carl Smith of Transparent led a Q & A session following the rehearsal performance by Awadagin Pratt of Beethoven's Piano Concerto #5 with the Portland Symphony Orchestra. Awadagin is a prominent concert pianist who has played with many of the country's leading orchestras and has performed for two presidents in the White House. His performances of the Beethoven concerto at two concerts with the Portland Symphony were very well received, with vigorous applause at the end of the first movement and standing ovations at the end of the piece. During one of the concerts an audience member's cell phone rang several times during the pause between the 1st and 2nd movements. At just the right moment Awadagin said in response to the ringing phone, "I'm busy just now" and the crowd loved it. He got a big laugh and more applause. You can learn more about this outstanding pianist at www.awadagin.com
Monday, September 19, 2011
Transparent Musicians Play Benefit Concert
A Saturday evening benefit concert at Jay York’s Last Church on the Left featured a number of Transparent family musicians and friends. Three bands split the evening playing a variety of roots oriented material.
Dank Roadie Uberdrive started the evening, featuring Transparent’s Mike Dank playing a Danelectro Longhorn bass. John Robertson, a machinist who makes many of our custom parts, sang vocals and played guitar, mandolin and Dobro. The band, which bills itself as psychelic honkey tonk, covered some Joe Henry and Warren Zevon among others.
Dank Roadie Uberdrive started the evening, featuring Transparent’s Mike Dank playing a Danelectro Longhorn bass. John Robertson, a machinist who makes many of our custom parts, sang vocals and played guitar, mandolin and Dobro. The band, which bills itself as psychelic honkey tonk, covered some Joe Henry and Warren Zevon among others.
Gretchen and Doug of the duo Day for Night sang great classic country tunes, featuring sweet harmonies, guitars and mandolin. Louvin Brothers and Stanley Brothers tunes were among the performances.
The Small Orchestra played rural blues featuring Transparent’s Mike Dank on snare and Mark Cousins on drum kit for a little of the North Mississippi sound with Kevin Midgley on vocals and guitar. The band was rounded out with two harmonica players, and Jeff Trippe of the local group the Mutineers on mandolin and backup vocals.
The bands each played two sets. Demos Dadiotes provided photo documentation. Many thanks to Jay York for providing such a great venue.
The Small Orchestra played rural blues featuring Transparent’s Mike Dank on snare and Mark Cousins on drum kit for a little of the North Mississippi sound with Kevin Midgley on vocals and guitar. The band was rounded out with two harmonica players, and Jeff Trippe of the local group the Mutineers on mandolin and backup vocals.
The bands each played two sets. Demos Dadiotes provided photo documentation. Many thanks to Jay York for providing such a great venue.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Transparent in Surat, India
Transparent is pleased to announce that we have a new distributor in India called Absolute Sound! They've been making waves all the way from the city of Surat, enough so that Electronic House noticed.
Absolute Sound! had a challenge on their hands. At 15-by-23 feet, it was a small theater room with brightness and bass issues. Jignesh Khatiwala took charge of the installation and got some amazing results. Click the link below to read more about it.
http://www.electronichouse.com/article/sound_solutions_home_theater_in_busy
_surat/
Friday, August 12, 2011
Noted Concert Pianist Lorin Hollander Writes About His Recent Experience in the Transparent Sound Room
Concert pianist and conductor Lorin Hollander recently visited Transparent Audio's sound room to listen to high resolution digital copies of archival tapes of Portland Symphony concert performances. Lorin Hollander made his Carnegie Hall debut at age 11 and performed on the Bell Television Hour on national television during his teenage years. He made recordings for RCA Victor and has performed with most of the world's great orchestras during his nearly 60 year career as a pianist and conductor. See his website www.lorinhollander.com for more details about his remarkable career.
A New Dimension in Sound Reproduction, by Lorin Hollander
Recently I heard sound reproduction at a level unprecedented in my experience. Not only did it exceed in orders of magnitude anything I have previously experienced in audio reproduction, it went beyond reproducing the sound of a live performance, for a series of important and unique reasons.
I was already familiar with the sound room in which I heard these recordings. I believe the room must equal or surpass anything that exists in the world. It uses the highest quality audio components and speakers, which are joined together into an organic synergistic whole by cables created and manufactured by Transparent Audio. These cables are a major dynamic generating force in the quality of sound and they are essential, but are not the full story. My several previous listening experiences in this room have been astounding. What made my recent experience even more extraordinary was due, in part at least, to the source material used, which were open reel tapes made for radio broadcasts of the Portland Symphony for many years. How they were originally created and the long history of their existence is a fascinating story in itself, which I will leave to Carl Smith who restored and transferred many of the best of them to high resolution digital files that are virtually indistinguishable sonically from the original tapes.
It is very difficult to find words that can describe such powerful and astounding musical reproduction. "Flabbergasting", "mind blowing", and "awe-inspiring" are descriptions I use rarely. Part of what made this a life enhancing experience was that it went beyond in many ways what I have heard in actual live performances. I have played in, and/or heard, more than 2500 concert performances, over nearly 60 years as a professional concert pianist and conductor. I have spent a lifetime being physically enveloped within live symphonic and instrumental music. I have listened to rehearsals and concerts in great and important concert halls. What makes these Portland Symphony recordings unique is, in part, the extraordinary microphone placement, 2 mikes set perfectly above the orchestra in the "line of fire" of the instruments, and therefore above the heads of most of the seated audience. These mikes pick up the instrumental sounds at their most pure, resulting in rich, vibrant, and breathtaking realism. Every timbre, partial, and harmonic component of each instrument is chiseled, sculpted, or painted in its individual sonic character, personality and contour, yet blended into a symphonic oceanic ambience, wave upon wave, which is quite frankly often overwhelming.
Part of the answer as to how all of this is possible can be found when understanding the scientific, artistic, and even spiritual process and mission of Carl Smith, Transparent Audio and its team of visionaries. The audio cables themselves apparently assure that every link in the audio reproduction chain is matched in impedance to the next and each link is fine-tuned to realize the highest potential of the unique source material. I realize there are schools of thought which debate the merits of the exact reproduction of the actual live sound of the musicians being recorded versus a more rich and "satisfying" sound, which may not be as pure as the original performance but can at times be somewhat more sensually pleasing. In the present case the sonic end result both reconciles and transcends these distinctions. The sound is more palpably sensual than what I have heard when sitting in fine seats in some of the great concert halls with which I'm familiar and there is a sense of intimacy and profound clarity enveloped within a vast spaciousness when hearing music reproduced in this way that is apparently not available when one is separated from the musicians in a concert hall or even when playing with them.
I will leave it to Carl to explain the history and the technical details of how this miracle came about. It is the latest step in his lifelong passion to bring sound reproduction to the highest possible level. For me and my wife Tara I am sure that all experience of musical sound, whether live or recorded, will be heard and evaluated based on what we heard in the Transparent Audio sound room---an unforgettable peak experience in my lifetime of performing and listening to music.
Lorin Hollander
Monday, August 1, 2011
Classical Music Course
Carl Smith, one of Transparent's founders, is teaching a classical music course in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Southern Maine. A unique feature of this course is that all the musical examples are from recordings of Portland (Maine) Symphony concerts made over the past 50 years. Carl restored and transferred to multiple digital formats tapes of more than 300 concerts featuring world famous soloists such as Van Cliburn, Emmanuel Ax, Byron Janis, Lorin Hollander, and Martha Argerich, pops concerts under the direction of Arthur Fiedler, and guest jazz and popular music artists like George Shearing and Peter Nero.For use in his class Carl transferred many of the open reel tapes to a Tascam digital recorder in 192k/24 bit resolution and the resulting recordings are virtually indistinguishable from the original master tapes. The original tapes were made using Neumann microphones connected directly to top quality tape recorders without compression or processing of any kind. World famous mastering engineer, Bob Ludwig, whose Gateway Mastering Studio is located in Portland, worked with Carl on a 2 CD set of highlights from the collection and gave high praise to the sound quality of the best of these recordings.
The sound equipment used in the classroom must be stored in a small closet between class sessions, which ruled out the use of large speakers. Using very high quality amplifiers, Transparent cables, and a surprisingly synergistic combination of easily portable B & W speakers with a compact REL T9 subwoofer, the sound quality far exceeds what is customary in the typical classroom environment and the 31 students in the class have responded very enthusiastically. Many of them have said they have never heard such realistic sound outside of the concert hall and some have expressed interest in pursuing high quality audio themselves as a result of this experience.
The course has given Carl, who has also taught jazz music appreciation courses, an opportunity to combine his twin passions of sharing the music he loves and the experience of high quality sound reproduction.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Run, don't walk to connect a Transparent Ref MM2 Phono cable to your turntables
This e-mail just in from a happy audiophile and Transparent customer from Seattle, Washington:
"SUBJ: Run, don't walk to connect a Transparent Ref MM2 Phono cable to your turntables
I have always been a super happy with the many Transparent Cable products I have purchased from Definitive [a Transparent Dealer]. Each item has always been a sonic pleasure.
My system is all Transparent Reference except my VPI Scout 2 Signature that was connected via Audioquest Niagara’s.
The turntable sounds great and it has been a joy (thanks Curtis), but out of interest I had Gary and Brad build a TA Ref Phono cable to try out.
I was not ready for the improvement that I got yesterday when I swapped out the Audioquest Niagara to a Transparent Ref MM2 Phono cable that was calibrated for my Lyra Kleos source.
Of all of the Transparent cables that I have purchased, this change had a in your face difference. I felt I was listening to a different turntable. I got a larger improvement from the interconnect then I did from switching my cartridge from a Lyra Delos to Kleos earlier this year.
I thought Diana Krall’s Live in Paris sounded awesome with the Audioquest, but after hearing the clarity with the TA Ref, the old cable sounds like dirty glass.
The TA Ref Phono is definitely more clear, quieter and more dynamic.
You should put one of these on all of your tables. They are killer. "
-Mohammed
"SUBJ: Run, don't walk to connect a Transparent Ref MM2 Phono cable to your turntables
I have always been a super happy with the many Transparent Cable products I have purchased from Definitive [a Transparent Dealer]. Each item has always been a sonic pleasure.
My system is all Transparent Reference except my VPI Scout 2 Signature that was connected via Audioquest Niagara’s.
The turntable sounds great and it has been a joy (thanks Curtis), but out of interest I had Gary and Brad build a TA Ref Phono cable to try out.
I was not ready for the improvement that I got yesterday when I swapped out the Audioquest Niagara to a Transparent Ref MM2 Phono cable that was calibrated for my Lyra Kleos source.
