The Muse Newsletter
A monthly celebration of music, gear and events for the audiophile community
| The Audiophile Foundation Debut at AXPONA
AXPONA was bustling this year with over 9,000 reported attendees, proving that the audiophile world is alive and well in the Midwest. Always looking for an excuse to visit my birthplace, the Windy City, I, along with Larry Deniston, Jim Hunton and John Hughes took Chicago (or to be more precise, Schaumburg) by storm extolling the virtues of the Audiophile Foundation. Yes, for a whirlwind weekend, we were Audiophile Foundation evangelists…our mission to spread the word to the greater community of our mere existence. Thank you, fellow evangelists!
Thank you, AXPONA, for donating to us an exhibit hall booth, a Master Class Session and a full-page advertisement in the on-site brochure. A big thanks also goes to Nelson Pass for donating a Pass Labs F7 First Watt Amplifier for our on-site drawing. Thank you to Andrew Jones and MoFi for allowing us to use their room for our Audiophile Foundation pizza party. Thanks also goes to Jeff Kalina our Director of Marketing for orchestrating this entire event. Unfortunately, Jeff fell ill at the last minute and missed all of the fun. :(
Some key takeaways from our on-site conversations:
- Most of the attendees had no club affiliation and no clear means of finding local audiophiles.
- Most of the attendees were from Chicago metro and adjacent states (Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan).
- Most attendees who knew about the Chicago club didn’t join because they were not close enough to where the events took place.
- Every attendee I spoke with, thought that having a tool to help them find local audiophiles, get non-biased advice from other audiophiles and meet audiophiles in other areas would be very useful.
- Dealers and manufacturers were supportive as a way of reaching the greater community at a more affordable price. As a result, we signed up approximately 75 audiophiles wanting to get on our mailing list to receive the Muse. We are hopeful that they will want to join as well.
| The Elephant in the Room is the Room!
By Manrique Zuniga
As an avid listener, I love exploring new ways to fine-tune the sound in my room because it offers me hours of listening bliss. Those caught on the component upgrade merry-go-round may overlook the sonic improvement room treatments can offer to the listener. Absorption and diffusion are forms of room treatment centered on better sound quality. Optimizing your environment can allow your current equipment to perform at its best.
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A Beginners Guide and Other Thoughts on Audio - Chapter 5: Noise Reduction
By Roger A. Modjeski & Anthony Chipelo
This month’s Roger’s Corner focuses on a topic very near and dear to Roger. As an audio designer and repair technician Roger certainly had a few pet peeves. However, the one that annoyed him the most was noise. Roger was well known for designing quiet components. His tolerance for noise levels in his designs was well ahead of his peers especially given that Roger’s circuits used vacuum tubes. In this month’s chapter Roger details how to test for noise in your system and provides several suggestions for solving noise issues.
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Upcoming Foundation Events
|  | Cookie Marenco of Blue Coast Music
The Six Degrees Of Degradation: Getting the original sound to the recording and from the recording to the consumer's playback system.
Thursday, May 2, 2024
6:00 PM PST
The Audiophile Foundation is proud to present a virtual evening with Cookie Marenco, founder and CEO of Blue Coast Music.
Cookie has been in the music business for decades and has worked with many different recording artists. She will talk about her roots, the founding of Blue Coast Music (https://bluecoastmusic.com/), her music production experience and her DSD recording techniques.
What is the difference between "The Mix" and "The Master"? Cookie has often given seminars on "The Six Degrees of Degradation". There are a lot of ways to degrade the original sound of a recording in these 6 areas of getting the music from the recording to the consumer's playback system:
1) Recording
2) Mixing
3) Mastering (and Remastering)
4) Manufacturing or prepping files for distribution
5) The download or streaming service
6) Consumer Playback
Cookie will also talk about the differences between mixing, mastering, and the between a Master and re-mastered track.
Find out how Cookie works her magic to get the most out of the process from recording to production.
This is a free event to Foundation members and the public, but you must register to receive the Zoom meeting link. The link will be included in your registration confirmation email.
|  | How to Buy and Sell Used Equipment
by Jeff Kalina and Manrique Zuniga
Wednesday, May 8
6:00 to 7:00 PM PST
Join Jeff and Manrique virtually for an informative discussion about buying and selling used HiFi gear. They will talk about some of the "ins" and "outs" around this sometimes challenging experience including:
- Where to shop
- Where to sell (Audiophile Foundation website of course!)
