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Recent Articles

Introducing Stellar! Pure PS Audio DNA is now available in a lower-priced line!
02-14-2017 | By Positive Feedback

Boulder, CO: 2/13/2017: PS Audio is proud to introduce the Stellar line of components, continuing our four decade tradition of ultra-high-value, high performance products. Stellar will initially consist of three models:  Stellar Gain Cell DAC combines an updated version of our analog Gain Cell technology with a full-featured DAC that can play the DSD output from our new DirectStream Memory Player. MSRP $1,699 in the... Read More »


Grace Design m920 and the Steinway and Sons Office Systems - Part 4
02-10-2017 | By John Marks

John Marks' final installment about his recommended Steinway and Sons office system is below. He focuses on the Grace Design m920 DAC as the digital heart of the system. Read on for his summary. And remember that John's blog site, The Tannhauser Gate (http://www.thetannhausergate.com) is a fine place for audio commentary and music/video reviews! Recommended. Dr. David... Read More » . . . Read More »


Connections, Connections: Steinway and Sons Office Systems and AudioQuest - Part 3
02-06-2017 | By John Marks

In part three of this series, John Marks introduces cables to his small office audio system recommendations. While John has his own Esperanto Audio line of reference audio cables, he concentrates on Audioquest's very good price-t0-performance cables. This is shaping up to be a very pleasant office/desktop system; I appreciate the useful advice contained in... Read More » . . . Read More »


A Fantastic Little Stereo System - Part 2
02-04-2017 | By John Marks

Parasound's Zamp v.3 stereo amplifier One of my favorite lines from the original Star Trek TV series (and please, nobody forget that Alexander Courage's theme music borrowed heavily from Mahler's symphonies 1 and 7) was something like: I bet five Quatloos on the feisty newcomer! Well, Parasound's Zamp v.3 is hardly a newcomer, but, it's... Read More » . . . Read More »


Impressions: The Gryphon Audio Kalliope 8x DSD DAC
02-03-2017 | By David W. Robinson

The Gryphon Audio Kalliope DSD DAC upon arrival here… (Photograph and image processing by Robinson) The world of DSD DACs has certainly exploded over the past four years, going from a relative "we happy few" to over 400 models to choose from. The price points vary wildly…from $189 all the way out to multiple tens... Read More » . . . Read More »


Notes on the Gryphon Audio Kalliope DSD DAC by Flemming Rasmussen
02-03-2017 | By Editors at Positive Feedback

Flemming Rasmussen of Gryphon Audio Gryphon was never the adopter of technology for the sake of technology on its own, we always found it intriguing and followed it closely, but our experiments remained in the lab for the right timing. Right timing? Gryphon made it first appearance 30 years ago with a revolutionary HEADAMP, taking... Read More » . . . Read More »


Periodic Audio Debuts Trio of In-Ear Monitors to Deliver Portable Audio Excellence
02-03-2017 | By Positive Feedback

New proprietary design brings together premium materials and precisely tuned enclosures to achieve best-in-class performance    Periodic Audio, an audio products manufacturer specializing in high-performance portable audio solutions, will launch its first three models of in-ear monitors (IEM) at CanJam NYC 2017, February 4-5. These IEMs have been engineered using materials and processes common to... Read More » . . . Read More »


A Fantastic Little Stereo System - Part 1
02-02-2017 | By John Marks

John Marks gives us a recommendation for a stereo system that offers a great deal of musical satisfaction with a small footprint and at a more reasonable price point. This four-part series will explore his thoughts on this package. May it serve you well! Dr. David W. Robinson, Ye Olde Editor Photo of Eric Feidner... Read More » . . . Read More »


America's Premier Composer Maria Schneider at Soka University 2/21/17
02-01-2017 | By Jim Merod

Maria Schneider (photograph courtesy of Soka University) Maria Schneider is an unrivaled American composer in the grand tradition of Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Chopin and Ellington, a transcendent lineage that defines western musical maturity. A once undiscovered orchid, Maria's risen to a plateau of melodic delight and aesthetic delicacy without equal, an achievement accrued in... Read More » . . . Read More »


OPPO Announces Sonica DAC Audiophile Digital-to-Analog Converter and Network Streamer
01-31-2017 | By Positive Feedback

Merging High Performance Audio and Versatile Connectivity OPPO Digital today announced that the new Sonica DAC is ready for release. The newest entry into the OPPO family of digital audio products, Sonica DAC merges audiophile-grade performance with the latest network streaming technology. With more and more music coming from digital sources, the DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter)... Read More » . . . Read More »


