Audiophile Masters Volume IX is a Pure DSD 64 Stereo recording from Octave Records. It includes 10 tracks recorded in the familiar environs of Animal Lane and Octave Studios in high-resolution Pure DSD 64 Stereo audio, to capture the intimacy and impact of the performances with stunning fidelity.

The selections were recorded and produced by Steven Vidaic and Paul McGowan, and mixed by Paul and Jessica Carson, who also served as executive producers. Gus Skinas did the mastering.

Paul McGowan noted, “For Audiophile Masters Volume IX, we focused on acoustic music to showcase the ability of today’s best recording technology to convey every nuance of unamplified instruments and the purity of the vocalists. The clarity and presence of these recordings make you feel like the performers are right at home with you.”

This reference album starts off beautiful and familiar with Alexios Anest’s version of The Beatles’ While My Guitar Gently Weeps and is bookended with his rendition of Francisco Tárrega’s Capricho Árabe.

The light and airy vocals of Kyle Donovan comfortably move us forward with his original composition Jupiter. Octave fan favorite, Seth Lewis Quintet, gives us two great Jazz tracks Cagey and Sweet Leaf. These tracks include Octave artists Gabriel Mervine and Tom Amend.

Deal Me In gives us a familiar sound from another Octave favorite, Bonnie & Taylor Sims of Everybody Loves an Outlaw. Michael Wooten & Billy Hoke give us an audiophile treat with their drum duo The Big Groove. This is an audiophile reference album that belongs in every good music collection.

Alexios Anest (Tracks 1, 10)
Kyle Donovan (Track 2)
Monica Marie LaBonte (Track 3)
Seth Lewis Quintet (Tracks 4, 7)
Tyler Thompson (Track 5)
Bonnie & Taylor Sims (Track 6)
Michael Wooten & Billy Hoke (Track 8)
Joe D’Esposito (Track 9)

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Audiophile Masters Volume IV is a Pure DSD Stereo album that begins with a blast of straight-ahead jazz with Midwinter by the Briana Harris Quintet. This track exudes classic cool and a lush ensemble sound.

Fans of acoustic-based folk, country and Americana will love the amazing recording of Taylor Sims and Kyle Donovan’s acoustic guitar duo “Coming Home,” the dazzling guitar and mandolin flatpicking of Eric Wiggs on “Lickskillet”, Tyler Thompson’s earthy “Stone Tree,” and Bonnie and Taylor Sims’ “Caught Between” with its propulsive bluegrass feel and heavenly vocal harmonies.

For classical lovers, the Magee String Quartet offers a stirring performance of Smetana’s String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor.

For pure audiophile delight there’s Michelle Pietrafitta’s drum solo, “Thunder,” and guitarist Bill Kopper’s bossa nova-flavored jazz track, “Santa Amaro”. Finally, we offer the solo piano of Deborah Schmit-Lobis’ “Wapiti,” and Alicia Jo Straka’s “Au Printemps,” a beautifully-sung piece with accordion and piano that is evocative of a tranquil stroll down the streets of Paris.

The album was recorded in Pure DSD Stereo using Octave Records’ Sonoma DSD recording system at Animal Lane Studios in Lyons, Colorado.

Paul McGowan, PS Audio CEO, noted, “Audiophile Masters, Volume IV showcases our artists in musical and sonic settings where their talents can be heard at their absolute best. The clarity, natural vocal and instrumental timbres, superb resolution, and the way the pure DSD format captures the intimacy and depth of the recordings also makes Audiophile Masters, Volume IV an ideal reference disc for audio system setup and evaluation.”

Briana Harris Quintet (Track 1)
Tyler Thompson (Track 2)
Deborah Schmit-Lobis (Track 3)
Michelle Pietrafitta (Track 4)
Magee String Quartet (Track 5)
Bonnie Sims & Taylor Sims (Track 6)
Eric Wiggs (Track 7)
Bill Kopper (Track 8)
Alicia Jo Straka (Track 9)
Taylor Sims & Kyle Donovan (Track 10)

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Audiophile Masters Volume VII is a Pure DSD Stereo recording that is an audiophile’s treat. Ten stellar recordings of music that will delight the senses and show off your system’s resolution and imaging.

