Myles B. Astor, Author at Positive Feedback

Hit Play! Loving Horch House's Latest Yello Release on Tape!

Myles B. Astor — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 17:36:01 +0000

Welcome to the first installment of Hit Play!, a bimonthly column (at least in the beginning) dedicated to the ultimate in music and sound on 15-ips reel-to-reel tape. Why devote space to a column about an obsolete analog format? Easy. Tape is far from obsolete! To start, three companies (Analog Audio Design (France)/Metaxas (Holland)/Ballfinger (Germany)... Read More »

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Innovative Audio in New York City Hosts Metaxas and Sins Reel-to-Reel Tape Machine Introduction

Myles B. Astor — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 16:34:21 +0000

It's been a tad over 15 years since The Tape Project set the audiophile world atwitter with the release of their first, soon to be followed by 29 more, real time duped, high speed, 15-ips tapes. And it was love at first listen for oh-so many of us! In that intervening time, the reel-to-reel tape... Read More »

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The Reel Deal: A Quartet of the Finest in Reel-To-Reel Tape Releases

Myles B. Astor — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 21:30:50 +0000

When all is said and done, it's all about the source material. The better the source material, the better the system sounds. (It's amazing how a master tape can make bad speakers sound like a million dollars!) The best source here being 15-ips reel-to-reel tape. Now making the best sounding consumer 15-ips, 2-track reel-to-reel tapes... Read More »

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Clash of the Analog Titans: Impex Records' 1STEP Nightclub LP Takes on All Challengers!

Myles B. Astor — Tue, 02 May 2023 15:37:51 +0000

Abey Fonn, President of Impex Records, always likes a good challenge. But Impex Records' latest project required Abey to dip deep into her bag of tricks to come up with the ultimate vinyl version of Patricia Barber's Nightclub. Nightclub was Barber's sixth, not to mention, one of her best-selling albums with sales peaking at 200,000... Read More »

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Phasemation PP-500 Moving Coil Cartridge: Punching Above Its Pay Grade

Myles B. Astor — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 15:48:45 +0000

"The whole is greater than the sum of the parts" is the perfect description of the sound of the Phasemation PP-500 low output moving coil cartridge. In short? The Phasemation PP-500 cartridge is an extremely musical sounding, low output moving coil cartridge whose overall performance transcends its readily identifiable sonic signature. Is the sound of... Read More »

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Cantate Domino - First Time on Reel-to-Reel Tape

Myles B. Astor — Sun, 27 Nov 2022 23:01:31 +0000

Cantate Domino. Torsten Nilsson (Conductor), Oscar's Motet Choir, Alf Linder (organ), Marianne Mellnas (soprano), Proprius 7762/AudioNautes Recordings AN-RTR-2107, 15-ips, 2-track reel-to-reel tape, IEC EQ, Price: €850 (until January); €990 (after January, 2023). Proprius Records' conjure up many fond memories for old time audiophiles and for good reason! And thanks to Fabio Camorani, founder and owner... Read More »

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ZELLATON Plural Evo Loudspeakers: Coming Full Circle

Myles B. Astor — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 16:51:56 +0000

Far too much time has passed since my last Positive Feedback review. This unintentional hiatus was traceable to the Covid-19 pandemic (and resulting work changes) coupled with an unexpected move to new digs early this year. For the record. Heidi and I weren't in the market for a new place but pandemic pricing on Manhattan... Read More »

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Goldmund Mimesis 37S NextGen Analog Preamplifier and Telos 280 Stereo Analog Power Amplifier: Never Say Never

Myles B. Astor — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 21:28:44 +0000

I was once upon a time in a galaxy far, far way, an unabashed, dyed-in-the-wool tube lover. The mere mention of solid-state electronics sent my upper lip into involuntary quivering. Still, it was important to separate my job as an audio reviewer from my personal preferences. Over the years, products from Levinson, Rowland, Cello, PASS,... Read More »

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Ensemble Dalvivo Power Cord: A Power Cord That Doesn't Break The Budget

