The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.

[TheMiddleSky]

Not the most technical, not the most limited, not the most expensive, but these combo set up truly amaze me so much. One set up at the end of 2024:

MA Alter Ego, Brise Audio Yatono LE, Ibasso DX340.

Had tried rolled cable for Alter Ego with many excellent cables (and much more expensive as well), Yatono LE remain my most favourite so far. The full body tone, combine with wide spacious soundstage and excellent "air" on top synergise well with AE. DX340 with clean, resolving, sweet vocal and spacious soundstage become the "perfect" cherry on top.

 

[Kiats]

Big shout out to @Uncle Wilson of Jaben SG. And to Wan and the Luxury & Precision team! Nice last audio goodie of 2024.

 

[tjzurlaaa]

Hmmm, was the Anni21 vote yours?

Maybe

 

[tfenton02]

2024 Top 10 Albums of the Year in Review

1.Nala Sinephro - Endlessness



My Personal album of the year! Every-time I hear it, I am captivated and drawn into another space. This to me is atmospheric jazz at its best. An easy listening album that will also challenge your notion of what jazz music is all about. It is an album that should be listened to in its entirety for maximum effect, preferably with the lights off or the eyes closed. A truly remarkable album, that oozes beauty, transformation and hope without ever saying a word. We need more of this music in times such as these.

2.Jeff Parker ETA IVtet - Way out of Easy



This album was a strong competitor for album of the year and thus it is my runner up and truly holds its own in the realm of long free form jazz music. This album was recorded live at the now defunct Enfield Tennis Academy bar in Los Angeles. This album has some serious grooves and motorik rhythms that just suck me right in to the space of this show and with each passing minute it just grows and grows on you and before you know it, I’m pushing repeat to have the experience all over again. Insanely tight band that seems to have some telepathy of one another at any given moment.

3. Cindy Lee- Diamond Jubilee



Another runner up for Album of the Year and worthy of all the praise it’s been getting. This album is literally a treasure chest of some of the best rock/pop/soul/psych music you might ever hear coming from a singular artist’s vision. This album reminds me of so many things because it is so many things. It is a super long listen and every track deserves its time in your ears and heart. I am blown away at the magnitude of truly great songs on display here. It is a masterpiece in the realm of indie rock and music in general. It is hard to put into words but these songs are catchy and will get stuck in your head for days and weeks. Enough words, just go listen to this NOW!

4. Jessica Pratt - Here In The Pitch



A career defining album for Jessica Pratt in my opinion. This album at first listen sounds like something you have heard your whole life but actually haven’t. It has that feeling of a warm comforting blanket that makes you want to keep listening. This album will without a doubt be a classic in the realm of folk-indie singer-songwriter. I have been a fan of Jessicas since the beginning and this album showcases not only her great writing ability but her voice has aged so gracefully and has come into its full being here. Her guitar picking and backing band are at the top of the game. This is one for the ages. Ultimately Satisfying!

5. Jabu - A Soft and Gatherable Star



A hazy, dreamy album steeped in early Cocteau Twins and drenched in reverb. This Bristol trio build dream pop epics with shimmering instrumentation. An album that I have listened to on repeat since its release. If you love HTRK, Mazzy Star, Cocteau Twins, etc. This album is up your alley. Full of emotion and atmosphere. Without a doubt, recommended.

6. Milan W. - Leave Another day



A dark and wonderful album. This one will crawl its way into your sub consciousness with its odd song structures, simple lyrical content and wonderful orchestration of instruments with club-level sub bass. Another album on repeat for me and an album that again sounds familiar but is so different from the rest, you can’t resist going back again and again. This is pop music at its most lush and weird.

7. Astrid Sonne - Great Doubt



A Danish composer known for her Viola and synth music lets her vocals out on this wonderful release. This album is captivating in the sense it brings together electronic synths, bass drops and quirky beats with real instrumentation and vocals that create a sincerity and honesty in the record that transcends time. Before you know it, it’s over and I want to start again. It’s a heavy and light record all at once and one that has been in my head most of the year.

