FLAX 2020--Joseph Audio, Doshi Audio, Cardas Audio, Aurender, Berkeley Audio Design

My latest show report from the 2020 Florida Audio Expo is now live at Part-Time Audiophile. You can read it here.

RMAF 2019--MoFi Distribution, Falcon Acoustics, BAT, Dr. Feickert, Cardas, My Sonic Lab

My latest show report from the 2019 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest is now live at Part-Time Audiophile. You can read it here.

RMAF 2019--Notable Audio Products, Joseph Audio, Doshi Audio, J. Sikora, Cardas Audio

My latest show report from the 2019 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest is now live at Part-Time Audiophile. You can read it here.

T.H.E. Show 2019--Acora Acoustics, VAC, Cardas Audio, Charisma, Codia

My latest show report from T.H.E. Show 2019 is now live at Part-Time Audiophile. This one's about VAC amplifiers, which this show exhibited with an interesting speaker company from Canada. You can read it here.

New earbuds from Cardas Audio

Here are some nice photographs of the upcoming earbuds from Cardas Audio. I've been able to audition very late prototypes twice already; the last time was at CES where George Cardas himself demonstrated them against a very nice headphone rig consisting of a high quality DAC and a pair of Sennheiser HD800s. These earbuds have been a personal project of George's for quite some time, and I agree that these are something quite special.

I've experienced state-of-the-art headphone reproduction in the past; up until a few months ago I owned a pair of Grado GS1000s and AKG 701s modded with Stefan Arts Equinox cabling and a Woo Audio tubed headphone amp. In addition, I wrote the Headphone Planet column for TONEAudio for several issues in 2007-2009. So I like to think I know what a good pair of cans can achieve.

In addition, I haven't head a pair of earbuds that I truly liked. I'm fairly claustrophobic, and inserting devices into my ear canals has always felt intrusive, uncomfortable and aggressive. The Cardas earbuds were the first in-the-ear devices that felt comfortable and unobtrusive. I tried two sizes of these as well, and I actually preferred the slightly larger version. These buds felt like they had been custom-made for my ear canals and after listening for quite some time I felt little or no listener fatigue.

Okay, they're comfortable. But how did they sound? Well, the Grado GS1000s have always been my personal reference because they sound warm, open and expansive with full, realistic bass response. The Cardas earbuds easily matched and even surpassed the sound quality of the Grados, expanding on all of their strengths. These are the first earbuds that made me say, "I need these."

I talked to a couple of people in the Cardas camp about the projected price and date of arrival. Right now there isn't a set price, but I heard some ballpark figures that were much lower than I expected. I've seen and heard some of those earbuds that require a custom fitting for the ear molds, and the price tags of those products are fairly hefty. If the Cardas earbuds come anywhere near the projected and approximate prices, they will be a huge hit. Best of all, they're obviously wired with Cardas cabling.

I'm trying to get a little more information about the technology behind the Cardas earbuds, and I'll update shortly. But for now enjoy the pics of these precious little jewels and be prepared to audition a pair when they arrive. I'm putting my name on the list!

Margules Group Mexico at CES 2011

Remember this turntable? Well, I was able to meet with the gentleman from Margules Group Mexico, the company that is trying to make these turntables a reality. They stopped by the Cardas room for a while and I was able to speak with them about these amazing designs as well as their strategy for bringing them to the audio marketplace.

Julian Margules, the patriarchal head of Margules, spent a few minutes providing me with updates. He let me in on some amazing information such as:

1. They want to bring these turntables to the international market for less than $1000. This will include the arm, which for now is a Rega OEM arm based on the highly-tweakable RB-250.

2. Oh, wait...there's more! For $1000, Sr. Margules wants to include a built-in phono preamp that's built right into the gorgeous plinths. That means this will truly be a plug and play analog solution.

3. Sr. Margules told me if he can't make this the best-sounding $1000 turntable on the market, he simply won't do it. He realizes that there will be some real challenges in accomplishing this, but he simply won't compromise the sound.

