This CD features some of Gary Moore's earlier works, which I personally felt was a period when he was musically most creative. I started checking out Gary's other works after I heard the "Still got the Blues" album. This is a compilation of Gary Moore in a more reflective, and certainly very romantic mood.

The album on the whole is very dark sounding to preserve the mood of music. My favorite track is no.4, Parisiene Walkways, a live take from the Blues Alive album, where the extremely long, intense guitar solo is worth the price to pay for the whole CD. Air guitar heads, ALERT!

Recording quality is pretty good for what is essentially a compilation album.

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This is one of my favorite classical CD featuring the guitar. Pepe Romero, by then declared a Spanish National Treasure performed, with the backing of Academy of St Martin in the Fields, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner.

Many would have probably heard the popular first two verses on Concierto De Aranjuez. And it is hauntingly beautiful in sound. The bitsream(predecessor of DSD) recording has a warm, golden hued tonality, with deep sound staging effect. The music can range from extremely quite guitar solo, before swelling full on with the orchestra joining in and back to guitar solo interplay.

Fantasia Para Un Gentilhombre is the second guitar concerto piece composed by Rodrigo. Though less well known than the earlier work, is just as interesting.

This Philips 1994 release is one of those very first classical CDs I have bought.



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This is one of my favorite symphony tunes. Tittled, "From the New World", it has a certain pompous feeling to it, which starts to build up on verse 3) Scherzo Molto vivace, and erupts gloriously at verse 4) Allegro con fouco. In fact, I am so crazy about the Symphony No.9 that I have many versions of it. This one conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra remains my favourite by far.

Recorded in Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam, October 1999, the sonics is very naturally warm yet distinctly transparent. I could hear Harnoncourt's breathing as he conducts through the quieter passages of the symphony, and in between the verses. The musical performance is at once emotionally nuanced, yet have very impressive dynamics and transient scaling when required. There's never a dull moment, especially when compared to Karajan's rendition on DG Gold label, which I felt while technically excellent but tend to sound a little too controlled at times.

But at the end of the day, I just basically like most of Dvorak's pieces. Until today, I still haven't found any two persons pronouncing Dvorak convincingly the same, or confirm the proper reading of the name. Perhaps someday, I'll be enlightened.

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cd8 + new ref3 - the first unit in asia is found in HK

please note the red resistors on the new ref 3

according to one reliable source, cosmetically the new ref3 is the same as the old one; the only difference being the red-coloured high-grade resistors used.

according to this person, "the modified version has great improvement on the background "noise". It's much quieter, with better separation and layering and increased musicality. the proportion of individual instrument are much more accurate. the differences can be very shocking in a large listening room."

have you put your deposit on one? i am doing my mathematics now.....


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I am quite a movie buff, and somehow, most of my favorite movies incidentally features John Williams on providing the soundtracks. Coincident? perhaps.

Featured here is a 2CD that chronicles John Williams 20th century movies work. From Star Wars, Jaws, Superman, E.T., Indiana Jones, Jurasic Park, Shindler's List and even Home Alone!. There are a few other surprising movies that you did not think was John Williams work.

Most of the tracks featured here are classically influenced, John Williams skillful and commercially viable presentation adds to the movie theme's familiarity enhances the overall enjoyment. Certainly a very positive introduction, in to the world of classical music in it self. This is the CD that got me started venturing in to the world of classical music.

And if your hifi system is capable at the resolving the atmospheric conditions of the recording hall or studio, big sound staging and have warm, inviting tonal colour pallete plus ample transient reserves, you'll love this 2CD set.

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those who are in the know would readily tell you that maggie is the "best-bang-for-the-buck" speaker on earth but they would also tell you the shortfall of maggie being too big for most dwellers and homes.

the magnepan team created the biggest shock at CES last week when they presented a pair of normal-sized maggie (i think it was MG1.6QR) driven by bryston electronics and giving out some seriously high-end sound. the shock came when they drew back the curtain to reveal a pair of tiny panels! (that mark winey was holding in the photo) despite the fact that the mini maggie were being augmented below 300Hz by a magnepan subwoofer module, the sound is unbelievably big and spacious. provisionally dubbed the "mini maggie," the speaker combines a ribbon tweeter with a small magneplanar mylar panel.

maggie has always been dubbed as "space-greedy" but the mini maggie are going to change that once and for all!

i am waiting in bated breath for its arrival. it is gonna be real cool HT/desktop speakers!

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The Original released in 1988.

Every blue eyed audiophile must have this CD/LP by now. So no introduction to the music is required. But still one of my favorites after all these years. The CD has been with me more than 10 years now, but still worthy of the occasional listen. Now that's evergreen.

The last few years saw the LP versions of the Famous Blue Raincoat and The Hunter attract feverish high bids at e-bay auctions, with prices close to USD$500 for mint condition samples! I never quite understood the reason for the meteoric prices, other than there's a lot more demand that supply could ever cope.

The 20th Anniversary Edition released 2008.

I think Miss JW and her recording company must have pick up the buzz, and decided to cash their cheques one more time by releasing the 20th Anniversary of the Famous Blue Raincoat. Comparing to the original, music wise, there's only 4 new tracks. Actually only 2 new songs. The night Comes On at track 10 and If It Be Your Will at track 12. The other 2 so called new tracks are, The Ballad Of The Runaway Horse(first heard on Rob Wasserman's Duets album) on track 11 and Joan Of Arc (Live) on track 13. The new release is also sonically cleaned up and remastered.

Sonically, compared to the original release, the 20th Anniversary version sounded cleaner, with more resolution and higher clarity. But the original has a warm and fuzzy feeling to it, that makes it somewhat more natural sounding overall. But nothing could prepare me for when I had a chance recently to hear the 45rpm 3LP version of the 20th Anniversary, played on an extreme high end, "Big Boy" set up. I was awe struck by how at once a recording can sound so beautiful and yet, tick all the right audiophile boxes at once. It's like having your cake and eat it! Maggielurva tells me there's only 6000 copies of these 45rpms in the market! If you're an audiophile and want the best replay of the Famous Blue Raincoat, it's the ultimate one!

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