November - December 2021
Audio Discourse
From an Editor’s Notebook: The 2021 LAOC Audio Society Gala
Dr. David W. Robinson, in contemplation with cigar. Happy Valley, Summer, 2021. (Photograph by John Robinson; image processing by Robinson) One of the...
Paying for Nothing
Roger Skoff writes about why it costs so much to get less Roger Skoff is the former CEO and Lead Designer for XLO Cables. Nowadays, he captains RSX...
The 18th Annual Positive Feedback Writers' Choice Awards for
Beginning at the end of 2003, PF established its first annual awards for fine audio. The Brutus Award was established for the best that David...
RADAR - The First Fully Functional HDD Non-linear Recording...
Part 1: TECHNOLOGY Or why a recording is not a document and what does it mean DIGITAL SOUND RECORDING – method of preserving sound in which audio...
Memoriam: The Passing of John Pearsall
Drawing by Dan Zimmerman Very sad news today. I received a phone call from Mike Spurlock, of the olden days of the Oregon Triode Society, notifying me...
Leben Hi-Fi Stereo Company CS-300F Vacuum Tube Integrated...
Greetings friends, I hope you are doing well. I know there's a lot of Leben HiFi Stereo Company fans out there, and today I want to tell the Leben fans...
An Audio Triangulation, Part 3: Final Thoughts on the KRONOS...
Louis Desjardins and David W. Robinson: a moment. (Photograph by Bill Parish; image processing by David W. Robinson) You know, I just knew that Louis...
An Audio Triangulation, Part 2: Up the Long Ladder...Maurice...
Up the Long Ladder Maurice Jeffries at GTT Audio: a portrait. Long Valley, NJ, 2021 I won't rehash here either the science behind KRONOS Audio's...
An Audio Triangulation, Part 1…The KRONOS Discovery LP...
Greg Weaver, a fresco portrait. Chicago, 2018 (photograph and fresco image processing by David W. Robinson) It should come as no real surprise that...
Do You Really Know What Music Sounds Like?
Roger Skoff writes about what we all strive for in the reproduction of our music with our systems. Roger Skoff is the founder and president of RSX...
Hand Book of a Hidden Man, Part 4: Ritual [updated]
It was Sunday afternoon and we were home after church. Dad had worked hard all week on his sermon, and now that the morning service was over, he just...
From an Editor’s Notebook: A Trip to YG Acoustics, a Photo...
Ye Olde Editor at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, Denver, CO, 2019 (photograph by Scot Hull of Part-Time Audiophile; image processing by David W. Robinson)...
Hardware Reviews
Sonus faber Olympica Nova III Loudspeakers
For over a decade now, I have auditioned many models of Sonus faber loudspeakers at several audio shows in North America. Although in every case they...
Sonus faber Lumina V Loudspeakers
It was 1996. A young man rolled up into a now defunct Tweeter Etc. audio shop. Despite the wide-leg skater jeans, chain wallet, Caesar cut, rock...
Lindemann Limetree Network II Music Streamer
North America Premiere Review! An island in the stream. Review By Paul Schumann With this article, Positive Feedback continues its content-sharing...
The New Rotel RA1572 MKII Receiver
As I look back, it has been a number of years since I have evaluated a Rotel Audio component. "The Rotel corporation grew from the efforts of one...
ZELLATON Plural Evo Loudspeakers: Coming Full Circle
Far too much time has passed since my last Positive Feedback review. This unintentional hiatus was traceable to the Covid-19 pandemic (and resulting...
The Euphony Audio Summus Endpoint - How Do You Improve Upon...
The Euphony Summus Server and Endpoint, alongside the PS Audio Stellar Gain Cell DAC and the Gustard X16 DAC. From late 2019 into 2020, my personal...
An Impressive Breakthrough In Streaming Performance - The...
As mentioned in some of my recent reviews, I have really settled in on the basic building blocks in my current system. Click on my name above in red...
Nordost Premium QKORE Wire
A fellow-traveler who delights in extracting the max from his gear relayed this narrative the other day. "When guys come over for a listen, they often...
Meitner Audio MA3 Integrated Hi-Res DAC
Outstanding performance and value! Review By Phil Gold With this article, Positive Feedback continues its content-sharing relationship with Enjoy...
Wells Audio Cipher DAC
My journey in high end audio started with Digital to Analog converters (DACs). The first piece of audio gear I bought was a Yulong D100 DAC/Headphone...
Zesto Audio Andros Téssera Reference Vacuum Tube Phonostage...
I had the good fortune of reviewing the excellent original Andros Téssera, which when spiced up with a few Mullard tubes, revealed extraordinary...
Audeze CRBN Electrostatic Headphones
My father once said to me that if you live long enough, you will see everything. He was right—at least in this case. After 60 years as an audiophile...
Dynavector 10X5 MKII Low Output Moving Coil Cartridge
There is something to be said for stability in an audio system. In this case I don't mean "stability" as in free of vibration or unwanted movement,...
Interviews
Interview with Dan Wright of ModWright
In February of 2003, David Robinson and Dan Wright had a conversation about the work that he's doing at ModWright, his company that does various audio...
Music Reviews
A Seasonal Confection to Stress Test Your Audio System
A fun seasonal confection—Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" is played solo on a 5 1/2 octave celesta. This little gem will stress test...
Adele, 30
Adele, 30 Bravery Through Vulnerability Adele's a global superstar. The anticipation for new releases from the reclusive singer/songwriter is always a...
The Bach Goldberg Variations for String Trio - A Singular
Bach's Goldberg Variations performed by string trio is a singular delight. This performance by members of the CamerataRCO is one that I rank among the...
