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I've written before about the recordings of pianist Hannes Minnaar (see HERE and HERE). I'm writing now to share with you a new solo piano recording of the Shostakovich 24 Preludes (a marvel), an earlier recording of piano works inspired by Bach, and a scrumptious complete cycle of the Beethoven Piano Concertos with Jan Willem... Read More »

In this superb release from Eudora Records, the Protean Quartet deliver stylish performances of the last of the Haydn's Russian Quartets, the first of Beethoven’s String Quartets, op. 18 no.1 (but already a masterpiece), and the first recording of Juan Pedro Almeida Mota’s String Quartet op. 7 no. 1. Performed on period instruments, with historically... Read More »

It used to be that when traveling out of state, I would tell people I was from Chicago. But in reality, it couldn't be further from the truth. I live in a suburb more than an hour north of Chicago and largely avoid going into the city. Lately, I have begun to be more truthful,... Read More »

I'll share a snippet from an email exchange with Alan Kafton, proprietor of audiodharma, the company that makes the Cable Cooker. The subject is the long anticipated, but now available, Ground Breaker adaptor set for the conditioning of power cables. Good morning, Alan I just finished cooking a pair of power cords. One PC used... Read More »

Berlioz, Symphonie fantastique. Roméo et Juliette: Scène d'amour. Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra/Paavo Järvi. Telarc CD-80578.  TT: 71.22. Downloads: classicalarchives.com (mp3) Like Cala Records and Avie Records, which I've recently discussed, Telarc Records, based in Cleveland, was created as an audiophile label. At first, they briefly pursued the "direct-to-disc" blind alley with Advent Records' Direct from Cleveland, presenting Lorin Maazel... Read More »

When I was fifteen I had yet to learn that greatest hits and best of records also meant The Worst Sounding Records. Back then my ears weren't very sophisticated, so I was oblivious to the fact that albums like Simon & Garfunkle's Greatest Hits and Rod Stewart's Sing It Again Rod were, despite the wonderful... Read More »

There are times when something so special comes along that one needs to shout "Stop the presses. Hold page one." This is one of those occasions. HDTT has just released a superb DSD256 transfer of the legendary RCA Living Stereo recording of the Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3 "Organ Symphony" from Charles Munch and the Boston... Read More »

With this article, Positive Feedback continues its content-sharing relationship with Enjoy the Music where Tom Lyle shares his thoughts on the Vermouth Audio Studio Monitor Loudspeakers. Dr. David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief A good-looking and great-sounding loudspeaker. Review By Tom Lyle Vermouth Audio is located in the Indonesian province of Bali, which is located east of Java. Most know... Read More »

The journey continues. In pursuit of the finest in high end audio integrated amplifiers, last month I auditioned the Aavik I-580 from the Audio Group Denmark. You can check out the review HERE. The I-580 certainly deserved its position as the flagship integrated in the Aavik lineup, but it has just recently been upstaged by... Read More »

In Stanley Kubrick's 2001: a Space Odyssey, awestruck australopithecines (prehistoric ape-like primates with human traits) encounter an alien, 11' x 5' x 1.25' black monolith standing in the rocks and crags of an African desert and, shortly thereafter, have an epiphany and create crude weapons. Fast forward 4000 years: clothed and scented homo sapiens gawk... Read More »

I’ve been listening to various of the Hunnia Records' Pure DSD256 recordings downloadable from NativeDSD. There are very many that I like both for the music and for the quite stellar sound quality. It's time to share with you some of the excellent Hunnia recordings that I'm enjoying. Founded by Robert Zoltán Hunka, owner and... Read More »

Time Out was the first jazz album to sell more than a million copies. The album was certified platinum in 1997 and double platinum in 2011. The single, "Take Five", also sold over a million. And it has been reissued endlessly. So why bother with yet another? Because this release in Pure DSD256 from HDTT... Read More »

Guys who own digital master clocks are very serious about extracting the most from digital sources. If a stock power cord came with the clock, very likely it's still unwrapped in the box, because that would be self-defeating. Audiophiles shooting for the max are OK with substantial outlays for after-market power cords—they've heard the solid... Read More »

Chopin's music is loved by many. And many pianists gravitate to performing his works. Unfortunately, not all pianists should play Chopin—both Chopin and we would be better off if they found some other poor composer to butcher. But, when Chopin's music falls into the hands of an empathetic artist devoted to communicating Chopin, ah then,... Read More »

The JansZen A8-SE Loudspeaker JansZen Laboratory was founded in the 1950s when Arthur Janszen developed the first practical electrostatic loudspeaker. The company, currently called JansZen Audio, is run by his son David, who has continued the research and development culminating in the Valentina A8. The Valentina A8 is a complete audio system containing DAC, ADC,... Read More »

David Crosby, If I Could Only Remember My Name. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, MFSL 2-496, Original Master Recording, Gain 2™ Ultra Analog, 2 x 12" 45 RPM SuperVinyl™ 180g LPs, Numbered Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue, Remastered, Gatefold, 2022 First up...the spring 2022 Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, 2 X 45 RPM, limited, numbered remastered reissue on... Read More »

Most times, equipment reviews begin smoothly, and progress from there. Occasionally, though, they start with a bit of thud. In this case, my review of the MayFly 201A loudspeakers began with a disheartening rattle. The shipper had apparently not been kind in their transit of the four boxes. Upon connecting the speakers, it was readily... Read More »

I was student-teaching at Whitney Young Magnet High School and waiting tables several nights a week at Reza's, an upscale Persian restaurant in Chicago's River North neighborhood. Now closed, in 1994 this posh eatery sat on the site of the former Berghoff's Brewery on Ontario Avenue just west of the Rte. 94 turnoff. Before the... Read More »

Here we have one of the world’s greatest French conductors and one of the world’s finest French orchestras (albeit located in the United States) playing the very essence of French music. And this particular album is perhaps one of the greatest Mercury Living Presence recordings. We've been fortunate to have some good vinyl reissues over... Read More »