Of all of the Transparent cables that I have purchased, this change had a in your face difference. I felt I was listening to a different turntable. I got a larger improvement from the interconnect then I did from switching my cartridge from a Lyra Delos to Kleos earlier this year.
I thought Diana Krall’s Live in Paris sounded awesome with the Audioquest, but after hearing the clarity with the TA Ref, the old cable sounds like dirty glass.
The TA Ref Phono is definitely more clear, quieter and more dynamic.
You should put one of these on all of your tables. They are killer. "
-Mohammed
Monday, May 9, 2011
Transparent at The Big Three Summit at HiFi House, May 4 and 5
The Big Three Summit Team at HiFi House: David Schultz, Josh Clark (Transparent); Jerron Marchant, Peter McGrath (Wilson); Karen Sumner (Transparent); Paul Sandquist (HiFi House); Dan D’Agostino, Ron Kinnear (D’Agostino Master Audio Systems).
Thanks to everyone at Transparent, D’Agostino, Wilson, and HiFi House for a great event the evenings of May 4th and 5th at HiFi House.
For a summary of the Transparent program and a complete playlist, CLICK HERE.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
My Life as a Roadie – Brad O’Toole
Recently I drove to Montreal to help put together a top-level sound system at Salon Son & Image 2011. The secret of this great adventure was several talented people coming together in one space. First of all, Coup de Foudre of Montreal brought together VTL, Wilson, and Transparent. Their own Erik Fortier and Graeme Humfrey kept us on the mark while we moved Wilson Alexandrias inch by inch to the best sonically neutral position within a hotel space. Peter McGrath queued up his key setup recordings and blessed the setup along with Trent Workman of Wilson Audio. Luke Manley made sure all electronics ran at their prime. Transparent and myself provided power and cabling expertise and made sure our personal day-to day experience with this setup came through. 
Keeping this great system in mind I still have to take a bow to live music. This shared search for that holy grail in audio equipment is my life, but standing in front of musicians always reminds me about how lucky we all are to enjoy great live music. On Thursday evening Coup de Foudre held a customer appreciation evening, with live music. The musician was not just any guitarist but a true icon of the Montreal music scene - John McGale. http://www.johnmcgale.ca/ What an amazing talented musician and a really cool cat to hang with in an amazing space. 
My weekend continued with one of those audio systems where you could enjoy opera from Puccini's Turandot to opera from Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. We even had moments where tears were shed as Leonard Bernstein came to life in front of us. Live concert after live concert graced our room for four days. For some, including me, it was music. Please check out John Atkinson had to say. http://www.stereophile.com/content/wilson150vtl150transparent150beethoven Salon Son and Image ended Sunday, but my roadie days continued. Grabbing all the OPUS cables from the hotel showroom I jumped in a van and headed for American Sounds of Canada’s new and unique house of audio/video. In the mini van I had the privilege of conversing with Dean Peer and Bret Mann. Check out their website at http://www.deanpeer.com/. Both performed live in an intimate setting of this new house/showroom. Many may know Dean as his recording entitled UCross rocked the CES show in Chicago many years ago. His continued use of bass harmonics mixed with southern blues rock guitar is amazing, especially when you get to witness it up close and personal. Thanks Angie Lisi of American Sounds for putting together an amazing and wonderful gathering of like-minded people. 
I also had a great opportunity to set up the new Jeff Rowland Corus and their new 625 stereo amp along with the Esoteric K-01 and Focal-JM Labs Stella Utopia to create music upstairs while the band was live downstairs. I downloaded Dean and Bret’s latest work entitled airborne in flac and played it on my computer using Amarra and Transparent’s near famous $100 USB cable. Did it work? Yes absolutely. Did it sound live…almost. Was it better than actual live downstairs? No, but my foot was still tapping to the beat, my face was still smiling, and I was not left wanting by the sound from the audio system.
Keeping this great system in mind I still have to take a bow to live music. This shared search for that holy grail in audio equipment is my life, but standing in front of musicians always reminds me about how lucky we all are to enjoy great live music. On Thursday evening Coup de Foudre held a customer appreciation evening, with live music. The musician was not just any guitarist but a true icon of the Montreal music scene - John McGale. http://www.johnmcgale.ca/ What an amazing talented musician and a really cool cat to hang with in an amazing space. My weekend continued with one of those audio systems where you could enjoy opera from Puccini's Turandot to opera from Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. We even had moments where tears were shed as Leonard Bernstein came to life in front of us. Live concert after live concert graced our room for four days. For some, including me, it was music. Please check out John Atkinson had to say. http://www.stereophile.com/content/wilson150vtl150transparent150beethoven Salon Son and Image ended Sunday, but my roadie days continued. Grabbing all the OPUS cables from the hotel showroom I jumped in a van and headed for American Sounds of Canada’s new and unique house of audio/video. In the mini van I had the privilege of conversing with Dean Peer and Bret Mann. Check out their website at http://www.deanpeer.com/. Both performed live in an intimate setting of this new house/showroom. Many may know Dean as his recording entitled UCross rocked the CES show in Chicago many years ago. His continued use of bass harmonics mixed with southern blues rock guitar is amazing, especially when you get to witness it up close and personal. Thanks Angie Lisi of American Sounds for putting together an amazing and wonderful gathering of like-minded people. I also had a great opportunity to set up the new Jeff Rowland Corus and their new 625 stereo amp along with the Esoteric K-01 and Focal-JM Labs Stella Utopia to create music upstairs while the band was live downstairs. I downloaded Dean and Bret’s latest work entitled airborne in flac and played it on my computer using Amarra and Transparent’s near famous $100 USB cable. Did it work? Yes absolutely. Did it sound live…almost. Was it better than actual live downstairs? No, but my foot was still tapping to the beat, my face was still smiling, and I was not left wanting by the sound from the audio system. 
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Seasons and the Sea
Our own Josh, David, Kevin and Amy all attended the Portland Symphony Orchestra's performance on April 5th, 2011. The program called the Seasons and the Sea started out gently with the Mendelssohn piece Overture: Calm Sea and Properous Voyage, Op. 27. The sweetness of the piece turned quickly into a wild wind sound using the horns. I could almost feel the wind on my face. The second piece, Four Seasons of Buenos Aires by Astor Piazzolla, was everyone's favorite. David said it had a surreal quality to it and he enjoyed the variety of sounds. Josh said that Piazzolla is known for his percussionistic additions to his works. The audience reacted in amusement at the short tribute to Vivaldi in this piece.
After intermission, the piece titled Interplay for Three Violins & Orchestra by Chris Brubeck received a standing ovation. Chris Brubeck, whose father is jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, was in the audience just behind us; his immense pleasure at the performance was contagious to everyone seated near him. Josh especially enjoyed the wonderful performance of the soloist Corine Brouwer. She is the current concertmaster of the Winston-Salem Symphony, the Asheville-Lyric Opera Orchestra, and the Carolina Chamber Symphony in North Carolina. The evening ended with Debussy's La Mer, three symphonic sketches of the sea. –Amy Farwell
Thursday, March 17, 2011
AudiophileReview.com's Interview with Karen
Interview with Karen Sumner of Transparent Audio
By Jerry Del Colliano
JD: Many suggest that Transparent Audio has the best pride of ownership of any audiophile product in the market place. What levels do you work on making your products special for consumers?
KS: It's certainly our key objective to engender pride of ownership with Transparent products. I think pride of ownership happens when a product provides long-term value. The product must perform beyond expectations, must be beautifully crafted, and must have a solid company behind it that genuinely cares about the end user's long-term pleasure from using their products.
Although our video cables are special too, I will focus on our audio cable line-up and secondarily Transparent Power Conditioners and Power Cords for this discussion because I assume that most AudiophileReview readers are most interested in sound quality.
Transparent's primary design team consists of 2 musicians and music lovers with physics degrees -- Jack Sumner and Josh Clark. The design team and the listening panel, of which I am an important part, attend live unamplified music performances in great sounding acoustical spaces at every opportunity. Listening to live music is the most important reference at Transparent. For long-term listening and product development, Transparent also owns two state-of-the-art RPG designed listening studios. The studios are equipped with a wide range of the latest high performance audio components and a large catalog of master tapes of music performances the team has attended. Transparent's investment in listening to live music and building the studios and music reference library help us build performance and value into our products in ways that truly set us apart from most audiophile manufacturers.
From entry level to the ultimate, each performance level in the Transparent audio cable line-up is designed to work together to help unify the performance of all the components of a system into a musical whole. Transparent's design model is based upon three primary musical criteria that we apply to every product at every performance level. This all-encompassing musical perspective is why Transparent brings the individual components in a system into more ideal harmony.
In order of importance, the criteria are: correct tonal balance (relationship of fundamentals to harmonics), dynamic range (from the very quietest passage to the loudest with realistic transient response), and space (low level resolution of reflected sound from the original acoustic space). These terms are the best way we have found to describe what we hear in a high fidelity system in musical terms.
The difference between performance levels in the Transparent line-up is a matter of the extent to which a specific product captures the full measure of each of the three criteria. Of course, one can never achieve the full measure of each criterion in a high fidelity system, but our goal is to come closer and closer to the ultimate OPUS MM level of performance, and then trickle the technology down throughout the rest of the product line.
Each and every type of cable and length of cable in the world has built-in levels of inductance (L), capacitance (C), and resistance (R). Transparent network technology controls and adjusts these levels for each of our specific cable designs to be more ideal in terms of achieving the three musical criteria: tonal balance, dynamics, and space. There is a specially calibrated LCR network on all our audio cables to control the performance of each type and length of cable we offer in our line-up. In general terms, this means that every audio cable and length of audio cable has its own specification from $85 a pair (The Link Interconnect) up to $33,000 a pair (OPUS MM Speaker Cable), and every cable is hand made. The more expensive cables are matched to specific output impedances of the listener's components.
In more specific terms, the precise LCR measurements of the ultimate Transparent OPUS MM at any given point in its continual development toward the musical ideal serves as the basis for an expanded mathematical model of LCR network values for every length and performance level of audio cable in the line-up.
The end result of all of this is that we have developed a range of products that provide predictable and measured levels of performance at graduated price points. We've removed the guesswork and resulting waste of money of trying to choose the best complement of cables for a system of components. Transparent Cables are also beautifully crafted, and most of them are upgradeable to higher performance levels while retaining much of the original value of the trade-in cables. The fact Transparent is always there to help our customers come closer to achieving the musical ideal in their home music systems provides long-term pleasure and value.
In conclusion, I guess you'd have to say that every audio cable we make is special; hence, pride of ownership should be high.
JD: How do you train and motivate your internal team to provide luxury for your end user clients?