- What to look for
- How to know if it's a good price
Attendees will be encouraged to participate and share their experiences.
This is a free event to Audiophile Foundation members and the public, but you must register to receive the link to the Zoom meeting:
| Introduction to DIY - Basic Lab and Soldering Techniques and Build a Phono Stage!
by Ori M-S
Sunday, June 2 *
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM PST
California Historical Radio Society, Alameda, CA
This is an introductory class for those who want to build and experiment with electronic equipment. First you will learn how to identify parts and solder them on a printed circuit board (PCB).
In the supervised soldering practice you will build a kit of a moving-magnet (MM) phono pre-amplifier. Soldering alone is not enough, because sometimes you encounter problems with your project.
For that reason, you will also learn how to use basic test equipment. You will learn how to use a multimeter to measure voltages and calculate current using Ohm's Law.
You will also learn how to use low-cost signal generator and oscilloscope to test audio circuits.
* Note, there will also be two Zoom meetings as part of this class, one on May 29th at 6:00 PM to talk about basic electronics and one after the class on June 19th at 6:00 PM to check in on progress with your project.
| MSB Technologies at AV Integration in San Rafael
Saturday, June 8th
11:00 AM to 3:00 PM PST
The Audiophile Foundation is pleased to announce this exciting in-person event highlighting MSB Technologies digital products at the Audio Video Integration store in San Rafael.
Daniel and Jonathan Gullman, the principles at MSB, will talk about their history, approach to digital and what's new and innovative. Tony Probst of Audio Video Integration is excited to host this event where attendees will be able to experience a listening session with MSB gear.
There is a nominal fee for Audiophile Foundation members and the public.
| New Foundation Events Planned
Keep an eye out for upcoming Foundation event announcements - some great events we're planning for the new year are listed below:
Keep an eye on your email for more information about these events!
| Audiophile Foundation Website Review
By Larry Deniston and Larry Gee
On April 3, 2024 Larry and Larry reviewed the latest updates and navigation techniques on the Audiophile Foundation website. If you missed this presentation or would like to review it, please see our YouTube Video.
| Kevin’s new Toy
Schiit Mjolnir headphone amp.
Thor’s Hammer, indeed!
Greetings Audiophiles!
A new toy finally arrived. The popularity of this toy held up delivery for a few months. Worth the wait.
A number of years ago the SFAS had a headphone and headphone amp event. I was one of the attendees and one of the organizers.
I wrangled headphones and headphone amps from vendors. Some other members brought their setups. It was enlightening.
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Audiophile Foundation
Website Highlights
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Members' Systems
Don't forget to add your system to our "Members Systems" forum:
The picture above is David Hicks' bedroom system - kidding! :)
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Buy and Sell Locally Forum
Check out these tasty listings that have been added over the past few months:
And don't forget to set your favorite forums to notify you of new content by clicking on the "My Forum Preferences" button.
| In Memorium
Michael Cuscuna 1948 - 2024
Michael Cuscuna, a titan in the world of jazz, passed away on April 20, 2024, leaving behind a legacy that will resonate for generations.
Michael is survived by his wife Lisa, his children, Max and his wife Jackie, and Lauren, and two grandchildren, Nicolas and Penelope Cuscuna. His passing leaves a void in the hearts of all who knew him. May he rest in peace, and forever be remembered as he will be deeply missed.
Throughout his career, Michael possessed a curiosity for unearthing unissued jazz recordings, delving into the vaults of record labels looking for hidden gems. In 1975 his search led him to the great Blue Note vaults – unlocking a treasure of unissued material by the great jazz legends.
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North America's longest running HiFi audio trade show, T.H.E. Show, now in its 28th year, this coming June 7-9, 2024 in Costa Mesa, CA!
June 7th - 9th 2024
Hilton Orange County, Costa Mesa
Early Bird Tickets are selling so quickly they are starting to run out so don't wait. Get yours now for June 7-9, 2024 at the Hilton Orange County Costa Mesa, CA while they are still deeply discounted. Make sure to check out the brand new VIP tickets as well as our traditional single-day, two-day, and three-day passes.
|  | The Los Angeles Audio Show
January 17 - 19, 2025
Hilton, Orange County, Costa Mesa, CA
The Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society and the Chester Group jointly present The Los Angeles Audio Show '25.
