Skip to product information
1 of 2

The Album

Audiophile Masters Volume III

Audiophile Masters Volume III

The Artist

Various Artists

State of the art audiophile recordings
Audiophile Masters, Volume III is available as a stereo SACD and download bundle and features 10 all-new high-performance tracks, ranging from Monica Marie Labonte's beautiful Loving You with Eric Wiggs on the dobro and Bradley Morse on the bass, to drummer Michelle Pietrafitta's powerful Moonbeam, and the finger-snapping jazz of the Seth Lewis Quintet. These extraordinary tracks were captured in pure DSD using Octave Records’ Sonoma DSD recording system at Animal Lane Studios in Lyons, Colorado by recording engineer Steven Vidaic and assisted by Giselle Collazo. Mastered by David Glasser, this is a limited edition Audiophile Masters that will be a must-have addition to anyone’s library. Reference quality tracks. Each and every one a sonic treasure.
Regular price $29.00 USD
Regular price $59.00 USD Sale price $29.00 USD
On Sale Sold out
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Choose your format
call
TALK TO A HI-FI SPECIALIST
View full details

About

The Artists

This reference-quality album begins with Monica Marie Labonte’s “Loving You,” recorded from an intimate perspective that lets every nuance of her vocals and acoustic guitar, and the Dobro and acoustic bass, to be heard with superb realism. Other selected tracks include the avant-garde-meets classic-jazz “Baba Yaga’s Hut” by the Tom Amend trio, and the Seth Lewis Quintet’s lush “Arborvitae,” featuring captivating solos by electric guitarist Dave Devine and Octave Records solo artist Gabriel Mervine on trumpet. “Airs chantés, no. 4 – Air vif,” a duet written by Francis Poulenc, showcases vocalist Ekaterina Kotcherguina and pianist Jessica Nilles in a performance with stunning dynamics and depth. Andy Thorn’s “Fox Trail” is a bluegrass banjo and acoustic guitar workout with the instruments captured in lively detail. “Last Chance” is performed by the irresistibly-named duo More Than Physics entirely on handpans, a steel-drum-like instrument struck with the hands, with a surprisingly versatile range of sounds, all captured with extraordinary fidelity.  

01 - Loving You
02 - Ship of Dreams
03 - Baba Yaga's Hut
04 - Moonbeam
05 - Fox Trail
06 - I Belong
07 - Airs chantes no. 4
08 - Arborvitae
09 - Last Chance
10 - Some Tyrant

Recording

The original recording was brilliantly captured by Octave Records' engineer Steven Vidaic with assistance from Giselle Collazo at Animal Lane Studios in Lyons, Colorado. All tracks were captured directly from the analog microphone preamps (Grace, Manley, Forssell) into the Meitner A/D converters then into the Sonoma DSD recorder. Monitoring and rough mixing was performed on a Trident analog board. Once tracking was completed the DSD files were transferred to Steven Vidaic’s Locust Room where they were converted back to analog via synchronized 8 channel Meitner and Mytek D/A converters, to then be mixed on a Euphonix C2000 analog console and analog outboard processors. The final two-channel analog master is then converted back to DSD through the Meitner A/D converter before mastering.

Album Features

  • One pressing Austrian gold-pressed dual-layer SACD
  • Pure DSD + PROMastered CD layers
  • DVD data disc containing DSD64, DSDDirect Mastered 192kHz 24 bit, 96kHz 24 bit, 44.1kHz 16 bit PCM
  • Pure DSD recorded on the Sonoma DSD system
  • Mixed in analog on Octave Record's Studer 963 analog console
  • DSD64, DSDDirect Mastered 192kHz 24 bit, 96kHz 24 bit, 44.1kHz 16 bit PCM download
  • No compression in the mastering or mixing process
  • CD layer of SACD playable on any CD player
  • Mastering monitored through the PS Audio DirectStream DAC
  • All tracks hand-curated on the Infinity IRSV in PS Audio's Music Room Two
  • Limited edition one-pressing physical media

Record Reviews

This is the best Octave compilation yet!
Thanks for this! Downloaded it and was immediately taken by the clarity and lush sounds I heard. A true reference album
Jerry N
Loving You is beautiful
Not sure who this singer is but what a voice. I love this track and my wife too. Amazing music. Thank you, Octave.
happensall
The drum track
Crank this one up as loud as you dare and listen to the inner details of the cymblas. I am impressed.
Carly200
Thank you Octave
What a beautiful collection of music. It makes my system happy.
henrydi

Questions?