The iSINE Series and LCD i3 are the Latest Innovations in Planar Magnetic Technology Costa Mesa, Calif. The Audeze iSINE 20 (USD $599.00) Audeze, the #1 manufacturer of high-end headphones, launches its first series of in-ear headphones. They Incorporate all the technology of the rave-reviewed LCD Collection, including patented Fluxor™ magnets, ultra-thin diaphragms and patented... Read More » . . . Read More »
Nordost is excited to announce the launch of its newest product, the Sort Lift®. The Sort Lift® is the preeminent cable support in the consumer electronics industry, and is the perfect addition to Nordost’s line of Resonance Control Devices: the Sort System. Nordost’s Sort System is designed to allow components to resonate at their natural... Read More » . . . Read More »
Great news! Positive Feedback and NativeDSD (http://www.nativeDSD.com) announce the release of a joint music project, the PF DSD Sampler, Volume 1. This project was done to celebrate NativeDSD.com's amazing achievement of passing 1000 albums at its site in early September of 2016. The PF DSD Sampler, Volume 1 is a collection of ten selections from... Read More » . . . Read More »
In July, I visited all star music guru Quincy Jones at his mind-boggling hacienda near UCLA with its round ballroom's piano ready main gathering area looking out over Los Angeles. Description fails to capture the elegance and grandeur of Quincy's palace. Three Oscars sit here and there like Olympic paper weights. Q's two dozen-plus Grammy... Read More » . . . Read More »
So here I am retired, and with lots of time. Time for music, beer, wine, the magazine… my art and more (like being on the Board of Directors for two non-profits here in LB—yikers what have I done?)... and time to listen to our music with the PS Audio BHK Signature Preamplifier and DirectStream DAC.... Read More » . . . Read More »
The audio domain is a field which combines a few spheres of human activity, i.e. music, the art of recording and reproducing it. The most important aspects of music reproduction are: technical knowledge, musical sensitivity and attention to artistic design. The last of the three is (or rather used to be) especially controversial. It is... Read More » . . . Read More »
Brief Impressions: From an Editor's Notebook In which our hero meditates… What a year it's been. There have been so many products and projects here at PF Central in 2016 that I'll be writing from here until the end of the bloody year to cover them all. Some of these will require a more extended... Read More » . . . Read More »
Wyred 4 Sound Releases New Powerful Amplifier, The SX-1000R ATASCADERO, CA, Aug 2016— Wyred 4 Sound is pleased to announce the SX-1000R, the evolution of the multi-award-winning SX-1000 amplifier and Wyred 4 Sound’s most powerful amplifier. The SX-1000R can produce peaks in excess of 625W with 8Ω loads and 1225W with 4Ω loads. The new... Read More » . . . Read More »
Well, right on, John Marks! Here's a real classic from the trove of audio loot. This week's album from The Tannhauser Gate (http://www.thetannhausergate.com) brings back a pile of memories from my junior year in high school, which was a time of ferment and fervor in my life, there with friends and life in the East Bay sprawl-town of... Read More » . . . Read More »
Playback Designs Announces the Production Release of their Pinot A/D Quad DSD Converter The Playback Designs Pinot Analog-to-Digital Quad DSD/PCM Converter Playback Design has announced the production release of their new Pinot A/Dconverter as part of their SONOMA series system incorporating the latest QUAD DSDFPGA technology. According to Andreas Koch, president and designer of Playback... Read More » . . . Read More »
The DirectStream Junior DAC is my first in-home experience with a PS Audio product. It is also a brand-spanking new product, so my thanks to PS Audio's Marketing Director, Bill Leebens for making it happen. Having such a hot product on my review-plate does not happen to me that often. It's awesomely cool... It's Steve McQueen... Read More » . . . Read More »
If one has to use the word "legendary" to describe a musician or band, then when applied to the King Crimson it would be relatively painless from where I stand. Founded in London in January 1969 still the same year, in October they released the album that, let's not start to be modest now, forever... Read More » . . . Read More »
[The Boston Symphony Orchestra has been entangled with Tanglewood for decades. This outdoor setting of historical (for America) lineage has seen more than its share of great orchestral works over the years, thus affirming the blessing of the original benefaction given by the Tappan family back in 1936. John Marks, editor and writer at The Tannhauser... Read More » . . . Read More »