4. These designs were actually produced by design students in Mexico. He was amazed at the style, simplicity and execution from these 18 and 19-year-old individuals.

Colleen Cardas told Sr. Margules that she wants the first one...serial number #001. AND she wants it in pink. He hedged a bit--you can tell he wasn't nuts about the whole "pink" thing. But he will try to deliver.

I told him I wanted the second one off the line. I made it easier by telling him I wanted the one in wood, however. I hope Margules Group Mexico can achieve these goals, as I think this will be an exciting product that will really shake up the affordable turntable market.

These are a few of my favorite peeps...

Here some pics that I stole from both Colleen Cardas and Trenner & Friedl. They're much better photographers than I am.

First, here's a pic of Colleen Cardas and her nephew Luke at CES. I'm probably speaking out of turn here, but Luke is the real mover and shaker behind Cardas Audio.

Here's another pic of the Cardas think tank with musician Dean Peer. Dean cut his hair prior to CES, and almost no one recognized him.

Here's a much better pic of the Dukes. As someone else said, "Holy crap...I'll never listen the same again."

This is Bob Clarke of Profundo pouring me some more wine. I drank more excellent wine at CES than I have in the last ten years.

This is Bob and his wife Stacy. She was a ray of sunshine and offered tremendous support to everyone there.

Here's a pic of Colleen and Andreas Friedl. I want someone to hand feed me Cheetos. I'd pay handsomely.

Here's Peter Trenner. Another ray of sunshine. His love for good music is infectious.

Here's Dan Muzquiz, me and Colleen. Sammich!

Bob and Colleen.

And finally, Dan, Andreas and Dean. Thanks everyone for showing me a good time!

CES 2011...Cardas Audio

Since I was a guest of Cardas Audio for the CES (I even got to put my name badge in one of their cool leather holders), I used their room as sort of a home base. When I say room, I have to specify that it was their MAIN room, as many of the rooms at the Venetian had the words "Cardas Audio Ltd." on the banners over their doorways. That's because many other exhibitors used Cardas cables in their reference systems. Why? Because Cardas was introducing their new top-of-the-line Clear at CES. To paraphrase Van Halen, everybody wants some.

I use Clear Light in my own system, which is the entry-level cable in this premium line. Above that, you have the just-plain Clear and the flagship Clear Beyond. The Beyond, of course, was extremely impressive, and was one of those cables that is as "thick as a garden hose." The Beyond was used in many of the most expensive, state-of-the-art systems including the one with the Trenner & Friedl Dukes. Admittedly, the Beyond is such a high-performing cable that only the very best systems can extract all of its performance. Even a couple of people from the Cardas camp admitted that the Beyond was too much cable for their systems (although I bet it's perfect for George Cardas' amazing home system, which you can find on YouTube). For most people, myself included, Clear and Clear Light are all the cable they'll ever need. But if you're one of those audiophiles with a no-holds-barred rig, you'll want the Beyond to take it to the next level.

The price of Beyond is high, but there are quite a few brands that charge more for their top-of-the-line offerings. In a world full of $30,000 8' pairs of speaker cables, the Beyond is priced fairly and sanely, especially when you see how complex its construction is.

The Cardas room also featured the new LP releases of Ben Harper's Pleasure and Pain, which I've written about extensively. Dean Peer's new 180 gram limited pressing of Airborne was also there, and yes, I now own my very own copy, given to me by Dean himself. (I know, I'm a name-dropper.) In fact, I'm traveling to San Diego next week for the Music Night at Blackbird Audio Gallery featuring Dean Peer, and I hope he'll sign it!

I also had a chance to speak to George Cardas himself about his latest audio interests, which include finding the right solution to the preponderance of DACs in today's audio market. He also gave me a preview of Cardas Audio's upcoming earbuds. This is the second time I've heard them, and I have to say that I want a pair badly.

