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AIRSHOW MASTERING ESTABLISHES A PRISTINE SIGNAL PATH WITH LAVRY ENGINEERING AD122MKIII CONVERTERS
Mastering Engineer Jim Wilson Taps Lavry’s Extremely Transparent A/D Performance for Recent Releases by Richard Thompson, Bob Mould, James McMurtry and More
SEATTLE: Along with the higher altitudes of Boulder, CO-based Airshow Mastering come higher expectations from their audio gear. In mastering engineer Jim Wilson’s suite, that means that the extreme transparency of the Lavry Engineering AD122-96MKIII A/D Converter are required listening on every project.
“I’ve listened to everything out there, and in terms of converters, I’m purely Lavry,” says Wilson, whose recent workload includes the latest Richard Thompson release, Sweet Warrior, and Bob Mould’s District Line. “My decision to go with Lavry Engineering was made when I heard how faithful the transfer was. It had the lowest noise, and while other converters would change the impedance, tone and character of the sound, Lavry did not.”
Known for an extremely high-fidelity approach across a wide range of genres, Wilson prefers to be as transparent as his Lavry converters when taking on each album. “My goal is to make each project sound as intended – only better and more beautiful,” he states. “My equipment is an extension of me: I want the clearest, cleanest, most artifact-free playback system possible, down to every single wire in the speakers, components and crossovers.
“In my signal path, whenever I’m using tape or any analog processing, I’ll recapture my analog feed with the LavryGold AD122-96MKIII. The transparency of the Lavry box is an essential component in assuring that the sound of the recording will translate in every environment.”
The LavryGold AD122-96MKIII features -127dB dynamic range (unweighted), with 0.00005% Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise, Conversion to 24 bits, built-in Acoustic Bit Correction re-dithering to 16-20 bit formats, and much more. Wilson cites the consistently high performance of the Lavry Engineering AD122-96MKIII, among other features, that make it uniquely qualified for his Airshow Mastering suite. “The Lavry never sounds like the bandwidth or dynamic range is limited – the music sounds as big and beautiful as it should,” he says. “It’s the most faithful for the PCM encoding, and I love the way it’s built with dual power supplies that are independent for each channel.
“Just as importantly, it’s very tolerant of high levels – it will go where other converters clip and drop out,” Wilson continues. “That’s something it’s well known for, that you can get little more output level out of that box. Also, the metering on the LavryGold AD MKIII is fantastic: it’s bright without being overbearing, but you can see it from across the room. It gives you an extremely accurate indication of where you are with your levels.”
The quality of the Lavry Engineering experience extends beyond the box to top service and support. “You definitely don’t feel like a number there,” notes Wilson. “They seem to know every one of their customers personally, and they take a real interest in how we’re using their gear.”
With the innovation of founder Dan Lavry at the core of the company, the renowned inventor’s audio advances have been most welcome at Airshow Mastering. “In terms of DSP, digital filter and converter design, Dan is known as one of the best in the field,” Jim Wilson says. “He’s got his chops on the electrical side, but he also has a musical background. He knows music and pristine sound, and he brings the two together.”
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About Airshow Mastering:
For more information, please visit www.airshowmastering.com.