If you talk about music long enough, you tend to forget where you are coming from. I tend to talk about the succession of musical styles (baroque, late romanticism, modernism) while some others write about differences in formal technique, because for my amateur mind, the succession of styles is the history of music. And for... Read More » . . . Read More »
This time around, John Marks introduces us to a recording by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Andris Nelsons. He points to the dicey realm of talented musical parents and the unknown musical outcomes of their children. Like the proverbial "pastor's kids," perhaps they will be inspired by parents...and perhaps not. An artist... Read More » . . . Read More »
[a]pendics.shuffle: The name jumped off the screen during some late-night online record shopping. One day I'll share about the site itself, as I'm on there often - but admittedly I'm very protective of the outfit: For selfish reasons of course: The spot's usually got wicked underground electronic tunes (on vinyl, CD and hi-rez downloads via FLAC & .WAV). . . . Read More »
The Rocky Mountain International Audio Fest (RMAF) has been notified by the Marriott Denver Tech Center (DTC) that second phase renovations have been delayed (see attached statement from the Marriott) and will not be complete by the start of the 13th Annual RMAF in October. In response to this development, RMAF and the Marriott DTC... Read More » . . . Read More »
Lavish HiFi in Santa Rosa, CA, is hosting a special free listening GamuT event from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, September 30th & Saturday October 1st, featuring the premiere of GamuT's new flagship speaker, The ZODIAC, along with guest appearances from GamuT’s chief designer Benno Baun Meldgaard and GamuT’s US president Michael Vamos. Both will on... Read More » . . . Read More »
Oh damn!! There goes my new dedicated power supply! . . . Read More »
Late '60s let's-make-lots-of-money British mainstream studio action flick here (The Italian Job), generally well regarded for the acting and the action. John Marks of The Tannhauser Gate (http://www.thetannhausergate.com) discards the husk of the film and enjoys the fruit of the opening credits theme song by Matt Monro. As always, his choices and commentary are a... Read More » . . . Read More »
In this week's "Vault Treasures," our trusty musical guide John Marks shares with us a jazzic voice that I was not familiar with: Blossom Margrete Dearie, AKA "Blossom Dearie." Last week's brief essay covered Julie London, a person of real renown; but this week's "Blossom Dearie" is likely to provoke a "Say what?!" even from... Read More » . . . Read More »
Jimi Hendrix Machine Gun: The Fillmore East First Show 12/31/69 Out September 30 On CD, 2 LP 180 Gram Vinyl, High Resolution SACD And Digital Historic Debut Concert of Band of Gypsys to Be Released in its Entirety For First Time Ever Experience Hendrix L.L.C. and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment,... Read More » . . . Read More »
LP Gear®, a global analog resource specializing in phono cartridges, replacement styli, turntable belts, turntables, headphones, earphones, audio electronics and accessories, is happy to present the Vessel and BIN Cartridges. The Magic of Analog Most people would say they listen to music with their ears. But as you upgrade your system and resolution reaches some... Read More » . . . Read More »
"On a cost vs. sound quality basis (alone), Digital Amplifier Company DAC DAC may be the best digital to analog converter to come along in 3 decades; all the way back to the extremely costly & extraordinary $12,000 Stax DAC-X1t Vacuum Tube Output Reference D/A Processor (1989)!" Introduction There are an extremely wide range of choices... Read More » . . . Read More »
John Marks is a lover of fine music videos. In our generation, a major new blessing has been the marriage of high-quality audio with high-quality video to provide us with both the sights and sounds of major performers presenting us with their artistry. It started with videotape and NTSC resolution, but progressed to DVD, and... Read More » . . . Read More »
HIFIMAN Updates Flagship HE1000 and Edition X Headphones with V2 Designation Highly Acclaimed Planar Magnetic Models Receive Styling and Ergonomic Improvements HIFIMAN, a leading designer/manufacturer of high performance headphones and portable audio products, announced important updates to their two top planar magnetic headphones. The highly acclaimed HE1000 and Edition X have undergone several styling and mechanical... Read More » . . . Read More »
