Cardas earbuds...in colors!

I just grabbed this image from George Cardas' Facebook page--it appears he's experimenting with different finishes for his upcoming earbuds. It'll will be exciting to see if a wide variety of colors will be available to match to your iPod, Zune or other portable player.

Blackbird Audio Gallery's Music Night with Dean Peer

The alarm clock didn't go off. It was 5:05 am when I woke up. I had a 6:15 flight to San Diego. The Austin-Bergstrom Airport is 25 miles from my house. And I still made it on the plane with ten minutes to spare. I don't know how I did it, but I think I tampered with the time/space continuum somewhere.

Even though it wasn't an auspicious beginning, I still had a blast at the Music Night at Blackbird Audio Gallery. I saw plenty of my old audio friends, met a few new ones and actually got to sit down with Dean Peer for a while and talk to him about his music, his bass and his plans for the future.

I haven't been in Southern California for a while, and my usual tradition in these instances is to head straight to Tommy's for a #1, chili cheese and mustard only. That's exactly what I did.

Then I took up a long-standing invitation to test drive a BMW M3, which I did as well. What a beast this is with its 414 horsepower and its roaring V-8. This one even had the hard-top convertible option. The price? $77K. Yeah, I want one. I'm only human.


Then it was on to the show! Here are some pics from the event:

Here's was Dan Muzquiz' set up for the evening. It consisted of pretty much the same system as he showed off at CES...Trenner & Friedl ART monitors with the new super tweeters, Heed Audio Electronics and digital front end and a Basis 2200 turntable with a Vector tonearm and a Transfiguration cartridge. It sounded spectacular, but the bass was much deeper and fuller than it was at CES. Then I spotted it, crouched between the ARTs and the Heed monoblocks...a Trenner & Friedl subwoofer! This isn't a current model, by the way; T&F has been around a long time and they have many models from the past that they still like to show off.

Here's a shot of the ARTs with the new super tweeters.

Here's the Basis 2200 with the Vector arm and the Transfiguration cartridge. This was a supremely musical analog rig that was detailed without being analytical. It's funny that as a general rule I tend not to like the sound of acrylic turntables--and yet I've always enjoyed every Basis turntable I've ever heard. They must sprinkle fairy dust on them back at the factory. I'm sure a lot of this magic also had to do with the Transfiguration cartridge from Japan, another audio brand that has never failed to move me with their amazing products.

Here is the Funk Firm turntable I wrote about a couple of months ago. That's the new FXR arm, which is very beautiful in person. The very thin and richly-colored arm tube adds an unexpected delicacy to the overall appearance. The Basis may have had the stage for Music Night, but I look forward to listening to one of these analog rigs in the near future.

Here's a pic of Dan thanking the crowd for showing up. Next to him are Colleen Cardas, George Cardas and the man of the hour, Dean Peer. Dan was incredibly gracious and made a point of thanking everyone for coming out.

Another pic of our gracious host.

Standing room only at Chez Muzquiz.

This is Dean Peer signing my LP copy of his 1992 album Ucross. He was extremely surprised when I handed it to him, saying "Where did you get this? I don't even have a copy of this!" He them told me to take a picture of him signing it because it was a historic occasion. According to Dean, this version of Ucross, the original, is now extremely rare because it was subsequently re-released several times by different record companies with different covers. He told me that another LP version is set to be released soon. I asked him, "Does that mean this version will be worth less?" He replied, "No...it will be worth a lot more." It doesn't matter, because I'm not selling it.

As I mentioned, I did get a chance to sit down with Dean and talk. Dean actually lives in the Austin area as well. I asked him if he was going to be playing at SXSW in March, but he'll be in Canada at the time. I told him I'd enjoy seeing him live whenever he played in Austin. In a slightly self-deprecating manner, he said that people always expect him to be a wild, flamboyant bass player after hearing what he accomplishes in recordings. He admitted that most of his other-worldly bass sounds are created through very small and precise movements of his fingertips. In other words, he can be very still when he plays...you know, like a typical bass player. I still want to see him play live.

