sunnuntai 30. joulukuuta 2012

Paul McCartney: Kisses on the bottom

This album definitely deserves to be notified. This is ex-Beatle McCartney's newest album since 2007. It's made with Diana Krall's band, featuring names as Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton etc. The album contains mainly covers from the past, from the good ol' days, but also two McCartney's own songs like My Valentine and Only Our Hearts. It carries very jazzy, relaxed feeling and it's produced with the names like Doug Sax at mastering and Tommy LiPuma helding the sticks for the whole production process. So, besides being very entertaining, almost thrilling musically it's also very pleasing on the ear. One of my favourite buys this year. Absolutely recommended.

torstai 27. joulukuuta 2012

La Rosita Zeta V3

I'm not that much a digital person myself, I have to admit. Music on vinyl have just sounded better to my ears. Until lately when I was introduced something different than usual.

Enter the French wireless streamer/DAC La Rosita Zeta in its latest incarnation, called the V3. The man behind the brand is a sort of wizard, Monsieur Dan Bellity who has years of background in a land of analog replay, modifying and building tube amps, horn speakers etc. La Rosita was established some seven, eight years ago when Dan Bellity discovered the possibilities of iTunes and wireless signal transmission via Apple's Airport Express. So, all Rosita models are 16/44.1 devices.

Zeta is an entry level model of the range and unfortunately no longer available. But, if you'll get one on your hands, you'll be rewarded. Even in its previous V2 status it easily killed my recent DACs like Burson DA160, MHDT Havana, RWA Isabellina and such. Fortunately Mr. Bellity offers the V3 upgrade for the older, nonexistent models like Zeta and Alpha for a reasonable cost. V3 is in a different league, I can assure you. If I've understood correctly, the V3 was so tremendous upgrade, that therein lies the secret of giving up selling the entry models no longer. Nowadays the range starts from the +4k€ Beta..

The sound of the Zeta V3 then? Well, in short compared to V2, which I was using almost six months; the new V3 module (that's is the secret of La Rosita streamers sound, it's the heart of it) offers more analog sound than the previous model. The sound is more neutral, it's more open and clear. There is definitely more air around the instruments and the layering of sounds in a soundstage is something to be heard. You can hear deeply into the soundstage which wasn't the previous model's strongest points. Both micro and macro dynamics has bettered greatly, so there's lot of detail like offered in a good analog rig. The midrange is very liquid and the whole presentation is extremely coherent. One point to mention is the silence which has to do something with the figures of digital noise floor..that quite possibly is explaining the quietness and harmonic naturallness offered here. The digital jitter should be nonexistent because of that? Can't be sure of that, but it really makes sense what you're hearing.

World's best digital? Only stupid would make a statement like that, but it's the best I have heard so far. Amazing and impressive. Definitely yes. After I got my upgraded Zeta V3 a few weeks ago, I have spinned only couple black ones since then..:-)