Michael Zisserson, Author at Positive Feedback

GoldenEar T66 Loudspeaker

Michael Zisserson — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 17:39:26 +0000

This is not 1999 anymore. Flash forward 25 years and most loudspeakers from any reputable manufacturer are far more than a few speaker drivers in a cabinet with basic filtering. The finest loudspeaker companies are leveraging advancements in materials, complex software, precision manufacturing practices, Digital Signal Processing (DSP), finite element analysis (FEA), and a whole... Read More »

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Sonus faber Sonetto III Loudspeakers

Michael Zisserson — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 17:28:02 +0000

It has been a little over one year since the write-up about the Sonus faber Lumina V (HERE). A keen-eared reader made a comment regarding the Lumina V: "It was amazing how little the Lumina V gave up to the Sonetto VIII." The Sonetto VIII is the big brother of the Sonetto III which will... Read More »

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Sonus faber Lumina V Loudspeakers

Michael Zisserson — Thu, 23 Dec 2021 19:40:31 +0000

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 t-shirt, and an oversized flannel lazily draped upon the coat hanger shoulders of this adolescent who just had a growth spurt, this apparent trouble with no money was on... Read More »

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Circle Labs A200 Integrated Amplifier - Thank You

Michael Zisserson — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 20:53:02 +0000

Gratitude, or the expression thereof, is a universal struggle today. There is a lot going on, and we all are a little on edge, are we not? Billy Joel described it right in 1989 when he said so eloquently: "We didn't start the fire." Music is a great way to break the firefighting that goes... Read More »

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Audio Existentialism - Questions; Music… It's Slipping

Michael Zisserson — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 17:55:47 +0000

The lapping of the bay, the wind through fallen tree. Birds of the sea and the land. It is all music gifted to us by nature. We use our nature to make music, and we cannot forget that nature exists within us all. I recognize the face in the mirror despite the grey flecks in... Read More »

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AGD Productions' Gran Vivace Amplifiers and Andante Preamplifier

Michael Zisserson — Sun, 07 Mar 2021 20:06:29 +0000

While I was evaluating AGD Productions' "The Audion" Amplifier (HERE), there was a rumor that AGD Productions was going to release a new flagship monoblock amplifier. This new amplifier would be based off a more powerful GaN Tube, a technology unique to AGD that utilizes state of the art Gallium Nitride transistors, and offer enough... Read More »

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A Q&A with Estelon - A Decade of Loudspeaker Excellence

Michael Zisserson — Sun, 20 Dec 2020 19:47:33 +0000

The Estonian based loudspeaker company, Estelon, has helped shape the past decade of top-tier loudspeakers. To celebrate their tenth anniversary, Estelon has made significant updates to six of their loudspeakers in the X and Y series, details HERE and have released ten, special edition pairs of their Forza loudspeaker HERE. These updates represent ten years... Read More »

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AGD Productions - The Audion Monoblock Amplifier

Michael Zisserson — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 19:06:54 +0000

What's new in audio? Not much in the past 40 years or so. When was the last technological shake-up in audio? Compact Disc, maybe? From there, digital technology has spawned endless formats of claimed resolving power that is rarely capitalized on. What I have had a hankering for is not another format war, rather, HARD... Read More »

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KECES S300 Power Amplifier and S3 Preamplifier

Michael Zisserson — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 17:43:02 +0000

"Holistic." "Quiet." "Transparent." Those words are my attempt to summarize the KECES S3 Preamplifier/S300 Combo: A delightful possibility for those who need a simple solution for a powerful, high fidelity system, with excellent headphone performance. As with the KECES E40 integrated amplifier (HERE), the minimalist nature of the Taiwan-born S3, and S300, fits into the... Read More »

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Bricasti Design MDx Board Update - Keeping Digital Customers Future Ready

Michael Zisserson — Mon, 03 Aug 2020 17:28:47 +0000

Bricasti Design is still keeping their promise of offering future-ready solutions to their existing customers. From my experience, the investment in their award-winning M1 DAC has now paid for itself three times over, thanks to these updates, that are all offered for a reasonable price. The latest update is the most sonically significant in the... Read More »

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The Clarus Duet - A Journey Though High-Current Line Conditioning

Michael Zisserson — Wed, 08 Jul 2020 17:36:38 +0000

"If the power supply of an amplifier is designed correctly, there is no need for a power conditioner." The quote above is a paraphrase, of a paraphrase, of something that has been said since the first power conditioning devices for audio equipment crawled out of the ocean and began to breathe air. While the quote... Read More »

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The Bricasti M15 Power Amplified and Sweet Love Remembered: The Road Less Traveled

Michael Zisserson — Sun, 10 May 2020 20:07:50 +0000

It may surprise many that much of the high-end audio industry is, despite the pandemic, keeping its nose above water. Some dealers and manufacturers have reported that people have been making those all-important decisions, pulling the trigger on new equipment. Perhaps because quarantines and lock-downs have freed up a resource many adults lack. That resource... Read More »

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O Brother, "HERE" Art Thou

Michael Zisserson — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 18:30:44 +0000

O Brother, Where Art Thou. A twenty-year old movie soundtrack, with music written a century ago, is once again relevant today. What a World It is gray out, but the birds are singing and my children are sleeping soundly during these early hours of a Sunday morning. I am watching steam lazily rope out of my... Read More »

