Good friend John Marks once again shares with PF readers the rich trove of musical discoveries that he shelters at his blog site, The Tannhauser Gate. In this case, we have the delight of hearing the fusion of Elizabethan modalities with...mirabile dictu!...none other than a particular favorite of mine, Nick Drake. As unlikely as it seems, the... Read More » . . . Read More »
From the LA Audio Show: PF's DSD Seminar PowerPoints Those of you who were at the recent LA Audio Show had an opportunity to attend the Positive Feedback DSD Update Seminar. In it, PF Associate Editor Brian Moura and I presented a one-hour discussion of some recent developments in DSD hardware, recordings available in DSD, and download sites... Read More » . . . Read More »
So, two things on my mind here… the Aurender A10 and how wonderfully musical it is, and the WireWorld Starlight Cat8 Ethernet cables… and how they work so well together. I mean they work great by themselves with the Aurender A10 going a long way in terms of musicality, delicacies, nuances, bass, slam, and depth…... Read More » . . . Read More »
Acoustic Revive was founded in Japan in 1997 by Mr. Ken Ishiguro, who is the design genius behind the innovative and ultra-quality Acoustic Revive products. Like many hi-fi enthusiasts, Ken-san's interest in audio arose through his love for music as a youngster. Ken-san told me, "I was listening to the Beatles when I was fourteen... Read More » . . . Read More »
Continuing on with our coverage of the Los Angeles Audio Show... Part Five. ELAC. Stellar speakers for $6k a pair. MBL radialstrahler loudspeakers, new Noble Line stereo preamplifier, mono amplifier, and CD-DAC N31. Wireworld Eclipse Series 7 cabling. Perfect8, High End Zone, Ypsilon, Aurender. Rafe Arnott of Part-Time Audiophile checking the gear out. Perfect8 loudspeaker.... Read More » . . . Read More »
Bavarian Spring My flight landed at Flughafen München in Munich, the Bavarian capital and third most populous city in Germany, exactly on time, mid-morning Wednesday, May 17th. After stretching, collecting my bag, changing some currency from US dollars to Euro's, and using a vending machine to buy a Day Travel Pass for Munich's extensive public... Read More » . . . Read More »
Continuing on with our coverage of the Los Angeles Audio Show... Part Four. Musical Fidelity, Crystal Cable, Audio Plus Services. Musical Fidelity. A new look. Micromega, Focal, Audio Plus Services. Micromega, Focal, Audio Plus Services. Way cool. IsoAcoustics, SPL, XLO Cables, Audio Plus Services. IsoAcoustics, SPL, XLO Cables, Audio Plus Services. Ayon Audio Scorpio Gen... Read More » . . . Read More »
Continuing on with our coverage of the Los Angeles Audio Show... Part Three. Channel Islands Audio had two passive line controllers, the PLC.1 MKII and the PEQ.1 MKII both with AC.15 MKII upgrade power supply. D.200 MKII monoblock amplifiers, DMC.1 MKII digital music console with VDC.5 MKII upgrade power supply. Transient MKII USB DAC, also... Read More » . . . Read More »
Award-winning DACs taken to even higher level—at no cost Boulder, CO: 6/9/2017 - Boulder, CO: (6/9/2017) PS Audio is proud to announce availability of the revolutionary Huron Operating System upgrade for the DirectStream and DSJ DACs. Since the release of the Torreys OS last year, digital guru Ted Smith has worked painstakingly to not just... Read More » . . . Read More »
Continuing on with our coverage of the Los Angeles Audio Show... Part Two. Elite Audio Systems, Viola Labs, Kharma International. Alma Music & Audio were showing Dan D'Dagostino Progression monoblock amplifiers, Audio Research REF 10 preamplifier, Linn Klimax DSM music server, Innuos Zen MkII music server, YG Acoustics Sonja 1.2 loudspeakers, Iso Tek power conditioners,... Read More » . . . Read More »
This was the first time for this new show, also known as the LAAS. The venue moved from Orange County to LAX. This show report will feature a lot of pictures, and in some cases not much in the way of captions. Our goal here was to photograph as many rooms/exhibitors as possible (well over... Read More » . . . Read More »
Music is powerful, a distinct form of communication that moves your mind and soul. Building the soundtrack to your life as you live it, music pulls at your heart in most unusual ways, comforting, inspiring, strengthening you. Appreciate your music, empower it, hear it in a way you never have before. Upgrade your total listening... Read More » . . . Read More »
