HASSE: Il Tigrane: Overture and Arias; VIVALDI: Il Tigrane: Arias; GLUCK: Il Tigrane: Arias. Isabel Bayrakdarian, soprano; Kansas City Symphony Orchestra/Constantine Orbelian. Delos DE 3591. TT: 64.06. Downloads: Amazon.com (mp3); boxset.me (FLAC); qobuz.com (various formats) Did you know about this Cleopatra? I certainly didn't. Cleopatra of Pontus married King Tigranes the Great (Tigranes II) of Armenia, in... Read More » . . . Read More »
The Japanese company Accuphase was set up in 1972 as Kensonic Laboratory, Inc. in Tokyo and after it moved to Yokohama in 1973, its products have born the Accuphase logo. It used to specialize in amplifiers and radio tuners, and later also in CD and SACD players. We are testing its latest, top-of-the-range C-3900 line... Read More » . . . Read More »
Verona, WI, March 10, 2021– Perlisten Audio, a new audio company founded by an all-star team of industry professionals, today announced that its products are available to U.S. dealers through Fidelity Imports, an importer and distributor of some of the world’s finest audio products. Fidelity Imports is the exclusive distribution company to offer Perlisten products... Read More » . . . Read More »
MOON is pleased to announce that its streaming products* now offer Spotify Connect. The addition of Spotify Connect, together with the recent introduction of AirPlay 2 to the feature set, ensures MOON’s streamers continue to offer industry-leading connectivity. Spotify Connect is the quickest and easiest way to access Spotify’s immense library of music and podcasts.... Read More » . . . Read More »
High end, two-channel audio systems have gone through a major transformation over the past decade. Systems that were once driven exclusively by vinyl and CDs are now largely run by content stored on NAS drives and servers. In order to ensure that audiophiles can enjoy the ease of streaming music without having to concede the fidelity... Read More » . . . Read More »
At the peak of his career, Chesney "Chet" Baker represented the epitome of jazz cool, and along with the likes of Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Gerry Mulligan, and Stan Getz was one of the principal figures of the "West Coast Jazz" movement centered between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Baker relished living the fast life,... Read More » . . . Read More »
HE400se Open-Back Headphone Features an Ultra-wide Soundstage, Detailed Spatial Imaging BELLMORE, NY, March 4, 2021 – HIFIMAN, the leader in high fidelity personal audio, will soon ship a powerful new planar magnetic headphone that offers outstanding audio at a mass market price. The new HE400se ($149) is an open-back planar magnetic headphone that employs single-ended drivers to deliver a wide... Read More » . . . Read More »
March 3, 2021 Covid has obviously thrown more wrenches into the audio show schedule. Considering the constantly changing dates of some shows this year we want to assure everyone that if we cannot safely hold the Pacific Audio Fest on our scheduled dates (July 30-Aug. 1 2021) then we will simply refund all deposits and... Read More » . . . Read More »
Light In The Attic Records (LITA) is a record label based in Seattle that has a certain knack for the unconventional, and has specialized over the last couple of decades in reissuing obscure, underrepresented, and sometimes virtually unknown artists. With the intent of bringing that unknown gem of an album, or perhaps a lesser-known artists'... Read More » . . . Read More »
Craft Recordings completes their 50th anniversary celebration of the founding of Creedence Clearwater Revival with new LP reissues of the band's final two albums, Pendulum and Mardi Gras. 1970's Pendulum—which was CCR's second album release that year (Cosmo's Factory streeted only months earlier in July)—was recorded in a month in November, and was released only... Read More » . . . Read More »
Part 1: The Awaking Late October of last year, a friend of mine who lives in Wichita Kansas, came to visit me for a jam session and a guitar lesson. We had a great time, and when he made it back home, he sent me a text photo of a vinyl haul he'd snagged at... Read More » . . . Read More »
Melco’s latest 4.10 firmware enables its Japanese-engineered libraries for the latest version of Roon 25th February, 2021, Surrey, UK: Leading digital music library specialist Melco Audio has today released a new over-the-air firmware update (4.10) which brings Roon Ready integration to its five-strong EX Series of digital libraries, enabling them to exploit the... Read More » . . . Read More »
