Analog Audio of Minnesota: New and Notable Music Event

What could be better than hanging out with some music heads who also happen to be audiophiles?  I did that this afternoon at the February Edition of Analog Audio of Minnesota’s “New and Notable Music Event.

Every last Saturday of the month (with a hiatus for the summer months) from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM,  Paul at Analog Audio hosts a primarily vinyl listening event in his amazing studio/showroom (see this blog entry for more information about this amazing space).  Paul presents 3 sides and a few surprise cuts from the latest and greatest audiophile pressings (180g, 45s, etc.).

This a fantastic opportunity to hear the best quality vinyl reissues through a great system. For me it was a great opportunity to be with my own kind.  Sign up on Audio Analog’s event section to be alerted of each month’s line up and be prepared for surprises too.

Don’t forget to bring some cash too as Paul always has a nice collection of high quality used jazz records for sale. I walked away with a wonderful near mint mid-80s Woody Shaw release on Muse (Setting Standards).

The take away from today’s event (besides a wax woody) was how much the little things matter in a listening room. Paul had  tweaked the room by placing his speakers (B1) on granite tiles to create a level and stable surface.  We listened to our first side (Grateful Dead – Live Dead ) and a couple of guys familiar with the side thought it sounded “veiled.”  Even though I was not familiar with the piece and an audiophile n00b I could tell it sounded a bit muddy.  We listened to a classical piece – and more mud.  Paul suspected the tiles and we removed them.  We listened to a new side and things immediately opened up.  We went back to the original Grateful Dead side and as one of the guys said “it is like a horse blanket has been removed from Jerry’s guitar.” Indeed it was like listening to new speakers. Lesson learned:  The littlest things can screw up a great listening room – see an early blog entry on the importance of tuning a room.