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There is something special about the Dan D'Agostino Master Audio Systems brand and legacy. For myself, every interaction has been first class from beginning to end. This not only includes the product and the performance, but even more important are the people that stand behind it. We of course have Petra and Dan D'Agostino, but... Read More »

I'm all for unburdening oneself of unwanted crap. As George Carlin said, if you didn't have so much goddamn stuff, you wouldn't need a house, which is really just a pile of stuff with a cover on it. Of course, that doesn't mean stuff is inherently bad. I, for one, enjoy sleeping in a bed.... Read More »

Consider the enigma that is the conical stylus, which is essentially the starting point for the earliest cartridges. While this stylus shape is widely used on modern entry level cartridges, curiously, it can also be found on a few select moving coil designs. Not all conical styli are created the same, as many are bonded... Read More »

When is enough, enough? That's a rhetorical question when posed to an audiophile, because in matters of the hi-end, we never cross the finish line. Just ask Joe Cohen, the proprietor and lead designer of PranaWire, for his take on the subject: "Common wisdom holds that there is a point beyond which continued effort and... Read More »

The Bobby S Ultimate Loudspeaker from Stein Music of Germany is a robust stand-mounted two-way monitor that is unusual in several ways. It has a unique horn tweeter/midrange on top of a moderately large, for a monitor style speaker, dynamic woofer. The cabinet is finished in 100% knife-veneered birch and this model is the top of... Read More »

A common topic among audiophiles or collectors of HiFi gear is the piece of gear you regret selling the most. Often, this results in a list of equipment we lament relinquishing to the wild. You have yours and I have mine. What's my regret? A gorgeous set of Wharfedale Pacific Evo tower speakers that I... Read More »

"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 »

With this article, Positive Feedback continues its content-sharing relationship with Enjoy the Music where Steven R. Rochlin shares his thoughts on the FiiO R7. Dr. David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief A superb DAC, streamer, preamplifier, and headamp designed for music lovers. Review By Steven R. Rochlin   When FiiO sent me an e-mail showcasing their new R7 desktop stereo... Read More »

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 »

ThunderData Co. LTD. is a company founded by Dr. Eric Jian Huang. It is engaged in the production of servers, network communication, data management, network storage software, hardware engineering, etc. The company operates in the hi-tech industry and focuses on 5G mobile networks and 8K video transmission. Its audio offer is concentrated in two series... Read More »

Every now and then—but really, not all that frequently—a product appears that really "shakes the chessboard" in terms of performance, value for money, or both. The Monitor 9 from Solen Electronique is one such product. Solen is a Montreal-based Canadian company with manufacturing facilities in Canada and France. Its overall performance is top-tier, and its... Read More »

I was chatting with an exhibitor at last year's tiny NY Audio Show 2022 and mentioned I found the treble in his room had too much bite. I got no argument: "I like that. That's what I hear at concerts." Hmm…his comment made me pause before I continued with the rest of my list: boomy... Read More »

Dialing in this DAC conjures an enchanted eye exam—however, instead of an optometrist switching lenses in a phoropter and asking, "Better or worse?", you swap 12AU7 tubes and focus on how they affect your music experience. As with eyeglasses, the optimal fit varies with each individual. It depends on a variety of factors—the room's acoustics,... Read More »

Over the past several years, increasing emphasis has been placed on products made in the U.S.A., and moreover, those hand-crafted by artisans. Entire fairs have sprung up showcasing wares by craftsman and more attention is being paid to the sources of materials of each product. Whether it is the farm-to-table movement, or your daily deliveries,... Read More »

Image courtesy of UIT Unique Innovation Technology Co. (UITaudio.com) is a California company under the guidance of Mitch Ko, an extremely talented electrical engineer and designer who has always been looking to improve and advance connectivity for high-end audio. When I met him for the first time at the LA Audio Show a few years... Read More »

If any audio product should be standard issue, the lowly record cleaner certainly qualifies for that status. If you play records, they need cleaning. If you buy new or used records, they need cleaning. Yes even new ones need a once over with a good old record cleaner. Of course I have talked to people... Read More »

Classy Operation A class-D amplifier, or switching amplifier, all too often mistakenly referred to as a "digital" amplifier, differs from the much more traditional and popular linear amplifier classes. In a switching amplifier, its transistors, usually MOSFETs (Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors), rather than directly providing gain to the sourced signal, operate as electronic switches. The audio... Read More »

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 »

The last of the Fono Acustica cables had been sent back about six months ago. Already, their sonic profile was receding. It's difficult to retrieve what you can barely describe in words because sounds are not stored in long-term memory. So it was amazing and a testimony how fast that profile resurrected when the newly... Read More »