Powerful Cinema Technology Transforms Home Theater Viewing Experience MENLO PARK, California – June 6, 2017 – OPPO Digital announced that its UDP-203/UDP-205 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc players can now receive a firmware upgrade that enables the Dolby Vision™ feature. Initially released in December 2016 and April 2017 respectively, the OPPO UDP-203 and UDP-205 have... Read More » . . . Read More »
Jeremy R. Kipnis & Bob Carver at New York Audio Show - Nov. 2016 As a teenager of 17, I was introduced to CES: The Winter Consumer Electronics Show by a close engineering and audiophile friend, Richard Mintel. Back then, this monumental event, taking place in Las Vegas from January 6-9, 1983 sprawled countless hotels... Read More » . . . Read More »
Dan D'Agostino is a name that is nearly synonymous with high end audio. As the founder of Krell, Dan pioneered the development of high powered, Class A, solid-state amplifiers that were nearly indestructible and could drive any speaker load presented to it. They were among the first solid-state components to provide a viable alternative to... Read More » . . . Read More »
Sony RSX-GS9 Playing Dirty Work by Jenna Mammina in DSD 11.2 MHz (Photo: Blue Coast Music) Sony Electronics has announced that their RSX-GS9 Car Digital Media Player is now available with Quad Rate DSD (11.2MHz) playback. Current owners of the RSX-GS9 can upgrade their players by downloading and installing a free software upgrade from the... Read More » . . . Read More »
Chicago 2017 is now firmly in the rear-view mirror, O'Hare Airport and all. The show itself was a well attended event, with a just announced attendance of nearly seven thousand paid. According to show organizers, this was a 13% increase over 2016. From my standpoint, AXPONA 2017 was a busy show, with good to great traffic... Read More » . . . Read More »
Ecstatic Peace!/Caroline Records CAROL015LP, $19.99 2-LPs Amazon.com For me there are two Sonic Youths. I really like one of them. They're edgy and noisy but still know how to create simple and concise indie-pop songs that really kick ass, songs like "Kool Thing" and "Bull in the Heather." They can even branch out and deliver... Read More » . . . Read More »
The Higher End: HiFi Pig, Part-Time Audiophile, and Positive Feedback link-up In which our hero meditates… Those of you who have been reading Positive Feedback over the years are aware of the fact that from our beginning, 28 years ago, we have maintained friendly and open relationships with other publications. In fact, for quite a long... Read More » . . . Read More »
The two newest entries in AudioQuest's DragonFly family of DACs are the Black ($99 USD) and the Red ($199 USD), with the core design approach appearing to me to be one of simplicity of use in accessing the majority of files one listens to on a daily basis, along with easy connectivity to a broad... Read More » . . . Read More »
So, we come to you with another cable review. Sorry, I know many of you believe that cables cannot have a sound or character—that is either they work or don't and any audible impact on the sound would suggest that something is broken… like my ears or inability to be swayed by hype or whatever…... Read More » . . . Read More »
Nagra has shared three videos from Munich 2017. If you'd like to check them out, you'll find them at the following links: Day 1: Video from day I is online! Day 2: Video from day II is online! Day 3: Video from day III is online! . . . Read More »
As I write this review, Chicano Batman takes the stage in the blaring sun of the Coachella Valley for the second time—two years ago, some had commented on how absurd it seemed that this Los Angeles-based tropical soul band hadn't played the iconic festival. Now, on the heels of hearing their third full length album, Freedom... Read More » . . . Read More »
Munich HIGHEND Show, May 18, 2017 — At Pass Labs, we don't change our products unless we feel that the changes are significant improvements over previous versions. Because of this we see typical product life spans of seven to eight years. We are constantly working on and listening to new things and increasing our knowledge... Read More » . . . Read More »
Soundsmith Zephyer MIMC Star Cartridge The world's best turntables use Soundsmith because we've been designing and hand-building the world's best phono cartridges for more than thirty years. It is a very clear statement. Placing it on top of company's home page can seem bit megalomaniac. Peter Ledermann though, the director and chief engineer of Soundsmith,... Read More » . . . Read More »
