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Advocacy for Neutrality Last year I came across several articles on high-end sites purporting to address, What is good sound? Most veered off to the vague and vapid, concluding, whatever floats your boat is good. Has it come to this? I know long-established standards smacking of elitism and privilege are under siege and youthful disruption... Read More »

I've long been a fan of both Tube amplifiers and Class D amplifiers, and here, finally, I get to check out their love child. Is it an illicit union, a chimera, or something completely new and wondrous to hear? I think a little history is in order. I was solidly in the solid-state camp long... Read More »

I was really impressed by the Pass Labs XP-12 line-level preamplifier that I wrote about in Positive Feedback Issue 111 (HERE), and I have been looking forward to telling you about my time with its intended phono preamplifier partner, the Pass Labs XP-17. Given that Nelson Pass and Wayne Colburn both use Tannoy 15-inch dual... Read More »

I've talked here at intervals over the last couple of years about a variety of system enhancements I've employed at my home with the goal of improving system performance, reducing noise, and increasing my ability to see through more clearly to the music I enjoy. It's really shocking how seemingly simple fixes like vibration reduction... Read More »

the art of listening… for art's sake – the art of listening to music including hi-res audio, MQA, DSD and 5.1 surround sound A recent product from Starke Sound in Gardena, California is called VLOT. I still don't know what the VLOT acronym is supposed to stand for. So I'll take a stab at it, ummm….Verisimilar Layered Orthogonal Trajectories... Read More »

Years ago as news editor for the Cyber Boxing Zone, I witnessed the special veneration that insiders held for the late Emanuel Steward, a boxing trainer who headed Detroit's famous Kronk Gym and transformed the careers of world champions like Lennox Lewis, Wladimir Klitschko, and Tommy Hearns. Then after signing into my first AXPONA show... Read More »

World Premiere Review! It sounds like music. Review By Dr. Matt Clott With this article, Positive Feedback continues its content-sharing relationship with Enjoy the Music. Dr. Matt Clott shares his thoughts on the Mojo Mystique EVO B4B 21 DAC. Dr. David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief Mojo Audio, located in Albuquerque, NM, is the brainchild and passion of Benjamin Zwickel,... Read More »

I have a great deal of respect for isolation devices, though certain caveats should always be considered. I have reviewed and/or owned some of the most simple to the most sophisticated. This includes designs from Butcher Block Acoustics, Solidsteel, Adona, Sound Anchors, Silent Running Audio, Harmonic Resolution Systems, Rix Rax, Critical Mass, and Grand Prix.... Read More »

The art of listening for art's sake - the art of listening to music, including hi-res audio, MQA, DSD, and 5.1 surround sound In an unconventional approach from the tech learning and evaluation methods I've all but trained myself to follow since the 80s, I hooked up the iFi Zen Phono preamp without looking at... Read More »

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 »

At the turn of the twentieth century, Igor Stravinsky rocked the classical firmament with scores such as Song of the Nightingale. One hundred years later, the work is still so fresh as to pull you up short, mouth agape, wondering, "Where did that come from?" I always go back to the Fritz Reiner / Chicago... Read More »

Though I'm known among my audio friends as an analog and LP guy, I actually spend more time listening to digital music than my LP collection. Especially since I first signed up for Tidal in 2017, streaming has been my main source for listening to new music, and for hunting down all the old stuff... Read More »

The Meze Empyrean continues to be the headphone that I go to for both reviewing and for simply enjoying the music. Rare, indeed, is the product that is transparent, musical, and truly engaging. That the Empyrean is also one of the most aesthetically beautiful headphones that I have come across, easily validates a form follows... Read More »

Beautiful to behold and a joy to use. Review By Brett Rudolph With this article, Positive Feedback continues its content-sharing relationship with Enjoy the Music. Brett Rudolph shares his thoughts on the LampizatOr MM2 Moving-Magnet (MM) Phono Stage. Dr. David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief Turntables have always been one of my favorite sources for my playback system. They are highly... Read More »

As a lifelong two-channel audio listener I had my doubts that I could appreciate listening to music through headphones. A good friend of mine extolls the benefits of the personal listening experience, but I never could come around to seeing his point of view. Sure, I have inexpensive ear buds and in ear monitors for... Read More »

Empire Ears is a family-owned In-Ear-Monitor (IEM) company based in Atlanta, Georgia, that, collectively, brings over thirty years of experience in acoustical engineering and product manufacturing. As I mentioned in a previous review, every audio equipment company's product has it unique voice—neutral, warm, reference, detailed, bright, vivid etc—and its form. The Empire Ears' voice is,... Read More »

The Torus Power AVR2 ELITE 20 Isolation Transformer is a powerful friend to discerning audiophiles, consumer and pro audio specialists alike. It serves as both a guardian and cleanser to high performance audio visual systems. Modern minimalist in design, it only flexes its muscle when needed, employing an impressive array of 21st Century features, a... Read More »

The ampsandsound Nautilus, 60+ pounds of single ended glory As both a reviewer and a consumer, I read a lot of reviews myself. I often see solid state amplifiers being commended for having tube amp like qualities in their mid-range presentation, or tube amplifiers being commended for having solid state bass or speed. I myself... Read More »

Power is king. Throughout my years in audio this one thing has become clear. Power supply quality shapes the sound of a component. In order to achieve that quality, a power supply must be fed well, hence the plethora of aftermarket power cables and conditioners. The subject of this review, the Clarus Duet purports to... Read More »