Myles B. Astor — Mon, 04 May 2020 16:25:23 +0000

To quote that famous Bronx born comedian Robert Klein, "It's hard to believe, I know it is." Yes, it's hard to believe that twelve years have passed since my last power cord review (ESP's Essence Reference power cord for Inner Ear magazine.) Don't mistake this break, however, for not appreciating the importance of or hearing... Read More »

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Swedish Analog Technology (SAT) LM-12 Tonearm: Analog Playback Meets Rocket Science

Myles B. Astor — Mon, 01 Jul 2019 17:21:52 +0000

The Swedish Analog Technology LM-12 Tonearm Two of the finest tonearms that I've encountered in my search for the Holy Grail hail from of all places Sweden. The first is the '90s vintage Air Tangent linear tracking, air bearing tonearm that sold for at the time an unheard of $15K (around $30K in today's dollars)... Read More »

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VPI 12-inch 3D Fatboy Tonearm: Thick Does the Trick - Part 2

Myles B. Astor — Fri, 03 May 2019 01:49:56 +0000

First, a quick recap for readers who missed the initial installment of this two-part review. (HERE). Very early on in the course of the Fuuga review I realized that the cartridge's relatively high mass and low compliance and my reference VPI 3D printed tonearm's 10-gram effective mass weren't exactly a match made in heaven. Not... Read More »

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The Reel Deal: A Trip Around the World of Tape

Myles B. Astor — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 16:21:29 +0000

How times have changed! Just a decade ago tape enthusiasts literally grabbed any title they could get their hands on just to have something, anything, to play on their machines. Many of those tapes, in retrospect, were pretty darn bad. Jump ahead a decade and there is such a glut of tapes on the market... Read More »

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The Fuuga Cartridge Moving Coil Cartridge, Part 1: A Heavyweight Contender

Myles B. Astor — Sun, 26 Aug 2018 20:47:12 +0000

Cartridges and jazz musicians share at least one thing in common. Ask five artists to play a song and each performer will give a slightly different interpretation. A little more swing. A little behind the beat. A little slower or faster tempo. Improvising differently. Cartridges (and for that matter arms and tables) are no different... Read More »

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Audience Au24 SX Interconnect, Phono and Speaker Cables: Thin Is In

Myles B. Astor — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 16:40:12 +0000

Cables, cables everywhere. Thin, thick, round, flat, flexible, stiff, heavy, light, silver, copper, gold, silver plated copper, silver with gold. Just about every possible permutation under the sun. That brings us to Audience's latest Au24 SX interconnect and speaker cables. Audience's newest top-of-the-line cables are a rare and endangered breed falling into the thin, light... Read More »

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AXPONA 2018: End of the Road, Snow on the Horizon?

Myles B. Astor — Wed, 25 Apr 2018 16:18:31 +0000

Top Five Show Sounds at AXPONA 2018 1. GTT Audio lineup YG Acoustics Sonja XV Jr. speakers Audionet Heisenberg amplifiers, Stern preamplifier, PAM 2 phonostage Kronos turntable Air Tight Opus 1 cartridge Kubala-Sosna cabling 2. Quintessence Audio lineup Wilson Audio Alexia 2 Speakers Audio Research Reference M160 amplifiers and Reference 6 linestage AMG Viella 12... Read More »

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Day 3 AXPONA 2018: The Final Push

Myles B. Astor — Wed, 25 Apr 2018 00:54:11 +0000

By Sunday all that was to give it the olde college try and go for broke. Sunday's game plan was to start as early as possible—beginning with a 7:30 AM breakfast with buddy Andre Jennings from The Absolute Sound—and visit as many of the rooms that had missed. There's no question that covering audio shows... Read More »

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Day 3 AXPONA 2018: Scouring the Marketplace for Goodies!

