Lab12 Melto 2 - tube rolling

@audphile1 

“If You Go” and “Beautiful Love” are indeed reference tracks. They’re the kind of recordings that quietly reveal everything….tone, texture, timing, and emotional intent. When a system is dialed in, “If You Go” exposes midrange purity and vocal intimacy, while “Beautiful Love” becomes a masterclass in harmonic richness, spatial layering, and decay.

I just looked up "If you go" on Youtube, and you guys are right.  It is not the same song as "If you go away".  The latter was a worldwide hit as sung by many besides Shirley and originally I think by Charles Aznavour, in French. The recording on Youtube is taken from her Verve LP, but I have it on one of her Steeplechase LPs. Wonderful as those are, I would not say it was very challenging to record Shirley with her laid back singing and her own piano accompaniment plus bass and sometimes drums. The main thing Steeplechase got right is very silent backgrounds and the conveyance of the ambience of the environment in which she was playing.

@lalitk yes very well recorded stuff the Shirley Horn albums. And 16/44 too! 
I stopped using Qobuz as it was busted. Was streaming from Tidal. No issues and sounds great. But now I checked and it seems the songs that were not playing on Qobuz are working again. Great that they fixed it. 
 

@lewm found it…”If you go away” is from an album called “May Music Never End”. That isn’t the song I was referring to though. Great recording on that album. And that is a good song. So thank you…I never heard that version of it. Yes I think original was Aznavour. 

I had to google it. Wasn’t Aznavour. It was written and performed by Jacques Brel

The Gold Lions are in. System was off. Tubes are new. Immediate and initial impressions - very resolving, detailed sound, midrange is super clear without glare, tons of air and very precise. Very nice quiet background and excellent soundstage. 
Now break in begins. Let’s see how they settle with about 100hrs on.