Gary Lea, Author at Positive Feedback

Roger Eno, the skies:rarities

Gary Lea — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 20:32:01 +0000

Roger Eno, the skies:rarities. 2024. Desutche Grammaphon. Available HERE As I am shifting away from 24 years of equipment reviews and focusing more and more on sharing music I find, I was recently afforded the opportunity to listen to a wonderful new album by Roger Eno. The album is titled the skies:rarities available on Deutsche Grammaphon. Yes... Read More »

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Elton John, "Friends" a Highly Upgraded Reissue

Gary Lea — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 22:38:24 +0000

Elton John and Bernie Taupin, "Friends" 50th Anniversary Edition. The Original Soundtrack Recording. Paramount 3555744. Pinky Vinyl Edition. Sourced new from eBay. $26 For those who look at the title Friends you should know this is definitely not the soundtrack of the famous and still wildly popular sitcom. This album is the soundtrack for a... Read More »

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SAE HP2-D Amplifier and MK One Preamplifier

Gary Lea — Thu, 02 May 2024 17:29:59 +0000

Fifty years ago SAE hit the market with its first amplifier, the venerable MK 1. A 60-watt per channel affair that stunned the audio world and received rave reviews by none other than J. Gordon Holt when he stated that under most conditions it was the best sounding solid-state gear he had ever heard. Big... Read More »

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Von Gaylord Audio – A Great Integrated System

Gary Lea — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 19:43:51 +0000

Some 20 plus years ago, as a fledgling cub reporter for a local HiFi group, I was attending CES and the high-end show at the Alexis Park. That's when I had my first encounter with the Von Gaylord Legend speaker. I wandered into their room and waited for the next demo session. I took my... Read More »

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Cary Audio SLP-98P Tube Preamplifier

Gary Lea — Tue, 09 May 2023 17:51:53 +0000

Audiophiles that might be reading this are most likely very familiar with Cary Audio, originally the brain child of Dennis Had who is something of a legend in our industry. The venerable Cary 805 Mono Block Power amplifiers are legendary, and the audio equivalent of the Lamborghini Countach and Ferrari 512 Testa Rosa. Many of... Read More »

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McIntosh MP100 Phono Preamplifier

Gary Lea — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 21:29:05 +0000

If you are a reader of this esteemed publication it is not a stretch to presume you are an audiophile and probably pretty deep into our wonderful hobby. Having said that, I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone amongst us who has not heard of, listened to, or even owned McIntosh components... Read More »

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Chick Corea The Montreux Years

Gary Lea — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 20:34:44 +0000

Chick Corea, The Montreux Years. Double Album Set - Music Spanning Seven Years of Chick Corea at Montreux. BMG Records CAT583DLP If you are a jazz fan then you know the name Chick Corea! He was born Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea and he was one of America's premier jazz composers, pianists, keyboardists, bandleaders, and occasional percussionists. Many... Read More »

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Paradox Pulse Signature 70 Phonostage and Pulse Guard R RSG Cartridge Upgrades

Gary Lea — Tue, 10 May 2022 19:33:33 +0000

In 2019 I reviewed the Paradox Pulse Signature 70 MC Phono Preamp. I was so engrossed with it that I actually bought one along with the Paradox Pulse Guard R SMR Cartridge that I also reviewed around the same time. In the subsequent two years since my purchase Terence Robinson has upgraded both pieces with... Read More »

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Rotel's RB 1582 MKII Amplifier and RC 1572 MKII Preamplifier

Gary Lea — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 19:01:42 +0000

I was first introduced to Rotel products back in the mid 70s when I bought my first Rotel turntable from the Stereo Buff in Springfield, MO. I was a poor college student, and they had very affordable prices. I ran that table through a Yamaha integrated amp along with a Aiwa cassette player and Genesis... Read More »

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AGD Audion Amplifier - Second Look

Gary Lea — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 21:42:34 +0000

Regular readers will be familiar with AGD from Michael Zisserson's previous review on this unit, I seriously recommend it for the deep technical info. You can find it HERE. I will try to stay away from pulling too much of Michael's work into my analysis of the amplifiers, for the sake of brevity and not... Read More »

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McGary SA 2 Stereo Amplifier

Gary Lea — Sat, 14 Nov 2020 20:01:00 +0000

Readers might remember my review of the McGary Audio SA1 in 2018 (HERE). It was a wonderful amp and highly recommended. It made the PF Writer's Awards list and that is not something that is easy to do. Well Mike McGary is at it again with the new SA2 Stereo Amplifier and what a follow... Read More »

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E.A.T. Jo NO 8 MC Cartridge

Gary Lea — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 17:12:15 +0000

I think most of us are aware of E.A.T. and their turntables and cartridges. You may have read Robert Levi's review on the stunning Jo No. 5 cartridge back in our July 2018 issue (HERE). Robert had serious praise for the cartridge, ending the review with the following statement, "The E.A.T. Jo No. 5 MC... Read More »

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Sonus Faber Olympica Nova V Loudspeakers

