SAMPLER Rogers Audiophile Reference

SAMPLER Rogers Audiophile Reference.

Half Century of Music Excellence

For the past 50 years, Rogers has been best known for its precision acoustic engineering to reproduce the most accurate musical rendition, achieving sonic perfection for the discerning music lovers. After manufacturing the mono „Williams“ valve amplifier in the fifties, the production of the stereo „Cadet“ integrated valve amplifier became a world best seller in the late sixties. The concurrent development of loudspeakers during that same period included unique horn-loaded systems, and the wall hanging design with thin cabinet called „Wafer“ that was well ahead of the times. Entering the transistors age, Rogers was one of the first manufacturers to offer transistor products including the famous Ravenbourne and Ravenbrook stereo amplifiers and tuners.

...commissioned by the BBC

In the seventies, Rogers was commissioned by the BBC to manufacturer the LS3/5a monitor speakers. The LS3/5a becomes the „benchmark“ product used throughout the broadcast industry as well as professional recording studios. After 25 years, Rogers continues manufacturing the LS3/5a due to its high demand from like-minded audiophiles.

For your enjoyment, Rogers is proud to present to you this special Reference Quality CD with the music that you will love. The tracks in this Reference CD were carefully selected to complement Rogers equipment, including our Class A valve amplifier, the CD transport, and our full line of Rogers Loudspeakers, including the prestigious LS3/5a monitor.

Finally, we want to thank the international renowned music producer, Mr. Winston Ma, who has spent tireless efforts to produce each track of this CD. We know you will enjoy this Reference CD with our complement I

Rogers International (UK) Limited – London, England

Rogers Audiophile Reference CD

It is my honor and privilege to be commissioned by Rogers International (UK) Ltd. to produce a demonstration compact disc in celebration of its 50th Anniversary.

In order not to blemish the reputation of Rogers, the most respected British Hi Fi manufacturer, every care has been taken in the preparation of this album. The latest and the best mastering technology, the Super HDCD (High Definition Digital Compatible) format in 24-bit/88.2 KHz has been employed. This is, definitely, an important basis whereby an audiophile can be sure that the device he is relying on in gauging the performance of a system is of such quality and accuracy that he can use as the reference. With this in mind, this album is complied.

… objectively

An audio engineer judges the performance of a piece of equipment, mainly, by testing and measuring, in ascertaining whether the equipment under test fulfills certain technical specification. He does sometimes test the equipment by auditioning, but he may, objectively, trust more the data he can derive from his measurement.

An audiophile, while likes to refer to the specification sheet, often rates the performance of a piece of equipment by subjective auditioning and comparison. He is more concerned with the qualities he can perceive, such as musicality, definition, transparency etc. To him, musicality, emotion and sense of involvement are the more important criteria for music listening.

… sweet nuance

I hope this edition can achieve the best of both worlds. Carefully selected passages of music are meant to exemplify how a system should reproduce those particular pieces of music. A fine- tuned system should be able to reproduce the dynamics of a concert grand, the sweet nuance of a Stradivarius, the naturalness of human voice, the power of a kick drum, the sub-sonic of a church organ and the transient of a flamenco guitar. All these qualities are what an audiophile is looking for. The suggested test for each band of music is charted in the liner notes for the reference of the listener. The passages have been carefully selected in order to highlight the sonic characteristics of the music therein. They are, at the same time, also beautiful musical gems for pure listening pleasure.

May I wish the audiophiles who own Rogers equipment find the above qualities in their systems.

