Juan C. Ayllon, Author at Positive Feedback

A Clean Sweep? A Look at the iSonic P4875 II MVR5 and MVR 10 Ultrasonic Record Cleaners and their PSR01A Isonic Pump Station

Juan C. Ayllon — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 17:17:33 +0000

It seems a lifetime ago. For my side hustle as a mobile DJ, I honed my beat-matching and mixing skills with a pair of Technics 1200 turntables at home to apply on the road with a Pioneer CMX-3000 Dual DJ CD player, but after I married Belle in 2011, I sold my gear, reinvested the... Read More »

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The ATC SCM40 Loudspeaker - a Crazy Diamond Hidden in Plain Sight

Juan C. Ayllon — Tue, 20 May 2025 00:03:43 +0000

Image backdrop by Aubrey "Po" Powell, courtesy of Reddit.com In the 1970s, engineer and entrepreneur Billy Woodman ran a tidy business designing loudspeaker drivers and building them in his factory in England, supplying drivers OEM to audio manufacturers like Proac in the consumer market and clients like Yamaha in the pro audio realm. So says... Read More »

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An Interview with ATC Loudspeaker's U.S. Distributor, Lone Mountain Audio's Brad Lunde

Juan C. Ayllon — Thu, 01 May 2025 17:09:44 +0000

Brad Lunde, at right, talks with a photographer based out of Los Angeles the ATC suite at this year's AXPONA (photo by Juan C. Ayllon) Brad Lunde is in Room 1534 at Audio Expo North America (AXPONA) held at the Schaumburg Renaissance Hotel to expedite the introduction of ATC's brand new SCM20 ASL h, a... Read More »

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AXPONA 2025: Bigger, Better, and a Great Escape from Tariff Concerns!

Juan C. Ayllon — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 16:11:04 +0000

The impressive PS Audio room, boasting their latest, continues to be a crowd-pleasing fixture at AXPONA Despite current concerns regarding U.S. tariffs, this year's edition of AXPONA (Audio Expo North America) proved to be triumphant, bigger and better than its predecessors, boasting over 200 listening spaces on 12 floors representing over 700 global manufacturers, distributors,... Read More »

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Serve Vinyl on Your Best China with the Korf HS-A02 Ceramic Headshell

Juan C. Ayllon — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 18:52:32 +0000

I first heard about their ceramic headshell last year when I was updating my turntable setup with a vintage Micro Seiki BL-91 turntable and a GrooveMaster 3 tonearm. "Ceramics? Isn't that what they use in pottery and fine china?" I thought. Nevertheless, Jam Somasundram, a friend and turntable specialist, insisted I try Korf Audio's HS-A02... Read More »

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The Goldring Ethos SE - a Ringer of an MC Phono Cartridge

Juan C. Ayllon — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 19:02:09 +0000

The Goldring Ethos SE Moving Coil Cartridge sports a capital G on its body's front like the "S" on Superman's chest—or the G on the University of Georgia football helmet of Herschel Walker—to which I see a passing similarity. Going into his first game in 1980, he was a fourth-string running back—unexceptional, merely fitting in... Read More »

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A Pippen of a Component - the Pass Labs X150.8 Stereo Amplifier

Juan C. Ayllon — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 23:28:55 +0000

The Pass Labs X150.8 Stereo Amplifier, seen up front atop a 1/4" steel plate on A/V RoomService EVP Equipment Vibration Protectors. In the back to the left is one of my reference Usher Audio ML-802 Loudspeakers. As a longtime Chicagoland resident and audio enthusiast, the Pass Labs X150.8 conjures Scottie Pippen's impact on the 1991-1998... Read More »

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The Dan Clark Stealth Planar Headphones - A Sublime Upgrade to Your Headphone Experience!

Juan C. Ayllon — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 18:53:36 +0000

Good headphones immerse you in an aural cocoon, delivering remarkable soundscapes that allow you to escape the noise and stress of daily life. Whether I was listening to Steely Dan tapes with their low-grade hiss on an AM/FM radio cassette player over Koss "Stereophones" back in 1979 at my college dorm room, or savoring a... Read More »

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The Gem Dandy PolyTable Signature Showcases Vinyl with Vim and Vitality!