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Clearly Cardas - A Loudspeaker Designer's Entanglement in Cardas Clear Loudspeaker Cables

Michael Zisserson — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 20:32:52 +0000

Strange Relationships Cables are a source of much contention in our epic. So much so that some publications seem afraid to discuss them anymore. YouTubers will show you a coat hanger that somehow out-performs, or at least equals, Monster Cable. Devout subscribers to the esoteric could chew an ear for hours, pontificating that cables are... Read More »

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Gryphon Audio Event at Goodwin's High End

Michael Zisserson — Fri, 02 Aug 2019 15:51:59 +0000

Saturday 7/27/2019, Boston MA First, a public service announcement: Get off the screens! While I work tirelessly with my children on this, I believe it is important for us, too. Perhaps this is self defeating as a columnist for an online magazine, however I cannot encourage the PF community enough to get off-line, plan a... Read More »

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KECES E40 Integrated Amplifier

Michael Zisserson — Tue, 30 Jul 2019 18:47:13 +0000

It is no secret that the United States HIFI market is so densely packed it is approaching a singularity. If that gravity was not enough to pull a manufacturer into spaghettification, lets add in all the hobbyists and DIY-ers clamoring to fabricate something for pennies on the dollar, so they can revel in their David... Read More »

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Bricasti Design M25 Power Amplifier

Michael Zisserson — Wed, 29 May 2019 16:01:06 +0000

This is the real deal. Or at least that was the knee-jerk emotion that flooded in during the first few notes from the Bricasti Design M25 power amplifier (M25) as it first drove my loudspeakers. Sure; the M25 had drive, poise, a neutral tonality, and an impeccably tidy soundstage. But most well designed high-power amplifiers... Read More »

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A Simple Subwoofer Setup: Get Rid of the Guessing and Bring in the Music

Michael Zisserson — Thu, 02 May 2019 02:39:45 +0000

Happy Little Accidents Bob Ross (1942-1995) was the loving host of the 1980's TV show The Joy of Painting. He enjoyed the peace, serenity, and most importantly; the process of creating a beautiful painting on a blank canvas. Many of our listening spaces are blank canvasses. But, despite the usual claims that great low-frequency reproduction... Read More »

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Parasound Halo P 6 2.1 Channel Preamplifier and DAC

Michael Zisserson — Thu, 21 Mar 2019 15:48:06 +0000

It Even Makes Julienne Fries It was a golden age for Television, or perhaps commercials in the 1960s. The Ronco Veg-O-Matic hit the market, promising to ease the life homemakers everywhere. This food slicer did it all; its catch-phrase, "It slices! It dices! It even makes julienne fries!" became the go-to reference for multi-function devices... Read More »

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Parasound A21+ Amplifier

Michael Zisserson — Sat, 26 Jan 2019 19:00:17 +0000

Spoiler Alert Parasound has chosen to take a staple core product that has remained an exceptional value for over fifteen years, the Halo A21 amplifier, and re-spin it into the Halo A21+. Doing so has proved that extremely high performance-per-dollar is still possible today when a company leverages decades of experience, and is spearheaded by... Read More »

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An Unknown Quantity: My Loudspeakers

Michael Zisserson — Sun, 23 Sep 2018 16:30:03 +0000

In a discussion with Managing Editor Dave Clark in regards to what may be slated for review, it was noted that my loudspeakers may prove difficult for the readership to connect with since I design, build, test, and measure my own. Crossover design is a particular fascination of mine. Dave then challenged me to write... Read More »

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From Digital to Digital: Converting a Library from Spinning Discs to Network Based Audio with the Bricasti Design M1 Network Player

Michael Zisserson — Fri, 04 Aug 2017 22:52:47 +0000

Bricasti Design surpasses their already world-class performance with a new Network Player option for the M1 DAC. Since the Network Player provides an option for computer based media files that is not simply a game of swapping convenience for fidelity…It was apparent it was time to undertake the journey of computer-based, networked audio. Change is... Read More »

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Esperanto Audio Black S/PDIF Cable

Michael Zisserson — Fri, 05 May 2017 21:20:14 +0000

Michael Zisserson's review of the Esperanto Audio Black S/PDIF Cable is published with a disclosure. Michael has done some professional work for John Marks in the realm of speaker design, and this should be disclosed so that our readers are aware of this fact. I do not see this to be a conflict of interest,... Read More »

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The MSB Technology and Wilson Audio Event at Fidelis Home Audio

Michael Zisserson — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 21:11:01 +0000

Time with fellow music lovers, intimate demonstrations of cutting-edge technology, all brought together by a gracious host is a humbling reminder of why brick-and-mortar stores are critical for music lovers everywhere. The Venue (December 3, 2016) Fidelis Home Audio in Nashua, New Hampshire is a safe-haven for music lovers and audiophiles alike. Walter Swanbon heads... Read More »

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Teddy Pardo MB100 Amplifiers

Michael Zisserson — Sat, 05 Nov 2016 23:26:35 +0000

The Israel-based company Teddy Pardo, which shares its founder's name, has accomplished quite a feat. It has birthed the Teddy Pardo MB100, a 100-watt monoblock amplifier amid a sea of competition in the $2500USD price bracket, with very compelling reasons to be considered. The foremost being a proprietary power supply that helps the MB100 deliver... Read More »

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