[WGH]

I have a lot of demo quality albums, what I play depends on the audience.



But I recently got the new Lindsey Buckingham album, surprisingly named Lindsey Buckingham (16bit/44.1kHz), released Sept. 17, 2021, that should please everyone. Recorded in Buckingham's backyard home studio, the album is his 7th solo album with Lindsey playing electric and acoustic guitars, guitar synthesizer, bass, synthesizer bass, keyboards, percussion, drum programming along with all the vocals and mixed on a the same massive mixing board that he has used since Fleetwood Mack's 1979 album Tusk. In a Sept. 9, 2021 Rolling Stone interview Lindsey said “I guess I could learn Pro Tools, but I think I could get lost in that.”

The resulting sound is pure California 3-D pop. The aural ear candy is wall-to-wall with a fine center image and plenty of space even though it is a studio album. Percussive instruments are placed throughout the mix. Bass is tight and clear without being "too much" like many pop songs. Lindsey's distinctive guitar is precise and not as piercing as on his 1992's Out of the Cradle, another solo outing often underrated and overlooked and also recorded in his home studio.

Lindsey Buckingham demonstrates all the huge spatial qualities and balanced tonality Hapa Cables are capable of and if you have the Aero USB you're in for a treat.
Plus it's good music, a quality often missing in demo tracks.

Available at HD Tracks in 44.1kHz/24bit and 16bit
https://www.hdtracks.com/#/album/6140dadd8ddfe05cced546dd

Lindsey Buckingham is starting his 2021-2022 tour and will be at the Fox Theater in Tucson, Sunday Dec. 5th. I'm thinking about it.
https://www.lindseybuckingham.com/tour

 

[Pez]

Wayne,
I just listened to the album. Really superb recording quality with really well defined guitar work and sparkle. Vocals are fantastic as well. It is apparent that Mr Buckingham was very much involved with the balancing of Fleetwood Mac albums as this one really accentuates the same sonic characteristics that are present in all of Fleetwood's albums.

I'm listening to it currently on my test system which currently consists of my iMac - Aero 1.5 meter (made for the tour!) iFi ZenDac signature - Quiescence S to ZenCan then feeding my soon to be released IEM cable to the brand new Unique Melody Mest Mk2s.

I want to post a few of my test tracks as well. I'm taking a moment between builds right now so back to work! 

[poseidonsvoice]

Wayne,

Thanks for sharing. Please also list your other reference tracks to share.

Best,
Anand.

[timind]

The Lindsey Buckingham album is available on Amazon Prime, gonna check it out.

[TomS]

And Qobuz, Tidal ...

[WGH]

In addition to the wide, expansive soundstage Hapa cables are capable of, they also allow the subtle mico-details to be heard. These are the sounds that make music sound alive, audience noises, chair squeaks and room echos. Pat Metheny's 2003 album "One Quite Night" is a quiet and intimate album with a huge soundstage and natural reverb, the finger squeaks on the strings are like listening live.

Much of the fun micro/low level information on "One Quiet Night" is below 34 Hz. The album will still sound great without a sub but the room really opens up with a sub that goes down to 18 Hz, it's not the music or guitar has bass that low, it's all those subtle cues that let you know if you are in a big or small space.



One Quiet Night
"Unlike most of our recordings that have involved lots of planning and sophisticated recording studios, this one started and ended with just a single guitar and a mic. This record is about essentially one sound, basically one mood, and taking the time to go deep inside that single world. I also feel obliged to add that the results here are also technically somewhat homemade - there are occasional flaws in the tuning and the recording itself - it was intended for nothing more than my own research and the pleasure of playing at home one night ."

https://www.patmetheny.com/features/onequietnight/linernotes.shtml

[krustykat]

Superb vocal separation, deep bass and vocal nuances you might miss when your grandkids play it on Alexa (over and over).  Also has stickers.

[Pez]

Todd is clearly the most serious listener here! 

Wayne,
I'll be listening to that Methany album this weekend when I have time to actually focus on the tunes. Thanks for the suggestions!

[nlitworld]

Even though it doesn't fix the lyrical nonsense, I will say that Red Hot Chili Peppers album Blood Sugar Sex Magic is fantastic with these cables. It's as if cable congestion were the Red Sea which parted and left nothing but clean articulate smooth sound of pure music. And holy crap does Flea's bass sound fantastic.

[Tyson]

Give it away give it away give it away now.