“French Album No. 1” RAVEL: String Quartet in F Major – Guarneri String ...
“French Album No. 1” RAVEL: String Quartet in F Major – Guarneri String Quartet – Lancia Media Factory 180gr audiophile vinyl LMF7002, 28:39 (also avail. as 192K/24bit FLAC or MP3 downloads) [3/15/11] *****:
First, we probably don’t need to spend much space on this exquisite string quartet, the composer’s only one and usually paired with the Debussy string quartet. The monumental quartet of French chamber music literature is heard here in a fantastic performance, beautifully recorded back in 2000 at the American Academy of Arts and Letters in NYC by Dirk Sobotka. The Guarneri String Quartet are among the superstars of the classical world; they performed with such luminaries as Artur Rubinstein. They retired in 2009 after a long and extraordinary career of over 45 years.
Lancia is the latest addition to the string of audiophile labels offering limited edition vinyl reissues of great recordings of the past in all genres. Yes, most are expensive, but those with expensive high-end analog turntables and gear can realize their unique benefits. (What truly gets my attention are the increasing few 45 rpm 12-inch vinyl reissues, which to my ears provide the absolute epitome in two-channel reproduction.) By the way, the cover photo by Richard Avedon on this album may be mistaken for Maria Calas, but it’s Vicomtesse Jacqueline de Ribes—so there.
Anthem's $999 MRX300 AVR features seven amp channels, four HDMI inputs, decoding of all Blu-ray surround formats, Anthem Room Correction (ARC) technology and Dolby Pro Logic IIz post-processing technology. The audio electronics company's first two A/V
All models feature Dolby Pro Logic IIz post processing to add front-height channels to a surround system. The feature is currently available in three ES-series models starting at $1099. The $500 7x100-watt STR-DN1020, due in May, also offers three
The four new Home Theater Receivers: VSX-521, VSX-821, VSX-921, VSX-1021 all feature 3D pass through and Audio Return Channel via HDMI ver1.4a connections, Dolby TrueHD/DTS-HD Master Audio decoding and Dolby ProLogic IIz processing.
Following in the footsteps of rival Dolby Laboratories' ProLogic IIz technology that debuted in 2009, which adds “height” speakers above the front channels, DTS unveiled its “Neo:X” format in Las Vegas. Surround sound in the standard 5.1-channel setup
