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This is a brief note to all our readers worldwide, letting you all know that as of late August, 2017, Positive Feedback has shifted to secure Web operations. We have done so by engaging a large and well-known company in the computer/network security industry, Symantec, and its VeriSign secure site certification. You'll notice the difference... Read More »

Unless you're a 'phile who lives under rocks, listens to CDs, and thinks that eclipses happen because someone didn't pay the power bill, you're aware that reel-to-reel (RTR) tapes have been going through a quiet renaissance over the past few years. There's an incredible romance that goes along with RTR machines, one that is deeply... Read More »

David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief of Positive Feedback. (Photograph by John Robinson) As time has gone by, I have become more and more interested in covering not only audio shows or events, but also the people there. And not as photojournalism, but as art. Real portraits made during the difficulties of audio show circumstances. Show reporting... Read More »

Those of you who have been reading Positive Feedback for a long while will likely recognize the name Dan Zimmerman. He is a very close friend and fellow sojourner with me, and we have many deep interests in common:  film, painting, photography, videos, poetry, philosophy, Christian life and thought, and spirituality...the list is a long one.... Read More »

[Readers who read this article before the afternoon of 7/20/17 should re-read this amended version. In it, I correct a misapprehension that I was under regarding how the Sonoma Acoustics Model One handles DSD sources. You'll want to see what I have to say.] I like headphones. Heck, I love headphones. Always have, going back to my... Read More »

Sometimes you write reviews. Sometimes you write raves. And sometimes you write love songs… Introduction "Sherman, set the Way-Back Machine to THE Show Newport Beach Michael Vamos. I met him a few years ago at a THE Show at Newport Beach. He had just started his high-end audio distribution biz, Audio Skies (http://www.audioskies.com), at around... 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 »

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 »

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 »

Jim Merod was in NYC recently, helping to MC a special Jazz event at The Lincoln Center. While there, he took the time to visit with Bill Parish of GTT Audio, at his listening rooms in NJ. Bill took the time to get Jim's take on the listening experience in Bill's big reference room, one... Read More »

The Critical Mass Systems QXK Mk. III Rack in Four-Shelf Configuration, photograph courtesy of Critical Mass Systems. The latest chapter in a story… Some designs and products that I review are from new companies. This is a very good thing; it shows that the world of fine audio remains vibrant, creative, and open to innovation.... Read More »

Stein Music's "The Perfect Interface" Carbon Signature Resonance Control mat in place on our EMT 948 turntable. Every now and then I receive a product whose benefits are so obvious, and whose design is so straightforward that there's no point in holding back or trying to write an extended essay. It isn't a complicated call,... Read More »

The Oppo Digital HA-2 SE A while back, the good folks at Oppo sent me a review sample of their replacement for the HA-2 USB DAC and Headphone Amp, the HA-2 SE (Special Edition). This is their very compact DAC + headphone amp with battery, made for road/travel warriors who want extra finesse and punch... Read More »

The KRONOS Pro LE Turntable with Black Beauty Tonearm, photograph courtesy of KRONOS Audio. Take a breath. A shift of gear, now. From reference-grade DSD DACs to reference-grade turntables. This will be the third of three turntable evaluations that I've done over the past year, rounding out what's turned out to be the top three... Read More »

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 »

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 »

Herewith is Impressions:  Robinson's Brutus Awards for 2016, Part The Last. Part The First can be found HERE, Part The Second HERE, Part The Third HERE, and Part The Fourth HERE. Music Software/Record Companies/Download Sites Year in and year out, we audiophiles and music lovers rely on our trusted labels, recording companies, re-issuers, and download sites to provide us with... Read More »

Herewith is Impressions:  Robinson's Brutus Awards for 2016, Part The Fourth. Part The First can be found HERE, Part The Second HERE, and Part The Third HERE. This final installment of my Brutus Awards for hardware in 2016 (there will be a very last installment dealing with labels and music companies) concludes with cables, accessories, and system enhancements. In the... Read More »

Herewith is Impressions:  Robinson's Brutus Awards for 2016, Part The Third. Part The First can be found HERE and Part The Second HERE. There will be a fourth installment to cover this busiest of years...stay tuned! All photographs are courtesy of their respective companies, unless otherwise noted. Aurender W-20 Music Server The Aurender W-20 Reference Music Server, a technological... Read More »