This surprises me, because I've disliked every pair of earbuds I've ever stuck in my ears. I'm somewhat claustrophobic (which was a bit of a problem in the packed elevators at the Venetian, and which is why I got so much exercise in its stairwells), and I'm always uncomfortable with having something slid into my ear canals. The Cardas earbuds were downright unobtrusive and fit into my ears very comfortably due to the revolutionary shape. In addition, the sound was so spacious and extensive that I felt they were more like wearing tradition cans. Earbuds, in my opinion, often sound aggressive and forward because of the nature of their placement. Not these ones.

George demonstrated this by having me first listen to a pair of Sennheiser HD800s, one of the best headphones currently on the market, through a headphone system consisting of products from Ayre and Musical Fideilty. The sound was pretty amazing, smooth and full and believable. I then switched to the new Cardas earbuds and the soundstage was larger, the bass was fuller and the overall sound was less fatiguing. I don't have any pictures of these yet because they still haven't been formally announced, but they are great-looking little devices, made from metal instead of the ubiquitous plastic of most earbuds. George said that the materials used helped to contribute to the more solid and engaging sound. I'll speak more about these in the future, especially if I get a chance to test-drive them.

Once again I'd like to thank the Cardas Audio crew for their incredible hospitality to this humble blogger. I was able to meet most of the gang including George, Colleen Cardas, Darcy Cardas (George's wife), Mary Cardas (the oldest daughter), Angela Cardas Meredith (the youngest daughter), Josh Meredith (Angela's husband and the principal sales and marketing executive for Cardas) and Brian Von Bork. I even got to meet Luke Cardas, the nine-month-old son of Angela and Josh. Children aren't allowed at CES, but Luke had a Cardas name badge, so nobody dared to question his importance at the convention!

Ben Harper's Pleasure and Pain from Cardas Audio

My big announcement has to do with the newly-remastered version of Ben Harper's 1992 album Pleasure and Pain from Cardas Audio. I've been listening to an LP version of this release for the last few weeks, and the sound quality is simply incredible. Like the Hamza El Din LP I mentioned yesterday, this George Cardas-produced disc is one of the most lifelike recordings I've heard in a long time. The overall sound quality is direct, natural and intimate. I can't think of a single piece of music in my collection that reproduces the acoustic guitar more vividly and accurately.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

"Ben Harper and Tom Freund's legendary album, "Pleasure and Pain", has been newly re-mastered by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood California. This is truly an Audiophile recording. The album was originally recorded on March 15, 1992 by George Cardas, of Cardas Audio, using a Studer A-80 tape deck. George used a pair of Omni differential microphones that he custom built and fed the sound directly to the Studer tape deck with nothing else in the signal path, not even a preamp. It is about the most direct and natural recording method there is. The first master for the album was made by Doug Sax at the Mastering Lab in Hollywood California. For this new release, George gave the original
master tapes of the recording session to Bernie Grundman."
 
In other words, Cardas Audio has proven again that the simplest way is the best way when it comes to recordings. Think of all those great jazz and classical recordings of the late '50s and early '60s and how they usually sound much better than the so-called "digital-ready" releases of subsequent decades. That's because they kept it simple buy using only a pair of microphones and steered away from compression, excessive mixing and overdubs. But George Cardas took it step further and even bypassed the preamp, something you won't even find in that spectacular Hamza El Din recording (the custom tubed Tim De Paravicini preamp used for those sessions, however, is practically the next best thing to no preamp at all).
 

Here's another excerpt from the press release, which talks about how this recording was originally made back in 1992:
 
"Music has always been a part of Ben Harper's life. Ben's grandparents owned the Folk Music Store in Claremont, California. As a child, Ben hung out there and became familiar with all types of musical instruments. He wound up selling, demonstrating and repairing instruments for the store's customers. His favorite was the guitar, in all its forms. He especially liked the lap steel guitar. Ben began singing and playing in the shop, first for his parents, then for customers who heard him in the back room of the store. He was especially fond of southern Blues and it is a major influence in his music today.

