Gramophone’s Favorite Things

Music Definitely Matters

Things are busy here in the Gramophone offices. People are running up and down through the store, papers are flying, phones are ringing, coffee cups are filling to the rim (and then refilling). But why?

Well, ladies and gentleman, allow me to fill you in on the current events of the Gramophone world. On July 29, Gramophone is teaming up with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Style Magazine to put on an event that is so amazing, so exciting, so grand, that I almost wish it were smaller so that I would not have to stuff so many envelopes. But alas, there comes a time in every intern's life when she (or he) must stamp an envelope. Luckily, this does not happen here often. Plus, we were able to lure in a few other employees here to stuff and stamp, but I digress...

We are inviting everyone to this event, because we know it will be something worthwhile! The wine will be flowing, the hors d’oeuvres will be available for the picking, and the audio systems will be playing your favorites all night long. And the best part about it? We have special guests! Members of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will be joining us at the event. Not only do we have music equipment, but we also have music experts.

Come for some intellectual conversation (or small talk, whichever works for you), free food and wine. Seriously, what could be better than that? So, you MUST be interested by now. If so, here are some of the details of the event for you:

When: July 29th 6pm-8pm
Where: Gramophone Timonium
Cost: $0.00 (donations to the BSO's Music Matters campaign will be accepted)
Parking: Complimentary Valet Parking
RSVP to musicmatters@gramophone.com or 410-308-1650

-Connie

P.S. Did I mention this is all free? As in, you can just walk right in. No admission. No cover charge. No entrance fee. No parking fee. No conversation fee. No drinking fee. No eating fee. No standing fee. No listening fee. No, uh,... well, I think you get it by now.



*Also in attendance:

• Ryan Donaher & Ken Forsythe from Meridian Audio


• Jeff Allen & Vince Buzzese from Totem Acoustic


• Marty Bartelstone & Jim Price from PSB Speakers & NAD Electronics

Deep Fried ... Electronics.

Summer brings thunderstorms, and thunderstorms bring lightning damage to your electronics. Wouldn't it be a bummer to come home from a weekend away only to find the smell of blown power supplies filling the air.  Yep, that's the smell of the surge that fried your beloved TV and surround system.

You can avoid this heartbreak by using quality component surge protection systems, which serve in several capacities.

1. They provide much needed surge protection to your valuable electronic equipment, from components to your TV.  Don't be fooled: The $15 power strip you buy isn't going to protect your system from that catastrophic event.
   
2. Have you heard about power conditioning? It's a very important part of digital processing now.  Just about all of your components are digital. Your cable box or satellite system, Blu-ray player & TV are all digital. A good surge protector/ power conditioner will remove noise* from your AC power and the result is better sound & picture.
3. Now what are those other connections?  It's a pretty good bet that you have cable or satellite for TV. All of your components are connected to a surge protection system, but if the lightning strikes the incoming cable line or satellite dish, guess what...you just got fried. Now with these extra connections, your coax cable goes through the surge protection system. Even if you have a dish system your incoming coax cable and phone line at that location will be protected. Pretty cool, eh?

* Noise: There are many things in the house that put noise into your power. From your refrigerator to your central air compressor, these all create big problems in our already overtaxed power grid.  This noise becomes part of the audio and video in your system. remove the noise and get better performance.

So if you've spent a good chunk of change on a home theater system, are you willing to put it all at risk (as well as not get its full potential) by choosing to not put in a system protection component?  If you don't have protection now, it's not too late to add it. If you're getting ready to make a purchase, this is a no brainer. 2 words: Buy it.

We recommend the full line of Furman surge protection equipment and UPS units. You will see them in use all around the store. Furman is the choice of professionals and recording studios.

-Bruce Spivey

410-308-1650

Got A Second?

We certainly hope so. Our Timonium showroom now features performance packages that are value-engineered to bridge budget and quality. It's our commitment to provide the best products and systems which will exceed your expectations, yet are satisfying to your wallet. Several of our most commonly purchased flat panels are now accompanied by digital signs that show you our price compared to our competitors, and will be regularly updated. Why? We want you to know that you can and should shop at Gramophone for better service, support, and experience all at a reasonable price.

Gramophone is excited to offer a full HD experience complete with 50” 1080p Samsung TV and 5.1 PSB Surround Sound system. A Gramophone system would not be complete without a matching BDI home theater stand, WiFi Blu-Ray Player, Audioquest performance HDMI cables and wiring, along with a Furman Surge Protector.

Use your existing furniture or mount the TV to the wall and the whole system is $2999.  For $3999, use our complete system, including the BDI stand, and this saves you $635 off regular prices. To kick off this promotion, for short period of time, we are including 24 Months No Interest Financing.

What could be better? Professional installation starts at $449 for those who are not up to installing on their own.

Surprised? See It, Live It, Hear It at Gramophone Today!

-Andrew Davis

410-308-1650

Gramophone's 10-Week Music Challenge

NAD's Focus: Simplicity & High Quality Internal Components

NAD is back at Gramophone, and I'm glad because my first experience with them was in the late eighties when I heard just how good a 30 watt per channel stereo receiver sounded running a pair of ADS speakers. Over the last 25 years they have probably been known as one of the best values in audio. The company's goal has always been to design a superior sounding product at a lower cost. One of the ways they've done this is by packaging it in a very basic chassis. No fancy lights or too many buttons.  Instead their focus has been on simplicity & high quality internal components.