KS: Our company culture is based upon the fact that we all know that our products and customers are very special. This culture starts with insuring that our employees know that they are special because they are the chosen ones to accomplish our objectives. The three founding partners, Carl Smith, Jack Sumner, and I, have always had a unified perspective on employee empowerment and rewards. Our principal managers operate the same way. The key concept is that no one person can deliver the level of product quality and service that our customers need. There is no single superstar at Transparent. For our luxury brand and approach to flourish, everyone at Transparent must work together as a team from front line salespeople to the employees who prepare shipments. Each employee has areas of special expertise, but they all operate as if there is no hierarchy. Everyone is ready to assume whatever responsibility is required at any given point in time to make sure our products are manufactured up to our standards and that we deliver the kind of support and service that keeps our dealers, distributors, and consumers loyal to our brand.
As you can imagine, our employees are all very intelligent and creative to operate efficiently in this type of environment. Once established in our culture, employees tend to stay.
We have also purposely avoided growth for growth's sake, diluting our product mix, or changing our mission over the past 30 years. We knew that uncontrolled growth would force us to expand our staff to include the type of employees who look at their job solely as a way to make a wage. What we look for are employees who see their jobs also as a source of personal fulfillment -- a perspective critical to us for maintaining our brand identity.
Hiring top-notch people who embrace our mission of quality at every level, inspiring them, and rewarding them appropriately means we can retain them. The result is our customers end up having a seamless luxury experience with our products and company.
JD: With brands like Wisdom Audio opening dealers like Sound Components in Miami, Definitive Audio in Seattle, Stereo Exchange in Manhattan - what do you make of the audiophile in-wall speaker movement?
KS: I really like what Wisdom Audio is doing. Their concept of really high performance in-wall and on-wall speakers is long overdue. Transparent has offered reference quality in-wall speaker cables for more than 10 years, so we have been waiting for more performance out of in-wall speakers for a long time. Thanks to Wisdom, people who can't or don't want to have speakers visible in a room now can achieve a level of sound performance they could only dream about in the past.
JD: If an investor came to you seeking your advice as how to start a profitable audiophile business in a top 25 U.S. Market - what advice would you give them?
KS: Having a profitable business and having a large business are probably mutually exclusive objectives in the audiophile business. Because of the limited nature of the market, I think the audiophile business is a good small to medium business opportunity that can be very rewarding. To reap the rewards, business owners need to be good stewards of their mission and all the people they depend upon to carry out that mission including staff, suppliers, and a good dealer network. Small to medium sized businesses do not have the financial resources for meteoric rises. It takes years, focus, and patience to build a specialty brand.
Audiophile manufacturers need to put a considerable amount of time and investment into acquiring and developing really good dealers for the whole high-end audio experience to come together for the end user. A successful audiophile manufacturer needs to treat specialty audio retailers like they are valued partners and expect their dealers to be full participants in the partnership in return.
JD: When skeptical audiophiles and or home theater enthusiasts tell you "All HDMI cables are the same," what do you tell them?
KS: The fact that most typical HDMI cables won't pass an accurate signal in lengths more than 2 meters while more generously designed HDMI cables do work well at longer lengths should be proof enough that HDMI cables make a difference. If that is not enough evidence to be convincing, all you need to do is try a Transparent HDMI cable to know that superior conductors, dielectric insulation, cable construction, and termination make a significant difference in picture and sound quality. Transparent offers three performance levels of HDMI cables. All are high-speed HDMI and 3D video compliant. Performance HDMI cables start at $100 for one meter and High Performance HDMI starts at $250. Our ultimate Premium HDMI starts at $500. Performance and High Performance HDMI in lengths over 20 feet come equipped with an active network terminated into the cable and calibrated for length to compensate for cable attenuation and skew.
JD: If you bought an Audi R8 would you chrome plate it?
KS: Never! I'm just not into glitz. The form and function of this beautiful machine do not need to be enhanced.
Are you making a backhanded comment about audiophile products that are all show and no go?
JD: (No - I was poking fun at Monster Cable's Noel Lee and his newest acquisition for his car collection which is a chromed Audi R8. I bet he won't let me drive it now. JDC)
Why do women stereotypically shy away from audiophile systems when they tend to love music?
KS: I really don't want to offend audiophiles or anyone else, but some audiophile systems really don't sound much like music. The gear and creating a particular kind of sound tends to be an end unto itself in these systems, and consequently the natural musical balance of the system suffers. To non-audiophiles and music lovers, some of these systems actually create sound that is off-putting and irritating because the sound is not musically authentic. This is often of no significant consequence to the audiophile who is more interested in changing the way the system sounds with different equipment than in trying to come closer to a musical ideal. I have met audiophiles who actually are very serious when they proclaim that they like the sound of their system better than the sound of live music. They will focus on a certain type of music to play on the system they think sounds great and play those few pieces again and again, but the system is typically not musically satisfying with a broad range of music.
Real musical sounds are all around us and the ability to recognize them and be moved by them is in our DNA. One doesn't have to be an audiophile to recognize when a system is musically authentic.
I think it would be great if more audiophiles empowered their significant others who love music to get more involved in the system building process and encouraged them to speak up when the system veers from musical truth. It's not that audiophiles don't like music. It's just that some of them get so focused on hardware and creating a particular kind of sound that they lose their way.
As a musician and music lover, it has been one of the most satisfying aspects of my career to be a key member of the Transparent listening panel. I usually weigh in on the sonic results of design changes near the end of the process. I've often been a welcome fresh set of ears in our never-ending quest to create products that help playback systems come closer to the music, and I'm not shy about weighing in on what I hear!
JD: What would you tell an informed consumer about why he shouldn't buy all of his audiophile gear from Audiogon.com?
KS: Audiogon has its place in our industry. It allows customers to sell older equipment so they can buy new equipment from dealers, and it gives other customers a chance to own a piece of pre-owned equipment that they might otherwise not be able to afford.
A prime danger is, of course, that a customer purchasing a piece of pre-owned equipment through an unauthorized source will not get an adequate level of support from a dealer or the manufacturer if the component needs repair.
Also, putting together a whole system of components purchased from Audiogon based upon what 12 different reviewers say about 12 different pieces of equipment will rarely result in a system that is musically satisfying.
Audiophiles and music lovers need specialty dealers who have worked out all the intricacies of putting together and setting up great sounding systems, and they need dealers to help with their concerns and service issues after the purchase is complete.
Most dealers have access to high quality pre-owned equipment if a customer wants to go that route. Dealers can provide aftermarket service and in some instances offer an extension of the warranty to their customers who purchase pre-owned components from them. Dealers are the most important link between the customer and high performance products, and high-end audio can't survive without them.
You can't keep customers interested in a hobby by selling them out-of-date, broken down, bad sounding equipment with no warranty.
JD: What audio-video icon do you miss most and why? Gayle Sanders (MartinLogan), Mark Levinson (Cello, Mark Levinson, Red Rose) or Sam Runco (Runco)?
KS: I miss them all, of course, and there are others like Neil Sinclair from Theta that I'd add to the group who has moved on for the moment to other pursuits. I think there's a good chance that Gayle and Neil will reappear in some form, and Mark is still active in the industry with Daniel Hertz amplifiers and speakers.
Of all those listed, Mark is the most iconic in my mind, and unfortunately I haven't had a face-to-face conversation with him for years. He was already a legend when I started in the audio business more than 30 years ago. He's an accomplished musician and recording engineer, and his vision of how to put together a high fidelity system that recreates music drove our industry forward for decades. One of my first and favorite systems was an HQD system that he designed. It consisted of Hartley subs and a pair of stacked QUADs with a Decca tweeter mounted between each stack. The HQDs created a heavenly, engaging sound. I remember joking with him about the system on a trip to Hong Kong to visit our mutual distributor Jadis Electronics. I said that I loved the system, but I didn't think it could hold up to the dynamic demands of home theater. He replied and smiled ironically: ". . . unless, of course, you watch only Ingmar Bergman movies . . ."
JD: Streaming audio and video from sources like CinemaNow, Netflix, Pandora and Rhapsody are all the rage these days but they are low resolution. Will they win out over HD sources like Blu-ray?
KS: Streamed audio and video for the moment has to be low resolution because network servers can't handle the data load of higher resolution downloads at this point. If streaming at this level makes more music and movies more accessible to more people, I'm all for it. There will always be aficionados who demand more resolution. I just hope there are enough of them to keep HD sources like Blu-ray alive and that ultimately higher resolution streaming becomes available.
JD: What luxury goods brand do you think is most like Transparent Audio and why - Gulfstream, Patek Philippe, Steinway, Hermes, Brioni or Rolls Royce?
KS: That's a really tough question. One could draw similarities with any of them, but I think I will choose Brioni for a number of reasons. The suit completes the man, and for it to do its job exceedingly well, the suit has to be made out of the right material and be custom fitted to make the most of the man's positive physical attributes. Like a Brioni suit, Transparent's ultimate OPUS MM cables are custom fitted to the customer's system to make the most of its attributes. We fit the cable not only in terms of length but the way the connections fit on the specific components. The cable and its network are also finely calibrated to fit the impedance characteristics of its associated components much the same way that every type of fabric and interface in a well-designed suit is crafted to drape and fit the owner's body in the most flattering way. As a good suit doesn't actually change the essence of the man within, the cable shouldn't stand in the way of the essential character of the system, but instead should enhance it. Quoted from http://www.audiophilereview.com/
By Jerry Del Colliano
JD: Many suggest that Transparent Audio has the best pride of ownership of any audiophile product in the market place. What levels do you work on making your products special for consumers?
KS: It's certainly our key objective to engender pride of ownership with Transparent products. I think pride of ownership happens when a product provides long-term value. The product must perform beyond expectations, must be beautifully crafted, and must have a solid company behind it that genuinely cares about the end user's long-term pleasure from using their products.
Although our video cables are special too, I will focus on our audio cable line-up and secondarily Transparent Power Conditioners and Power Cords for this discussion because I assume that most AudiophileReview readers are most interested in sound quality.
Transparent's primary design team consists of 2 musicians and music lovers with physics degrees -- Jack Sumner and Josh Clark. The design team and the listening panel, of which I am an important part, attend live unamplified music performances in great sounding acoustical spaces at every opportunity. Listening to live music is the most important reference at Transparent. For long-term listening and product development, Transparent also owns two state-of-the-art RPG designed listening studios. The studios are equipped with a wide range of the latest high performance audio components and a large catalog of master tapes of music performances the team has attended. Transparent's investment in listening to live music and building the studios and music reference library help us build performance and value into our products in ways that truly set us apart from most audiophile manufacturers.
