Gershwin In DSD [DSD Bundle]

Job Maarse

Bruce Leek

This recording took place in December 1992 at Symphony Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah. The hall is noted for its clean acoustics, linear reverberation, and mid-range focus. As in most other Wilson Audio chamber and solo piano recordings, the perspective is close . . . as though the instruments are performing in your listening room.The piano is a nine-foot Falcone— an instrummt of unusual beauty in its harmonic richness as well as its left hand power.A spaced pair of omni-directional Schoeps microphones were used. This configuration yields a superbly accurate presentation of harmonics, timbres, and dynamics.The microphone preamps, designed and built by John Curl, are sophisticated, fully class A, direct-coupled units.

The master tape was recorded on the UltramasterTM, Wilson Audio’s exclusive 30 ips analog recorder. This instrument, designed and built by John Curl, is fully direct-coupled, and exhibits a record/playback Frequency bandwidth of over 45 KHz. 3M 996 mastering tape was used. Location monitoring was on a pair of Wilson WATT III/ Puppy II precision loudspeakers powered by a Spectral DMA-80 amplifier. At Wilson Audio, master tapes, and refs were evaluated on both the WATT/Puppy and on the WAMM series VII, powered by a variety of amplifiers including Mark Levinson, Audio Research, Krell, Spectral, Jadis, Rowland and Audio Note. Excellent compatibility was realized with all of these designs.This recording was made and mastered using the multi-patented CVT (Constant Velocity Transmission) technologies provided under license to Wilson Audio Specialties by MIT. The use of these technologies preserves details in the recording and mastering process that result in a record or CD with increased clarity and transparency. This ensures a more natural and lifelike representation of the original event. CVT and MIT are registered trademarks of Music Interface Technologies of Auburn, California.Both analog and digital mastering were performed at Wilson Audio’s mastering facilities in Provo, Utah.

The Wilson Audio Disk Mastering facility combines a superbly crafted and carefully modified German (Neumann) lathe and cutterhead with totally custom designed electronics. The signal path scrupulously adheres to the audiophile maxim that “less is more.” Starting with a Studer A-80 mastering playbackdeck with Ultramaster TM electronics – and MIT CVT Proline Terminator Series cabling throughout, the Neuman SX-74 cutter head is driven by Audio Research V-140 hybrid triode vacuum tube amplifiers.

Brad Michel

Jared Sacks