audio-electronics

The OPPO BDP-83 blue ray player

‘the seventh seal’ by ingmar bergman just one of the many new releases on the criterion collection blu-ray series

if you are looking to get a blu-ray player, or simply need to replace an old CD player to rediscover your discs and chuck that ipod, be sure to consider this. its no beauty, but for the value it’s a real steel.

 

the oppo BDP-83’s ordinary and unassuming front plate

the unit came highly recommended by a trusted friend and I am considering it to finally put to use my 1080 flat screen with a few criterion collection blu-rays. the oppo BDP-83’s $499 price tag is deceiving because it is a direct to consumer price, there is no retail distribution chain with oppo, so most of your dollars are going to the product and the people who designed it, not to distributors and retailer margins. the oppo is designed by the brainiac engineers in silicon valley and built in the people’s republic of china. if a player of this standard was built in UK or USA and the pricing had to account for distribution and dealer margins, it would have to sell for $1,500 or more.

outputs include: digi-audio: coaxial, optical, HDMI, composite and component, also note that the power supply is detachable and up-gradable (UK vs US or Europe)

the oppo BDP-83 rivals the PS3 in speed, and uses the same VRS™ by Anchor Bay (DVDO) de-interlacing and scaling technology that offers outstanding up-conversion of standard DVDs. the oppo also plays Super Audio CD (SACD), CDs, DVD, Bluray disc, DVD-Audio, MP3 and supports both stereo and multi-channel high resolution audio programs. you can select whether to output the DSD (direct stream digital) signal in its native format or convert it into PCM. the unit allows output resolutions, including 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, and up to 1080p 50 or 60Hz. the BDP-83 also supports NTSC and PAL systems for both disc playback and video output. by uh

CATEGORIES: audio-electronics

review of the nixon masterblaster headphones


first off we went after this particular nixon headset for its fabulous looks. we received our advance copy in its considerable box last week and have been putting it to the test. a few observations: the exterior of the box reflects the unit and is simple and clean, a mix of a clock work orange meets ipod. we like the name nixon but the unit name and slogans “master blaster” and “bring the noise” seem off target and pretty lame! they belong to pioneer not nixon! inside you’ll find a modern darth vader helmet case which again is at odds with the retro inspired audiophile cans, but one can see why they tried to avoid a fully retro kit.

the unit itself is rather beautiful and well made. designed by yves behar they sport premium leather ear cups, large volume knob, aluminum cans with a ball/pivot that is ingeniously engineered to fit, at least my head perfectly. like all high-end headphones the cord is detachable and i simply love the choice of this particular cable. it makes the whole piece come together, yet unlike the retro fabric cords the 3.5mm stereo plug at the end is delicate avoiding the cumbersome look of the old cans. the pivot joint and the cable where truly the first two details i noticed. one disappointing detail is the logo/pajama style printed fabric used inside the ear cups. who made that decission? gladly noone will see it but you.

the sound on the nixon master blaster is not as high end as its great looks, but the sound is ‘good’ and well above average for its price range of just under $200 (vs. say $450 for the AKG 701 that we reviewed). the headphones at 95 db are not super sensitive and will probably sound their best using headphone amps like headroom or other brands. but on its own the sound is rather neutral with a leniency towards a heaviness in the bass. i would have liked to see more detail in the mid range, and easier on the bass, but i always say that no matter what i listen to unless they are magnapan speakers (which i once owned, but with those you then loose the bass! the MG20.1 seem to have addressed the issue at $4,000/pair). all in all the nixons are great fun, good looks, decent sound, quite affordable, with details to awe over. we used the nixons at a recent event and we had 2 people asking us about them and where to buy them, now no one ever asked me about my AKGs… so they do indeed turn a few heads. by dd

CATEGORIES: audio-electronics, design, perfect gift

nagra: Analog candy

the nagra IV-S portable audio/sound recorder

call me crazy but I always wanted to get one of these units for my home use for playback of music ever since the film industry went digital on me. where is cassavetes? the professional audio field recorders by nagra where simply too expensive in the day, but now… used ones can be fetched up for a measly $2,000.

these audio recorder/playback decks are simply amazing not only in how they sound but also in how they are made. originally designed by a polish inventor by the name of stefan kudelski and built in cheseaux-sur-lausanne, in switzerland, their built and finish are to die for. they remind me of my old minox spy camera that my father gave me except they are swiss made. silver. slick. and rugged. of course there is a cool little story to the name… the name nagra is actually based on the polish slang meaning “it’ll record”. well, it did more than that indeed.