When the heads of Warner's headquarters learned of the sale of Polish Recordings, then—as Bartek Chaciński writes in the article Marka dużej wagi—they asked only whether it is a company that has Krzysztof Komeda's Astigmatic in their portfolio. This album is still among the best jazz recordings—not only in Poland but all over the world.... Read More » . . . Read More »
James Matheson: A major new release from Yarlung Records! Todd Rosenberg photography Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Baird Dodge, violin Color Field Quartet (members of CSO and Chicago Lyric Opera orchestra) soprano Laura Strickling & pianist Thomas Sauer Executive Producers: J and Helen Schlichting Jim Matheson, Baird Dodge, Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Chicago... Read More » . . . Read More »
In this continuation of his assessment of the artistry of Sergey Schepkin, John Marks spends a few minutes with him discussing how his ongoing maturity as a performer has affected and deepened his understanding of Bach over the years. Every musician must decide the point at which it's worth recording a new set of performances... Read More » . . . Read More »
I love experiencing great sounding music. It's my favorite drug. The high is everlasting, and the withdrawals are nothing compared to chemicals flowing through my bloodstream. When the music stops, when I have to take a break from it (maybe I'm not in my car, or in my room, and my attention is required elsewhere, and music is not a welcome accompaniment during that time period) the great thing is I don't suffer physical withdrawals like I did when I was a dope-fiend ("dope" as in heroin, smack, or Oxycontin). Sure, I've messed with all sorts of drugs, and I don't wanna get too deeply into that here, as I probably said too much already! But music is the only one that I can return to every-time without blowing up the world around me! Now, when I say music is my favorite drug, I mean it's my favorite natural stimulant. Now, there are dangers when experimenting with any drug, natural or chemical, and music is like a narcotic for my soul. And I love narcotics! So, believe me when I say that music literally saved my life more than once.
A couple of years ago (wow, make that like 3 years and you can read it HERE) I had the pleasure of reviewing the Vandersteen Audio Quatro Wood loudspeakers here in our home. Yeah, we both fell head over heels for the speakers with the review being as positive as one could ever expect. Shortcomings?... Read More » . . . Read More »
Music technology specialist MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) appoints Mike Jbara as CEO MQA, the music technology company founded by Bob Stuart, announced today that it has hired music executive Mike Jbara as CEO. In addition to day-to-day leadership responsibility, Jbara will sit on the Board of MQA Ltd. Bob Stuart, Chairman of MQA said: “We... Read More » . . . Read More »
The Avalanches, Wildflower Astralwerks 2547900289 $19.99 for the two LP set "Is that serious music?" I remember my first wife asking me that question back in 1989 when I brought home Pixies' Doolittle and gave it an inaugural spin. I'd gotten all the way to the eighth song on the album, "Mr. Grieves," to the part where... Read More » . . . Read More »
We had a great time at Lone Star Audio Fest 2016. From my vantage point inside the event as an exhibitor and listener from Thursday afternoon through Sunday evening LSAF 2016 was once again any audiophile's candy store. The first paragraphs of my Positive Feedback report on LSAF 2015 (HERE) details the history of this... Read More » . . . Read More »
The Swiss company Goldmund has been present in Asia for more than three decades. The high demand for Goldmund products and the brand excellent reputation on this market are easily explained by the first strategic plan of the company. Issued in 1982, at a time when most audio brands were trying to conquer the USA,... Read More » . . . Read More »
In this week's cross-published installment of "Vault Treasures" from his site, The Tannhauser Gate (http://www.thetannhausergate.com), John Marks shifts his attention to one of the lesser-known (today) singers of the 1950s, Julie London. Her story is a Hollywood-classic "I was discovered while doing something pretty mundane, and then I became a star." But her natural singing ability, unschooled... Read More » . . . Read More »
David W. Robinson, with John Tucker Winston Ma at his garden: A portrait. Bellevue, WA, 2001. There seem to be a number of passings in 2016 already. Sure, that's always true, statistically. But this has already been a bad year for notable music figures dying…David Bowie, Prince, Natalie Cole, Glenn Frey, John Berry, Merle Haggard,... Read More » . . . Read More »
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