"Tom Freund is also a native of Claremont. A mutual friend of theirs, Alleghaney Meadows, introduced the two because she thought they would really sound good playing together. They connected immediately and began jamming the first night. Ben and Tom were so excited about the music they made, they called George so he could listen. George was in his recording studio, set up to record another artist, Johnny Kallas, when Ben called. Johnny was ill and couldn't make it to his session, so he said, "Sure, come on over." Ben and Tom began to play, while trying to see what songs they knew in common and how best to harmonize. George began recording the pair, in what turned out to be a "magical music moment". All songs were
recorded in one take, with the whole session lasting only forty-five minutes. George said, "It was the kind of recording session you dream of, but that rarely happens." He immediately made an album, which Ben was able to take to L.A., and as they say, "The rest is history!"

I think what I like best about this story is the connection between a very well-known singer-songwriter and someone who is well-known within high-end audio. I've seen Ben Harper live a couple of times, most recently at the Bridge School Benefit a few years ago, and I never would have guessed that he got his start with George Cardas. There's an old saying that musicians tend to have the worst stereos, mostly because they're used to the real thing and know that they won't ever be satisified with the sound from even the most expensive systems. I like it when the two worlds come together. Over the last few years, I've met a few famous musicians (Joey Santiago of the Pixies, for instance) who ARE audiophiles or really care about the sound quality on their recordings (the latest from John Mellencamp is a good example).

Well, I'm not sure what kind of stereo system Ben Harper has at home, but he must be very proud of the sound quality of Pleasure and Pain. First of all, the record surface is beyond quiet, which allows you to clearly visualize Ben and Tom's interaction with their guitars. While a recording of two guys and their acoustic guitars may not be the ideal way to test the dynamics of your system, it's a perfect way to address inner detail and harmonics. Recorded music sounds so much more compelling when you hear the physical act of a musician producing the sound, as opposed to music that just sort of materializes out of thin air. That's what makes most live performances so much more vibrant, that added dimension of seeing fingers pluck and move and drive the music forward. Pleasure and Pain provides that magnificent illusion as few recordings do.

Unlike Ben Harper's more mainstream releases over the last few years, Pleasure and Pain sticks closely to the blues, specifically the Mississippi Delta variety. Both musicians rely heavily on the slide, and you'll find covers from Robert Johnson, Chris Darrow and David Lindley. A couple of songs are written by Tom and are more firmly rooted in rock 'n' roll, but the vast majority of this album has an almost timeless feel as if these two musicians could be playing anywhere and any time over the last 50 years. This is not a slick, polished performance but an earthy, loose and inspired moment in time.

The release of this newly remastered version isn't set yet, but it will be soon. I'll let you know when. It will be available on beautiful, rich, pristine vinyl (pressed at RTI), and you'll also be able to get it in a 33rpm or 45 rpm (which will come later). I have the 45rpm version and I'll be able to compare it with the 33rpm version very soon.

This is a very cool album in so many ways, and chances are that it will be highly collectible as well. In the short time I've had it, it's turned into one of my reference recordings even though I had to keep mum about it until the release date was a little closer. If you like Ben Harper, Mississippi Delta Blues or the slide guitar, this will become an essential recording to own.

One for the ladies...

 
Colleen Cardas of Cardas Audio just sent me a link for Scheu Analog, a German audio company that makes high-quality turntables. This particular turntable, called the Diamond, is being aimed at that rare and elusive market segment known as the Female Audiophile. Here is some of their copy:

"Pink, classic, seductive, simply ladylike--that is Diamond. A turntable designed specially for ladies--an innovative new product from Scheu Analog!"

Other than the color, I'm not sure what distinguishes this turntable from those made for grunting, belly-scratching male audiophiles. If I say that it's easy to operate, would that be sexist? How about if I phrase it like this: women are probably less likely to put up with the inconveniences that male audiophiles take for granted. For instance, macho purist audiophiles are more likely to put up with cartridge loading that can only be done by opening a component case with a flimsy Allen wrench, re-inserting jumpers and setting tiny DIN switches. Or, hairy, smelly male audiophiles thinking nothing about eschewing tone controls, balance controls and even cueing levers for the sake of ultimate sound quality. Or, strong, insensitive hunks are more than willing to sacrifice the integrity of their lower back muscles by shifting their 450 pound full range speakers a quarter of an inch further from the back walls of their listening rooms to achieve that last iota of imaging and soundstaging.

