February 28, 2025

Friday Playlist

Since bringing the DeVore O/96 speakers home, I’ve had two listening sessions: last Sunday and today. Again, thanks to Giles for letting me monopolize his parlor for a temporary audio room. Since then, I’ve been going to his place about once a week—usually on Friday—for a listening session before having to retrieve the boys from school. This has worked out pretty well, but I’d be lying if I said I’m not ready for my audio room. Alas, ground has not even been broken on that project yet.

Playlist: 02/28/25

For my session today, I created a playlist of 21 songs— 02/28/25 —mostly taken from another playlist of Grammy winners for best engineered songs I found on Spotify. Several tunes were standouts.

But first, some general observations about my kit. I’m pretty pleased with the system I’ve built in less than a year—it was only September when Giles and I rode to South Carolina to fetch the Adcom components that I knew would be temporary, but not quite as temporary as they ended up being. Already, the whole system has changed for pretty entry-level to, well, damn nice. The Cronus III really sings, and the O/96es sound great with it. They are detailed and have a huge—tall, wide, and deep—soundstage. Their presentation is pretty neutral, in that no instruments or frequencies dominate, but ensembles are cohesive. They also highlight the original recording and any limitations, or expose details in them that I haven’t heard before. The O/96es dominate the small room and will likely sound even better in a larger one. I played with the placement a bit more today, but I am very happy with the way they sound—maybe not quite as magical as they did in Atlanta, but we’re getting there. I’m through spending money for now, until the system is in its new home—whenever that will be.

While the DeVores are forgiving as far as placement goes, I still don’t think they’re exactly dialed in to the room. The center of the soundstage felt a bit to the right, so I pushed and pulled the placement throughout my session today. I might bring a measuring tape next time, but I think I got them pretty well placed by the end of my listening today. Man, they are just gorgeous speakers in every way. I’m pretty sure I was enamored with DeVore’s Orangutan series the first time I saw them.

My playlist for today was eclectic both in style and age, though most of the songs were on the older side. While most sounded pretty good, as one would expect for Grammy winners in sound engineering, only a few really stood out, like the 2008-remastered “Heart of the Sunrise” by Yes. This song is accessible prog-rock, and Bill Bruford’s drums really sounded good: spacious and clear. Kip and I listened to this song on Austin last summer at Austin Home Systems. This is where I first heard a Rogue Cronus Magnum III powering some Dynaudio Evoke 30 speakers—a combo that really impressed me at the time, though the left and right channel were reversed, an issue I immediately pointed out to the salesman, but he seemed unconcerned and did nothing to correct it. Still, the system impressed, but it did not sound as good as the DeVores through the CMIII. Fragile will definitely make it to my listening queue.

Man, I love those big-baffled beauties. All that wood...

Another song that sounded good was Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees”—a song I might have to play for my 1102 students. Thematically, it’s a Pygmalion tale and a meditation on artificiality, consumer culture, and emotional exhaustion. The song juxtaposes organic imagery with synthetic, lifeless constructs—plastic trees, rubber plants, and the empty promises of modern life. Thom Yorke’s plaintive falsetto conveys a deep sense of melancholy, as if mourning not just a failed relationship but an entire world numbed by its own artificiality. The track’s slow build, from delicate acoustic strumming to a sweeping, sorrowful crescendo, mirrors the emotional weight of realizing that so much of what surrounds us—love, ambition, beauty—can feel manufactured and insincere. Yet, within its bleakness, “Fake Plastic Trees” also captures a quiet longing for something real, a fragile hope buried beneath the weight of disillusionment. It’s a song about modern alienation, but it resonates because, deep down, we all want something genuine. This song presented a clear soundstage during the soft parts with Yorke’s legato voice front-and-center, but got a bit jumbled during the rockin’ sections. The amp was in triode mode, which may have had something to do with the weaker presentation. I need to revisit this excellent song, and really the entirety of The Bends.

Toto’s “Rosanna” is one of a few yacht-rock tunes on the playlist, and they all sounded pretty good. Toto’s sweeping love song is a yachty staple: with its jazz and funk influences, the song blends tight musicianship with an infectious groove. The melody is both soaring and soulful, with a call-and-response dynamic between the verses and the explosive, anthemic chorus. But it’s the jazz-fusion outro jam that grooves hard yet feels effortlessly smooth, a balance few bands could pull off as well as Toto.

Dire Strait’s “Brothers in Arms” may have been the best engineered song of the lot. The drums were particularly clear, and perhaps even a bit too forward. It begins with a building storm that was like thunder filling the whole cinematic soundstage. Musically, the song is built around a slow, almost hymn-like progression, with swelling synth pads and sparse percussion that add to its solemn atmosphere. Knopfler’s restrained, almost whispering vocal (his signature mumbling style can also be heard in “You and Your Friend”) delivery lends an air of resignation, as if he’s delivering a eulogy rather than a war protest. His lead guitar work—particularly the mournful, soaring solo—feels like an extension of that grief, speaking where lyrics fail. The verses, delivered from the perspective of a dying soldier, reflect on the senselessness of conflict and the shared humanity of those on both sides. The closing lines—“We’re fools to make war on our brothers in arms”—are simple yet deeply affecting—a reminder of war’s ultimate futility and an insight we could all benefit from in these uncertain times.

OK, this is getting too long, so one more. The most surprising tune was from Doc Severinsen off of his 1988 Facets: a cover of Duke Ellington’s signature “Take the A-Train.” It has a pretty distinctly 80s sound for me, as I was listening to a lot of Maynard Ferguson back then, and Doc feels like a mini-Maynard, blending old-skool big band sound with a more radio-friendly pop sensibility. The recording is excellent, like Maynard’s later stuff, with a parred-down ensemble—a smaller big band if you will. Severinsen keeps the swing, but slows the tempo down and adds a bit of a bouncy funk groove.

I could write more, but I think that’s enough for now. Hopefully, I’ll have some audio room progress to report soon.

Reference Audio System (02/2025)
Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum III Stereo Tube Integrated Amplifier • Gold Note DS-10 Plus DAC • Gold Note PSU-10 EVO Power Supply • DeVore Fidelity O/96 Speakers • REL T/9x 10" SE Powered Subwoofer (Racing Red) • PS Audio Duet Power Center • Morrow MA3 Interconnects • Tellurium Q Black II Speaker Cable