From entry level to the ultimate, each performance level in the Transparent audio cable line-up is designed to work together to help unify the performance of all the components of a system into a musical whole. Transparent's design model is based upon three primary musical criteria that we apply to every product at every performance level. This all-encompassing musical perspective is why Transparent brings the individual components in a system into more ideal harmony.
In order of importance, the criteria are: correct tonal balance (relationship of fundamentals to harmonics), dynamic range (from the very quietest passage to the loudest with realistic transient response), and space (low level resolution of reflected sound from the original acoustic space). These terms are the best way we have found to describe what we hear in a high fidelity system in musical terms.
The difference between performance levels in the Transparent line-up is a matter of the extent to which a specific product captures the full measure of each of the three criteria. Of course, one can never achieve the full measure of each criterion in a high fidelity system, but our goal is to come closer and closer to the ultimate OPUS MM level of performance, and then trickle the technology down throughout the rest of the product line.
Each and every type of cable and length of cable in the world has built-in levels of inductance (L), capacitance (C), and resistance (R). Transparent network technology controls and adjusts these levels for each of our specific cable designs to be more ideal in terms of achieving the three musical criteria: tonal balance, dynamics, and space. There is a specially calibrated LCR network on all our audio cables to control the performance of each type and length of cable we offer in our line-up. In general terms, this means that every audio cable and length of audio cable has its own specification from $85 a pair (The Link Interconnect) up to $33,000 a pair (OPUS MM Speaker Cable), and every cable is hand made. The more expensive cables are matched to specific output impedances of the listener's components.
In more specific terms, the precise LCR measurements of the ultimate Transparent OPUS MM at any given point in its continual development toward the musical ideal serves as the basis for an expanded mathematical model of LCR network values for every length and performance level of audio cable in the line-up.
The end result of all of this is that we have developed a range of products that provide predictable and measured levels of performance at graduated price points. We've removed the guesswork and resulting waste of money of trying to choose the best complement of cables for a system of components. Transparent Cables are also beautifully crafted, and most of them are upgradeable to higher performance levels while retaining much of the original value of the trade-in cables. The fact Transparent is always there to help our customers come closer to achieving the musical ideal in their home music systems provides long-term pleasure and value.
In conclusion, I guess you'd have to say that every audio cable we make is special; hence, pride of ownership should be high.
JD: How do you train and motivate your internal team to provide luxury for your end user clients?
KS: Our company culture is based upon the fact that we all know that our products and customers are very special. This culture starts with insuring that our employees know that they are special because they are the chosen ones to accomplish our objectives. The three founding partners, Carl Smith, Jack Sumner, and I, have always had a unified perspective on employee empowerment and rewards. Our principal managers operate the same way. The key concept is that no one person can deliver the level of product quality and service that our customers need. There is no single superstar at Transparent. For our luxury brand and approach to flourish, everyone at Transparent must work together as a team from front line salespeople to the employees who prepare shipments. Each employee has areas of special expertise, but they all operate as if there is no hierarchy. Everyone is ready to assume whatever responsibility is required at any given point in time to make sure our products are manufactured up to our standards and that we deliver the kind of support and service that keeps our dealers, distributors, and consumers loyal to our brand.
As you can imagine, our employees are all very intelligent and creative to operate efficiently in this type of environment. Once established in our culture, employees tend to stay.
We have also purposely avoided growth for growth's sake, diluting our product mix, or changing our mission over the past 30 years. We knew that uncontrolled growth would force us to expand our staff to include the type of employees who look at their job solely as a way to make a wage. What we look for are employees who see their jobs also as a source of personal fulfillment -- a perspective critical to us for maintaining our brand identity.
Hiring top-notch people who embrace our mission of quality at every level, inspiring them, and rewarding them appropriately means we can retain them. The result is our customers end up having a seamless luxury experience with our products and company.
JD: With brands like Wisdom Audio opening dealers like Sound Components in Miami, Definitive Audio in Seattle, Stereo Exchange in Manhattan - what do you make of the audiophile in-wall speaker movement?
KS: I really like what Wisdom Audio is doing. Their concept of really high performance in-wall and on-wall speakers is long overdue. Transparent has offered reference quality in-wall speaker cables for more than 10 years, so we have been waiting for more performance out of in-wall speakers for a long time. Thanks to Wisdom, people who can't or don't want to have speakers visible in a room now can achieve a level of sound performance they could only dream about in the past.
JD: If an investor came to you seeking your advice as how to start a profitable audiophile business in a top 25 U.S. Market - what advice would you give them?
KS: Having a profitable business and having a large business are probably mutually exclusive objectives in the audiophile business. Because of the limited nature of the market, I think the audiophile business is a good small to medium business opportunity that can be very rewarding. To reap the rewards, business owners need to be good stewards of their mission and all the people they depend upon to carry out that mission including staff, suppliers, and a good dealer network. Small to medium sized businesses do not have the financial resources for meteoric rises. It takes years, focus, and patience to build a specialty brand.
Audiophile manufacturers need to put a considerable amount of time and investment into acquiring and developing really good dealers for the whole high-end audio experience to come together for the end user. A successful audiophile manufacturer needs to treat specialty audio retailers like they are valued partners and expect their dealers to be full participants in the partnership in return.
JD: When skeptical audiophiles and or home theater enthusiasts tell you "All HDMI cables are the same," what do you tell them?
KS: The fact that most typical HDMI cables won't pass an accurate signal in lengths more than 2 meters while more generously designed HDMI cables do work well at longer lengths should be proof enough that HDMI cables make a difference. If that is not enough evidence to be convincing, all you need to do is try a Transparent HDMI cable to know that superior conductors, dielectric insulation, cable construction, and termination make a significant difference in picture and sound quality. Transparent offers three performance levels of HDMI cables. All are high-speed HDMI and 3D video compliant. Performance HDMI cables start at $100 for one meter and High Performance HDMI starts at $250. Our ultimate Premium HDMI starts at $500. Performance and High Performance HDMI in lengths over 20 feet come equipped with an active network terminated into the cable and calibrated for length to compensate for cable attenuation and skew.
JD: If you bought an Audi R8 would you chrome plate it?
KS: Never! I'm just not into glitz. The form and function of this beautiful machine do not need to be enhanced.
Are you making a backhanded comment about audiophile products that are all show and no go?
JD: (No - I was poking fun at Monster Cable's Noel Lee and his newest acquisition for his car collection which is a chromed Audi R8. I bet he won't let me drive it now. JDC)
Why do women stereotypically shy away from audiophile systems when they tend to love music?
KS: I really don't want to offend audiophiles or anyone else, but some audiophile systems really don't sound much like music. The gear and creating a particular kind of sound tends to be an end unto itself in these systems, and consequently the natural musical balance of the system suffers. To non-audiophiles and music lovers, some of these systems actually create sound that is off-putting and irritating because the sound is not musically authentic. This is often of no significant consequence to the audiophile who is more interested in changing the way the system sounds with different equipment than in trying to come closer to a musical ideal. I have met audiophiles who actually are very serious when they proclaim that they like the sound of their system better than the sound of live music. They will focus on a certain type of music to play on the system they think sounds great and play those few pieces again and again, but the system is typically not musically satisfying with a broad range of music.
Real musical sounds are all around us and the ability to recognize them and be moved by them is in our DNA. One doesn't have to be an audiophile to recognize when a system is musically authentic.
I think it would be great if more audiophiles empowered their significant others who love music to get more involved in the system building process and encouraged them to speak up when the system veers from musical truth. It's not that audiophiles don't like music. It's just that some of them get so focused on hardware and creating a particular kind of sound that they lose their way.
As a musician and music lover, it has been one of the most satisfying aspects of my career to be a key member of the Transparent listening panel. I usually weigh in on the sonic results of design changes near the end of the process. I've often been a welcome fresh set of ears in our never-ending quest to create products that help playback systems come closer to the music, and I'm not shy about weighing in on what I hear!
JD: What would you tell an informed consumer about why he shouldn't buy all of his audiophile gear from Audiogon.com?
KS: Audiogon has its place in our industry. It allows customers to sell older equipment so they can buy new equipment from dealers, and it gives other customers a chance to own a piece of pre-owned equipment that they might otherwise not be able to afford.
A prime danger is, of course, that a customer purchasing a piece of pre-owned equipment through an unauthorized source will not get an adequate level of support from a dealer or the manufacturer if the component needs repair.
Also, putting together a whole system of components purchased from Audiogon based upon what 12 different reviewers say about 12 different pieces of equipment will rarely result in a system that is musically satisfying.
Audiophiles and music lovers need specialty dealers who have worked out all the intricacies of putting together and setting up great sounding systems, and they need dealers to help with their concerns and service issues after the purchase is complete.
Most dealers have access to high quality pre-owned equipment if a customer wants to go that route. Dealers can provide aftermarket service and in some instances offer an extension of the warranty to their customers who purchase pre-owned components from them. Dealers are the most important link between the customer and high performance products, and high-end audio can't survive without them.
You can't keep customers interested in a hobby by selling them out-of-date, broken down, bad sounding equipment with no warranty.
JD: What audio-video icon do you miss most and why? Gayle Sanders (MartinLogan), Mark Levinson (Cello, Mark Levinson, Red Rose) or Sam Runco (Runco)?
KS: I miss them all, of course, and there are others like Neil Sinclair from Theta that I'd add to the group who has moved on for the moment to other pursuits. I think there's a good chance that Gayle and Neil will reappear in some form, and Mark is still active in the industry with Daniel Hertz amplifiers and speakers.
Of all those listed, Mark is the most iconic in my mind, and unfortunately I haven't had a face-to-face conversation with him for years. He was already a legend when I started in the audio business more than 30 years ago. He's an accomplished musician and recording engineer, and his vision of how to put together a high fidelity system that recreates music drove our industry forward for decades. One of my first and favorite systems was an HQD system that he designed. It consisted of Hartley subs and a pair of stacked QUADs with a Decca tweeter mounted between each stack. The HQDs created a heavenly, engaging sound. I remember joking with him about the system on a trip to Hong Kong to visit our mutual distributor Jadis Electronics. I said that I loved the system, but I didn't think it could hold up to the dynamic demands of home theater. He replied and smiled ironically: ". . . unless, of course, you watch only Ingmar Bergman movies . . ."
JD: Streaming audio and video from sources like CinemaNow, Netflix, Pandora and Rhapsody are all the rage these days but they are low resolution. Will they win out over HD sources like Blu-ray?
KS: Streamed audio and video for the moment has to be low resolution because network servers can't handle the data load of higher resolution downloads at this point. If streaming at this level makes more music and movies more accessible to more people, I'm all for it. There will always be aficionados who demand more resolution. I just hope there are enough of them to keep HD sources like Blu-ray alive and that ultimately higher resolution streaming becomes available.
