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Berkeley based Fantasy Records built their early reputation in the 1950s with classic LPs from Dave Brubeck, Cal Tjader, Gerry Mulligan, and Vince Guaraldi. Many of those LPs were pressed on red and blue translucent vinyl, and they became immensely popular with record buyers. I'll never forget finding a sealed copy of Vince Guaraldi's Jazz... Read More »

Image courtesy of Origin Live Audiophiles include people from a smattering of all spectra on the human scale, from the rigorously scientific—show me the data—to those who rely simply on their own experience, and those who take in others' opinions as their own. I'm largely in the second category but occasionally find myself in the... Read More »

In this edition of Notes on Recent Finds, I offer you a diverse set of albums I've been enjoying and replaying frequently. There is no theme to this assemblage other than I like them, I think they are all very nicely performed and recorded, and I find the music they contain most engaging. I hope... Read More »

I particularly appreciate high-value products, so I set out to identify over-performers that are underpriced in the phono cartridge world. Simply asking the cartridge manufacturers or distributors for their recommendations yielded fascinating results for my new series of reviews. First up to bat is Grado Labs, with an upper mid-line model designated the Timbre Reference3 suggested by... Read More »

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 »

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 »

Living Sound Audio (LSA) is the in-house brand of Underwood HiFi, a company that's nearly legendary in audiophile circles. Walter Liederman, Underwood HiFi's "big kahuna"—hey, the dude lives in Maui, for heaven's sake—was a perpetual fixture on the Atlanta audio scene for decades. Walter was a partner in Atlanta-based HiFi Buys for 23 years prior... Read More »

I love forgotten bands and forgotten albums. Part of it is the pleasure of knowing something that other people don't know, and the other part is knowing about obscure rock bands that made really good music. Having said this, I don't like cult bands. Cult bands are usually overrated, and their appeal is usually traceable... Read More »

With this release of the Third Piano Concerto, Anna Fedorova's wonderous traversal of the four Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos reaches a triumphant conclusion. It is a scintillating, powerful, gorgeously emotional performance. Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3, Youth Symphony, and Valentin Silvestrov's The Messenger.  Anna Fedorova, Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen, Modestas Pitrenas conducting. Channel Classics 2023 (DXD) HERE... Read More »

With this article, Positive Feedback continues its content-sharing relationship with Enjoy the Music where Bob Grossman shares his thoughts on the Songer Audio S1 Field Coil Point-Source Loudspeaker. Dr. David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief Singing a magnificent song. Review by Bob Grossman Do you remember as a kid when you first heard an excellent quality music system? It was... Read More »

  Naiu Laboratory is a German-based manufacturer that's been in existence since the late 1990s. It's the brainchild of Mircea Naiu, who also designed the proprietary circuit employed by their only current model, the Ella Mark 3 stereo amplifier. Naiu refers to this technology as Class ND, which is an acronym for "Naiu Digital." Naiu's... Read More »

Audiophiles that might be reading this are most likely very familiar with Cary Audio, originally the brain child of Dennis Had who is something of a legend in our industry. The venerable Cary 805 Mono Block Power amplifiers are legendary, and the audio equivalent of the Lamborghini Countach and Ferrari 512 Testa Rosa. Many of... Read More »

The Grace m900 USB DAC Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923) was an Italian civil engineer, sociologist, and economist. Pareto was primarily responsible for shifting the focus of economics from theories of "moral philosophy" to being a data-driven social science. Pareto was the first to use the term "elite" in economic and social analysis and criticism. Vilfredo Pareto... Read More »

Ah, and THIS is how it's done, my friends. A completely scrumptious new release from the queen of the Baroque violin, Rachel Podger. In partnership with keyboardist Kristian Bezuidenhout, Rachel gives to us a bit over an hour of completely entrancing music by the often underestimated Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714 - 1788), fifth child... Read More »

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 »

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 »

Liszt, Les Préludes; Mephisto Waltz; Orpheus; Mazeppa. Monte Carlo Opera Orchestra/Paul Paray. Festival Classique FC 416 (LP). TT: 51.54 My "retrospective" reviews have usually covered compact discs of—ahem—a certain vintage. But I know some audiophiles still favor vinyl over digital formats—I've never given up my own vinyl, though, with age, I'm looking to pare down the sprawling... 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 »

You may have seen that NativeDSD recently decided to expand its catalog offerings to now offer albums originally recorded in PCM 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, and 192kHz rates in addition to the DSD/DXD recordings they have always featured. See the announcement HERE. So, after a month under the new policy, I've been watching to see what... Read More »