What makes an NAD?

• Just pick one up or look inside and see the difference.
• Just listen to one and you'll hear how good it sounds. But, don't let the modest power rating fool you. All of these amps can more than double their power in peak output.
• When it's connected to their sister company's speakers, PSB, the setup is nothing short of spectacular.
  

For Home Theater:
Give one a listen in one of our showrooms and experience it for yourself.

And, we're not the only ones impressed with NAD's sound.  Take a look at what the magazine reviews are saying.

John Zucchet
410-381-2100

Audiophile vs. The mp3

Being what I would consider a “moderate” audiophile (i.e. I can absolutely hear the difference, appreciate the quality, yet never spent the overwhelming amounts of cash to achieve a super high level of bliss), I found myself over the last ten to fifteen years, trading in the fidelity for the convenience of the MP3.  On my computer at home, I probably have almost 30k songs to choose from.  Now, I would never load all of them onto a portable device at one time, yet, I do rotate playlists as my mood changes.  Talk about convenience! !t was and still is, great.  However, I always felt the sound coming from my computer and third party speakers never sounded that good.  Actually, to be completely honest: it was awful. 

So, what does one do?  Over the years, some of us have all learned about loading content (MP3s) with varying degrees of compression.  The less compression, the better.  The best way to keep the sound quality of the content is to use some form of “lossless” compression.   While using lossless will absolutely take up more hard drive space, the cost of larger capacity hard drives continues to drop, making it affordable to keep large volumes of content; however, I’m still using my computer speakers which are truly dreadful.

Now I’m very excited about a product line from Peachtree Audio.  Peachtree understood the need for convenience and the explosion of iTunes music and the desires of folks to enjoy their music in a much better way.  They created a product called the Decco about a year ago.  That was their first product and my first awe inspired audition.  From the first Decco, the have created three new products, the Decco2, iDecco and the Nova.  This second generation of products is nothing more than incredible!  One of my colleagues has already discussed the iDecco, which incorporates an iPod dock.  However, it's the Nova that made a real impact on my home digital music library.  

The Nova is a very well built integrated amplifier.  Which means: no Am/Fm tuner, just eight inputs for both analog and digital sources.  For my test, I used the USB from my computer and connected it directly to the USB input on the Nova. 

After switching the audio decoder on my computer to “external DAC,” I was almost there.  I pulled a small pair of nice bookshelf speakers I’ve had laying around the house and hooked them up.  Within a couple of minutes, I had iTunes up and began an evening of rediscovery. 

The Nova has 80 watts per channel, so I had more than enough power to meet my needs.  More importantly, the sound quality was astonishing.  I spent hours starting one song and then jumping quickly to another and then another.  It was like hearing these songs for the first time.  I honestly didn’t think anyone could make older, highly compressed MP3’s sound so good.  Was it as good as my newer lossless material?  No, not at all, however, I was now able to hear all the subtleties and details in the music again.  All this from a box about the size of a VCR.  Fifteen minutes into listening, I began to laugh and quote Will Smith from “Independence Day….’I… have Got to get me one of these!”

I could go into all the technical specs, but if you’re like me, I really don’t get hung up on all the data, I just want to see or hear how it performs.  So, if you have a lot of digital music or just starting out and you would like to really enjoy it, you must audition the Nova.  On performance, I give this an A+.   If you have any thoughts or questions, post them here.

Thanks,
Mark Tabor
410-381-2100

Have You Forgotten How Music Is Supposed To Sound?

I'm not your typical audiophile who can talk for hours about the technical aspects of the music I love.  In fact, people who know me, know that I'm more of a casual music listener. I listen to talk radio in the car, and I'm usually forced to listen to Hannah Montana and High School Musical at home. (Guess who lives in a house with a 10 year old girl...) My boss and I differ on our musical taste. Let's just say: I'm a little bit country, he's a little more rock 'n roll. So, when I come in early on Saturday mornings, I take some time to sit down, relax, and listen to what I enjoy. 

We just put together a new display at our Timonium location: The new NAD M2 Direct Digital Amplifier and the PSB Syncrony One loudspeaker towers.  This morning, I decided to see what this setup could do for Patsy Cline.  I'm a sucker for "Crazy", and I think the tape hiss enhances the listening experience.  When music is played through great equipment, the image that you can create in your mind is crystal clear.  So, when all was quiet, I dropped the disc* into the tray, sat down in one of the comfortable Classic Leather chairs and re-experienced "Crazy"  It was as though I was in a smoky studio in Nashville in the 60's, looking through the glass into the booth, where Patsy and the Jordanaires were laying down the tracks while I sat at the board.  I was hearing things in this classic that I had never heard before.  When in came to the end, I knew I had to grab my other current favorite, Tony Joe White singing "A Rainy Night in Georgia."  The kickdrum is tight. Tony's voice is gravely and low.  You can hear each string being played.  But most of all, you can feel what he's feeling.  That's what music is about.  Have you really heard your music how it's supposed to sound?

