Category: Chasing The Dragon

The full English breakfast: Dave Denyer listens to Chasing the Dragon’s Live Beethoven Series on master tape

July 12, 2019

UK-based audiophile label Chasing The Dragon’s latest addition to their reassuringly-expanding catalogue is the classical equivalent of the full English breakfast: music that’s been performed and recorded countless times, that extends far beyond the usual reach of classical music and that’s sure to be immensely popular. (Okay so the breakfast analogy may be stretching it … More The full English breakfast: Dave Denyer listens to Chasing the Dragon’s Live Beethoven Series on master tape

Capturing ambience: Neville Roberts explores the art of making a masterful live recording

June 27, 2019

Reel-to-reel master tapes have the ability to convey the ambience of a venue like no other recording medium. Hi-fi journalist Neville Roberts looks into some of the techniques used in modern recordings that can really help capture the atmosphere of the performance venue. Making a modern recording is a bit more complex than simply switching … More Capturing ambience: Neville Roberts explores the art of making a masterful live recording

Still reeling: Ken Kessler discovers audiophile cassettes

May 23, 2019

You know that irksome feeling when you really want to hate something but you can’t help loving it? Worse still, have you ever waxed lyrical in the public domain about how terrible something is, and then found yourself being blown away by it? Then you’ll understand how poor Ken Kessler feels, as this self-confessed cassette … More Still reeling: Ken Kessler discovers audiophile cassettes

Vivaldi in Venice part 2: a post-script from the rambler’s listening room

February 12, 2019

In 2018, hi-fi journalist Neville Roberts flew to Venice to attend the live recording of audiophile label Chasing the Dragon’s Vivaldi in Venice album. At home in the UK, Dave Denyer listens to the recording on copy master tape. Spoiler alert: “this is one of the most wonderfully captivating examples of the recording art I’ve ever … More Vivaldi in Venice part 2: a post-script from the rambler’s listening room

Vivaldi in Venice part 1: Neville Roberts discovers the joys and the challenges of making audiophile recordings of a live concert

February 11, 2019

Making a high-quality audio recording in a recording studio is one thing, but making a similar recording at a live concert has its own particular challenges. Neville Roberts flies out to Venice to investigate. I’ve been fortunate to be able to attend a number of recording sessions in recent years. The aim at each session … More Vivaldi in Venice part 1: Neville Roberts discovers the joys and the challenges of making audiophile recordings of a live concert

Chasing The Dragon copy master tapes now available on 7-inch reels at 7.5ips

October 22, 2018

Let’s say you launch into the world of tape with a vintage domestic deck. And you’re having a fine time playing old, commercially-released tapes that you’ve been gleefully tracking down on eBay and the like… But then, one day, a couple of master tape copies begin to catch your eye. All of a sudden there seem … More Chasing The Dragon copy master tapes now available on 7-inch reels at 7.5ips

Neville Roberts listens to Chasing The Dragon’s ‘España’ – live, on master tape and direct-cut vinyl

September 13, 2018

Last year, hi-fi journalist Neville Roberts headed to London’s AIR Studios to witness audiophile label Chasing The Dragon’s recording of a new album, España. The recording was simultaneously captured direct-to-disk and on master tape. Here, Neville shares his impressions of the day and of the resulting vinyl LP and copy master tape.  There’s something rather … More Neville Roberts listens to Chasing The Dragon’s ‘España’ – live, on master tape and direct-cut vinyl

“Mike Valentine is to blame”: falling in love again or how I came to be a reel-to-reel rambler

September 20, 2017

In my previous ramble I introduced you to Mike Valentine. Then again, chances are you knew of him already. To some, he’s a renowned underwater film cameraman credited on an enviable list of A-list movies. To others, he’s the owner of the excellent UK audiophile record label, Chasing the Dragon, with quite a reputation for … More “Mike Valentine is to blame”: falling in love again or how I came to be a reel-to-reel rambler

Open reel tape versus direct-cut vinyl: two versions of Chasing the Dragon’s superb ‘A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald’ go head to head

August 18, 2017

Audiophile record label Chasing the Dragon has been causing quite a stir with its superb quality direct-cut vinyl albums. Earlier this year, the label also began to release master tape versions of those albums, taken from simultaneous recordings of the exact same live studio performances. As a lover of both vinyl and tape, I couldn’t … More Open reel tape versus direct-cut vinyl: two versions of Chasing the Dragon’s superb ‘A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald’ go head to head