Arthur Lipner's Two Hands, One Heart on CD
01-31-2017 | By Marc Phillips

Back in the '80s, when I was in college, I tried very hard to get into jazz. Many of my music-loving friends had already discovered it, and they constantly told me that if I found the right entry point I would totally dig it. I tried and I tried but I just couldn't find the... Read More » . . . Read More »


Before She Became Princess Leia
01-31-2017 | By Jim Merod

Finishing graduate study at Stanford, 1970-72, I was Director of Admissions at the The Athenian School, a small and innovative prep school on Mt. Diablo in the Bay Area. It was funded by the Ford Foundation as a tribute to Dyke Brown, its longtime Vice President, a going away present supporting educational objectives he'd championed... Read More » . . . Read More »


The Audio Guild announces the Electro Magnetic Amplifier Co.'s 535SE Headphone Amplifier/Line Preamplifier
01-21-2017 | By Positive Feedback

The Audio Guild (TAG) and the Electro Magnetic Amplifier Co. (EMAC) announce a new headphone amplifier/line preamplifier designed for the most demanding audiophiles. Designed to capture the magic of the classic single-ended triode (SET) vacuum tube amplifier but without the heat, expense and regular replacement of vacuum tubes, the EMAC 535SE uses a unique and... Read More » . . . Read More »


Polish Jazz Forever III
01-17-2017 | By Wojciech Pacuła

Remasters 2016 vol. 1 | vol. 3 | vol. 4 | vol. 24 | vol. 54 | vol. 63 COMPACT DISC | LONG PLAY Warner Music Poland sp. z o.o. Wytwórnia Polskie Nagrania [email protected] polskienagrania.com.pl  warnermusic.pl  The third meeting of High Fidelity readers with Polish Jazz Remasters (the so-called second "six", as the record label decided to launch... Read More » . . . Read More »


LA Audio Show Names NY PR Firm
01-13-2017 | By Positive Feedback

LA Audio Show NY PR Firm THERE'S A NEW SHOWMAN IN TOWN LA Audio Show Names NY PR Firm; Goes After New Market   LA Audio Show NY PR Firm The Orion Group, operator of The LA Audio Show; with its debut event scheduled for the Sheraton Gateway in Los Angeles, June 2-4, 2017; has retained... Read More » . . . Read More »


Vamos on the Music: The National, 'Trouble Will Find Me'
01-13-2017 | By Michael Vamos

The National's sixth album, Trouble Will Find Me, continues the Brooklyn-based band's streak of melancholy mellow, indie rock. It's reminiscent of the rhythms and monotone vocals of Joy Division and with the suffer-in-silence-like lyrics of The Smiths. "Don't Swallow The Cap" and "Graceless" are dead ringers for Joy Division songs. Singer Matt Berninger and band... Read More » . . . Read More »


HiFiMAN Headphones - HE1000 V2 and Edition X V2
01-09-2017 | By Wojciech Pacuła

HiFiMAN Headphones - HE1000 V2 and Edition X V2  Within past several years the world of high-end audio took a course leading it towards the "wall". What wall? A complete price stratosphere. Sure, quality has to cost, and for an exceptional quality one pays double or even triple. Despite this, the current prices for the... Read More » . . . Read More »


Radio Free Chip - Tweaks Are Us
01-09-2017 | By Chip Stern

Greetings from the underground, fellow music lovers and seekers after audio nirvana. As I may have conveyed in my last ruminations many, many moons ago, I am luxuriating in the aural glow of an extended series of incremental tweaks, which coming as they have, in drips and drabs, have brought me to the point where... Read More » . . . Read More »


Top 500 SuperSonic List - Part 1
01-09-2017 | By Claude Lemaire

This is an ongoing project by Claude Lemaire of Soundevaluations. Here is the first 10 of his Top 500 SuperSonic List... "This is a journey into sound. A journey which along the way will bring to you new colour, new dimension, new value..." What better way to introduce this new long term project than to quote Geoffrey... Read More » . . . Read More »


Roon Headless on a NAS with the microRendu: An Important Follow-up
01-09-2017 | By Tom Gibbs

The NAS element of my Roon/QNAP/microRendu setup is a QNAP TS-251, which has the requisite 64-bit processor and sufficiently upgradeable RAM to run Roon Core effectively. And at a significant cost savings when compared to Roon's recommended QNAP setup ($500 vs. nearly $2000 USD). During my initial explorations of Roon late last year, I quickly... Read More » . . . Read More »