JD: What luxury goods brand do you think is most like Transparent Audio and why - Gulfstream, Patek Philippe, Steinway, Hermes, Brioni or Rolls Royce?
KS: That's a really tough question. One could draw similarities with any of them, but I think I will choose Brioni for a number of reasons. The suit completes the man, and for it to do its job exceedingly well, the suit has to be made out of the right material and be custom fitted to make the most of the man's positive physical attributes. Like a Brioni suit, Transparent's ultimate OPUS MM cables are custom fitted to the customer's system to make the most of its attributes. We fit the cable not only in terms of length but the way the connections fit on the specific components. The cable and its network are also finely calibrated to fit the impedance characteristics of its associated components much the same way that every type of fabric and interface in a well-designed suit is crafted to drape and fit the owner's body in the most flattering way. As a good suit doesn't actually change the essence of the man within, the cable shouldn't stand in the way of the essential character of the system, but instead should enhance it. Quoted from http://www.audiophilereview.com/
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Transparent's The Link and The Wave receive more praise
Taken from the recent March 2011 article titled "5 Cable Combos That Won't Break the Bank" by Andrew Robinson, AudiophileReview.com:“…Transparent Cable's The Link Interconnects and The Wave Speaker Cable.
Priced from $85 a meter The Link interconnects are Transparent Cable's entry level interconnect though their performance is anything but, possessing a rich, full, largely neutral sound that is ever so slightly laid back with excellent detail, air and speed. The Link interconnect is a great cable for many of today's budget and mid-fi components, especially MP3 players and other portable digital components such as iPods and iPads, which is how I use them. The Wave speaker cables are priced from $200 per eight-foot pair and like The Link are Transparent Cable's entry-level speaker cables. The Wave speaker cables are similar in sound to The Link and are obvious partners, though I believe The Wave speaker cables are marginally better than their interconnect counterparts, capable of performing quite well in systems costing considerably more…”
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Music Matters with Karen Sumner and Josh Clark
Time Wednesday, February 9 · 5:00pm - 10:00pm
Location Definitive Seattle - 6206 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, Washingtion
Music Matters highlights this year include the world debut of the new B&W PM1 Prestige Monitor loudspeakers, presented by their designer, Dr. John Dibb; Meridian's new DSP 3200 digital active bookshelf speaker system and the Media Core 200 digital music system; as well as the new VXR stereo amplifier from Ayre.
Manufacturer representatives include: Sterling Trayle from Finite Elemente, Mike Latvis of Harmonic Resolution Systems, Norm Steinke from Meridian, Jim Spaynhour from Peachrtree Audio and John Giolas from Wilson Audio. Our own Karen Sumner and Josh Clark will be in attendance.
During the evening, Audio Research will debut the Reference Anniversary Pre-Amp, and Linn will introduce the updated Akurate DS system, Classé will debut the new CP-800 digital preamplifier, HRS will present the MXR Reference stand, and GoldenEar will demonstrate the Triton Two loudspeakers, which is Sound & Vision's "Audio Product of the Year".
To read more about the event, click below for Karen's recent blog post:
http://blog.definitive.com/01/2011/music-audio/karen-sumner-transparent/
Key Links:
Music Matters info is on our home page: http://www.definitive.com/
Direct link to Invitation Registration: http://www.definitive.com/events_MM6_register.html
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/definitiveaudio
Facebook Event Page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=102420079833454
Location Definitive Seattle - 6206 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, Washingtion
Music Matters highlights this year include the world debut of the new B&W PM1 Prestige Monitor loudspeakers, presented by their designer, Dr. John Dibb; Meridian's new DSP 3200 digital active bookshelf speaker system and the Media Core 200 digital music system; as well as the new VXR stereo amplifier from Ayre.
Manufacturer representatives include: Sterling Trayle from Finite Elemente, Mike Latvis of Harmonic Resolution Systems, Norm Steinke from Meridian, Jim Spaynhour from Peachrtree Audio and John Giolas from Wilson Audio. Our own Karen Sumner and Josh Clark will be in attendance.
During the evening, Audio Research will debut the Reference Anniversary Pre-Amp, and Linn will introduce the updated Akurate DS system, Classé will debut the new CP-800 digital preamplifier, HRS will present the MXR Reference stand, and GoldenEar will demonstrate the Triton Two loudspeakers, which is Sound & Vision's "Audio Product of the Year".
To read more about the event, click below for Karen's recent blog post:
http://blog.definitive.com/01/2011/music-audio/karen-sumner-transparent/
Key Links:
Music Matters info is on our home page: http://www.definitive.com/
Direct link to Invitation Registration: http://www.definitive.com/events_MM6_register.html
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/definitiveaudio
Facebook Event Page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=102420079833454
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Magic of Christmas 2010
Sabrina and David Schultz, Amy Farwell and her family all enjoyed the Portland Symphony Orchestra's Magic of Christmas performances this past weekend. We especially admired Suzanne Nance's soprano voice as one of our favorite features of this year's show. Nance is often heard as the host of the weekday morning classical music program on our local Maine Public Broadcasting Network (MPBN). David said he was pleasantly surprised when Nance's incredible voice sounded professional. Sabrina and David both got a kick out of the dancing Santa's routine choregraphed by Bethany Field. It was a nice change of pace to also listen to the Saco Bay Children's Choir directed by Camille Saucier. Sabrina noted with amusement the percussionist's quick trasitions between various instruments during Anderson's Sleigh Ride. Amy enjoyed the end song: Let There Be Peace on Earth arr. Ades.Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Transparent Launches Try It Now Promotion
Here's how it works:
Your dealer can make sure that you get the best cables for your particular set up and system goals. Once you have filled out the “Try It Now” form on the previous page, simply press submit. Representatives from Transparent and your dealer will contact you about your “Try It Now” audition.
Your dealer will collect your credit card information to secure the loaner cables that are right for you. Some of your cables may need to come from Transparent's inventory. You will be able to pick your cables up at your dealer's facility as soon as your audition system of cables is complete, or preferably your dealer will deliver and install your cables in your system to insure that it is fully optimized with Transparent.
Enjoy the cables in your system for 21 days, experimenting with as wide a variety of source materials as possible, to experience the full range of Transparent performance. If you like the improvements in your system, simply keep everything in place and the charge remains on your credit card. In the unlikely event that you choose to return the cables, you may return them to your dealer for credit provided they are in excellent condition.
IMPORTANT: Act now! Only a limited number of cables are available for this trial program, and the program ends on January 31, 2011.
CLICK HERE TO SIGNUP
Your dealer can make sure that you get the best cables for your particular set up and system goals. Once you have filled out the “Try It Now” form on the previous page, simply press submit. Representatives from Transparent and your dealer will contact you about your “Try It Now” audition.
Your dealer will collect your credit card information to secure the loaner cables that are right for you. Some of your cables may need to come from Transparent's inventory. You will be able to pick your cables up at your dealer's facility as soon as your audition system of cables is complete, or preferably your dealer will deliver and install your cables in your system to insure that it is fully optimized with Transparent.
Enjoy the cables in your system for 21 days, experimenting with as wide a variety of source materials as possible, to experience the full range of Transparent performance. If you like the improvements in your system, simply keep everything in place and the charge remains on your credit card. In the unlikely event that you choose to return the cables, you may return them to your dealer for credit provided they are in excellent condition.
IMPORTANT: Act now! Only a limited number of cables are available for this trial program, and the program ends on January 31, 2011.
CLICK HERE TO SIGNUP
Monday, November 15, 2010
Transparent Attends PSO’s The Planets
With the stage extended out to accommodate the sixty-four members of the Choral Art Society, Demos sat closer than usual at the most recent performance of the Portland Symphony Orchestra. He was in the third row from the stage and commented that the increase in volume was significant. Amy sat in the fourth row while Josh took Jack and Karen’s seats in the balcony.There was no intermission and it was like the orchestra was pulling us along on a ride at a faster pace than usual. Another special feature of this performance was a very large screen that featured pictures of the various planets. Amy thought it was brave but risky to do this at a symphony performance that traditionally has been a strictly auditory experience. One criticism was that a number of the photographs were not of the best quality.
As the concert progressed through Holst’s seven movements, each section distinguished itself as a musical metaphor for one of the seven planets. For example, Mars, named for the god of war, had a militant sound. Amy really enjoyed the parts that featured the first violinist and later the two harps in the Venus movement.
This was the program we enjoyed on the night of November 9, 2010:
JOHN ADAMS Fanfare for Orchestra: Short Ride in a Fast Machine
JOHN WILLIAMS Suite from Close Encounters of the Third Kind
GUSTAV HOLST The Planets, Op. 32/H 125
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Symphony Opening Night 2010
Last night was the Season Opening Celebration for the Portland Symphony Orchestra at the Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Maine. All three of Transparent’s founders: Carl Smith, Karen and Jack Sumner were in attendance. Carl Smith brought his grandson Zach, age 13, to enjoy the symphony for the first time. Demos and his wife Jen, Brad and his wife Gina, and Amy were all in attendance. Here’s a peek at the program:
Richard Strauss Don Juan, Op. 20
Giovanni Bottesini Concerto for Double Bass no 2 in B minor
Edgar Meyer Concerto for Double Bass in D major
Tchaikovsky Symphony no 4 in F minor, Op. 36
The evening was off to an energetic start when Robert Moody conducted Don Juan with serious enthusiasm. Gina foldly remembered Heath Ledger in the movie Casanova (Don Juan is Casanova in Spanish).
Richard Strauss Don Juan, Op. 20
Giovanni Bottesini Concerto for Double Bass no 2 in B minor
Edgar Meyer Concerto for Double Bass in D major
Tchaikovsky Symphony no 4 in F minor, Op. 36
The evening was off to an energetic start when Robert Moody conducted Don Juan with serious enthusiasm. Gina foldly remembered Heath Ledger in the movie Casanova (Don Juan is Casanova in Spanish).
Amy’s favorite piece of the evening was the Bottesini because the double bass solos were phenomenal. Karen described Meyer’s performance last night as masterful. The always entertaining Demos said he had a visual of Tom Hanks wrestling a bear watching Meyer perform. The audience responded with such excitement from Meyer’s performance that he received a standing ovation.
Later with Tchaikovsky, Amy thought the symphony sounded confident. The musicians worked well together and they were off to a bold beginning in the first movement. The second movement builds and comes back down to a sweet tone that sounded sad in the end. The third section changes completely to a fun, fast pace with lots of plucking and then back to bold, multiple crescendos. Demos described this piece as sonorous and it was one of his favorites along with the Bottesini.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2010
Transparent Audio, Inc. will be at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest on October 15,16, and 17.
