Music.Gear.Style. No.31 August 2010 Scorpions Sonus Faber Wolf Parade Sneak Peek The Lady GaGa Beer Snob Returns A Private Session with A&E’s Lynn Hoffman Mellencam Toronto’s Costello Hockey Museum Maiden B&W 805D BestCoast Si m 75 0 More Gear! Wavves More Music! Stereotypes Sound City Audio Classics Shelley’s Stereo Audio Vision S F Daytona Beach, FL 32114 Denville, NJ 07834 Vestal, NY 13850 Hi Fi Center San Francisco, CA 94109 386-253-7093 973-627-0083 607-766-3501 Woodland Hills, CA 91367 415-641-1118 818-716-8500 Sound Components The Sound Concept Home Theater Concepts Audio FX Coral Gables, FL 33146 Bedford Hills, NY 10507 Morton, IL 61550 DSS- Dynamic Sacramento, CA 95825 305-665-4299 914-244-0900 309-266-6640 Sound Systems 916-929-2100 Carlsbad, CA 92088 Audio Advisors Sound Image Audio and Global Sight & Sound 760-723-2535 Media Enviroments West Palm Beach, FL 33409 Video Design Group Sussex, WI 53089 San Rafael, CA 94901 561-478-3100 Carrollton, TX 75006 262-820-0600 L & M Home Entertainment 415-456-1681 972-503-4434 Tempe, AZ 85285 Independence Audio Freeman’s Stereo 480-403-0011 Pro Home Systems Independence, MO 64055 Advanced Home Charlotte, NC 28216 Oakland, CA 94609 816-252-9782 Theater Systems 704-398-1822 Joseph Cali Systems Design 510-653-4300 3800 Watts. Plano, TX 75075 Santa Monica, CA 90404 Definitive Audio 972-516-1849 Hi Fi Buys 310-453-3297 Overture Bellevue, WA 98005 Nashville, TN 37211 Winnington, DE 19803 360 lbs. 425-746-3188 Speaker Shop 615-832-3121 Systems Design Group 302-478-6050 Amherst, NY 14226 Redondo Beach, CA 90278 Audio Design 716-837-1557 Electronic System 310-370-8575 Devastating Bass. Fairfield, CT 06825 Consultants 203-336-4401 Aspen, CO 81611 Sunny Components 970-925-1700 Covina, CA 91724 © 2007 JL AUDIO, Inc. For more information on our complete line of subwoofers, please visit your local authorized dealer or www.jlaudio.com. Subwoofers pictured with grilles removed. In Canada contact GemSen Distribution at www.gemsen.com. 626-966-6259 U.S. PATENTS: #5,734,734 #5,949,898 #6,118,884 #6,229,902 #6,243,479 #6,294,959 #6,501,844 #6,496,590 #6,441,685 #5,687,247 #6,219,431 #6,625,292 #6,744,902 #D472,891 #D480,709 Other U.S. & Foreign patents pending. 124 t o n e s t y l e In Defense of 2.1 106 98 By Jeff Dorgay Toronto’s 106 Hockey Hall of Fame ©2009 AETN / Photo Credit: Billy Tompkins A Good Reason to Go North 48 features By Bob Gendron TONE’s Beer Snob Old School: 118 Three to Enhance Your Mood 11. PUBLISHER’S LETTER 42 Fix My Dual! By Bob Gendron 12. TONE TOON By Jerold O’Brien 127 By Liza Donnelly iPhone 4 A Private Session With A&E’s Turbocharged Smart Phone 48 Lynn Hoffman 122 By Jeff Dorgay FiveFingers Footwear Budget Gear: 124 Almost Barefoot 72 Logitech’s Squeezebox Touch By Rich Kent DC31 Mini Vac 12 5 The Small Dyson Really Sucks Journeyman Audiophile: 86 The Wadia PowerDAC 151 By Jeff Dorgay Smart Electric Drive 127 Look Smart, Be Smart 6 TONE A U D I O NO.31 August 2010 7 music previews 14. LIVE MUSIC: The TONE Staff 128. Sonus Faber Fenice Covers The Scorpions, By Ken Kessler Wolf Parade and Lady GaGa 135. The Loricraft Record Cleaner 24. CUrrent Releases: By Jeff Dorgay Fresh Releases in the Pop/Rock World By the TONE Staff 58. AUDIOPHIle pressIngs: reviews 142 Elvis Costello, Jeff Beck, Robin Trower, Canned Heat & John Lee Hooker, Can, 136. A Major Upgrade from C-J The Police, The Allman The Conrad-Johnson TEA-2SE Brothers and Four Blue Note By Jacob Heilbrunn XRCDs By the TONE Staff 142. B&W’s Latest Jewel 128 78. CLUB MIX: The 805D Summertime Funk By Jeff Dorgay By Scott Tetzlaff 154. Audio Research DSi200 94. JAZZ & BLUES: Somewhere Between Tubes Robert Randolph, Charlie Musselwhite, JJGrey and And Transistors Alan Johannes By Steve Guttenberg By Richard Colburn 164. Goldring Legacy Moving Coil Cartridge Light, Lithe and Lively By Lawrence Devoe 170. The Shuguang Treasure “Black Bottle” 6CA7 Tubes By Jerold O’Brien 174. Both Sides of the Moon Simaudio’s MOON 300D DAC and MOON 750D DAC/Transport By Jeff Dorgay 24. New from John Mellencamp 188. SLuMMiN’ Classics on the cheap 8 TONE A U D I O NO.31 August 2010 9 ecently I had a visit from a man in his 20s, new to the world of high-end audio. Of course, he oohed and aahed over all the gear I had staged for this issue’s photo shoot, but when I asked him what he’d like to hear, he said, R“I hate to admit it, I’m pretty much