Juan C. Ayllon — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 16:40:24 +0000

My eyes welled with tears staring at a glorious reproduction of Edgar Degas' painting, The Orchestra at the Opera, in a massive book in the reference section of the University of California, Riverside Library. As an art student in 1990, I was overwhelmed by the virtuosity, draftsmanship, rhythmic composition, and sheer beauty of a bassoonist—captured... Read More »

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The Quadratic Audio MC-1: Max Vinyl Mojo with a Modern Minimalist Design!

Juan C. Ayllon — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 15:54:56 +0000

Photo by Bryant Larsen The Quadratic Audio MC-1 was influenced by a triumphant tradition that rose from the Great War's ashes to avant-garde and worldwide influence that continues today. It was 1919 in post-World War I Germany when, under Berlin architect Walter Gropius' leadership, the Weimar School of Applied Arts merged with the Academy of... Read More »

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The Bag End ISUB2-18 Powered Sub Rocks the Low End with Precision, Adding Elegant Oomph to Your Playback Experience!

Juan C. Ayllon — Sun, 18 Aug 2024 15:51:30 +0000

The Bag End ISUB2-18 18" Infra Self-Powered Subwoofer System sits in repose in my listening and A/V room Have you ever wondered what it would be like to use the top-notch equipment renowned musicians like Tom Petty, Chick Correa, and Prince have used to produce and/or perform their hits? Long recognized by discerning artists and... Read More »

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Titanium? Taking Turntabling Into the Space Age with the GrooveMaster 3 Tonearm!

Juan C. Ayllon — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 20:03:26 +0000

Bicycle photo courtesy of Bossibicycles.com and SR-71 Blackbird photo by USAF Judson Brohmer and Wikimedia Commons Replacing my turntable's stock tonearm with the Titanium-tubed Audio Creative GrooveMaster 3 conjures a 50-mile bicycle touring experience in the 90s. I wasn't a regular cyclist, and pedaling my heavy fat-tired steel Trek mountain bike on surface streets for... Read More »

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Magnificent But a TAD Expensive? Maybe, Maybe Not as AXPONA Delivers Dream Audio!

Juan C. Ayllon — Tue, 14 May 2024 21:34:56 +0000

SCHAUMBURG, IL—Twenty-six years ago, aspiring studio tech and entrepreneur, David Malekpour, launched his Pro Audio Design, Inc. (initially under the banner, Anything Audio, he re-named it in 1993), with Augspurger Monitors that employed Technical Audio Devices (TAD) drivers and components simply because "they were the best." TAD have been tops for years, he says, and... Read More »

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The Elegant HiFi-Home Lifestyle Balance PS Audio Aspen FR10 Loudspeaker

Juan C. Ayllon — Tue, 07 May 2024 21:24:57 +0000

The PS Audio Aspen FR10 Loudspeakers (photo courtesy of PS Audio) The "P" in PS Audio, a leading manufacturer of high-end stereo equipment, Paul McGowan is renowned for his informative and easy-going newsletters and YouTube videos with over 185,000 subscribers. As a self-taught analog electronics engineer, he co-founded the company with Stan Warren in 1973,... Read More »

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With the New Record Doctor X, Your Vinyl Cleans Up Nicely!

Juan C. Ayllon — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 17:42:31 +0000

As widely noted, for the second year in a row in 2023, vinyl record sales topped compact disc sales in the U.S.—this time by a whopping $43 million, or about six million more than total CD sales last year (popsci.com). This point recently hit home personally when my wife, Belle, said that her hipster boss... Read More »

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Richard Gray's Power Company RGPC 1200 Custom Solution for Max Euphoria and Safety!