Winston Ma

How to use this album for gaugin the performance of your system

1. High Life. „Jazz at the Pawnshop¹‚ is generally considered one of the best jazz recordings of the century. „High Life“ is a selection from this legendary recording. As soon as you play it, the music will immediately draw you to the crowdy and smoky jazz club – The Pawnshop, in Stockholm. Gert Palmcrantz is indeed a rare talent in recording engineering. He had not only recorded the music admirably well, but also captured the atmosphere of the whole setting: the small and congested stage where all the musicians were in the mood and playing with the same wave length; the audience was in high spirit; the recording equipment was perfectly set up …. Everybody was so involved in the music that you can feel their presence in your listening room. If you have a good system, you can even see Arne Domnerus moved from left center to center and from center to center right while he was playing his saxophone. Then comes the articulate cymbal display, then the xylophone, the drums…. You will be totally involved. You feel „you are there“. This is what we call the art of high-end audio at its best.
2. A Taste of Honey This is another multi-award-winning recording. Patricia Barber has a unique voice and style: melancholy coolness. In this song, her voice is deep and full of sweet sadness, reminiscent of an affair. The guitar and the percussion were recorded better than anything. The definition is really stunning. The recording brings about that emotion that you do not often find in other recordings. You simply do not want her to stop singing.
3. Feelings. This is not a Steinway, but a Yamaha. It was also not recorded in a concert hall, but in a studio (Lion Studio, Singapore). The secret of why this piece sounds so musical, warm and lustrous is that it was recorded in the analogue format, then, meticulously transferred to a digital master. The recording engineer was John Herbert. Here, Jerome plays with his feeling and in such tempo that you will be captivated by the music. From a technical viewpoint, reproduction of this „feelings“ requires a high degree of dynamic contrast of your system, without which, the piano will sound plain and dull. The musicality will be gone.
4. Il Est Ne Divin Enfant: The name of this song is difficult, but not the music. Kurt Bestor has been able to create that kind of joyous and festive mood of Christmas that will make your body unconsciously dancing with the music and rhythm. The bass extension and more importantly, the bass resolution have a lot to do with such effect. The effect is very different from that of No. 2. This score will light up your spirit for the rest of the day.
5. I Can’t Help Falling in Love: This is an easy-listening number you will enjoy. Some people might have different views on Michael Gold’s resemblance of Dean Martin. I know this is his natural voice, which is full smooth and warm.
6. Summertime You should have never heard a „Summertime“ like this before. Terry Perez, the brilliant cellist, has been successfully brought about the scene of a very peaceful, or perhaps, a lazy summer afternoon. Her silky bowing, with the extremely articulate percussion, is breezing your face with sweet intimacy. The resolution of the double bass and the tinkling of the cymbals have projected such a deep soundstage and musical event that you would like to spend the whole evening listening to the music. This recording was done in Hall C, SUNNY Purchase Performing Arts Center, known to be one of the best recording venue in the proximity of New York. Phil Bulla was the recording engineer. If you do not find it involving, your system might not be in an optimum condition. This recording was reviewed as one of „The Best New Recordings in CES, Jan., 96“ by Stereophile magazine, USA.
7. Night: You might have heard a lot of drums. However, this is a recording of an array of Chinese drums, which I highly recommend to you. Unlike western drums, the Chinese drums in this recording generate tremendous energy of high concentration in the mid-range that challenges the power handling capability of any system. If done it right, you can hear the resonance of different drums and their locations; you can gauge the size of the drums by the tightness of the sound and their varying frequencies at mid and low registers. The other percussion instruments fill up the soundstage with liveliness and energy. A good piece to exercise your system, in particular, its mid-range.
8. The mon Represents My Heart You might not be too often to hear a harmonica or a Chinese Urhu and even rare to hear them playing in concert with each other. Backed by a beautiful string section, piano and percussion, the two unique instruments display very pleasing tone colors. The images of the instruments should be solid with a lot of air around them. Enjoy the mellow and tender of the urhu, joined by the exquisite harmonica. They are singing together. This recording was reviewed as one of „The Best New Recordings of CES Jan., 96 by Stereophile magazine, USA,
9. Falling in Love with Lore Listen to the dynamics and grandeur of the piano at the opening of this number and the beautiful bass that follows – all in high resolution and definition. Jeramy and his friends are definitely in the mood. They are, very obviously, enjoying the company of each other. Let us join the fun.
10. Deer Hunter Strings are the most essential part of light and classical music. However, they are not easy to be reproduced. It all depends on the analytical ability of your system, the smoothness and accuracy of its mid-range and the articulation of the highs. Here is a piece of a violin solo, embedded in a velvet mass of strings. Check how much you can get in terms of depth, height, and breadth of the soundstage. Do you have sufficient warmth and sheen for strings or you only frown at the harshness of them?
11. Besame Mucho The small jazz ensemble of Jeramy Monteiro adds a delightful flavor to your listening mood for this Latin American evergreen. The rhythmic arrangement is so inviting. Shall we dance?
12. Edelweiss: John Whitney’s simple piano introduction might have already caught your attention. The rest of the music just flows and you can just relax and ease your tension of the day.
13. The First Noel. Don’t ever consider this recording as another Christmas song. It is intentionally produced as an audiophile score. The definition and the imaging of the guitar and piano should be among the best you have ever heard. The tranquility and the charm so created by the performance are a good example of what audiophiles call the sense of involvement.
14. The Trout. The double bass is stunningly natural and the low frequency resolution is articulate and transparent. John Whitney has turned Maestro Schubert’s famous work into a modern beauty. This recording has also been reviewed as one of „The Best Recordings in CES Jan., 98“ by Stereophile magazine, USA.
15. Alone in My chamber The arrangement of this song is simple: just basically a harmonica and piano. However, many audiophile friends acclaim that it has created an emotion of sweet sadness and loneliness. This is exactly the atmosphere the composer wished to achieve. There are very few, if any, other arrangements and performances that can produce this result. A good system should be able to capture this emotion.

Producer: Winston MA Recording engineers: various

Re-mastering engineer: Paul Stubblebine, Audio Consulting & Engineer Studio: Studio C, Hyde Street Studio, San Francisco USA Date: April 1,2 and 3,1998.

Format: 24-bit HDCD mastering process

Equipment: High quality signal path provided by Stephen Jarvis

Copyright: First Impression Music, Inc.,

Rogers International (UK) Ltd. is a subsidiary of Wo Kee Hong Group

The CD has never been sold in music stores. Lucky people could get it together with speakers. Its collector value exceeds 500 EUR on the open market.

Anyone who buys new or used Rogers LS3 / 5a monitors in the „60“ and „65“ jubilee versions will receive this treasure as a gift.