Start with Thom LaFond’s adventure into seeing music as colors in Synthesia, then let Bonnie Sims‘ soulful voice serenade you with the country classic, Lorena. Track after track, this high-end sampler of new, original music, coupled with a few traditional standards, is a must-have for any serious listener. Recorded in pure DSD, you can count on Octave to bring you only the finest in the recording arts.

The album starts off with Synthesia, a wonderful piece from Thom Lafond and Banshee Tree that musically expresses colors. Several tracks later, we’re enjoying the guitar pickings of Eric Wiggs, and then we go to the soulful country twang of Bonnie Sims. Before you know it, we’re on to some beautifully played piano pieces captured perfectly in Pure DSD.

The last three pieces on the album are Jazz from saxophonist, Briana Harris, keyboardist, Tom Amend, and closing out the album is trumpet master, Gabriel Mervine. Audiophile Masters Volume VII gives the thrill of stretching your high-end audio system’s limits to see what magic it can produce.

Banshee Tree (Tracks 1, 2)
Dylan McCarthy (Track 3)
Eric Wiggs (Track 4)
Bonnie & Taylor Sims (Track 5)
Deborah Schmit-Lobis (Tracks 6, 7)
Briana Harris (Track 8)
Tom Amend Trio (Track 9)
Gabriel Mervine (Track 10)

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Audiophile Masters, Volume II is a Pure DSD Stereo recording from Octave Records. It features 10 all-new high-performance tracks, ranging from a spacious string quartet by composer Michael McLean to the soulful funk of saxophonist Briana Harris, the acoustic guitar duo of Taylor Sims and Kyle Donovan, and an audiophile solo accordion performance that’ll put a smile on your face.

The tracks were lovingly recorded in Pure DSD using Octave Records’ Sonoma DSD recording system at Animal Lane Studios in Lyons, Colorado and the cavernous First United Methodist Church in Boulder, CO, to capture the sound spaces of the recording venues with ultimate fidelity and musical realism.

The album showcases an eclectic variety of musical styles and sounds. To name just a few: Michael McLean’s “Tango” is a string quartet piece that combines the ensemble’s lively playing with the warm acoustics of Boulder’s United Methodist Church, with every instrument clearly defined yet with a smooth ensemble blend. “Amethyst” by Briana Harris captures all the power and groove of her quintet, a sound that hearkens back to the classic jazz of the 1950s and 1960s.

The captivating “Me and My Baby,” an acoustic guitar duet by Taylor Sims and Kyle Donovan, conveys the harmonic richness, depth and sparkle of their instruments with stunning presence and clarity. And…an audiophile reference track featuring accordionist Alicia Jo Straka’s “Musette au Paris” will make everyone who hears it a believer – the instrument is recorded with remarkable depth, complexity and ambience.

Paul McGowan of Octave Records says “As with all Octave Records releases, our goal in releasing Audiophile Masters Volume II is to provide listeners with state-of-the-art audio quality, especially in a sampler album like this one that shows the full range of what we can do – but more importantly, we want the sound to communicate every nuance of our artists’ musical expressiveness.”

This is a limited edition Audiophile Masters album that will be a treasured addition to anyone’s library. Reference quality tracks. Each and every one a sonic gem.

Michael McLean (Track 1)
Briana Harris (Track 2)
Bonnie Sims & Taylor Sims (Track 3)
Alicia Jo Straka (Track 4)
Tyler Thompson (Track 5)
Taylor Sims & Kyle Donovan (Track 6)
Michelle Pietrafitta (Track 7)
Banshee Tree (Track 8)
Many Mountains (Track 9)
Bill Kopper (Track 10)

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