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Let me cut to the chase
When I reflect on the last few months with this upgraded unit, I was frequently reminded of a National Public Radio broadcast where bassist Marcus Miller gave what may be the all-time best definition of the difference between good and great musicians: "There's a lot of trumpet players who, when you hear them play, the only thing that you think is, Wow, you must practice a lot," Miller says, "but when you hear Miles, you go, 'Wow. I had a girlfriend like that.'" After decades playing jazz and R&B music, Miller says that there are three levels of musical skill. He describes the first level as knowing the tools of music, such as scales and notes. Level two is technique - when a musician becomes an expert at using the tools. But Miller says only greats (he lists Miles Davis and Stevie Wonder) reach level three. "Level three is when you play as if you never studied a note," Miller says, "but you can express yourself as simply as when you're talking."


Level three. v3. Happenstance?
Right out of the gate with the freshly installed v3, there was a more realistic dimensionality to vocals. They were simply more convincing, more lifelike. Yet another unheard (before then) quiver in James Taylor's voice broke the surface on "Bartender's Blues" [JT]. More credible gravelly textures materialized from the vocals on Bebo and Cigala's Lagrimas Negras. The constitution of the album was more analog-ish than I've heard from any preceding digital rig.


Dynamic swings were more disarming and the sense of space on, for example, the already open-as-the-Montana-sky Le Pas Du Chat Noir (Anouar Brahem) had me wondering what special herb the cook put in my lunch. The same level of spatial fluency showed up on Krushevo (Miroslav Tadic and Vlatko Stefanovski), an album that, on most any system, will give you a sense of the atypical edifice in which the recording took place. Yet the reverberant locale was made evident much earlier into each track. I didn't have to wait for a crescendo or a stop before appreciating the scale of the setting.


Next up, smoother and more microdynamic nuance. Cymbals took on less processed attributes and, when apt, loitered longer. On Lindsey Buckingham's "Soul Drifter" [Out of the Cradle], it exposed another level of delicacy, revealing instrumental gradations before unappreciated. On my previous voyages with the v2, I thought we had already exposed all the goodies deep in the mix. Not so. All in all, the v3 offers a level of harmonious authenticity that has no need to plead for deference. It simply wins you over with its effortless yet sophisticated attitude. We're talking here about the 16-bit version, the Transcendental module. Non-oversampling and all that. Crude some might say. I'm still smiling.


Yes, I did give a listen to the Numerator but with my software heavily weighted towards Red Book, it's not rational to call it a fair comparison. Another factor may be the limitations of my smallish iBook. When I approached Gordon about this, he did say that he upgraded his iBook to an Intel-based unit a couple of months back. Ever since, his iBook and PowerMac have been sitting unused. I trust it is clear that I don't want to be the least bit dismissive of the 24/96 module because it might just be your ticket to bliss depending on any number of variables. And if it sounds better to you than what I'm currently experiencing (an acceptable level of musical ecstasy), bravo to you! Still, there was no doubt that I preferred the exceptional tone of the NOS module with my decidedly non-hi-rez music collection played in my system.


In short, I consider myself unfit to make further comments on the Numerator. I can, however, and have, spoken to the improvements in the 16-bit iteration of the v3. Wandering around the house while music was playing in the listening room was fun and frequently enlightening. Even when I was out of the room, I heard familiar songs delivering more and -- this is important -- more musical information than I've experienced in the past under the same state of affairs. Like it or don't, I do put a lot of stock in what I hear 'from outside the door of the listening room' and 'from the other room'. As I wind up here, you might be asking like most of us do: Was the improvement worth the cost of access? For my version of the upgrade (since I have a recent power supply and wanted the Transcendental module), the cost was $500. Hence the answer to your question would be, "It's a bargain." But, and perhaps more importantly, so is a new Cosecant v3 at the current asking price, should you not have a unit to upgrade. Let me explain.


Now for the scary part
About a month after I'd begun using the v3, another box shows up in the mail. In it I found what appeared to be an updated power supply. Smaller, sleeker and ready to roll. Could it make things any better? In a word: Yes. It brought yet another level of refinement to the mix. It had the greatest effect on the flow of the music, creating interest and a properly developed sense of forward motion and metrical pulse. Beyond that, it also supported more effective communication of contrasts: simple to complex storytelling, thin to thick tone and quiet to loud instrumental conversations. And all this colluded to create more proper reflections of emotional dynamics and cycles of tension and release. The impacts of those enhancements were not incremental. Once experienced, they became fundamental. I'm tempted to go on and on but here's the short story: Had I used it from the beginning, I don't know that I would have fully appreciated its contribution to the proceedings. Throwing it into the system after forming my impressions of the v3 with the old power supply, I can candidly say it's worth more than the total cost of the entire v3 upgrade (in which it is already included). Talk about value added. What that means in the end is that the whole package from Wavelength is no longer a bargain. It's more like a steal. Whether you are upgrading or just getting into the game, nothing I've heard at this price comes close to its ability to express the music.

It's a keeper
Souls' Chapel. Can Marty Stuart write songs and play guitar? Do Valley Girls use the morpheme "like" and end obvious statements with a rising pitch at the end of a sentence that is obviously the linguistic marker for the interrogative? Well, like, they do! So yes, he can write songs and play guitar and his albums bring me as much musical pleasure as the VG approach gives me linguistic fits. The instrumental subtleties on this album, newly revealed by the Cosecant v3 with the updated power supply, deliver expanded narratives that support and expound on the story you thought you knew well. And that's true of each recording I've heard since adding the new box.


Over the years, I've spent hours searching for a copy of On Every Street on vinyl. There was nothing to be found for under $200. But after spending time with the fully loaded v3, I no longer cared. I became satisfied with what was now happening in front me. "But," you might think, "satisfied sounds a lot like faint praise." And I would say, "But, this analog fiend is talking about bits, pits and all that. Nasty things that I used to force myself to employ." Although the notes haven't changed, I am not only hearing more of them and more into them -- those notes played at levels so soft or so early on in the beginning of a phrase (not attack transients, as they are much more than that) as to be missed until today -- but I am at ease with the honest character of the overall presentation.


Presence is one last thing I'd touch on. This time I'm referring to your presence at the musical event - when you leave your room and enter the hall or studio (not mixing booth). Such presence has a vitality that says, "Of course, this is more real." With the v3, this is the case whether you're grooving to Moby's "Jam for the Ladies" [18] or sinking into Jennifer Warnes' "Nightingale" [The Well]. Limber and visceral, exceptionally faceted, yet smooth.


In case you're wondering about things like bass extension and articulation, they do improve with the total v3 package as well, becoming more lithe and organic. But who cares about that stuff given the above? Mere icing on the cake. To me.


Wait, did I say that out loud? Let me take that back. Please. I just listened to "Mike the Cat" with Charles Fambrough on bass [New York Stories]. The improved articulation is appreciated because he plays his lines so dirty, so gritty, so alley if you know what I mean. Especially with Redman's nasty sax in front of him - and of course Hargrove's trumpet! Then just when things appear to be winding down, Danny Gatton comes in with a guitar that purrs, whimpers, wails and then howls like a ... well, you know.


Hey, I had a girlfriend like that.

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