Los Angeles, California - The Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society, Bob Levi, Chairman, will host The Los Angeles Audio Show ‘25 at the Hilton Orange County Costa Mesa Hotel on January 17-19, 2025, premiering the finest high-end audio components and loudspeakers from the world's best manufacturers and dealers. Open to the public, The Los Angeles Audio Show will focus on the industry leaders building the finest components for music in the home. Meet the world's most renowned reviewers and audiophiles, enjoy extraordinary hospitality, and immerse yourself in an exclusive event produced by audiophiles for audiophiles!
Note: The Audiophile Foundation will have a presence at the show, plus there will be a show discount for Foundation members once the signup is available and there will be some added perks for members.
| Find all the latest audio show info at the following link under our "Benefits and Resources" page:
| | Long-Awaited Pearl3 DIY Phono Preamp is finally here!
By Ori K Mizrahi-Shalom
Here are my initial thoughts of the circuit highlights. The input is similar to the Pearl and Pearl2, utilizing four parallel low-noise JFETs with a cascode circuit and a voltage stabilizer circuit supplying clean power. This single-ended circuit is running off a 15V positive supply. Unlike previous generations, the amplified signal of the input stage is further amplified by an opamp U1A.
| The Ultimate James Bond Medley - Every song from the 25 movies including No Time To Die!
Sent by jazzfan
Music will find a way.
This months video is an example of one of the many unexpected gems that formed from the Covid-19 pandemic, a wonderful cover of 25 songs from Bond movies produced by Alchemistic Records based in the UK - The Ultimate James Bond Medley - Every song from the 25 movies including No Time To Die!
Bonus points if you can name all 25 original artists.
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Music Picks
Our monthly feature where our members can share their favorite old or new music selections.
"One who knows the secret of sound, knows the secret of the whole universe".
- Hazrat Inayat Khan
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Grant's Guitar Corner Music Pick
By Grant Stoner
In light of Dicky Betts recent passing, I’m reviewing an album most of us have heard many times. The Allman Brothers Band at Fillmore East. Capricorn records 1971 vinyl.
The Allman Brothers featured 2 of the best guitarists of the early '70s, Duane Allman and Dickey Betts. Duane was one of the best slide guitar players ever, but after his untimely death at 24 years of age, Dickey had to take over on slide as well. I think Dicky was slightly overlooked as Duane was such a unique talent, but you can hear on this album, both are great, tasteful players.
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Al Hirt & Ann-Margret – Beauty and the Beard
By Dave Hjortland
Whoever thought of the unlikely pairing of trumpeter Al Hirt with singer/actress Ann-Margret on a record album somehow struck gold. These two talents play off of and complement each other to create a musical experience which is greater than at least most of the work either of the two produced separately. The songs are “standards” of the “American Songbook,” but here they are not mere chestnuts of the past. They are interpreted and infused with a kind of light-hearted good humor not often conveyed through recorded music. In other words, this is a helluva fun album and a good listen.
|  | Felix Laband's, Deaf Safari
Oola’s May Music Pick
Since I released my own album earlier this year, many people have asked what my musical influences were when I was first beginning to compose. That’s a difficult answer to pin down as I can remember so many styles of music being played by my family and in my neighborhood from the time I could walk until the time I walked out of my childhood home. But, given that I started to compose in the late teens of this century when I was just out of my own teens, I think I can say that Felix Laband’s 2015 album, Deaf Safari was the inspiration for me to sit down and compile all of the different influences that shaped my musical tastes and try and regurgitate them into an album that reflects my own experience of being alive in these turbulent times.
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The Foundation Needs Your Help
We need volunteers to help with the running of this awesome organization. Your help can be in the form of becoming a board member or helping with specific tasks. Some key areas where we need help include getting out our newsletter every month as well as:
- Website support - content input, site maintenance, membership management, etc.
- Newsletter and communications support - content development and input
- Board Positions - are you interested in becoming a Foundation Board Member?
- Other support - let us know where your interests lie and we can find a niche for you
If you can spare a few hours, or even a few days a month as a volunteer, your time will have an impact. If you would like more information about any of the volunteer opportunities available, click the button below to send a note to Volunteer Services to discuss joining our team.
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Suggestions or Submissions?
Our Leadership Team wants to hear from you! If you have something written up about some music you'd like to share, or piece of equipment you're fond of, or an idea for a presenter or event, just send it to contact@audiophilefoundation.org.
The Muse Publication Team
Editor-in-Chief: Leslie Lundin
Editor: Larry Deniston
Editor: David Hicks
Editor: Larry Gee
Editor: John Hughes
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