The Remarkable Mari Eriksmoen in Arias from Handel and Mozart
Norwegian soprano Mari Eriksmoen is remarkable. Her clear, agile soprano and light vibrato deliver perfectly in this collection of Mozart and Handel...
A Schubert Symphony Cycle to Savor - Jan Willem de Vriend
Jan Willem de Vriend and the Residentie Orkest The Hague give us a symphony cycle to savor, the symphonies of Franz Schubert in glorious high...
The Sound of Jazz - From the Rehearsal for the December 8, 1957...
The Sound of Jazz - Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Jimmie Guiffre, Red Allen, Jo Jones, Mal Waldron (from the rehearsal for the Live from CBS Studio 58,...
Indulging in Orchestral Extravagance with Chausson and Franck on...
Occasionally there are evenings where simply wallowing in aural excess is permitted. Tonight was one of those evenings as I pulled out this HDDT...
Andy Duncanson and the High Cross Sound - A Taste of More to
Andy Duncanson and the High Cross Sound - International Phonograph, Inc., High Definition Tape Transfers, 2021. (from analog tape to DSD256, a PureDSD...
Ragazze Quartet's Superb Set of Bartók's String Quartets
With compelling musicianship, the Ragazze Quartet deliver a superb cycle of Bartók's String Quartets. The Ragazze capture the full range of emotional...
The Forest in April with Maya Fridman from TRPTK
TRPTK delivers to us another amazing recording with Maya Fridman, a cellist whose musical sensibilities and skill never cease to enthrall me,...
From the Golden Age of Decca Stereo: The Recordings Engineered...
For anyone who values the early Decca sound, High Definition Tape Transfers is a treasure trove of music to explore. Here I'd like to share with you...
Brahms Symphony No. 3 by Ivan Fischer on Channel Classics
This Brahms Third recording takes pride of place above all others in my collection. Here is a superb interpretation, excellent performance, and...
Composer Maarten ter Horst, the Helikon String Quartet, and...
Pure Joy! Three world premier recordings from a contemporary composer with much to say, performed by a string quartet in their own recording debut...
Rembrandt Trio - A Wind Invisible on Just Listen Records
Another strong outing by the Rembrandt Trio brings us once again into the fascinating cross-cultural musical explorations for which I so much value in...
Same Silence, Same Self - Hossein Alizadeh and The Rembrandt...
When Just Listen Records releases an album, I sit up and pay attention. I'm always so glad to see a new release because I know it will be something...
The Hague String Trio - Celebrating Women!
Few things in this life are better than spending some quality time with The Hague String Trio as they continue the storytelling that informs their...
A Palate Cleansing Solution for Christmas
Aggghhh... Christmas music in the stores. Here's an antidote to the mind numbing drivel we're all going to be exposed to endlessly over the next...
Elbow Flying Dream 1
Elbow, Flying Dream 1 Consistency and critical acclaim are the banes of an artist's existence. Countless bands have made this unfortunate discovery...
Noelia Rodiles - Slavic Soul Complete With Sass in Pure DSD256
Commencing with the scintillating opening to Ernst von Dohnányi's Sonata for cello and piano, op. 8, and finishing with the abrupt falling phrase that...
Nathaniel Rosen - Schumann's Complete Works for Cello and Piano
Nathaniel Rosen is one of those rare artists whose playing captivates me for hours on end. There is a remarkable depth, intelligence and empathy to his...
Kosame's First Single: Cord
If you are at all interested in checking out the underground Idol scene in Japan, here is an article by our own Peter R. Clark. Check out the review...
Glazunov, Up and Down
Glazunov, Symphony No. 6 in C minor, Op. 58; La mer, Op. 28; Introduction and Dance from Salome, Op. 90. Royal Scottish National Orchestra/José...
Notes of an Amateur: Third Quarter, 2021
Per Norgaard, Paul Ruders. Works for Solo Cello. Wilhelmina Smith. Ondine ODE 1381-2 With much contemporary music composed in the high modernist idiom,...
Concertante Works of Rossini
Rossini: Orchestral Music. Budapest Festival Orchestra/Iván Fischer. Channel Classics CCS SA 27708. TT: 65.00 La scala di seta: Overture. Serenata...
New Old Stock - Articles from Our Days in Print
Transrotor Leonardo 25/25/60 Doppio Turntable
This article, as reviewed by Dave Clark originally ran in Issue 4, December/January 2003, so while we call this section "New Old Stock - Articles from...
Our Friends at HIFI Statement
Thiele TA01 Tonearm
Wer regelmäßig Hifistatement liest, dem dürfte der Name Thiele schon begegnet sein. Aber auch wenn Sie dies nicht tun, ist es wahrscheinlich, dass.... . . Read More »
Our Friends at High Fidelity
Krakow Sonic Society Meeting 132 - Siltech Classic Legend
Krakow Sonic Society is an informal group of music lovers, audiophiles, friends, meeting to learn something new about audio products, recordings,...
Acoustic Revive RTS-30 and RKI-5005 Turntable Sheets and...
WORLD PREMIERE Acoustic revive is a Japanese company founded in 1997 and run by Mr. Ken Ishiguro-san. It specializes in connection cables and...
Krakow Sonic Society Meeting 130 - Impex Records' S1TEP Patricia...
Krakow Sonic Society is an informal group of music lovers, audiophiles and friends who meet to learn something new about audio products, records,...
Show Reports
Capitol Audiofest 2021 - The World Begins to Re-Open
I wasn't intending on going to the Capitol Audiofest this year at all, what with so many things still being shut down due to the virus and all. I was...
CES and T.H.E. SHOW - 2009
Take a look back at the Consumer Electronic Show, and The Home Entertainment Show in Las Vegas, 2009. Show report coverage from Dave and Carol Clark....