A YouTube Video About PF's Jim Merod: The Jazz Man!
01-06-2017 | By David W. Robinson

Positive Feedback has a lively and diverse creative community on its masthead. One very unforgettable person, and a very close, dear friend of mine, is the inimitable Dr. Jim Merod, a Senior Associate Editor at PF. A professor at Soka University in southern California, Jim is widely renowned in the world of Jazz as The... Read More » . . . Read More »


Wise Men From the East, Bearing Gifts! Part 2
01-06-2017 | By John Marks

Part 2 of John Marks' Christmas recommendations:  This time, the hardware. Like the wise men's gifts, in a set of three. Simple. Affordable. And each clearly excellent at its price point. Very helpful, friend John! Dr. David W. Robinson, Ye Olde Editor Part 1 covered recorded media (CD boxed sets, and an SACD/CD hybrid). Part... Read More » . . . Read More »


Wise Men From the East, Bearing Gifts! Part 1
01-06-2017 | By John Marks

Very nearly too late, we publish a pair of reviews by God rest ye merry, gentleman, John Marks. He takes us through a set of gift recommendations on this twelfth-like day of Christmas, with worthy recordings suitable for bringing glad tidings of good cheer throughout this new year. Like the wise men who came to... Read More » . . . Read More »


Introducing GoldenEar’s New Flagship: The Triton Reference
01-05-2017 | By Positive Feedback

  In 2014, GoldenEar introduced the Triton One to great acclaim at the Las Vegas CES. Then, the Triton One launched into the marketplace, thrilling listeners and reviewers alike, while achieving stupendous and previously unheard-of sales velocity for a loudspeaker in its price range. And, of equal importance, the One garnered an enviable and unmatched... Read More » . . . Read More »


A Second Grieg Piano Concerto?
01-01-2017 | By Stephen Francis Vasta

GRIEG: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 (rev. Grieg and Grainger)*; Piano Concerto in B minor (fragments); EVJU: Piano Concerto in B minor (on fragments by Grieg)*; GRIEG: Two Songs (trans. Evju for solo piano). Carl Petersson, piano; *Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra/Kerry Stratton Grand Piano GP 689.  TT: 56.35 Downloads: prestoclassical.co.uk (320-kbps mp3, FLAC);... Read More » . . . Read More »


Hijiri 聖 SMT Takumi Maestro AC Cable
01-01-2017 | By Wojciech Pacuła

It was clear from the very beginning that the Harmonix X-DC Studio Master Million Maestro power cable was a highly limited product, so it was intended for a small group of customers. Its price only this sealed this exclusivity. I envy the lucky ones who have it in their systems—it is the best power cable, I... Read More » . . . Read More »


Notes of an Amateur: Prokofiev, Wu Han, and Kat Edmonson
01-01-2017 | By Bob Neill

Serge Prokofiev, Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1. Nos 2, 6, and 8. Alexander Melnikov, Harmonia Mundi HMC 902202. For those of us who find early twentieth century modernism one of the pinnacles, Prokofiev's piano concertos and piano sonatas are among its richest assets. What I have always found especially attractive in this music is a sense... Read More » . . . Read More »


Why aren't we…?
01-01-2017 | By Roger Skoff

Roger Skoff writes about the state of our hobby and the industry that supports it. One of the politicians in the recent U.S. Presidential election asked, with apparently real surprise, "Why am I not fifty points ahead?" Frankly, I'm no expert on politics, so it doesn't surprise me at all that I could not think... Read More » . . . Read More »


Déjà vu Audio Announces the Opening of Déjà vu Audio West!
12-31-2016 | By Positive Feedback

Déjà vu Audio, one of the nation’s top high end retailers is excited to announce the opening of the third store-Déjà vu Audio West. It is located at 7855 Herschel Ave, La Jolla, CA 92037. Phone is 858-412-4023.  Déjà vu Audio was founded in 1995, and now has stores serving Miami, Florida, McLean, Virginia, and... Read More » . . . Read More »


Boy Finds Music Again, Part 1 of a Story of Sorts
12-26-2016 | By Justin Weber

I began this story to share the "joy of boy finds music again," but quickly realized that it's a story with more hats than that simple narrative could support. As a first time contributor to audio discussions not made via posts to forums; an introduction is appropriate. I am Justin Weber of ampsandsound, a certified... Read More » . . . Read More »


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