If you check out the comments section of the Scheu website (at http://www.acoustic-dimension.com/Scheu/Diamond/Scheu-analog-diamond-main-page.htm), you'll see at least one man who kind of digs the look of this turntable. And for those of us who aren't quite so secure about their masculinity, a version of the Diamond is available in drab, dreary black.

All kidding aside, Scheu 'tables are highly regarded, and I'm sure the Diamond offers a level of sound quality that will appeal to both men and women. That said, Scheu is not the first audio company to offer one of their products in pink--Rega recently announced a pink version of their venerable P3-24 turntable! So pink is the new black!

Trenner & Friedl ART monitors in the house!

Here are some more pics of the Trenner & Friedl ART monitors, courtesy of...me! They just arrived via FedEx a little while ago, and now they're breaking in in my listening room as I write. I won't give you my initial impressions yet other than the fact that they sounded awesome right out of the box.

These babies took forever to unpack because they are shipped like the precious little gems that they are. The ARTs aren't double-boxed or even triple-boxed--they're quadruple-boxed and even shrink-wrapped. Needless to say, they travelled from Austria to El Cerrito, California (into the hands of US distributor Bob Clarke of Profundo Audio--thanks for everything, Bob!) to my digs in central Texas without a single mark, scratch or ding. They are as pristine as the day they were inspected and tested by Trenner & Friedl.

By the time they were unpacked, my listening room was a mess! As you can see from the pictures, these ARTs are finished in a rich, textured cherry veneer with a front faceplate made from black Corian (it's marked "volcano" on the box!).

Note how nicely my Cardas Twinlink speaker cables fit onto the rear terminals. That's because the ARTs are internally wired with Cardas cable as well. So if you buy Trenner & Friedl speakers, it makes sense to continue using Cardas cable externally as well for the best results! (Note that Cardas cabling already provides the best results in most systems.)

So I'm going to grab some appropriate stands, let these gorgeous little critters break in for a couple of hundred hours and then I'll sit down and start some serious listening. I'll be posting reviews of the ARTs as well as the Cardas cabling in the next few weeks. Until then, I'll probably be rediscovering my entire record collection with these massive improvements to my system.

Special thanks to Colleen Cardas of Cardas Audio and Bob Clarke of Profundo for getting the ARTs into my hot little hands. There are some truly great people in high-end audio.

Totally wired...with Cardas!!!

The cabling I ordered has just arrived...all from Cardas Audio. Like I said before, this is the first step in re-building my main system to its former glory. I usually don't recommend cabling as the first upgrade in a system--it's usually the last thing you buy after all your components are chosen and you're trying to dial everything in. It's just that my cable situation was a mess...a lot of leftovers, a lot of really old stuff and a lot of stuff that just wasn't up to par. Wiring my system with Cardas from end to end is a step in the right direction.

First of all, I received two sets of the brand new Cardas Clear Light interconnects...one to go from my phono pre-amp to my amp, and another to go from my CD player to the amp. Then I received a pair of the Cardas Twinlink speaker cables. Once I had everything hooked up, I immediately say down for a listen. Now I know a lot of people think break-in is a myth, but cables do need to be broken in like any other audio component. But I immediately heard a top-to-bottom difference with the Cardas cable in the system in the first few minutes.

My first record was RCA Living Stereo reissue of the 1959 album Clair De Lune with Raymong Agoult and the London Proms Orchestra, one of my favorite recordings of the Golden Era of Recording. Everything sounded much more immediate and detailed, as if everyone in the orchestra dragged their chairs and their music stands a few feet closer. I also felt more weight in the lower octaves; I felt a visceral buzz through my body every time the double basses made an emphatic appearance. This is the first time I felt my system go this deep in a long time.