It wouldn't surprise me if you're not familiar with NAD or PSB, not everyone has them on display and ready for you to experience.  For the quality and value, though, it's amazing that they're not a standard household name.  NAD & PSB Speakers are part of the Lenbrook Group, a Canadian company that has been producing great audio equipment since 1978 (almost as long as Gramophone's been in business!).  Together they make beautiful music.

Just the look of the components will let you know what you're in for.  The industrial design of the M2 is rock solid with a simple faceplate showing that performance does not have to be complicated.  The PSB speakers are beautifully constructed, reminiscent of the construction of fine furniture.  These are not speakers that your wife will want hidden from sight.

Come in and be reminded of how music is supposed to sound.

Bruce Spivey
410-308-1650

*Don't want to use CDs? Not a problem.  We can play your iPod through these speakers.  We'll just hook up Peachtree's iDecco and you'll be good to go!

Resources:

• Bruce's Playlist on Grooveshark
• Grooveshark on Facebook
• Grooveshark on Twitter
• NAD Electronics
• NAD Electronics on Facebook
• NAD Electronics on Twitter
• PSB Speakers
• PSB Speakers on Facebook
• PSB Speakers on Twitter

Go Outside and Watch Some TV!

There's a move toward the outdoors. It's still springtime and it doesn't get much better than right now. We eat outdoors, we entertain outdoors, we relax outdoors. We've had music outdoors forever. But now we've stepped it up a notch. Now we have outdoor TV! That's right, we no longer have to look in through the window to see how the O's are doing (and not because we already assume they're NOT winning!).

We have TVs - designed for the outdoors that comes in 4 sizes: 23 inch, 32 inch, 46 inch, and 55 inch. They're all weather engineered to protect them from heat, cold, moisture, and insects. They have a heater built in for the cold, so we can leave them up all year round. Extreme temperatures? Not a problem. They'll stand up to temperature ranging from -24 degrees to 122 degrees.

These TVs are all super bright LCD screens and constructed with an anti-glare window so you can easily view them even on the brightest of days.

If you have a deck or a patio or you're thinking about adding one you should consider an outdoor Sunbrite TV. There's no longer any reason to leave one of our favorite sources of entertainment behind when we go outside.

Jeff Hudkins

410-308-1650

Portable Music

Before you know it, summer will be here, and we'll be heading outside to play, eat, swim, and soak up the sun. Great news: your portable music now has a great portable speaker it can connect to. Soundcast presents the Outcast, a truly wireless & weatherproof speaker that connects right up with your iPod. I know that for the audiophiles out there these features send up red flags about sound quality, but I'm here to tell you, the quality is quite good. And with a battery that runs the speaker for up to 10 hours per charge, you can take it with you to the park and play your music all day without a problem. Want to listen to satellite radio or your favorite local station? It can do that too.* Since it's weatherproof, don't worry about doing a cannonball into the pool, the Outcast can take it.

Take out your earbuds, and share your music this summer. The Outcast turns your afternoon in the sun into an event you'll want to repeat.

-Bruce Spivey

*Tech-Speak: Want to know how the RF dock (iCast) works? The iCast has a rear panel analog audio connection. When you don't have an iPod docked in it, the rear panel connection is an INPUT. It can accept analog audio from any source. Here's the catch: if you plan to use the iCast as an iPod dock - for both the soundcast speaker AND your a/v receiver - then that rear panel connection becomes an OUTPUT. Think of the iPod as a mechanical switch. Insert it, and the connection becomes an output, remove it, and the connection becomes an input.

It Must Be Magic

I still have to check the price when demonstrating the new Epson Ensemble HD Theater System. We installed this new all-inclusive package in our Timonium showroom less than two weeks ago, and to be honest, I was skeptical of what this system could offer for two reasons:

1. There's tons of ambient light in its new home (just to the left of our front entrance doors).


2. It's unprecedented level of affordability must mean it's lacking something.

With the touch of a single button, the motorized screen drops, the projector turns on, and a DVD starts with simplified audio and a surprisingly bright picture with great color. The system includes:

• an Epson HD projector


• 100" Motorized Screen


• Surround Sound System with powered subwoofer


• Receiver/DVD combo


• Equipment stand


• And, oh, let's not leave out all the needed cables, brackets, and interconnects with a one-touch RF remote.

I figured the system would cost $15,000, but I was wrong. This system is $5999. That's right, I'm not forgetting a 1 in front of the 5,999! Seriously, the only thing I would advise is to add a Blu-ray player with HDMI cable and installation by the Gramophone team (if you're not ready to set it up yourself).

We have sought and found a product that can provide you with a quality solution, which will allow you to enjoy a great home theater system while on a budget. Let it be our little secret. We won't tell your friends and family that you didn't spend three times as much as they will think you did!

Imagine the possibilities...movie nights with family and friends...extreme video game competitions...Rock Band anyone?

Looking for one more reason to make that dream of yours come true? As one of our client advisers how to get 12 months no interest financing on a theater package of your choice.

Andrew Davis

410-308-1650