From Paul McGowan

Hard to imagine we’re on the other side of the solstice already and heading back to the colder months!

Even harder to imagine in the midst of what many of us have had to endure, a lot of heat. In our case, 90˚ to 100˚ degrees here in the dry Colorado weather is just lovely. Shorts and T-shirts, dinners outside on the deck—pure bliss except…

Yeah, you knew there was an except on the way. Magpies! Those loud and annoying black and white birds have somehow chosen our home as their new stomping grounds. Yup, a troop of about six big magpies has taken over our backyard out by the tomatoes. From dawn to dusk, they are flying in and out of their new turf, squawking and chattering to each other to the point of driving me and Terri nuts (and we thought the little yip yip next door was irritating when being teased by the squirrel).

What to do? I can’t just be the grumpy old man yelling at the birds to get off my lawn! Terri’s first line of defense was the garden hose. Hit those suckers with a blast of water. It works for about a minute, but then they are back louder than ever.

I won’t bore you with all that we tried, but I can tell you that these birds do not appreciate sparkly things moving about. Terri got a roll of sparkly tape, hung a number of streamers around the yard, and voila! No more magpies. Our peace and quiet have been restored!

A tour of Octave Studios

For those of you interested in our passion project, Octave Studios, I’ve put together a three-part series on YouTube—a tour of the studio—that you can watch. Go here for the first one and here for the second. Tomorrow, we wrap up the mini-series tour with a visit to my favorite room in the studio, the Mixroom.

And speaking of Octave

One of the newest releases we’ve launched is one you need for your collection of high-end music. The Art of HiFi Series, Woodwinds, is now available and ready for either getting the disc or downloading the files.

n this collection of reed-based instruments, we focus on every type, from clarinets to bassoons and even a few you might not know about.

Recording these was both a real challenge and a treat. A challenge because sound from a woodwind comes not just from the instrument’s bell (as one might imagine), but also from the reed itself as well as the keys. Plus, a lot of horns can sound squawky if not miked correctly.

A treat because oh my gosh, wait until you hear the recording quality we achieved on this. Imaging and soundstage out the whazoo!

Have a listen by going here. Enjoy!

Stellar Strata MK2

The new Stellar Strata MK2 is our newest release of product. It is an integrated amplifier that combines the benefits of an exceptional analog preamplifier, a full-featured state-of-the-art DAC, a stereo 150-watt per channel power amplifier, and an amazing sounding MC/MM phono stage in one gorgeous package.

What’s cool about integrateds is how they combine the best of separates into one easy-to-use plug-and-play box that fits right into any home’s decor.

Terri and I just upgraded our home system to the new Strata MKII and retired our Sprout, which served as the phono stage for the original MK1.

Glorious! If you’re interested in learning more, head here to have a look.
Until next monthWe’re introducing two new products next month, July: a new Stellar DAC and the long-awaited stand-mount beauties, the FR5 loudspeaker.

I can’t wait.

Stay cool, and watch out for any signs of a magpie invasion! (At least now you know what to do.)

See you next month

Paul McGowan

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