Rooms 2030 features VTL, dCS, Basis Turntable, Wilson Audio, and of course Transparent cables and power products. This is a showcase of amazing recordings in several formats. The famous dCS Paganini digital products will spin CDs in both standard and higher definition formats. The Basis Inspiration Turntable will feature the best vinyl collected over 40 plus years of searching. A wonderful music addition for this room is Wilson Audio’s own Peter McGrath. He is a world known recording engineer, and always has masters in the latest high-resolution digital format to share with true classical music aficionados.
Come and enjoy Transparent’s new series MM2 power products and talk with Brad O’Toole about how they can improve your own system at home. Brad has been in the high end audio world for over 20 years and is a wealth of information about connecting your system properly and making sure no music is lost in the linking of your system’s components. He also loves talking about proper system setup to maximize results from your existing equipment.
Marriott Tower - Level 9 – 9026 features products from Doshi Audio, Wadia, Wilson Audio, and Transparent Audio’s Reference XL series of speaker cables and interconnects. The room is sponsored by Paragon Sight and Sound. Why not come and hear the tapes on the Studer reel to reel?
Transparent’s own David Schultz – Director of Sales for Transparent will be on hand to answer questions about Transparent’s products. David is also happy to talk about your system and making sure it is at its best. He has been into Audio since infancy which is a while ago, and probably has owned or tried your products in his own system.
Rooms 2030 features VTL, dCS, Basis Turntable, Wilson Audio, and of course Transparent cables and power products. This is a showcase of amazing recordings in several formats. The famous dCS Paganini digital products will spin CDs in both standard and higher definition formats. The Basis Inspiration Turntable will feature the best vinyl collected over 40 plus years of searching. A wonderful music addition for this room is Wilson Audio’s own Peter McGrath. He is a world known recording engineer, and always has masters in the latest high-resolution digital format to share with true classical music aficionados.
Come and enjoy Transparent’s new series MM2 power products and talk with Brad O’Toole about how they can improve your own system at home. Brad has been in the high end audio world for over 20 years and is a wealth of information about connecting your system properly and making sure no music is lost in the linking of your system’s components. He also loves talking about proper system setup to maximize results from your existing equipment.
Marriott Tower - Level 9 – 9026 features products from Doshi Audio, Wadia, Wilson Audio, and Transparent Audio’s Reference XL series of speaker cables and interconnects. The room is sponsored by Paragon Sight and Sound. Why not come and hear the tapes on the Studer reel to reel?
Transparent’s own David Schultz – Director of Sales for Transparent will be on hand to answer questions about Transparent’s products. David is also happy to talk about your system and making sure it is at its best. He has been into Audio since infancy which is a while ago, and probably has owned or tried your products in his own system.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Carl Smith's Account of Paul Vermel's Visit
Carl Smith and Paul Vermel An earlier blog entry contains the story of my reclaiming the tape archives of the Portland Symphony resulting in an 85th Anniversary 2 CD set of selections from each of the five permanent Music Directors since the early 1960s. All the restored tapes are now being stored at Transparent Audio on behalf of the Symphony and are available for listening sessions for those who have a special interest in the Symphony's work from 1960 to 2000.
Yesterday [August 31, 2010] I had the pleasure of hosting a two hour "concert" in our sound room for Paul Vermel, who led the orchestra from 1967 to 1974, and his wife Carolyn Paulin, a producer for the WFMT radio network in Chicago. Paul came to the Portland Symphony from Paris where he attended the Paris Conservatoire. He is credited with achieving a major advance in the professionalism and performance quality of the orchestra.
The concert consisted of master tapes from radio broadcasts played on a restored professional tape deck that can be seen in the background of the photo. Paul confessed to having some concern about the quality of the performances before the concert started but he was extremely pleased to discover that the orchestra played with great skill and enthusiasm and the audiences gave long and vigorous applause. The selections included a Verdi overture, a Richard Strauss tone poem, and portions of works by Mozart, Wagner, Ibert and Stravinsky. As a conductor Paul made it clear that he would like the volume level to approximate what it would be from his position on the podium and we did not disappoint him. Because the microphones were right above the front of the stage Paul could even hear the sounds of his adjusting the podium, shifting his feet, and occasional coughs from the audience as the orchestra prepared to play. We were transported 40 years back in time.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Audio Advice wins local and national awards
Our congratulations to Audio Advice, great people, great products, great service.
http://www.audioadvice.com/blog/audio-advice-news/2010/audio-advice-wins-local-and-national-awards/comment-page-1/#comment-465
http://www.audioadvice.com/blog/audio-advice-news/2010/audio-advice-wins-local-and-national-awards/comment-page-1/#comment-465
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Previewing Brian Wilson's Newest with the Master
"With the help of Bull Moose Music, [Bob]Ludwig previewed "Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin" one night last week at the high-end listening room at Transparent Audio Inc. in Saco... First impression: It's amazing how much this record sounds like the Beach Boys, circa "Pet Sounds," with its layers of harmonies, complex arrangements and range of musical dynamics. " -Bob Keyes, Portland Press Herald, August 15, 2010 edition. If you want the full story hit the link below:http://www.pressherald.com/life/audience/good-vibrations_2010-08-15.html
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Lisa catches a deer
Lisa catches a deer, with her camera! Our Lab Manager had this to say about her weekend:"I went out for a ride on my bike this morning along little ossipee river and then the saco river this afternoon. Stopped for a break to enjoy the view for a bit and the view just got better. I just got to sit there and watch quietly. She was so peaceful, playful and beautiful, and all alone. No Mama around."
Friday, August 13, 2010
Alex McMurray at the Venue Music Bar
Demos had this to say about his evening on August 9th:
"Portland Maine had a great artist in town Monday night. Alex McMurray gave an amazing acoustic performance at the Venue Music Bar. The songwriting and musicianship were exceptional. The final set was an electric event with bass, drums, and a washboard played by Matt Foster. All I can say is “Wow”. This was my first visit to the new Venue Music Bar. You can tell a lot of time and effort has been put in to making this a great room for music. Check it out. "
http://www.alexmcmurray.com/
http://www.alexmcmurray.com/
Thursday, July 29, 2010
New baby boy for Josh and Portia
Congratulations to Josh and Portia Clark who welcomed an over nine pound baby boy into their family this morning. This is their second child; we're sure their eldest son Lincoln who's three years old is excited today to have a baby brother!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Annual Birthday Bash 2010
Sabrina and Demos annual birthday bash had an impressive turnout on Saturday July 24th with at least sixty people. The live music was performed by Transparent's own Kevin Midgley, Mark Cousins and friends. Guests gathered to enjoy some nice weather, wonderful music, great company, the refreshing pool, fun games & prizes and some yummy BBQ. Fun was had by all including some furry friends: Rich's wienerdog Stella and Carl's Tootsie, as well as Betty's border collie Zoe, Sabrina's black labrador Piper and Brad's new scottie puppy Callahan. While the kids loved the pool, there were many activities to keep them entertained too. Sabrina & the gang did an outstanding job of organizing this event and we look forward to it ever year! More pictures taken by our talented photographer, Demos Dadiotes, can be found on Flickr here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39750718@N05
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
One of our Founders, Carl Smith's recent contribution to the PSO
Charlton "Carl" Smith spent the winter of 2009/2010 transferring to CDs archival tapes of 250 Portland Symphony concerts performed between 1960 and 2000. This is Carl's account of how the project came about and what it has meant to him as a lifelong music lover and a long-term supporter of the Portland Symphony Orchestra.I have been attending Portland Symphony concerts since the mid-1960s, when we sat on folding chairs on a flat floor, the members of the women's committees were identified in the program only by their husbands' names, and U.S. combat operations in Viet Nam were just beginning. I had been a classical music fan since 1942 when at age four I was given a set of 78 rpm records of the classic Boston Symphony version of Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf", to this day the definitive introduction to classical music for children. In college I took a course in Bartok and Stravinsky and explored most of the classical repertory through the extensive record collections of the college music department and the Boston Public Library.
In 1969 I attended a concert at which 24-year old Lorin Hollander played Prokofiev's fiendishly difficult Second Piano Concerto and was so moved by the performance that I never forgot the experience. Several years ago I met Lorin, who lives in Maine and has performed with the PSO many times over the years, and we became friends. In 2008 I asked Executive Director Ari Solotoff if I could look through the PSO archives for a tape of Lorin's 1969 performance and to my amazement I found it in one of about 25 boxes of tapes in the attic of City Hall. The tape sounded remarkably good after 40 years and I became intrigued by the idea of recapturing more of the orchestra's early taped performances.
Ari and I discussed the possibility of using the music on some of the tapes for an 85th Anniversary CD of selections representing each of the five music directors who have led the orchestra over the half century that recordings of the concerts have been made. A committee of musicians was formed to recommend outstanding performances to search for in the archives but it soon became apparent that memories had faded to the point where it would be necessary for the committee members to hear a representative sampling of the recordings from each period to make meaningful choices for the 85th Anniversary CD.
Being largely retired, and spending winters in Florida, I told Ari that if he would arrange to have the tapes shipped to me I would try to transfer all of them to CDs. With technical help from Transparent Audio, Inc. and Bob Ludwig's Gateway Mastering Studios, both long term corporate sponsors of the PSO, I set up a recording studio in my den and began the process of tranferring 32 years of analog tapes and 8 years of digital tapes to CDs to provide the committee with an ample selection of music from which to make their choices for what we decided should be expanded to a 2 CD set. For the past 10 years the recordings of the PSO concerts have been made directly to CDs so my task was to transfer 40 years of tapes to CDs.
About 1000 pounds of tape boxes by shipping weight arrived by truck at my door and were stacked in a large guest room closet. In CD form all the regular subscription series concerts on these tapes covering 40 years fit in an aluminum case the size of an airline carry-on bag weighing 35 pounds. In this format the entire collection is easily transportable and every concert is instantly retrievable. They can also be transferred from the CDs to a computer had drive or to the Internet.
Some of the older tapes were noisy or distorted or required baking to remove moisture. But beginning in the mid-1970s the tapes were recorded with fully professional equipment that Geoffrey Doughty, the radio voice of the PSO, and orchestra manager Russ Burleigh obtained as a contribution to the PSO from Derek Burt, then owner of New England HiFi. Mr. Doughty also spent time with the Boston Symphony's radio broadcast engineer to learn more about recording techniques, including the all-important art of microphone placement. As a result the sound quality of a large part of all the tapes is comparable to commercially released recordings.
