![The Art of Cable](https://cdn.magzter.com/1394478161/1652171766/articles/D5dUMAPlR1653912623381/The-Art-of-Cable.jpg)
I have this friend, a smart, good-looking young physicist from Argentina. Naturally, I call him "Gaucho." He lives in a glistening-white steel-and-glass apartment overlooking lower Manhattan. I visit him regularly, usually with a group of audio friends, mainly to compare recordings, drink wine, and talk hi-fi.
One day, unexpectedly, Gaucho invited me over to listen to his system-just me-so that I could tell him what I "really think" of his system's sound.
His digital source is Roon into a dCS Rossini DAC and Master Clock. His record player is the latest SME 20/3 turntable with an SME V arm and a Dynavector XV-1s moving coil cartridge, which feeds a van den Hul Grail SE trans-impedance phono stage. These fine sources feed a 25W Kondo (Audio Note Japan) Ongaku integrated amplifier, which drives a pair of Avantgarde Generation 2 Duo Mezzo horn loudspeakers.
The day I visited Gaucho, it was snowing, and the big flakes swirling past his floor-to-ceiling windows put me in a pleasant, dreamy mood. While I sat on the white couch sipping black tea, he played three digital recordings followed by three LPs. I was listening mindfully but not critically, hoping to get a feel for the character of sound energy coming from the horns.
After the third black disc, he stopped and asked me quietly what I was thinking about the sound. I told him that the main thing I noticed was how all the recordings sounded equally nice, but that both digital and analog sounded strangely the same: ethereal, slightly generalized, and lower in density and contrast than I imagined they should. Had he ever noticed anything like that? He said, "No, but it sometimes feels like there are holes in the music. Not centerfill or soundstage extension-it's just this feeling that some notes have somehow disappeared."
Denne historien er fra June 2022-utgaven av Stereophile.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra June 2022-utgaven av Stereophile.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
![My last Far East trip](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1789372/aEItiXEGu1724762735486/MY-LAST-FAR-EAST-TRIP.jpg)
My last Far East trip
First comes the anticipation, that initial jet of warm water, that miraculous searching, finding the sweet spot, then heaven on earth as it cleans and caresses.
![Riding the Common Wave](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1789372/m5s8eYaZl1724762611904/RIDING-THE-COMMON-WAVE.jpg)
Riding the Common Wave
In the e-commerce era, brick-and-mortar dealerships must give customers compelling reasons to stop by. Los Angeles hi-fi dealership Common Wave's owner Wesley Katzir keeps customers coming through the door with a simple idea: that music matters in our everyday lives and that what he enjoys, other people will enjoy, too.
![Mind Games to the bottom of the rabbit hole](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1789372/X4tEo86l21724762439034/MIND-GAMES-TO-THE-BOTTOM-OF-THE-RABBIT-HOLE.jpg)
Mind Games to the bottom of the rabbit hole
After a wild decade in the biggest pop music group ever, John Lennon's post-Beatles years were spent in protest, in various kinds of therapy, in immigration court, and in search of a new musical identity.
![Trane meets the Motor City](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1789372/4-LZL7hkh1724762332940/TRANE-MEETS-THE-MOTOR-CITY.jpg)
Trane meets the Motor City
Detroit became a destination for migrating African Americans early, starting with the Underground Railroad; the city's proximity to Canada was convenient for those seeking to escape Southern slavery.
![Vital art never rests](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1789372/8Uk3N32Tf1724762169534/VITAL-ART-NEVER-RESTS.jpg)
Vital art never rests
At this late date, it seems impossible that there could still be \"lost\" albums lingering in the vaults by musicians as important and successful as Johnny Cash and Paul McCartney.
![DUKE IN 10](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1789372/Ped4C6r-R1724761656461/DUKE-IN-10.jpg)
DUKE IN 10
TO COMMEMORATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF DUKE'S DEATH, ROBERT BAIRD SELECTS A DOUBLE HANDFUL OF EXEMPLARY TRACKS FROM PERHAPS AMERICA'S GREATEST MUSICAL GENIUS.
![Piega Coax Gen2 811](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1789372/EcFc4VTnI1724761024565/PIEGA-COAX-GEN2-811.jpg)
Piega Coax Gen2 811
It's funny how we discover some music in unexpected, twisting ways.
![Pass Laboratories XP-27](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1789372/6qbCjKWEC1724760143040/PASS-LABORATORIES-XP27.jpg)
Pass Laboratories XP-27
One of the pleasures of reviewing-and also using-products from Pass Laboratories is an encounter with Nelson Pass's writing, which can usually be found in the owner's manual and is always competent, insightful, and sometimes funny.
![EMT 928 II](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1789372/2Vty9XUsU1724759639934/EMT-928-II.jpg)
EMT 928 II
Modern turntables are a paradox.
![Dynaudio Contour 30i](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1789372/YoRj_o-0w1724758944223/DYNAUDIO-CONTOUR-30I.jpg)
Dynaudio Contour 30i
Ah, Denmark. Land of the Vikings and blue-eyed, blond-haired folk with faces sculpted just so.