Gary Lea — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 15:26:00 +0000

Greetings faithful readers. It is time to bring you another installment on Sonus Faber Speakers. I initially reviewed the Olympica Nova I stand mounted monitor. I found this speaker to be very neutral and capable of a very consistent presentation throughout its frequency range, and highly recommended it. This was followed by the more upscale... Read More »

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The IntegrityHiFi Tru-Glider Pendulum Tonearm with Nasotec Swing Headshell

Gary Lea — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 17:53:27 +0000

I have been a audiophile for some 50 years now. In that time I have seen a lot of changes. Tubes gave way to solid state, only to see tubes come back around with a vengeance. Vinyl was considered extinct in the eyes of many the moment CDs hit the market, only to see the... Read More »

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IntegrityHiFi Tru-Lift, Tru-Kleen, and Tru-Sweep Plus a Little Bonus!

Gary Lea — Fri, 01 May 2020 17:19:22 +0000

IntegrityHiFi - The Steel Trinity! Tru-Lift, Tru-Sweep, and Tru-Kleen. They say good things and bad things come in threes. What is it about that number? Well historically the number three has come to represent the holy trinity in many religions. It is also called the number of man, because the human being is comprised of a body, a... Read More »

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Sonus Faber Electa Amator III Monitor Loudspeakers

Gary Lea — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 19:29:08 +0000

I have always had a penchant for things Italian. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Panerai watches, DaVinci, the Amalfi coast, Portofino, and on and on. Italians just have a flair for things that seems unmatched by any other group, especially when it comes to designing audio gear. Form, function, and beauty always seem to go hand in hand... Read More »

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TJN MKII Steampunk Turntable and Nasotec Swing Headshell

Gary Lea — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 23:04:38 +0000

"Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Blue." Has anyone not heard that famous phrase before? If not then I have seriously dated myself and will move on. That being said though, all of that phrase is exactly what the TNJ Turntable is all about! One of the never changing rules in this business /... Read More »

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Gold Note DS-10 DAC/Preamp/Streamer

Gary Lea — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 18:05:07 +0000

Digital Streaming is a relatively new sound source for me. Call me old fashioned, curmudgeonly, resistant or even a snob, but I have been seriously engrossed in vinyl and transferring a bunch of it to reel to reel for over a year, so my streaming endeavors have been at a minimum comparatively speaking. I certainly... Read More »

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Gold Note Valore 25 Plus Turntable and Donatello Red Cartridge

Gary Lea — Sun, 12 Jan 2020 18:46:50 +0000

Are you in the market for a really nice entry level turntable for under $2000? You may have just landed at the right spot. I have been living with this little gem for about 2 months now, and it has found favor with me for the quality, the features, and the sound that this little... Read More »

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Sonus faber Olympica Nova 1

Gary Lea — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 18:03:49 +0000

Sonus faber is not a stranger to most people in the high end audio world. They are well known for creating some of the most visually striking and best sounding speakers available. My very first experience with the brand was a set of Sonus faber Extrema stand mount monitors at a store in Denver, they... Read More »

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ampsandsound Stereo ST15 Special Edition Amplifier

Gary Lea — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 19:03:34 +0000

Readers of Positive Feedback may already be familiar with Justin Weber's creations. At least two reviews of his products can be found in these pages. Known for elegant and physically small pieces that punch way above their weight class, this amplifier is no different, and this is actually the second review of this particular unit,... Read More »

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Paradox Pulse Amplifiers

Gary Lea — Wed, 23 Oct 2019 22:19:39 +0000

"If you want the finest amplifiers money can buy here is your chance. The Paradox Pulse mono amplifier uses only the finest of parts throughout including MUNDORF MLytic power supply capacitors, 12 gauge copper foil chokes (DC PI filtering), paralleled transformers, quad stacked Schottky diode bridge, finest transistors available 4302 and 4281, A/C PI filtering,... Read More »

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Bakoon International AMP-13R

Gary Lea — Sat, 19 Oct 2019 16:12:06 +0000

They say a lot of things about small packages. "Good things come in small packages." There is a certain wisdom in that statement. Of course it rarely has an applicability to Heavy Weight Boxing! The professional athlete that goes 6'8" and plays, basketball, football, soccer, or whatever rarely feels that they would be better off... Read More »

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McIntosh RS200 Wireless Loudspeaker System

Gary Lea — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 17:24:15 +0000

If you are an audiophile, and have been in the hobby for more than the last five nanoseconds, then you know McIntosh. Easily one of the stalwarts of the industry, and a company that has always paid as much attention to aesthetics as to engineering prowess and quality. That is a lot of attention, by... Read More »

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Kanto Audio TUK Loudspeaker System

Gary Lea — Thu, 01 Aug 2019 17:27:06 +0000

Recently I reviewed the Kanto YU6, YU4, and the Sub8. For those that may have missed that just a brief refresher... "Kanto was founded in January of 2007. The founders had a vision to build quality products with style—and offer excellent value to customers throughout their life cycle. Many years designing and manufacturing OEM products... Read More »

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