It has given me great satisfacation to reclaim these tapes in a format that will allow the Symphony to make use of the music in our current digital age, but the most enjoyable part of the project has been the experience of hearing the music directly from the original master tapes. Digital recording has made considerable advances since CDs were first introduced in 1982, but there is simply nothing like the realism of hearing the music directly from the open reel tapes. In making the transfers to CD I did everything possible to retain as much of this lifelike analog sound quality as possible and Bob Ludwig has done the same in his all-important final mastering of the CDs.
Between November 2009 and April 2010 I had the privilege of "attending" 250 Portland Symphony Orchestra concerts as if I were sitting in an ideal seat midway between the stereo microphones that were suspended just above the orchestra. It was a thrill to re-hear concerts for which I was present in the hall as far back as the 1960s and to hear many other conerts for the first time. As broad as my interest in classical music has always been I heard many works that were new to me due to the musical adventrousness of all the Music Directors that the orchestra has been fortunate to have over the past 50 years.
This entire process has been an exhilarating experience and it gives me great pleasure to know that the many fans and supporters of the Portland Symphony Orchestra will be able to experience and enjoy this wonderful music.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
A Mahler 2nd Symphony Finale
Carl Smith, Josh and Portia Clark, Rich and Lori Curole, and Kevin and Alison Midgley were all in attendance last evening. It was impressive collection of instruments:
4 flutes (all doubling piccolo), 4 oboes (2 doubling
English horn), 3 clarinets (1 doubling bass clarinet), 2
E-flat clarinets, 4 bassoons (2 doubling contra bassoon),
10 horns, 8 trumpets, 4 trombones, tuba, 2 harps, organ,
2 sets of timpani, a vast percussion battery, strings,
soprano and alto soloists, and mixed chorus.
This was the largest symphony we've heard and while it is an incredibly dynamic piece to play, everyone thought the orchestra played it very well.
4 flutes (all doubling piccolo), 4 oboes (2 doubling
English horn), 3 clarinets (1 doubling bass clarinet), 2
E-flat clarinets, 4 bassoons (2 doubling contra bassoon),
10 horns, 8 trumpets, 4 trombones, tuba, 2 harps, organ,
2 sets of timpani, a vast percussion battery, strings,
soprano and alto soloists, and mixed chorus.
This was the largest symphony we've heard and while it is an incredibly dynamic piece to play, everyone thought the orchestra played it very well.
Robert Moody, Conductor
Lisa Saffer, Soprano
Mary Phillips, Mezzo-soprano
Masterworks Chorus of the Choral Art Society
Conductor Moody talks about the finale in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/portsym#p/u/1/NWe6ULMlNbA
Visit our website to learn more about Transparent Audio:
Friday, April 16, 2010
Testing, testing..
We are constantly testing new equipment to keep up with the latest developments in the audio world and lately we have been testing several new amplifiers. This photo from yesterday shows the current collection of amplifiers in our Saco Music and Film Studio from Classe, Jones Audio, Lamm, Mark Levinson, Simaudio, Theta and VTL. We also own amplifiers from Audio Research, Ayre, Bel, Conrad-Johnson, Krell, McIntosh, Rotel, Spectral, T+A and others which are not shown.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Wonderfully descriptive review from one of our customers
Brad,
I've been slowly upgrading my client's Transparent cables.... the latest being his speaker cables. He hasn't had them very long, but his review is quite a read.
He's a chef (for the opera house here in Seattle) and an huge fantasy fiction fan:
The Transparent Plus speaker cables are not quite what I expected. Upon first view I was stunned by their size; monstrous! "Gods, what have I done?" was my first thought. The network is the size of a clenched ogre's fist, white-knuckled around a garden hose. I fully expected the sound to punch through my chest, extract my heart, and SQUEEEEZE. Not quite the case...
Even though I only experienced Transparent Plus speaker cables for a 'smidge' over one week, I came to view them as suprisingly civilized!
Ogre isn't the violent simpleton I'd come to expect. More refined even than it's pleasant and polite youngest cousin, MusicLink. Once again, I'm amazed by Transparent. Overall bass is much improved. It is amply detailed and well anchored. The weight of the bass often times keeps my speakers from blasting into another world. The dynamics pop and sometimes explode, yet the sound remains musical.
My titanium dome tweeters, in past, have sometimes sounded HOT: the HF now flows in neutral among the music waves. Much of the excessive 'heat' has been syphoned by the ogre's grip. The midrange is more seductive than ever. Perhaps this is where the ogre's humanity resides. The midrange is animated enough to bring human vocals to the forefront and coax them to life.
The staging is more apparent than ever. All band members stand at their marks and contribute aptly to a more dimensional sound. Angles and depth are revealed.
Between musical notes the air is still. Music seemingly springs into life from the quiet darkness; like undead warriors materializing to cross swords with silence. There is more musical space from which to field battle. Immortal dead advancing on the battlefield, swords singing into the foreground with great harmonic accuracy. Warlocks in the background skillfully chant their tonal sorcery and ritual. War drums beat with energy as the enlisted march to Master Rotel's cadence. For immortality the wage is war. Music is immortal: timeless.
As I watch the cold wind blow it's breath of attrition. As I watch dark droplets of rain sacrifice themselves for Mother Earth, Thom Yorke presents to me, Eraser. And upon these leading moments I've come to realize that my first impressions of Transparent Plus weren't entirely wrong. The networks are indeed young ogre's fists yet those fists belong to a skillful architect. One who thoughtfully crafted a musical realm more expressive, revealing, and engaging than any I've experienced before. Instead of escorting me to Ye'Ole Theatre where Blast Chamber Music Company resides, he's taken my hands and guided me to the Transparent Gate.............through to the distance I catch a shimmering glimpse of an MM2 world...
...and somewhere a rabbit bounds frantically for it's life. It's well aware of the Herald's return. The damned Greyhound is loose again...
--
AA
Adam Andreasen
Definitive Audio
Seattle, WA
I've been slowly upgrading my client's Transparent cables.... the latest being his speaker cables. He hasn't had them very long, but his review is quite a read.
He's a chef (for the opera house here in Seattle) and an huge fantasy fiction fan:
The Transparent Plus speaker cables are not quite what I expected. Upon first view I was stunned by their size; monstrous! "Gods, what have I done?" was my first thought. The network is the size of a clenched ogre's fist, white-knuckled around a garden hose. I fully expected the sound to punch through my chest, extract my heart, and SQUEEEEZE. Not quite the case...
Even though I only experienced Transparent Plus speaker cables for a 'smidge' over one week, I came to view them as suprisingly civilized!
Ogre isn't the violent simpleton I'd come to expect. More refined even than it's pleasant and polite youngest cousin, MusicLink. Once again, I'm amazed by Transparent. Overall bass is much improved. It is amply detailed and well anchored. The weight of the bass often times keeps my speakers from blasting into another world. The dynamics pop and sometimes explode, yet the sound remains musical.
My titanium dome tweeters, in past, have sometimes sounded HOT: the HF now flows in neutral among the music waves. Much of the excessive 'heat' has been syphoned by the ogre's grip. The midrange is more seductive than ever. Perhaps this is where the ogre's humanity resides. The midrange is animated enough to bring human vocals to the forefront and coax them to life.
The staging is more apparent than ever. All band members stand at their marks and contribute aptly to a more dimensional sound. Angles and depth are revealed.
Between musical notes the air is still. Music seemingly springs into life from the quiet darkness; like undead warriors materializing to cross swords with silence. There is more musical space from which to field battle. Immortal dead advancing on the battlefield, swords singing into the foreground with great harmonic accuracy. Warlocks in the background skillfully chant their tonal sorcery and ritual. War drums beat with energy as the enlisted march to Master Rotel's cadence. For immortality the wage is war. Music is immortal: timeless.
As I watch the cold wind blow it's breath of attrition. As I watch dark droplets of rain sacrifice themselves for Mother Earth, Thom Yorke presents to me, Eraser. And upon these leading moments I've come to realize that my first impressions of Transparent Plus weren't entirely wrong. The networks are indeed young ogre's fists yet those fists belong to a skillful architect. One who thoughtfully crafted a musical realm more expressive, revealing, and engaging than any I've experienced before. Instead of escorting me to Ye'Ole Theatre where Blast Chamber Music Company resides, he's taken my hands and guided me to the Transparent Gate.............through to the distance I catch a shimmering glimpse of an MM2 world...
...and somewhere a rabbit bounds frantically for it's life. It's well aware of the Herald's return. The damned Greyhound is loose again...
--
AA
Adam Andreasen
Definitive Audio
Seattle, WA
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Mountain Top Concert
On Saturday, March 20, our Art Director Bruce Kennett hosted a concert at his 1810 barn in North Conway, NH. The event was a fundraiser for the local music organization, Mountain Top, which puts on concerts, offers music lessons, and is also very active in the public schools. The Boston-based quartet Brass Venture played to a sold-out crowd, presenting a wide program of music from Bach, Gabrielli, Hindemith and Scheidt to W.C. Handy and John Williams. The performers stood on a second-story hayloft and played toward a full house seated on the first floor and on an adjacent balcony. With its vast, reverberant open space, Bruce's barn was the ideal venue for the quartet's trumpets, trombones, and tubas. Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Jimi Hendrix CD Release Party - Valleys of Neptune
Transparent hosted another CD/DVD release party with Bull Moose Music on Monday, March 8th at 6:30PM. This one was for an all new Jimi Hendix album called "Valleys of Neptune" which is made up of unreleased studio recordings from 1969. The album released worldwide on Tuesday, March 9th, so we were among the first people in the world to hear it. There were 26 people at the event, including the 18 winners Bull Moose had selected to preview the album, Bob Ludwig (Gateway Mastering), Bob Thompson (recording engineer, guitar teacher at University of Maine and Berklee), Jim Pinfold, Chris Brown and other people from Bull Moose.Bob Ludwig and Bob Thompson both talked about the album and recordings from the 1969 era. Thompson gave an hour-long live demonstration of Hendrix's techniques and artistry, using vintage guitars and special-effects pedals, deconstructing several Hendrix songs and explaining their structure as well as demonstrating Hendrix's playing prowess. Ludwig gave us a detailed view of the entire production flow from recording to mastering to manufacture, and recalled aspects of the day he spent with Hendrix in a mastering room, prior to the release of "Electric Ladyland." Following those two presentations, we heard the entire album played over Transparent's state of the art system.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Josh gets quoted on HDMI 1.4 spec
Josh says in a new CE Pro article regarding the new HDMI 1.4 spec:
"The good news is that we already have an HDMI 1.4-compliant product line, at least in terms of handling all of the new high-resolution video formats included in the HDMI 1.4 specification, " he says. "This means a customer with a Transparent HDMI cable from five years ago already has a cable that will support upcoming video formats like 4Kx2K and 3D video. We have always insisted on 'over building' our HDMI products so they would have sufficient bandwidth and timing accuracy [low skew] to handle future formats. This no-compromise approach has already paid off for our customers who are now watching 1080p video on their original Transparent HDMI cables and it will pay off again when they can watch 4Kx2K video and 3D video on those same cables."