a rock guy. I’m really not into the audiophile-approved stuff.” He laughed when I told him I didn’t even own a Patricia Barber record. Fortunately, he’d come to just the right place. Seconds later, I cued up Audioslave’s first album on the Sooloos music server and cranked up “Gasoline.” He had a big smile as we went through a few more heavy tracks when I asked if he wanted to hear some vinyl. About 30 seconds into the recent MoFi release of Beck’s That was shock and awe! I’ve Sea Change LP, his eyes were closed and his feet were tapping, “ never heard the just like a seasoned audiophile. music I like After a little Snoop Dogg (hi res digital this time), we went sound like this. back to vinyl and spun some Clapton to wind up the session. His response? “That was shock and awe! I’ve never heard the music ” I like sound like this.” Interestingly, we found that we had a lot of music in common even though about 25 years separated us. But the hook was set and you could see it all over his face; my guest was having a great time with nary an audiophile-approved track to be heard. While I despise columnists who blather on with their lists of “rules,” I merely suggest one thing; if you’d like to further the cause for music and HiFi, play your guests’ music and let them discover. That’s always worked for me. 10 TONE A U D I O NO.31 August 2010 11 TONE TOON PUBLISHER Jeff Dorgay EDITOR Bob Golfen ART DIRECTOR Jean Dorgay r MUSIC EDITOR Bob Gendron M USIC VISIONARIES Terry Currier Tom Caselli STYLE EDITOR Scott Tetzlaff SENIOR Ben Fong-Torres CONTRIBUTOR CONTRIBUTING Bailey S. Barnard WRITERS Richard Colburn Lawrence Devoe Andy Downing Anne Farnsworth Adrian Goldsmith Joe Golfen Steve Guttenberg Jacob Heilbrunn Rich Kent Ken Kessler Mark Marcantonio Ken Mercereau Jerold O’Brien Michele Rundgren Todd Sageser Jaan Uhelszki UBER CARTOONIST Liza Donnelly ADVERTISING Jeff Dorgay WEBSITE bloodymonster.com ON THE COVer: Lynn Hoffman ©2008 AETN / Photo Credit: Eric McNatt tonepublications.com Editor Questions and Comments: [email protected] 800.432.4569 © 2010 Tone MagaZine, llc All rights reserved. August 2010 13 LIVE MUSIC The Scorpions Sleep Country Amphitheater Vancouver, Washington August 7, 2010 Text and Photos by Jeff Dorgay 14 TONE A U D I O NO.31 August 2010 15 LIVE MUSIC o one was snoozing Nwhen the Scorpions blasted onto the stage with the German power and precision of a Porsche Turbo motor screaming at redline, opening their 90-minute set with the title track off their recent album Sting in the Tail. After 35 years of touring, the Scorpions still deliver the goods, arguably as well as they did in the late 70s through the late 80s, the peak of their popularity. The only regret was that the setlist wasn’t long enough for 17 more songs. The group’s current lineup features founder Rudolph Schenker on rhythm guitar along with core members Mat- thias Jabs on lead guitar and singer Klaus Meine. Drummer James Kottak, who has been with the band since 1996, and relative newcomer, bassist Pawel Maciwoda, held up their ends of the bargain with a rock-solid founda- tion and a more than ample helping of attitude. Near the start, the band romped through “Bad Boys Running Wild” and “The Zoo” before slowing the pace with a few ballads. As soon as the sold-out crowd got comfortable swaying back and forth with lighters in the air, the Scorpions put the pedal to the floor again with “Tease Me, Please Me” and “Black Out,” dividing the classics with a thunderous drum solo. No, it wouldn’t be a real rock show without solos, and Kosak gave a textbook performance during his turn in the spotlight. (continued) August 2010 17 LIVE MUSIC Similarly, Jabs and Schenker were on fire all evening, trading a flurry of riffs and poses. Before the set’s close, the pair treated the crowd to a massive dual-guitar solo and took the dial past 11. The fist-pumping fans in the front rows looked like they were ready to trample the barrier and become one with the guitar gods onstage. The show ended with two of the Scorpions’ biggest hits from their triple- The Doug Fir Lounge platinum album Love at First Sting: “Big City Nights” and Portland, Oregon “Rock You Like a Hurricane.” April 26, 2010 Although the U.S. leg of the tour is over, the Scorpions Text and photos by Jeff Dorgay are headed to South America and Europe, appropriately finishing in their native Germany on November 27.