![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."
Bu hikaye Stereophile dergisinin June 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Stereophile dergisinin June 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
![AURAL ROBERT](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1623477/3as7OLE6v1709644356322/AURAL-ROBERT.jpg)
AURAL ROBERT
Another \"outlaw\" country artist
![Nina Simone: Wild Is the Wind](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1623477/NUudrqfCZ1709644189146/NINA-SIMONE-WILD-IS-THE-WIND.jpg)
Nina Simone: Wild Is the Wind
By all accounts, Eunice Kathleen Waymon, aka Nina Simone, who passed in 2003, was a troubled person and a brilliant artist. Why she was not more acclaimed during her lifetime is a question several recent film projects have tried to answer. Did her fierce stand on civil rights lose her fans?
![Vintage hi-fi, old and new](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1623477/9V169qqI41709644015708/VINTAGE-HIFI-OLD-AND-NEW.jpg)
Vintage hi-fi, old and new
Many audiophiles and serious music lovers are passionate about vintage. Vintage has become a popular \"way in\" to the hobby, especially popular among younger folks.
![Tekton Moab Be](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1623477/MR2cBU-h81709642995604/TEKTON-MOAB-BE.jpg)
Tekton Moab Be
LOUDSPEAKER
![ARCAM Radia A25](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1623477/8oNjD9G5g1709641795556/ARCAM-RADIA-A25.jpg)
ARCAM Radia A25
INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER
![Wharfedale Heritage Series 90th Anniversary Dovedale](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1623477/8dqAdSJVJ1709641189760/WHARFEDALE-HERITAGE-SERIES-90TH-ANNIVERSARY-DOVEDALE.jpg)
Wharfedale Heritage Series 90th Anniversary Dovedale
LOUDSPEAKER
![Technics Grand Class SL-1200/1210GR2](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1623477/GDbpcdYe11709640851506/TECHNICS-GRAND-CLASS-SL12001210GR2.jpg)
Technics Grand Class SL-1200/1210GR2
RECORD PLAYER
![Thrax Audio Siren](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1623477/ltgL2K0DI1709638801138/THRAX-AUDIO-SIREN.jpg)
Thrax Audio Siren
Based in Bulgaria, European audio company Thrax has been active since 2009.
![EMM Labs MTRS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1623477/W6zv_VifQ1709636373331/EMM-LABS-MTRS.jpg)
EMM Labs MTRS
STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER
![SPIN DOCTOR](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1623477/cjvez7_hL1709635587345/SPIN-DOCTOR.jpg)
SPIN DOCTOR
Alternative phono cartridge technologies and the DS Audio DS-W3 optical cartridge system