Read the full article here:
http://www.cepro.com/article/engineer_HDMI_14_does_not_make_sense/D1/
"The good news is that we already have an HDMI 1.4-compliant product line, at least in terms of handling all of the new high-resolution video formats included in the HDMI 1.4 specification, " he says. "This means a customer with a Transparent HDMI cable from five years ago already has a cable that will support upcoming video formats like 4Kx2K and 3D video. We have always insisted on 'over building' our HDMI products so they would have sufficient bandwidth and timing accuracy [low skew] to handle future formats. This no-compromise approach has already paid off for our customers who are now watching 1080p video on their original Transparent HDMI cables and it will pay off again when they can watch 4Kx2K video and 3D video on those same cables."
Read the full article here:
http://www.cepro.com/article/engineer_HDMI_14_does_not_make_sense/D1/
Thursday, February 11, 2010
CES 2010
We had a successful show at CES this year; we introduced our new MM2 Technology in our PowerCords and PowerIsolators. We also had time to visit with friends including Dan Kessler (pictured on left above) standing next to our David Schultz in Las Vegas. We were at a suite in the Mirage hotel with a new display (pictured below).
What's running on the screen is a super-cool Blu-ray video that Karen has expertly put together to educate consumers about our products, technology and Transparent philosophy.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Winter finally visits Maine
We've been so lucky these past few months with some wonderful, fall-ish weather but alas it could not last. We were blanketed with some fluffy snow Saturday night; we woke to a beautiful scene Sunday morning. Here's a look at Amy's house that morning: 
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Local Concert Master Excels with Berg
Local Concert Master Excels with Berg
Charles Dimmick, Concert Master, undertook the soloist violin role at last night’s presentation of Alban Berg’s Concerto for Violin. “To the Memory of an Angel” is dedicated to the memory of Manon Gropius, the 19-year-old daughter of Gustav Mahler’s widow Alma Mahler.
Charles Dimmick, Concert Master, undertook the soloist violin role at last night’s presentation of Alban Berg’s Concerto for Violin. “To the Memory of an Angel” is dedicated to the memory of Manon Gropius, the 19-year-old daughter of Gustav Mahler’s widow Alma Mahler.
Review Brad O'Toole:
For me it was a decidedly dark piece with bits of brilliant violin solos expressing innocence, reminiscence, stridency, and then moving into calm. Obviously atonal and numerically-based it is not a piece I would pay to see by itself which is probably the reason it is often performed by the local Concert Master instead of a visiting talent. The piece does not get me immediately on my feet in ovation, but rather left me internally focused and pensive.
Upon consultation with our friend Peter Poltun, director of the Vienna Opera House Archives and obvious Vienna music expert, I will need to listen to Berg’s Opera, Wozzeck, before passing any judgment on Berg’s work. So now I am in search of a great performance and recording of Wozzeck which will do justice to the music, and to our fine listening room here at Transparent.
To read more about Charles Dimmick please visit: http://www.portlandsymphony.com/module-People-display-sid-38.html
For me it was a decidedly dark piece with bits of brilliant violin solos expressing innocence, reminiscence, stridency, and then moving into calm. Obviously atonal and numerically-based it is not a piece I would pay to see by itself which is probably the reason it is often performed by the local Concert Master instead of a visiting talent. The piece does not get me immediately on my feet in ovation, but rather left me internally focused and pensive.
Upon consultation with our friend Peter Poltun, director of the Vienna Opera House Archives and obvious Vienna music expert, I will need to listen to Berg’s Opera, Wozzeck, before passing any judgment on Berg’s work. So now I am in search of a great performance and recording of Wozzeck which will do justice to the music, and to our fine listening room here at Transparent.
To read more about Charles Dimmick please visit: http://www.portlandsymphony.com/module-People-display-sid-38.html
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
David Schultz's Media Room Almost Done
The media room was designed from a performance perspective and has exposed cables for easy change out. This allows me to easily experience different cables and power products. After more than a year of construction, my media room is nearly finished. A few more trim pieces and the project will be complete.
Interesting features:
Dimensions for the room were calculated using the RPG Room Sizer software program. The sound waves see a room that is 9'H by 24'W by 30' 1/2" L.
The false side and front walls are designed to allow the low frequencies to hit the concrete foundation. There is enough mass in the foundation and floor to keep the low frequencies in the room. This results in a deep extension of the bass frequencies. The false walls, built about one foot from the foundation, utilize modified RPG Acoustic treatment panels designed to diffuse and absorb the upper bass to the high frequencies. The bass frequencies pass through the acoustic panels.
Two layers of 1/2 inch plywood were used for the ceiling and back walls (4,000 lbs). Plywood was chosen because of its high tensile strength. The first layer was screwed and glued with construction adhesive to the joists and studs. Visco-elastic glue was coated on the first layer and on the inside of the second layer so that the glue was sandwiched between the two layers of plywood. The second layer of plywood was then put up and screwed every six inches. (Over fifty pounds of screws) The result is a very rigid ceiling and back wall that has very little, if any resonance. The visco-elastic glue acts as a sound barrier that keeps ambient sound from entering the room. The other benefit is very little sound emanates from the room resulting in excellent sound pressure levels.
A dedicated electrical panel was installed for the media room. The wiring is 12 AWG except for the equipment rack, projector and amp outlets. These outlets use 10 AWG. HVAC vent was dampened to reduce sound from the furnace and air conditioner.
A diffractal is on the back wall using Auralex T-Fusors. It is designed to break up the sound waves that bounce off the back wall. Reflected sound waves do not interfere with the sound output of the speakers. Four inch crown molding was installed to diffuse the sound waves and to prevent them from creating a megaphone affect at room corners.
Behind the equipment rack, a door was installed to make easy access to the back of the equipment. Changing cables is easy because the equipment closet is well lit and has access from the front and rear.
An anamorphic lens on the projector allowed for a very large screen (198" diagonal) The Home Theater Screen is DIY. It is made of 1/2 plywood with luan painted (six coats)and glued to the surface of the plywood. After each coat of paint the surface was sanded with very fine sand paper. The final coat was applied using a 1/4 inch nap roller.
Equipment
Once turntable with SME 4.5 arm and Benz Micro Ebony cartridge
HHB CD Player
PlayStation 3 BluRay player
Doshi Performance Preamp
Dream Vision Scaler
Dream Vision Dream Bee 1080p projector with anamorphic lens
Krell HTS 7.1 Processor
Krell Showcase five channel amplifier
Krell KSA 300S amplifier
Rockport Technologies Mira Grand loudspeakers for right and left channel
AAD Silver Series center loudspeaker
Wilson Audio Sophia 2 for the surround loudspeakers
REL Stentor Subwoofer
AAD C-10 subwoofer
Transparent Power Isolator MM power conditioners for each component
Transparent PowerLink MM power cords
Transparent Reference MM2 speaker cables for the Rockport Mira Grand's
Transparent OPUS MM2 interconnects between the Doshi Pre and Krell 300S
Transparent Transparent Reference MM speaker cable for the center and surrounds
Transparent Reference XL interconnect for the two sub woofers
Transparent Premium DVI with HDMI dongles
Interesting features:
Dimensions for the room were calculated using the RPG Room Sizer software program. The sound waves see a room that is 9'H by 24'W by 30' 1/2" L.
The false side and front walls are designed to allow the low frequencies to hit the concrete foundation. There is enough mass in the foundation and floor to keep the low frequencies in the room. This results in a deep extension of the bass frequencies. The false walls, built about one foot from the foundation, utilize modified RPG Acoustic treatment panels designed to diffuse and absorb the upper bass to the high frequencies. The bass frequencies pass through the acoustic panels.
Two layers of 1/2 inch plywood were used for the ceiling and back walls (4,000 lbs). Plywood was chosen because of its high tensile strength. The first layer was screwed and glued with construction adhesive to the joists and studs. Visco-elastic glue was coated on the first layer and on the inside of the second layer so that the glue was sandwiched between the two layers of plywood. The second layer of plywood was then put up and screwed every six inches. (Over fifty pounds of screws) The result is a very rigid ceiling and back wall that has very little, if any resonance. The visco-elastic glue acts as a sound barrier that keeps ambient sound from entering the room. The other benefit is very little sound emanates from the room resulting in excellent sound pressure levels.
A dedicated electrical panel was installed for the media room. The wiring is 12 AWG except for the equipment rack, projector and amp outlets. These outlets use 10 AWG. HVAC vent was dampened to reduce sound from the furnace and air conditioner.
A diffractal is on the back wall using Auralex T-Fusors. It is designed to break up the sound waves that bounce off the back wall. Reflected sound waves do not interfere with the sound output of the speakers. Four inch crown molding was installed to diffuse the sound waves and to prevent them from creating a megaphone affect at room corners.
Behind the equipment rack, a door was installed to make easy access to the back of the equipment. Changing cables is easy because the equipment closet is well lit and has access from the front and rear.
An anamorphic lens on the projector allowed for a very large screen (198" diagonal) The Home Theater Screen is DIY. It is made of 1/2 plywood with luan painted (six coats)and glued to the surface of the plywood. After each coat of paint the surface was sanded with very fine sand paper. The final coat was applied using a 1/4 inch nap roller.
Equipment
Once turntable with SME 4.5 arm and Benz Micro Ebony cartridge
HHB CD Player
PlayStation 3 BluRay player
Doshi Performance Preamp
Dream Vision Scaler
Dream Vision Dream Bee 1080p projector with anamorphic lens
Krell HTS 7.1 Processor
Krell Showcase five channel amplifier
Krell KSA 300S amplifier
Rockport Technologies Mira Grand loudspeakers for right and left channel
AAD Silver Series center loudspeaker
Wilson Audio Sophia 2 for the surround loudspeakers
REL Stentor Subwoofer
AAD C-10 subwoofer
Transparent Power Isolator MM power conditioners for each component
Transparent PowerLink MM power cords
Transparent Reference MM2 speaker cables for the Rockport Mira Grand's
Transparent OPUS MM2 interconnects between the Doshi Pre and Krell 300S
Transparent Transparent Reference MM speaker cable for the center and surrounds
Transparent Reference XL interconnect for the two sub woofers
Transparent Premium DVI with HDMI dongles
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