23rd February 2021, Kent, UK: In a new article posted on the Neil Young Archives, Neil Young and Phil Baker describe how they currently use Chord Electronics' Mojo DAC/headphone amplifier with their phones and desktops. They created a web page dedicated to correct Mojo set up to help their members enjoy all that Neil Young... Read More » . . . Read More »
American drummer Steve Gadd has performed with some of the most iconic names in music, including Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, Paul McCartney and Steely Dan. So, when the legendary drummer raves about the jazz he creates with saxophonist Michael Blicher and organist Dan Hemmer, it behooves music lovers to listen. They can do just that... Read More » . . . Read More »
This article originally ran in Volume 5, No. 2 of Positive Feedback Back in the Tube Saddle Again It's been a while, hasn't it? A couple of loudspeakers and a DAC got in the way, but now I'm back with a big embrace of those thermionic devices that I've grown to love. Since our last... Read More » . . . Read More »
Norman Varney of AV RoomService Ltd. has joined Positive Feedback as a Senior Technical Editor as of Issue 113. His expertise in his field of audio acoustics and experience in the field makes him a helpful voice in our creative community for the audio arts. As has been our wont from the beginning of PF,... Read More » . . . Read More »
Introducing DualCoherent™ 2 Sonja Series Upgraded YG Acoustics is pleased to announce DualCoherent 2, a significant advance in one of our core and unique technologies. DualCoherent 2 builds on YG’s industry-leading DualCoherent crossover technology, further optimised through the powerful modelling capabilities of Cambridge Acoustic Sciences (CAS) https://cambridgeacousticsciences.com/. Working together with CAS, we measured the electronic... Read More » . . . Read More »
New Music App Offers a Wider Range of Music-streaming Services and Enhanced Usability, with More Upgrades to Follow. WORTHING, UK (February 12, 2021)—Bowers & Wilkins, the leading global premium audio brand, is proud to announce an exciting new development to its Formation wireless technology platform. Launching on February 12th, the new Bowers & Wilkins Music... Read More » . . . Read More »
We are blessed once again by some fine reflections from our good friend and brother, John Marks, he of The Tannhauser Gate fame. This time around we read his thoughts on the Graham Audio Chartwell LS6 Monitor Loudspeaker. I always fine John's commentary to be excellent reading, a blend of audio experience, music, deep insight, and... Read More » . . . Read More »
Qobuz, the first Hi-Res music streaming service, is celebrating its two year anniversary in the US on February 14th. A love letter to the audiophile community, Qobuz streams in up to 24-bit / 192 kHz, and offers editorial content, liner notes, lyric booklets, and other musichead content found nowhere else. With the best sound quality... Read More » . . . Read More »
Treat Your Headphones to McIntosh Vacuum Tube Amplification Binghamton, NY – February 4, 2021 – McIntosh, the global leader in prestigious home entertainment and ultimate-quality audio for 70 years, is proud to introduce the MHA200 Vacuum Tube Headphone Amplifier. The McIntosh MHA200 Vacuum Tube Headphone Amplifier is designed for discerning headphone enthusiasts who demand the... Read More » . . . Read More »
If you're a serious audiophile, one of the things you can be certain of is that you're eventually going to have a problem. If you're lucky, it might just be that something in your system breaks or, like tubes and some other kinds of electrical or mechanical parts, eventually wears out. If you're less lucky,... Read More » . . . Read More »
No, not quite done yet. RSX Technologies MAX Power Cable and the RSX Technologies Power8 Multi-Outlet Power Box The RSX Technologies MAX Power Cable. All images courtesy of RSX Technologies. Disclaimer first: Roger Skoff, formerly of XLO Cables, has been writing essays for Positive Feedback for a few years now. Back in 2019 he started... Read More » . . . Read More »
I am indebted to David P. Goldman‘s wonderful Tablet magazine article on the place of classical music in Israeli society for introducing me to the young pianist Noam Sivan, who is recovering the lost art of classical-piano improvisation. Born in 1978, Sivan has taught at the Curtis Institute and the Juilliard School. Currently he is Professor of Piano Improvisation at the... Read More » . . . Read More »
Okay so I have always been about removing or filtering out "noise" or whatever crap is in the signal or wherever… stuff that can cloud or obscure the music. Been after this ever since I realized it was there. Crap that gets in the way of the music. AC conditioners, AC regenerators, signal filters, grounding... Read More » . . . Read More »