Juan C. Ayllon — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 18:03:50 +0000

We've all heard horror stories of stereos destroyed by electrical storms and events. Towards that end, many of us use surge protectors or power conditioners, and if you're like me, you take it a step further and when lightning is present, you unplug your system. Unfortunately, you can't always be there when a major surge... Read More »

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The Usher Audio UA-50 Anniversary Three-Way Monitor Loudspeakers

Juan C. Ayllon — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 19:13:10 +0000

Photo courtesy of usheraudio.com.tw Suppose high-performance three-way monitors with a retro 80s vibe, a lush midrange, an updated curved chassis, and modern diamond tweeters pique your interest. In that case, the Usher Audio UA-50 Anniversary Loudspeakers should be on your radar. In celebration of its 50th anniversary as an audio company, Usher Audio produced 100... Read More »

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The Pass Labs HPA-1 - a Superb Headphone Amp to Grow Your System Around

Juan C. Ayllon — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 21:12:56 +0000

The Pass Labs HPA-1 Headphone Amplifier seen here is accompanied by the iconic Artemide Tizio Desk Lamp For many—especially those in their teens through their 20s—headphones are the preferred mode of listening to music, and when it comes to a quality sound experience, they offer them their biggest bang for their buck. "I never sold... Read More »

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The Pass Labs XP-12 Preamplifier - an Indispensable Instrument in My Reference System!

Juan C. Ayllon — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 20:00:37 +0000

I am amazed how my role as an audiophile and audio reviewer informs my volunteer work running the Behringer X32 mixing console at church—and vice versa. Although one focuses on live performances in a much larger and livelier space than my more acoustically intimate home Audio/Visual room, in both cases, I listen closely for issues... Read More »

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Home Audio Fidelity Crosstalk and Convolution Filters - Oui ou Non?

Juan C. Ayllon — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 21:40:16 +0000

This past spring, I heard about a new DSP (Digital Signal Processing) software from my audio friend, Jeff, via an email blast to fellow aficionados raving how it had set his listening sessions ablaze. A retired European capital equipment salesman who boxed a little at University of Notre Dame, Jeff remains tall and lean... Read More »

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The iFi Neo Stream DAC - A Modern Musical Marvel for the Money!

Juan C. Ayllon — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 22:21:21 +0000

The iFi Neo Stream network audio streamer is a sterling representation of smart audio design, boasting an open, musical delivery from a simple and compact chassis sporting clean angular lines and functional features. As such, it's a gleaming 21st Century take on form meets function, melding well with the natural and industrial elements of a... Read More »

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The Carbide Audio Multi-Axis Vibration Isolator Footers Get It Right

Juan C. Ayllon — Sat, 20 May 2023 16:56:11 +0000

I am convinced that, as a species, we are hardwired to respond with awe at sheer displays of power, largesse, and the overwrought, and I was reminded of that again when I arrived home to a UPS delivery of 12 Carbide Audio Multi-Axis Vibration Isolator Footers totaling 60-plus pounds enclosed in a 2' x 1'... Read More »

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A Supercharged Fanless Case for Your NUC Music Server - the HDPLEX H1 V3

Juan C. Ayllon — Mon, 15 May 2023 17:24:20 +0000

Want a souped-up fanless case for your music server but don't want to overspend, are willing to roll up your sleeves a bit, but you don't know where to look? It turns out the HDPLEX H1 V3 just might be your end game! Several years ago, I built my reference music server by purchasing an... Read More »

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AXPONA 2023 Bigger and Better; Scribbles from My Spiral Jotter

Juan C. Ayllon — Sun, 23 Apr 2023 19:32:21 +0000

A small crowd murmurs and looks on as two sturdy men in navy company polos and slacks gingerly lift, rock, and place a pair of nineteen thousand dollar futuristic gleaming pearl white speakers into optimal audio positioning while their CEO, Paul McGowan, is off to the side chatting with a prospective buyer. Although the weather... Read More »

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The Akasa Turing FX - a Great Silent Bang for Buck and Your Intel NUC Server!

Juan C. Ayllon — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 19:34:02 +0000

Several years ago, I sold a very nice, expensive, music server to free up funds for better speakers, and sought a more cost effective one to manage and serve my digital recordings, streamed high res services like Qobuz and quality internet radio stations. It wasn't long until I discovered the Intel NUC. Dialing it in... Read More »

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