8. Rafael Toral - Spectral Evolution



Long-form jazz-inspired guitar album slowed down and shifted with a multitude of synths and oscillators to create something wholly unique, beautiful and mesmerizing. Of course this is a very long track at just over 47 minutes, however if you take the time to listen, you may be transfixed and transformed by the transcendent tones and textures on display here. So many layers to uncover and it takes repeated listens to fully embrace. This is heady music, not for the faint of heart, please go in with an open mind. This album is already a classic for me.

9. Lifted - Trellis



“Across fractured jazz, pitch-shifted downtempo, revelatory guitar, and interstitial interplay, Lifted’s sound is one of flux, fragments, and filigree. Oblique harmonic synergies dusted in chance encounters and rogue acoustics. Diverse moods mapped with split strings and the space between notes. Music untethered by form or expectation, snaking like an ungrounded cable through a geodesic dome of deep-listening.” `Excerpt from bandcamp`

A truly mesmerizing listen. Full of texture and spaciousness. A new favorite right away for me. I could not sum it up as well as the bandcamp blurb above, but this album deserves repeated listens. It will immerse you.

10. Mizu - 4 / 2 / 3



A classically trained cellist with a knack for the experimental and cinematic. I have much love for the Cello and so many great modern cellist coming to the fore front of music today stretching the instrument beyond its classical roots i.e Maya Beiser, Lucy Railton to name a few. The first time I heard this album, I had so many “Whoa!” moments. The dynamics in the production of this album are sublime. It is not just all lush and dramatic, it draws you into another world all together. It is at once structured and concrete with swells of synth swaths and deep cello grunts with distant field recordings that mimic a dream state, sometimes wonderfully beautiful and others dark and contrasted. It’s a true artists vision in an album of weight, dread and emotion.



This brings me to the end of my Top 10 Albums of 2024. I have included links to every album's bandcamp page so if you love any album(s) please buy them as bandcamp gives the most to artists over any other platform. This years list was very diffcult to narrow down as I had well over a hundred albums I have loved this year alone. I chose the Ten I have been listening to the most and grabbed my brains attention. A lot of new music I just found this month that I did not put here as I did not have enough time with them. These albums here I have bought and lived with for many months or more. If anyone wants more of my recommendations please send me a pm, I am more than happy to share my extensive list. I hope everyone here enjoys something out of these 10. Happy New Year and Happy Listening.

​

What a gem of the post. All new discoveries for me. I can see 1, 2 & 3 on repeat for days. Thx for sharing.

 

[tfenton02]

Big shout out to @Uncle Wilson of Jaben SG. And to Wan and the Luxury & Precision team! Nice last audio goodie of 2024.

bling. I bet it sounds as good as it looks!

 

[tfenton02]

Not the most technical, not the most limited, not the most expensive, but these combo set up truly amaze me so much. One set up at the end of 2024:

MA Alter Ego, Brise Audio Yatono LE, Ibasso DX340.

Had tried rolled cable for Alter Ego with many excellent cables (and much more expensive as well), Yatono LE remain my most favourite so far. The full body tone, combine with wide spacious soundstage and excellent "air" on top synergise well with AE. DX340 with clean, resolving, sweet vocal and spacious soundstage become the "perfect" cherry on top.

3 recent regrets: selling Alter Ego, Orivetti Supremacy, Anni 23.

 

[Kiats]

bling. I bet it sounds as good as it looks!

Indeed! I have taking it through its paces with the HE-6, Susvara, Sol P and Immanis. Impressed! For a transportable amp. And lovely tube signature.

 

[tfenton02]

Dreamus Company, an SK Square affiliate, is restructuring to focus on its core music and entertainment business. To streamline operations, it will sell its device business, including brands like Astell&Kern and iRiver, to Miwang Co., Ltd. This decision aligns with the company’s strategy to strengthen its expertise and identity as an entertech leader. The sale includes overseas subsidiaries in Hong Kong and China. Dreamus will now concentrate on its music IP business, which encompasses platforms, content distribution, and performance planning.

According to Dreamus Company, the iRiver business division suffered an operating loss of 3 billion won in 2022 and 1.7 billion won in 2023. This year, it accumulated about 24 billion won in sales in the third quarter, but recorded an operating loss of 2.6 billion won.

