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This past April Dave and I went to CanJam SoCal in downtown Los Angeles. It was a great show, and even though the venue was huge, it was easy to navigate. One of the first exhibitors we came across was Sonarworks. According to their website, they are "on a mission to ensure everybody hears music... Read More »

Another contribution from John Marks of the blog site The Tannhauser Gate. This one brief, and controversial in some musical quarters.  Nonetheless, this is John's point of view, and this section of Positive Feedback is entitled, "Audio Discourse." Therefore, read on... Dr. David W. Robinson, Ye Olde Editor My post about Gidon Kremer & Co.'s chamber-orchestra version of... Read More »

Image courtesy of Accustic Arts A bloody busy year so far, with much more to go. One of the projects that I took on very early in 2018...with some hesitation, I confess, due to the workload that was already building...was an offer to hear the Accustic Arts Tube Preamp II Mk2 and Mono II Monoblock... Read More »

Last year at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest we had a chance to listen to the AR-M200 player. It is a great sounding player and compact in size, and at a list price of USD $399 it's a great deal. In this tag-team article, we both give our thoughts. Carol At last year's RMAF Dave... Read More »

Ah yes, the world of cables… well specifically the world of USB cables. A lot of controversy as to their audible impact, or perhaps not if one actually sat and listened with an open mind. In the past I have shared the thinking behind their designs and any potential impact on the music (HERE), and have reviewed... Read More »

I think that the assertion that the Nobel Prize in Literature is essentially silly (and therefore, we are fools for taking it seriously) has something to be said for it. (Those happen to be the positions of the British novelist and translator Tim Parks.) Not one of:  James Joyce, Tolstoy, Ibsen, Henry James, Robert Graves, Graham Greene,... Read More »

Muddy Waters was born on April 4, 1913 and died on April 30, 1983. The 35th anniversary of his passing has recently come and gone. For this occasion, I find no better reason to introduce to you a dissection of one of the greatest blues albums ever recorded, entitled Folk Singer. Before we begin, please... Read More »

You may have noticed a trend over the years in my response to high-end audio shows. I've gravitated more and more to photographs not of products, but of people. Less and less of audio porn; more and more of the folks who make up the slightly mad world of fine audio. There are plenty of... Read More »

"May you live in interesting times." Legend has it that in ancient China this was a curse to be invoked against one's enemies to deprive them of a calm, simple life. The modern audiophile equivalent was the April 2, 2018 press release from Oppo's audio/video division announcing cessation of production of existing products and closing... Read More »

The world of fine audio was rocked by the news of David Wilson's passing. In this memoriam, our good friend John Marks, the editor of The Tannhauser Gate, reflects on David's contributions to the industry, and how he helped to set the foundations for modern high-end audio.  I echo John's prayer for his eternal rest and... Read More »

ESS 422H Heil AMT/Moving Coil Hybrid Headphones: New Current Production Back in February when I reviewed these brand new headphones with their amazing drive system, they did not look like the current cans on the shelf today. They were pre-production and were supposed to be exactly like they are now in every musical parameter. Actually,... Read More »

This will be the first of another sporadically updated series I hope to do, maybe annually or maybe more often, about helping people set up their first real stereo system. I'll help them through the process of deciding what they hope to accomplish (hopefully wanting to listen to their favorite music at home and have... Read More »

Two gents walk into a bar… So the joke generally begins. Unlike a joke, however musing, what comes next is nothing short of a blockbuster HiFi story worth telling and then some. The two gents in question, Howard Sosna, and Joe Kubala, went on to form what is otherwise known as Kubala-Sosna (or "KS" for... Read More »

So, months, days and year (no "s") into my sojourn with the Pear Audio Blue Little John (system par excellence), I've hit critical mass. I'm taken, enamored, sold-on, dedicated, committed to and otherwise fully engaged with this turntable life. Without spending another three-thousand-plus words telling you all the ways I'm madly in love with the... Read More »

Ye Olde Editor, in medias res… (photograph by John Robinson) No, this is not a major review. It is more of a retrospective and reflection on what I've heard in the upgrade of our LampizatOr Golden Gate DSD DAC from its original design to its new Golden Gate 2 version. As it turns out, that upgrade... Read More »

I just had a rather arresting (in the sense of, one has to stop doing anything else, and just listen) listening experience. I want to share it with you. The music I was listening to is from an underappreciated (really, almost unknown) classic-era jazz recording; but I have heard it many times. However, I had never heard it... Read More »

Bergmann Audio is a company and not an individual—and that's a good thing. Otherwise it would not have been very charming to admit that I did not quite believe the news about their tenth anniversary. For me, the Danish manufacturer appeared to be much older, basically due to their technically independent designs seeming to have... Read More »

In recent years there have been major changes in the music industry. Sales of optical discs have declined while interest in other ways to get music albums including music downloads, streaming and formats like LPs and even Analog Tape are on the upswing with sales of some albums reissued on LP by Mobile Fidelity reaching... Read More »

Observation 1 Okay we all get it—the bigger the better. The more rooms the better for profits and attracting attendees, but let's be realistic, it does not work for pretty much anyone other than the hotel and perhaps the promoter. The recent AXPONA had at my count 165 exhibit rooms (spread over 9 floors and... Read More »