Brad Jasper Isolation CD by Tonian Labs

Brad Jasper Isolation CD produced by Tonian Labs

"Tony Minasian's Drum & Bells CD with its several tracks of metallic and drum percussion was a useful tool for tweaking the loudspeaker position for bottom-end evenness and toe-in for high-end balance."


Stereophile review of Drums and Bells CD:

"I am not sure where I got a CD called Drums and Bells: The disc doesn't even have a catalog number or label. I recognized just one of the players, percussionist Brad Dutz. Online, I found it was produced by Madisound, the company that sells loudspeaker drivers. I have no idea who engineered it, or where, or how, but damn, this thing sounds good! It's a series of percussion solos by Dutz and some duos with another percussionist, one Chris Wabich. 

Like Sheffield's Track Record, Drums and Bells is not something you'd actually listen to other than for system diagnostic purposes (footnote 1). What it told me about the 452 iQ is that the VAC is a superfast, remarkably transparent, quiet tube amplifier that's capable of ultraclean transient response. Bells, gongs, stick hits, rattles, kickdrums, cymbals—all exploded, residue-free, out of blackness. The kickdrum in particular went way low, and sounded well-textured and tuneful.

After hearing such weight on bottom and speed and clarity on top, preconceived notions about warm tube sound went quickly out the door. Track 6, called "metal brush," produced shimmering metallic-sounding smacks that were somehow addictive, especially combined with deep bass drum thwacks.

I thought I had grown immune to this sort of thing, oh, maybe 50 years ago—but no! I sat through the entire CD, mesmerized especially by the fast, clean attacks, as well as by the generous sustain and decay into inky black. Not at all my expectation from a pure tube amp."

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Shipping Notes for International Customers:

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Shipping Notes for Canadian Customers:

We can ship this CD by USPS 1st Class Mail for $14.85, or USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope for $29.60.

Select the $0.00 shipping quote option at checkout, and let us know your prefered shipping method in the "Add a comment" section during checkout. We will then adjust final charges to include that shipping cost.