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Records
It is common for reviewers to cite recordings being used for the evaluation process. Let me pick just a few and offer some comments. The range was wide, with old and new, superb pressings and many not so superb. Happily, I found several gems from my LP collection that surprised and delighted. For instance, Joni Mitchell's Miles of Aisles has always been a fave, especially "The Circle Game" track. While it never had been characterized as an audiophile-approved album, recent playings of MoA remind me of why I became a Joni fan ages ago. The sound came through with sweetness, artistry, emotion and clarity as never heard before. The 2800 turntable/arm combo presents an effortless, natural and timbrally accurate read of any LP and this one did so amazingly. Audience sounds, Joni's voice, guitar harmonics etc. brought big smiles. True, some of the newest audiophile reissues have been disappointing, especially when they don't deliver anywhere as much fun as things like this Joni LP does. It hurts to spend $39 for a dud and I have done that with regret more than once in the last six months. My Joni experience was a strong example of what can happen when the mojo works and you forget about the gear, the room, the trials of the day etc. To get so strongly lost in the beauty of the performance, the intent of the artist and the shear thrill of happiness is indeed rare. I have that now.

The new and revised Love album from the Beatles and George Martin is another winner. Yes, it is a different approach, which some folks are not thrilled about but for me it is a success. "When My Guitar Gently Weeps" absolutely grabs me. It never did before - wink, wink. All of the interesting special effects on the "Because" cut sound out with sheer delight now also. Many tracks on this dual LP set bring me to places I only dreamt about in those olden days when I collected so many original Beatles records.


The Paul Winter Consort has been a favorite for decades and I have heard them live in both small and large venues. Their ancient Road album from 1970, even though tattered and worn from playback on many and varied systems, still conveys the talented, creative originality these musicians are known for. Aside from the spirited playing and musical details, the footfalls on stage feel so much more real now, for those audiophiles who crave such amenities. Much the same generally can be said for the Pat Metheny Group as far as I am concerned. His early stuff resonates with me in wonderful ways. Now it comes alive as a result of this superb vinyl playback equipment.


The Donald Fagen double LP set Morph the Cat gets my juices flowing easily, especially with "What I Do" cranked up. The bass lines stand out so powerfully and beautifully now and the interplay between the band members makes more sense than ever. How could anyone ever listen to this as an mp3 on an iPod? Yikes!


For a tried-and-true choral recording, I often turn to Testament by the Turtle Creek Chorale on Reference Recordings. This 200-voice group performs a variety of American pieces of which the Copeland and Bernstein tracks have special meaning for me. Not until this current Basis Audio equipment came into use had the emotion and grandeur of the performances struck home so dramatically. When the music shifts within a fraction of a second from solos to massed singing, the ability for it to scale up with zero hesitation is almost scary. The Basis gear renders the space, size, reverb, power and overall feel of the hall as never before. Additionally, the intelligibility of words is elevated to places previously unknown. Others who have heard this old recording sit in my listening room almost speechless over how engaging and riveting this music sounds. Keith Johnson, a real master at the engineering craft, captured the voices, instruments and spirit of the session beautifully and it shows - it shows!

The marvelous 1961 recording of Britten's Noye's Fludde on Argo, conducted by Norman Del Mar, gives me goose bumps. I actually became accustomed to playing the CD release of this recording because hearing the LP on my regular turntable never did a lot for me. Now this LP comes alive with all of the oddities that are part of this Chester Mystery play. A small instrumental ensemble compliments soloists and many children singers in a remarkably alive sounding fashion. When the youngsters run about in the church, it is possible to follow them clearly and their innocence unfurls in a truly energized manner. I know this music is not for everyone but if you haven't heard this particular LP on a sterling playback system, you need to do so. Call me if you are ever in northeastern Pennsylvania.


How about Paul Simon's Graceland? I actually had to buy a second copy of this LP during its original lifecycle in the mid-80s since I played it so much - and not on the best of equipment. Side 2 has such a terrific diversity of music, talent and sound on it that it is hard to pick a favorite track. In spite of a few scratches, ticks and pops, this LP still brings a major smile to my face. Again, not an audiophile-approved album but a winner nonetheless for the music and fun it conveys.


Here is another brief tangent regarding surface noises and dirty albums. I should mention that as a result of reading the Analog forum on AudiogoN, I got hooked on combining steaming with my VPI 16.5 cleaning machine. If this is a new idea to you, take a look at that website and follow the hundreds of threads describing the process and fine results. In several 'before and after' demos in my home, every single guest has been stupefied by how effective a careful LP steam cleaning can be when combined with the 16.5 approach. Not only do things get quieter and cleaner sounding, but also ambience retrieval, spatial cues, and high-end extension all benefit from the routine. If you have a large record collection, this is worth knowing about.


From my purely classical LP collection, I cleaned and happily listened to so many albums that it is difficult to name many more of them without being burdensome. For one final example consider the Honegger Pacific 231 record on Erato, featuring Charles Dutoit as conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony. This orchestral piece captures the composer's fascination with locomotives quite cleverly but the LP never communicated it all so effectively in the past. It now gives me goose bumps. Bold, brash sounds flow with animated tempi filling my room with excitement and contentment even as the music resolves at the ending. Dynamically unrestrained, organic and authoritative, it is a treat to hear wood instruments sound like wood, strings sound like the real thing while brass instruments have that brassy bite usually only heard at live acoustic events. There is no question but that one can hear the 'flesh on the bones'.


What else is there to say about all of this? I now have a world-class turntable/arm system in my listening room, which leaves nothing to be desired. Could it be better? I don't know. I haven't heard a recent version of the Basis Debut. Nor have I heard or seen the Work of Art, although I would love to. Let me just say that from all of my vinyl listening here at home, at friends' homes and at audio shows, this current combination just let's me forget the fuss and bother of audio gear. It is all about the music.