For now, I'm letting the cables break in for a couple more days before I settle in and really start to listen. But I'm looking forward to the improvements these Cardas cables will bring to my system. (Is this the dreaded "expectation effect" that clouds accurate ABX testing? Oh no, I'm doomed!)

Cardas Myrtle Silver Heart

As promised, I'm posting a pic of the Cardas Myrtle Silver Heart cartridge to show that Cardas Audio does more than make great cables. Here's a description from their website:

"The Cardas Myrtle Silver Heart body is made from America's most beautiful hardwood, the legendary Myrtle tree. Rarest of all woods, this symmetrical, broadleaf, evergreen Myrtle grows only in Southwestern Oregon (Coos and Curry counties) and the Biblical Holy Lands. Myrtlewood has a very complex grain structure. The coloring of the wood is unique, varying from a sedate, satiny gray to riotously, multicolored grains of red, yellow, and brown, with many burls and shapes in its grain. Denser than Oak, unseasoned Myrtle logs will not float."

I heard an earlier Cardas cartridge, the Heart, some years ago and it definitely qualified as one of the world's finest. I'm a huge fan of wooden-bodied cartridges, having owned a Koetsu Rosewood for seven years. Wooden-bodied cartridges tend to sound warmer and more romantic than cartridges made out of plastic or metal.

In fact, Cardas cartridges were (or still are) the preferred cartridges for the amazing SPJ turntables that I wrote about several years ago for Perfect Sound Forever. (You can read it here: http://www.furious.com/perfect/vinyl26.html.) After I wrote that article and praised SPJ designer Judy Spotheim-Koreneef, we wound up exchanging quite a few emails. She wound up linking my article to her website, where it still remains after almost 10 years. I can remember the fond words she had for George Cardas and his cartridges.

George Cardas owns one of the SPJ 'tables, and there's a great video on YouTube of him playing his system at home: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCFhBmy6XFQ. As you can imagine, he has a pretty amazing system that includes Rowland Research and Wavestream amplification and vintage Magnepan Tympani speakers.

As you have probably already guessed, I'm quickly becoming a Cardas convert!

Cardas Audio Newsletter -- Fall 2010

The Cardas Audio Fall Newsletter is out, and it happens to discuss many of the things I've been blogging about this week such as Dan Muzquiz of Blackbird Audio and Trenner & Friedl Loudspeakers. In fact, I really had to include the photo above because it shows just how tiny the Trenner & Friedl ART monitors really are while still showing off their stunning looks.

For those unfamiliar with Cardas Audio, they make probably the best cables in the world. Or, like my old audiophile friend Jim Sanders just told me, "I recall back when Corey Greenberg wrote for Stereophile he began an article talking about a recent audio show he'd attended and it ultimately dawned on him that the system setups that he thought had the best sound all happened to use Cardas cable." In fact, I'm planning to purchase some Cardas interconnects and speaker cable in the very near future as the first step in rebuilding my home system to its former glory.

(And in step with the Vinyl Anachronist theme, Cardas also makes a couple of wonderful wood-bodied cartridges as well! I'll try to see if I can find some pretty pics.)

The Cardas newsletter also starts with a rather illuminating statement: "Alternating current can shake a wire like a guitar string." I was a telecommunications technician for eight years, and I know that the wire = wire argument is seriously flawed, if only for the reason that there's more to cable (terminations, jacket, cable geometry, environment) than copper or silver. I installed and tested literally thousands of miles of cable during that time, and I know how easy it is to degrade a signal if everything isn't perfect. Or as a guy I know with a Ph.D in electrical engineering once told me, "Cardas knows what they're doing...the others guys I'm not so sure."

Anyway, give their newsletter at peek at http://www.cardas.com/newsletter/fall_2010/.

And one more thing...I want to include a picture I found on the Trenner & Friedl website. This appears to be an older version of the ART monitor with a radically different tweeter. I've included it, however, because this photograph shows the impeccable craftsmanship of these Austrian speaker manufacturers. Enjoy!