Miwang, the company that acquired brands such as iRiver, was originally established as a textile company in 1966. It has since exited the textile business and is now focused on its real estate leasing operations, including the Miwang Building near Gangnam Station. A representative from Miwang stated, "As we were searching for new growth engines, we decided to acquire the device business that owns the long-standing brands iRiver and Astell&Kern."

This is one to watch. In reading the press coverage this caught my eye “Miwang, which acquired iriver, is a real estate specialist company established in 1966. Miwang stated that it will strengthen competitiveness and create solid growth by acquiring iriver.” Two things jumped out, Miwang is in real estate? Interesting. Secondly, having been involved in 100+ mergers & acquisitions with companies of all sizes I’ve learned the code words that are important. New growth engine means there is an expectation that you change the strategy to increase revenue scale to offset the premium investment. Probably means going downmarket, which to afford will strap R&D. Perhaps ancillary products, IEMs, but that’s quite the leap from collabs they’ve done. Again this will also bootstrap R&D. I don’t see the real estate company allocating significantly more to an R&D budget so it will be a matter of re allocation, I suppose.

 

[Kiats]

Taking the FitEar DC out for a spin with the Luxury & Precision EA4 10th Anniversary Edition.

 

[ddlo]

This is one to watch. In reading the press coverage this caught my eye “Miwang, which acquired iriver, is a real estate specialist company established in 1966. Miwang stated that it will strengthen competitiveness and create solid growth by acquiring iriver.” Two things jumped out, Miwang is in real estate? Interesting. Secondly, having been involved in 100+ mergers & acquisitions with companies of all sizes I’ve learned the code words that are important. New growth engine means there is an expectation that you change the strategy to increase revenue scale to offset the premium investment. Probably means going downmarket, which to afford will strap R&D. Perhaps ancillary products, IEMs, but that’s quite the leap from collabs they’ve done. Again this will also bootstrap R&D. I don’t see the real estate company allocating significantly more to an R&D budget so it will be a matter of re allocation, I suppose.

no idea about Miwang. but I don't see any good sign in the transaction for the brand either.

the acquisition price of AK & iRivier is just 5billion won, which is merely US$3.4M, seems indicating that the business will not (or has not) generate any significant profit at all (if not operate in red ink). very unlikely that portable audio could move more upmarket than where AK is doing now while maintaining or increasing the volume (thus turning a profit). just my gut feeling that the brand will, sadly, wither . . . .

 

[aaf evo]

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year wherever you may be!

 

[drftr]

no idea about Miwang. but I don't see any good sign in the transaction for the brand either.

the acquisition price of AK & iRivier is just 5billion won, which is merely US$3.4M, seems indicating that the business will not (or has not) generate any significant profit at all (if not operate in red ink). very unlikely that portable audio could move more upmarket than where AK is doing now while maintaining or increasing the volume (thus turning a profit). just my gut feeling that the brand will, sadly, wither . . . .

Nowhere it's mentioned that A&K hasn't been able to increase its profits though. If a business is durable and continues to deliver profits (so after all costs) then it's a win. The chicken with the golden eggs is one that barely needs any attention while still producing said eggs. What else could you possibly want as a business owner in a niche market?

drftr

 

[Leto Dal]

Nowhere it's mentioned that A&K hasn't been able to increase its profits though. If a business is durable and continues to deliver profits (so after all costs) then it's a win. The chicken with the golden eggs is one that barely needs any attention while still producing said eggs. What else could you possibly want as a business owner in a niche market?

drftr

I believe the relatively low purchase cost of 3.4m usd is an indicator for how well the company was doing.

 

[tfenton02]

I believe the relatively low purchase cost of 3.4m usd is an indicator for how well the company was doing.

There’s a couple of plays here. If its margin rich then that goose egg can be used to fund other ventures for Miwang, but at that price it’s hard to see that’s the business case. Other play for the business case is Miwang or their corp dev team see upside in growth through new markets (products/market segments). That’s hard to fathom they would be smart enough to understand high end audio market so perhaps their investment bankers brought them a business case. And quite possibly, I’ve seen this happen, the two CEOs met poolside at a Ritz and came up with this crazy idea. Yes that happens

 

[Aetherhole]

Loving just how easy the APX is to drive!

Running it off my Steamdeck oled has given me some great fun while I’ve been traveling and visiting family this week!