the swiss manufacturer of course has recently come up with a whole line of consumer audio equipment but the marketing reeks badly and the desperate jump to audiophile markets is simply not in style with old nagra. i have a strong feeling either the company was sold or took over by people who are looking to make a fast swiss frank. by dd

CATEGORIES: audio-electronics, design, perfect gift

Nixon headphones: listening in style


nixon’s first addition to the world of personal acoustics. the line of three models; the wire, the nomadic and the master blaster wont be easy to find. as far as we know these are just prototypes. still, with this kind of well designed beauty it would be a sin not to produce it for the masses and end the white cable trend of the ipod. by kv

CATEGORIES: audio-electronics, eye candy, perfect gift

speaking about guitars

above-model 6119: note the “cadillac” V at the bottom! gretsch 6119 chet atkins tennesseean (also 6120, and the 6121 model, released at the same time, 6121 looked like a solid body, but was actually more of a small, semi-hollow version).

below-model 6196: a beautiful green country club from 1956. (click images to see detail)

above-model 6132: solid body duo jet from 1957. (click images to see detail)

below-model 6136: the dream machine that gretsch originally put together to show off a little at the trade show was never intended for production. but it became the symbol of the glorious excesses of the 50’s and a cult item. from its debut in 1954 falcon featured white paint, real mother of pearl, exotic ebony hard wood and 24 karat gold plating and remained virtually unchanged until 1958. it was the cadillac of guitars when cadillac was the cadillac of cars. it cost $600 back in 1954 that’s like 5 figures today!

we were discussing guitars the other day and i couldn’t help but look into my dream guitar that i never had, a vintage gretsch! vintage as in before 1966, when the family sold the company. from my first trip to new york until today, everytime i crossed the bridge to brooklyn i would see the old factory and wonder how it must have been. unfortunately it has been turned into a pseudo-luxury apt. complex now… my favorites were and are the jazz synchromatic archtops (not pictured here), and the chet atkins semi-hollow bodies. they run about 10-15k if you can find them, or must settle for a new reissue for about 3-4K. either way, like my favorite chess set that i never bought, i have to become much better of a player to actually deserve owning one. by dd

CATEGORIES: audio-electronics, perfect gift

ipod sounding like kak?

I’m seriously considering getting one of these wadia 170i transports. if you are sick of your ipod’s shit sound like me due to that 49¢ cent Chinese D/A converter inside, making the rest of your stereo equipment obsolete this “can” potentially be the answer for approximately $320. But here’s the dilemma. the biggest ipod you can get is still only 120gigs and rather pricey per gig when you think of it. which means, even with a 120gig ipod you still can not put all of your music in uncompressed state or by using apple’s lossless format. Sooloos is not an option either yet. the price ofc ourse, but also you have to be psychotic to deal with PC interface in this day and age. the other issue is what do you do with all the; massively compressed, 10th generation re-compressed, yet great tracks you got from your various rug rat friends! now you need to get those original CD’s and that’s a job and a half. I wish apple would allow a digital out from you mac for music to avoid it going through apples or ipods D/A converter, and you could just get a terabyte drive and be done. wadia made a deal with apple to go around the elaborate protection software and tap direct into the digital file avoiding the D/A conversion and this is the first time i understand they allowed that. Still no great answer. Just inferrior sound for now. Portable and potable. by dd

CATEGORIES: audio-electronics, objects, perfect gift

AKG K 701 Headphones

note the XLR plugs on this baby above!


AKG K 701 Headphones:

Mouth watering! The AKG K 701s are significantly more transparent sounding than any other headphone that I’ve tried, and they embody an amazing level of taste when it comes to modern headphone design. Obviously each of the major brands; Sennheiser, AKG, Beyerdynamic, Grado, and Ultrasone, all have their own “sound”, which in some way makes one want to own one of each. I do.

There are major differences between the Sennheiser HD650s (which I own) and the K 701s (which I just bought for $450), making each one better for a specific genre of music. The rock/alternative/metal crowd are unanimous in their preference of the Sennheiser ‘phones, no doubt influenced by their rich, extended bass response, while others are more taken by the AKG’s smoother tonal balance, and crystal clear midrange. What ever your taste these are worth a listen.

They are a five-star performer and worth a try for sure. by dd

CATEGORIES: audio-electronics, objects, perfect gift