Click pics to enlarge. R, Ray at work.
Letter from NYC (23-9): Trip to VAS, Subwoofer Mania, and The NYC Midtown of Today
Written in Shenzhen.
Preview: I had an incredible Labor Day weekend that ranks as one of my most intense exposure to audio, which I shall surely write about soon. But first, something before that, also a full day. And there are also other outings waiting to be out.
For my time back in NYC, I had hooked up with fewer friends than I should have. Perhaps it's just a period of reflection: apart from running the necessary chores, I just preferred to associate with a few and have more time for contemplation.
About 2 weeks ago, I made the appointment to meet my dear friend and Medical School Classmate George and his lovely Wife BJ. The appointment was 6:30 pm at the Yale Club in Manhattan. Since this was my first and only foray into Manhattan from Queens, I decided to make the most out of it. So, I planned it out with Richard.
Richard's system has changed a bit, but not that much (his Previous System). His DAC is now a thoroughly modified ANUK, and the Subs used for Distributed Bass have increased in number to 6. As it is summer, he uses a pair of Classe monoblocks instead of tube amps.
The system has improved markedly since my last visit. This is a small listening area, but the sound he coaxed out of the system was much bigger than expected, a convincing demo of Distributed Bass. I hope Richard can contribute one day in an article. The sound field was deeper and images were bigger and taller. Dynamics was impressive. I suggested listening to Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony and it was very nice - we never switched to anything else and listened to a large chunk of it, time well spent.
Then Richard drove us to New Jersey to VAS. Steve is a good chump and Richard wanted to drop off his Nagatron Cartridge for him to repair. Steve is constantly collecting stuff and In the pics below you will see just the tip of the iceberg of his collection. I was very happy to watch his son Ray in action. Ray is a Pharmacist who chose to work with his father rather than in his own metier. He is by now a master in his own right and we talked about what's good and bad (not to be shared, too risque - you would be shocked how much they know about the innards). I just flipped when I saw Ray working (I just mistyped "woking" - yes, people now mistake woke for work, not these two though!). You know, for years I looked into the microscope as a pathologist and I love that vista. For the numerous and scattered mentions of VAS and their sterling Cartridge Restoration work, read these. Steve also gave me a surprise cartridge, and you shall read about it later in another article.
After walking us through the latest acquisitions (pics below), Steve and Ray took us to lunch at their fav Chinese Restaurant. The food was delicious and the Californian wine was excellent.
After lunch, Richard drove me back to Manhattan and let me off at Houston and Lafayette. I had 2 hours till my rendez-vous and went LP hunting. I steadily walked uptown, scoured my usual haunts (glad they are still there!) and acquired mostly dollar records and a couple that were a couple of bucks more. Cheap thrills. Classical LPs are much less sought after and mostly there for the attention. One does not need to buy re-issues.
Regarding this crop, the most astonishing sonically must be the o Berio (Erato). Phew! I dug the rare Kurt Sanderling Sibelius and Shostakovich. The mono records are great too! the Robert Gerle Westminster recording is all poise. And elegance suffuses every bar of the under-appreciated Jacqueline Blancard. Alicia de Laroccha is always splendid musically and sonically, and this Mozart/Bach issue os no exception. The Paray Berlioz, although a later Wing (Maroon label) is sonically much better than I thought!
Then I had a great time with George and BJ. The Yale Club is situated on Vanderbuilt Ave, just across from the western entrance of the grand Grand Central. The room above houses portraits of Clinton, the two Bushes and Cyrus Vance, among others. We had drinks and dinner on the patio, with its magnificent view. Thank you so much!
As we left, I walked the couple to their Madison Ave Bus Stop, and was astonished by all the Migrants around. Yes! This is near the Hotel that was used to house them. A reckoning, and an uncomfortable one, literally under several ex-presidents' gaze. And, yes, the smell of hashish seems to be around
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