HighEnd – Munich Germany – 18th May 2017 – In an era of unprecedented technological development throughout the world of high-end audio, AURALiC LIMITED is striking a new path with the introduction of its G Series premium audio components. Built around AURALiC's foundational Lightning Streaming framework and introducing Lightning Link, an advanced proprietary communications protocol,... Read More » . . . Read More »
RAVENNA set to become new benchmark for connectivity The introduction of MERGING+NADAC and then MERGING+PLAYER shook the high end audio world by introducing an Ethernet audio protocol in place of the conventional USB connection. RAVENNA offers numerous practical, performance and reliability advantages over USB and the results have been recorded in a series of rave... Read More » . . . Read More »
Western Electric Select Introduces Gauder Akustik Speakers Uber-Successful German Brand Available in the US Visit them at Munich HIGHEND | Atrium | Demos E105 | Press/Industry E104 Western Electric Select®, a division of Western Electric®, distributes and sells only the finest High End products available. The first to qualify for WE Select is Gauder Akustik,... Read More » . . . Read More »
Dateline: Westin Hotel, Rosemont, Ill., April 21-23rd, 2017 AXPONA! I get a serious kick out of listening to exotic, cost-no-object systems. In fact, I enjoy them so much, it's hard to tear myself away. Where reality and common sense meet, its clear I have little business in those rooms other than to experience some of the finest audio this... Read More » . . . Read More »
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Audio Show, running at the Sheraton Gateway at LAX from June 2 through June 4, has just completed a strategic partnership agreement with KJAZZ, FM 88.1, the non-profit radio station of the California State University, Long Beach Research Foundation.KJAZZ, "America's Jazz & Blues" station, which has more than 490,000... Read More » . . . Read More »
Einsam Keit. Schumann Lieder. Mathias Goerne, baritone, Markus Hinterhäuser, piano. Harmonia Mundi HMM 902243. Coming to Matthias Goerne without expectations, which I'll concede is almost impossible, we are struck by the unique combination of weight and lyricism in his voice. Paralleled by the same quality in the piano. The perfect baritone can do this but... Read More » . . . Read More »
This article, by Victor Chavira, Larry Cox, and Dave Clark, originally ran when audioMUSINGS was in print - Issue 15, 2001 McIntosh Audio Labs is a classic American company. Since 1949, McIntosh has remained true to its design aesthetic: bullet proof build, black glass, chrome, and big blue meters. The MC352 is their 350 watt stereo power... Read More » . . . Read More »
FIRENZE, Italy: Gold Note - the Italian High-End manufacturer based in Firenze – is introducing XT-7, the new full-range, 3 way speaker with anti-turbulence bass reflex and ribbon tweeter available in Black Glossy, White Glossy, Italian Walnut or Grey Maple. Gold Note Website: www.goldnote.it/xt-7 With a distinctive curved design based on a reinforced chassis in... Read More » . . . Read More »
This article, by Dr. John Coletti, originally ran when Positive Feedback was in print - Vol. 8, No. 1, 1999. As a teaching exercise, the student of criticism might be assigned the task of comparing or contrasting the work of one author, artist, or composer to that of another. The object of the lesson encourages a... Read More » . . . Read More »
This article, by Steve Lefkowicz, Larry Cox, Francisco Duran originally ran when audioMUSINGS was in print - Issue 15, 2001. I have a real problem with the pricing structure in "high end" audio. Though I tend to focus on affordable equipment, I have used, lived with, and evaluated many very expensive products over the years. I just... Read More » . . . Read More »
This article, by Dave Clark, Larry Cox, Francisco Duran, and Lauren Stephens originally ran when audioMUSINGS was in print - Issue 10, 2000. The MSB Link DAC II 24/96 comes into our home at a very interesting time. As the audio world begins to move to a more refined digital format (24/96, DVD-A, and SACD, none... Read More » . . . Read More »
This article, by Bruce Kinch, originally ran when Positive Feedback was in print - Vol. 6, No. 5, 1997. An Introduction The name at the head of this article is probably unfamiliar, as this is my first contribution to Positive Feedback, so perhaps I should include a few words about myself. I started patching together audio... Read More » . . . Read More »
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