Jazz for aficionados

Paul, thats a tough one, ha. Outside of jazz I pretty much do not listen anything else...I liked Sade when I was younger, but have only one lp...also have only that Diana Krall album, I guess in case if some guests arrive...But, now when I think about it, few names comes to mind... I would say, in random order, Grace Jones, Margo Timmins of Cowboy Junkies, Skye Edwards on Morcheeba’s first album, Beth Gibbons from Portishead, even Joni Mitchell (on Hissing from summer lawns and on Herbie Hancocks Gershwin world), Kay Garner on Cerrone’s ’Supernature’....there is more, but its usually a song or an album that I like, than a whole opus

As for the Dirac or dsp, or home theater, or pc audio, I use nothing of that. Just a plain two chanel stereo. I do not even use tv ( I cancelled all program subscriptions ) except when I hook the laptop and watch some movie, from some stream (its not a big tv screen either) I still must try to stop reading the news online,ha...Just remembered that I need to renew my library subscription,also,ha,ha

Well @alexatpos what can I possibly add to that?

I knew you prefer 2 channel stereo or mono when listening to music and also you prefer vinyl/analog over digital but did not know you are not a fan of home theater.

I love my digital set up and have around 100 SACDs, DVD Audio, and Hi Res Blue ray music discs. Many are multi channel and getting a lot with atmos now as well.

I love my "movie night" and the DSP with audio immersion experience thats on tap with my AVR.

I still love 2 channel stereo and mono especially with my jazz music collection. I know its digital but I prefer a neutral and "uncolored" sound experience so tubes are not my thing.

Since we are talking (hope nobody will object, its a hidden corner anyway)...Also I enjoy digital, have many records still, but everything I bought in quite some time is on cd. I could not afford (or find) all that music on lp's, not to mention the jazz collection I've got already. The closest thing that gets me to the turntable is my belt driven cd player,ha

Bought some movies on dvd, the ones that were hard to find before everything has become available online. Its perhaps interesting that aldo I like movies as much as music, I prefer to collect music (on physical media) and not films. When I think about it, it makes no sense, but anyway...and aldo I am member of library I am still buying and keeping books. Perhaps it has something to do with habits from upbringing...that I never care to change.( do not think that ever I will own an electric car)  As for the home theater, again, it was never my thing because as long I can remember, I liked to go to the cinema, which I frequently did or do still. Even did not like to see some movie, before it was released in cinema. This has somewhat changed, because cinemas are on decline and the movies they play are more often than not aimed to broadest of audience, meaning, lots of movies never come to cinemas. For this reason I have started to watch movies at home, aldo I am not fan of doing so. In the same time, the quality of sound, the effects or the soundtrack are not of big importance when on tv. Just the basics are enough to me, I guess.Maybe the way of life has something to do it as well, as younger and single, never cared to spend much time in front of the tv. Still do not (thats way I have no any tv subscription) Reading this, it almost looks like its written by somebody who is old and grumpy, ha, but its not the case...I hope so,ha, anyway.

I have ss gear now, last system that I had was all tubes. Before that there were different combinations, ss, hybrid or ss and tubes together. I do not regard tubes as 'colored' and I do think that with right gear they can provide more vivid reproduction, but maintenance comes with it. The main reason I switched back to ss was the heat, during almost 6 month a year its very hot here and having A class tube amp made listening almost impossible much of the time. There are not many ss gear (imho) that can come close to a very good tube set up and I have picked the one I prefer the most (Burmester) but I am considering the tube preamp of different manufacturer as well.

I was not aware @alexatpos that you switched over to SS gear until now. The "warmth" and "organic" adjectives are two of the most common "audio reproductive descriptions" used by tube gear lovers. These descriptions imply that the audio reproduction takes on a certain characteristic of what the particular tube gear being used is known for.

I have listened to tube gear and my ears recognized some of these characteristics. I think that most tube gear lovers enjoy these characteristics and there is nothing wrong with that. I also am aware of the hybrid tube amps (I would love to demo the newest Mcintosh pre amp/amp SS/tube hybrid). I think with tubes you have to spend a lot of money to get that ultra low noise floor with a neutral sound but I could be wrong.

Front Cover Jul19.indd (mcintoshlabs.com)

To me an amplifier should do just that- "amplify" leaving no "sound signature".

I also like to have a physical audio collection and I will always be old school like that. That is why in 2017 I purchased the best disc player in the world at its price point - the Oppo UDP 205. This player was used to test the Mcintosh tube gear in the above link.

I collect SACDs, DVD Audio, Blu ray audio, Blu ray and 4k UHD Blu ray movies.

And like you I love to read. And I have a very large physical library in my house. I save the books even after reading them.

I think you and I have been off topic a bit but nobody else was posting recently anyway (last 48 hours) except us two.

Back on topic. I am going to see the Charles Mingus Big Band tonight at Drom music venue on the lower east side of Manhattan. "Let My Children Hear Music"!!

Mingus Big Band Residency @ DROM — CHARLES MINGUS

My man Jeremy Pelt will lead the trumpet section and Alex Terrier is in the saxophone section.

I’m listening to Presenting The Kenny Drew Trio. Doing it on Amazon so it’s one long play.44-45 tracks and it still keeps me smiling even after listening to it many many times!

And if I haven’t said it yet,  Happy New Year All.