He spoke a bit about the recording process for the Airborne recordings. Dean is much more than a bass player, he is an accomplished record producer and engineer as well. He described the very technical digital processes that went into the recording but also stressed the simplicity of the solution, thanks to the latest digital innovations. When asked about whether or not he was satisfied with the results of the Airborne LP pressing, he was enthusiastic. Dean said that he and the studio engineers were trying to make the LP sound like it came straight out of the '70s. The sound quality of Airborne is so breathtaking that it didn't even occur to me that a "vintage" sound was the target. After hearing Dean's comments, I can now hear what he's talking about. There's definitely a funky, loose '70s vibe running through the entire album.

Finally, I asked Dean what was next. He said he wanted to work on a project that was all about the year 1959. He discussed all the intriguing things about that year...it was the peak of Jack Kerouac's creativity, Alaska and Hawaii became states and it was the last great year of classic jazz recordings. I also mentioned that it was the "year the music died," referring to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper, and he nodded his head in agreement. Finally, Dean said that he was born in 1959, which is why the year has such special meaning for him. I'm looking forward to hearing this project.

This is a wine stopper that Dan gave me (as well as others there) as a thanks for coming out. It's a beautiful handmade stopper from a friend of his at A-Skewed Creations. Thank you, Dan, for hosting this event! I look forward to the next one.

I'd also like to thank everyone I met for being so gracious and friendly such as the entire Cardas family, Gavin Fish of MIT and AudioEvo.org, Marc Almirall, Dave and Carol Clark of Positive Feedback Online, David Aitken and of course Bob Clarke of Profundo, who told me a few amazing stories about how he got started as an audio distributor. Thanks everyone!

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!

Hamza El Din -- Lily of the Nile

Before I talk about my Portland music scoop, I'd like to take a moment and tell you about a major LP score this weekend. Thanks to Colleen Cardas, I was able to grab one of these rare, limited edition copies of Hamza El Din's Lily of the Nile LPs. I remember when this released back in 1990, and everyone scrambled to grab one before they ran out. This album was coveted by audiophiles due to its phenomenal sound quality which was the result of the meticulous recording process. As the album jacket states:

"This is a pure analog recording done exclusively with custom-built vacuum-tube electronics with the exception of the microphones. The microphones were set up in the ORTF configuration. No noise reduction, equalization, compression, or limiting of any sort was used in the making of this record."

Other than the legendary Egyptian/Nubian oud and tar musician who delivers this extraordinary music, three men well-known and respected in the audio and music industry pooled their talents to create this unique recording. Kavi Alexander of Water Lily Acoustics produced and recorded Lily of the Nile, and he is well-known for producing some of the best-sounding recordings of all times such as one of my personal favorites, Meeting by the River with Ry Cooder and V.M. Bhatt. Tim de Paravicini, who heads one of my favorite audio companies (EAR, makers of one of the great classic phono preamplifiers), was the technical consultant, co-mastering engineer and designer/builder of the custom recording pre-amplifier. Finally, George Cardas of Cardas Audio (designer, of course, of my favorite cables) of was co-producer and funded the entire recording.

It should be no surprise that this album possesses state-of the-art sound quality. First, the vinyl is incredibly silent. Second, Hamza El Din's music is subtle, direct and unfettered with recording artifacts. If you're looking for a recording that provides the illusion of a musician performing in your listening room, this is it. When El Din's fingers fly across his fretless oud, you can hear and even feel the percussive contact of his fingers on the strings and almost tell where his arms are in relationship to his instrument (you can hear his sleeves rustling every once in a while). When he switches to the tar, a simple Persian drum, on the final track "Hamalaya," you'll be impressed with the sheer variety of tones and timbres he extracts from goatskin head and wooden frame.

I probably shouldn't be teasing you by telling you about something that may be difficult to impossible to find. I have found the 1995 CD reissue on a few international record websites (for around $40 or so), but I'll wager it doesn't sound anywhere as good as this limited LP. But if you do come across a copy somewhere, buy it. I'm going to file my copy next to my handful of reference LPs, the ones I use to really evaluate a piece of audio equipment.