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Each album Angelo Verploegen makes with Just Listen Records and Jared Sacks is an eagerly awaited pleasure in our household. Beautifully played jazz in some of the best small ensemble recorded sound we get to hear. Verploegen and his partners take us to a soft, warm musical place, and Jared Sacks brings the performances right... Read More »

Such a pleasure! A recording label for country, bluegrass, pop, world and other acoustic musicians that truly brings the listener into the presence of the live performance. Soundkeeper Recordings is making direct-to-two-track recordings that I'd love to hear from more labels. This is the way acoustic music should be heard. Barry Diament, founder, chief recording... Read More »

Cutting right to the chase! I hypothesize that the excellent performance of the LCD-4 was criticized by many for its excess weight, and that the design required a makeover. At the same time, the CRBN Electrostat was bubbling up in R&D and would set a new musical standard for any headphones at half the weight. Most... Read More »

The Simaudio Moon 740P preamplifier has been reviewed many times since its introduction circa 2012, most recently for Positive Feedback by Sam Rosen (HERE). I read many of these reviews, but not until after I had done my own evaluation. I am evaluating the 740P in conjunction with its companion piece the 820S External Power... Read More »

Two very versatile, and impressive, performers. Review By Bob Grossman With this article, Positive Feedback continues its content-sharing relationship with Enjoy the Music where Bob Grossman shares his thoughts on the Ayon Audio CD-35 II CD Player and USA Labs RS9 Music Server. Dr. David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief The Ayon Audio CD-35 II, as reviewed here, is the... Read More »

Magnificently performed by the string quartet Matangi, this is music written in the second half of the twentieth century by Russian and Ukrainian composers that is ideally suited to the bizarre world in which we find ourselves today in March of 2022. It is intense music of challenge, protest, and criticism. It was intended to... Read More »

Shostakovich: String Quartets: No 3 in F, Op. 71; No 8 in C minor, Op. 110. Novus Quartet. Aparte AP 271.  TT: 54.19 It's one up, one down—and not as you might have expected, or hoped. The five-movement F Major Quartet hovers uneasily, or schizophrenically, between Shostakovich's "traditional" style and his more angular, "modern" one. The... Read More »

George Walker, Five Piano Sonatas, (1953 - 2003) Steven Beck, piano. Bridge Records 9554. It's a bit early in the year to pronounce a Record of the Year, and perhaps I'm making the call based partly on guilt for my ignorance: why have I not heard of this extraordinary composer? His music is a brilliant... Read More »

Enjoy Gregorian Chant? I have a new album you may just love. Beautifully sung by the Gregorian female choir Novum Gaudium. With a repertoire around the Marian theme, the pieces on this album have been selected for variety of style, compositional technique, and complexity of sound textures. An intriguing and very gratifying presentation of great... Read More »

Music from the ever-inventive Georg Philipp Telemann has long enchanted me. His is music of never ceasing discovery. In these performances of some of Telemann's magnificent Fantasies, oboist and pianist Pauline Oostenrijk is a delightful guide. These are performances to savor, made even more enjoyable with the excellent sound quality provided by recording engineer Tom... Read More »

I have been enjoying the performances of violinist Rosanne Philippens for several years, but have not yet written about her recordings. She is remarkable, a tremendous talent, and someone whose work I value very much. My music library is enriched by her performances, as am I each time I select one to hear. Let's take... Read More »

Did you ever see an audio product that you thought you didn't need but once you looked into it you just had to have it? Such is the case with the iFi GO blu. As of late I have been rethinking my headphone/amp set up, and leaning more to adding an amp than a DAC.... Read More »

As in days of olde when men strode forth to slay dragons (or chase windmills), the modern-day audiophile is on a crusade. This villain appeared relatively recently, coincident with the world economy's tectonic shift to the Information Age. As many have observed, Radio Frequency Interference wasn't an issue for audiophiles circa 1970. Nowadays, it might... Read More »

In the realm of digital to analog converters there has been an ongoing trend of increasingly advanced circuitry, the addition of layer upon layer of "lifestyle" convenience features, and the promise of higher sound quality at increasingly lower prices. Certainly this sounds like the best of times for the cost conscious audiophile, but is that... Read More »

With lively performances filled with joy and good humor, the Intercontinental Ensemble returns with a two immensely entertaining releases. And with the excellent sound quality provided by TRPTK, there is nothing but good things to say about these two releases. In Motu – Intercontinental Ensemble. TRPTK 2021 (DXD) HERE Arc, Intercontinental Ensemble. TRPTK 2022 (DXD) HERE Yes, I'm... Read More »

This new recording by the ever-excellent Dana Zemtsov offers much to savor, particularly with the rich, resonant tonal qualities of her viola brought front and center. And the sound quality provided by Jared Sacks is a true sonic joy, as usual. Dutch Hidden Gems, Contemporary Compositions for Viola. Dana Zemtsov, Anna Fedorova, Phion Orchestra. Channel Classics... Read More »

"Honey, I shrunk the headphone amplifier and DAC," is what the engineers at iFi probably told their marketing counterparts when they first showed them the prototype of the GO blu, and that is hardly an overstatement! When I received the GO blu in the mail, and unpacked the unit, I encountered a component that is... Read More »

These searching, deeply penetrating, and searingly wrought performances by Trío Arriaga of two elegiac masterpieces left me emotionally drained...and uplifted. After first listening to Shostakovich's Piano Trio No. 2 in E Minor, I had to stop and collect my energy. The Arriaga's performance had simply wrung me out. In the best way—give me more, I... Read More »

World Premiere Review! A very high quality speaker with unique sound. Review By Rick Becker With this article, Positive Feedback continues its content-sharing relationship with Enjoy the Music where Rick Becker shares his thoughts on the Treehaus Audiolab Phantom of Luxury Loudspeaker. Dr. David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief Tom and I had been thirsting for Capital AudioFest 2021 for a... Read More »