Myles B. Astor — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 17:33:42 +0000

Bigger than a basketball court but slightly smaller than a football field. Roughly one-half of the exhibit hall was designated the "Record Fair," while the other half of the Marketplace was the Ear Gear Expo. Inside this massive room sat 80 tables/booths filled to the brim with audiophile goodies ranging from software to cables to... Read More »

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Day 2 AXPONA 2018: Reality Sets In

Myles B. Astor — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 17:28:10 +0000

By now the reality of covering 162 rooms (with 60 new exhibitors) and 80 booths was over. Any hope of seeing the whole show—other than sprinting from room to room and taking pictures—was also dashed and it was time to implement Plan B. So plan B—namely cover what I could—was put into motion. Of course,... Read More »

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AXPONA 2018 Day 1: Crowds Set Records For Attendance

Myles B. Astor — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 20:54:33 +0000

I’ve been totally overwhelmed by the size of the show, and trying to cover all the rooms. Industry turnout today Friday was, as my Absolute Sound buddy Andre commented, "like RMAF, pre-renovation, only with far more consumer turnout." According to Liz Miller of JD Events, there were 162 rooms at AXPONA 2018. Consumer attendance on... Read More »

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van den Hul XGW Colibri Signature Stradivarius Moving Coil Cartridge: A New Contender for State-of-the-Art

Myles B. Astor — Thu, 22 Mar 2018 15:32:34 +0000

What differentiates state-of-the-art cartridges from the rest of the pack? Simple. State-of-the-art cartridges (or for that matter any audio component) establish performance benchmarks for other cartridges to meet. Take for the sake of argument assessing a cartridge's performance on a scale of one to ten using criteria such as dynamics, soundstaging, timbre, linearity, transient attack,... Read More »

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Skogrand Beethoven Cables - A Study In Transparency

Myles B. Astor — Thu, 01 Mar 2018 18:32:48 +0000

It's patently clear after countless years of reviewing that cables can—and often do—make or break the sound of better audio systems. Enter the Skogrand Beethoven speaker cables originally reviewed in Issue 75 of Positive Feedback (HERE). In the end—even with my patience being tested by the Beethoven's long burn-in time—the speaker cables truly excelled when... Read More »

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The Reel Deal: Setting The Standard! Prokofiev, Lt. Kije and Stravinsky, Song of the Nightingale

Myles B. Astor — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 17:19:47 +0000

Prokofiev: Lt. Kije (recorded in 1957); Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale (recorded in 1956), Fritz Reiner (conductor), Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Producer: Richard Mohr; Engineer: Lewis Layton. Acoustic Sounds/RCA Living Stereo Ultra Tape, 15-ips, 2-track, reel-to-reel tape, LSC 2150. Price: $450. Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's performance of Prokofiev's Lt. Kije paired with Stravinsky's The Song... Read More »

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A Look Back at Bill Conrad and Lew Johnson's 40 Years in High-End Audio, Part 2: "It Just Sounds Right"

Myles B. Astor — Sun, 17 Dec 2017 18:19:59 +0000

Lew Johnson (left) and Bill Conrad (right) with the ACT2 preamplifer at a CES many years ago! This is the story of Bill Conrad and Lew Johnson of conrad-johnson. The always introspective Bill and the ever-affable Lew. Two audiophiles who in their personal quest for audio nirvana came together and successfully parlayed their unbridled passion... Read More »

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conrad-johnson 40th Anniversary ART300 Monoblock Tube Amplifiers, Part 1: Forty Years and Still Going Strong

Myles B. Astor — Sun, 17 Dec 2017 18:03:28 +0000

When conrad-johnson releases a statement product, everybody listens. Particularly when the new 40th anniversary ART300 amplifiers are the team of Bill Conrad, Jeff Fischel and Lew Johnson's first crack at an amplifier design incorporating the newly designed Tungsol KT-150 output tubes. Make no mistake. The new 40th Anniversary ART300 monoblock amplifiers aren't the conrad-johnson Premier... Read More »

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Rocky Mountain Audiofest 2017: Revamped, Refreshed and Reinvigorated!

Myles B. Astor — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 16:07:25 +0000

At last! The construction that plagued last year's Rocky Mountain Audiofest is history and the show is back to normal. Improved sleeping rooms. Much larger restaurant with the same amount of help. The same nice friendly staff. The Marriot's tower section packed with audio equipment of all shapes and sizes from the Mezzanine to the... Read More »

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