PS Audio’s Octave Records has released two more titles on vinyl LPs: The Audiophile Reference Disc, created to help listeners get the best out of their stereo systems by providing reference-quality music and test tracks, and The Nature of Things by the band Foxfeather, a compelling blend of rock, pop, acoustic-electric roots music, blues and more. Both discs are available in limited, numbered editions of 500 copies each.
Octave Records’ mission is to offer nothing less than the finest-quality recordings in the world. Octave’s Pure DSD process is an exclusive combination of technologies for ultimate in high-resolution fidelity, including custom-built recording and playback electronics that maintain full DSD throughout the entire process. Octave Records recordings are monitored on PS Audio’s ultimate-performance Aspen FR30 loudspeakers to ensure the ultimate in playback accuracy and faithfulness to the artists’ original performances. The LPs are pressed on 180-gram virgin vinyl using the highest-quality Neotech compound, NiPro Optics electroplating and GrooveCoated stampers. Each record is hand-inspected to ensure flawless pressing quality.
Since its release, The Audiophile Reference Disc (SRP: vinyl LP, $59) has become one of Octave Records’ most popular titles. It includes a series of tracks for basic system setup, followed by tracks that facilitate more sophisticated evaluations like in-room bass response, soundstage width and depth, system resolution, and more.
The Audiophile Reference Disc can be used in conjunction with Audiophile’s Guide: The Stereo Book (SRP: $29). The Guide details each step in the stereo setup instructional process, and a corresponding reference audio track is designated to check and verify the results. The disc and book go over every aspect of getting the most out of stereo system reproduction, from a single voice to the most complex and dynamic musical passages.
The music on Foxfeather’s The Nature of Things (SRP: vinyl LP, $59), featuring singer Carly Ricks Smith and acoustic guitarist/keyboardist/backing vocalist Laura Stratton, ranges from the funk-tinged groove of “Lunatic” and the rocker “Fillin’ Me Up” to the plaintive “24 Years,” a song about growing past difficult relationships. With three female singers, the vocals and harmonies are sweet and layered, and the band complements Carly, Laura and vocalist Kate Farmer with richly-textured accompaniment.
Click here to order the vinyl LP of The Audiophile Reference Disc, and on this link to order the LP version of Foxfeather’s The Nature of Things. Both recordings are also available on a hybrid gold CD with a DSDDirect Mastered CD layer disc (SRP: $29), or as a download bundle collection in DSD64, DSDDirect Mastered 192 kHz/24-bit, 96 kHz/24-bit, and 44.1 kHz/24-bit formats (SRP: $29).