This is an ongoing project by Claude Lemaire of Soundevaluations 161. Diahann Carroll and The André Previn Trio, Porgy and Bess. United Artists Records UAS 5021, United Artists Records UAS 4021 (mono) (Can.) (1959), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: jazz, musical. I loves you Porgy... let me count the ways. There are several interpretations of Gershwin's work—originally considered by... Read More » . . . Read More »
KRAKOW SONIC SOCIETY is an informal group of audiophiles and friends who meet every now and then to learn something new about audio products, music releases, music itself, and so on. The idea for KSS was born in 2005. It has already been the 128th. KSS meeting. THE ENTERTEINMENT INDUSTRY IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC... Read More » . . . Read More »
Marius Leirånes. Photo by Natalie Jensen, used with permission. A few miles south of the arctic circle, in the small village of Rognan, Norwegian musician Marius Leirånes has, for decades, been dreaming up dark musical fantasies. Although his influences are diverse, he and his long-time friend and collaborator, Jostein Haugen, have plumbed the depths of... Read More » . . . Read More »
January 28, 2021 - Following the launch of Stellia in 2019, global audio leader Focal presents Celestee. Delivering uncompromising audio quality, these headphones feature modern design and a blue finish, showcasing the French brand’s savoir-faire in audio. Focal has been present on the headphones market since 2012, developing a universally acclaimed collection of open-back and closed-back headphones. A... Read More » . . . Read More »
I wrote enthusiastically about Just Listen Records a couple months ago (HERE). We were impressed by what this label was accomplishing, and we've been enjoying more of their deliciously well-recording acoustic music releases since then. They continue delivering innovative music from very talented artists, recorded in live single takes, with exceptionally natural, high resolution sound.... Read More » . . . Read More »
Reports From The Low Country, Rick Stotijn (double bass), Channel Classics (2019 DSD256, DXD) (HERE) When a master plays, the double bass is one of the most amazing instruments. And so it is in this 2019 recording by bassist Rick Stotijn. Focusing on compositions by Dutch composers from the past 50 years, Stotijn brings his... Read More » . . . Read More »
Patricia Barber remains one of my favorite contemporary jazz artists—both in the studio and live. Yes, her recordings are renowned for their sound quality and unique, if not eclectic arrangements, but she is much more than that. I lived in the Chicago area for many years and often found my way to her weekly Monday... Read More » . . . Read More »
Los Angeles, Calif. — AGD Productions, Inc., a leader in Hi-End Audio electronic design, today introduced the AGD “Gran Vivace”, its new top of the line monoblock amplifiers. The AGD Gran Vivace 350W/4ohm amplifier is based on the new GaNTubeKT120. The AGD GaNTube technology is a unique proprietary CLASS-D modular platform 100% Gallium Nitride MOSFET... Read More » . . . Read More »
Droplets II, Christiaan Richter, TRPTK (2020 DXD) (HERE) Live from Amsterdam's Concertgebouw Hall, it's an ear-opening extravaganza with a single percussionist and his 13" Chinese gong. But what a show! Watch out for the dynamics on this EP. Things start very softly, but progress to shattering volumes in the course of the twelve minutes of... Read More » . . . Read More »
Republished from January - February 2021 I wrote about Jared Sacks and Channel Classics this past fall, focusing on several recordings which I find treasurable (HERE). Today, I'm returning to share a further conversation from this past December in which Jared and I talk about his recording philosophy, his work with some of the artists... Read More » . . . Read More »
Mytek Audio proudly introduces the new Liberty THX AAA™ HPA, an analog headphone amplifier featuring THX Achromatic Audio Amplifier technology to deliver pure audio. The patented THX Achromatic Audio Amplifier (THX AAA™), the most linear amplifier technology available today, powers the Liberty THX AAA™ HPA to provide astonishing musical accuracy, unprecedented dynamic range, as well... Read More » . . . Read More »
New York, January 15, 2021 Mytek Audio has announced a slew of new products to be launched throughout 2021 following the shifting of production to the new larger factory in Poland that took place last Summer. This change, originally prompted by a loss of confidence in previous manufacturer and EU distributor, HEM Electronics coincides with... Read More » . . . Read More »
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