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With a light and delicate touch, Noelia Rodiles carries us on a rollicking joy filled ride with Schumann, Rueda, Mendelssohn, and del Puerta, then lands us gently with Schubert and Magrane. If some of these names are unfamiliar, I encourage you to join me and explore this lovely recording. Another transparent recording by Gonzalo Noqué... Read More »

Violent Femmes: Add It Up (1981-1993). Two 120 gram, black vinyl LPs: $29.99 MSRP. Also available as two 120 gram, blister-marbled red vinyl LPs: $32.99 MSRP. Available from Craft Recordings. My first experience with the Violent Femmes came not too long after their eponymous debut album had been released in 1983. I'd just gone to... Read More »

Sarah Jarosz: Build Me Up From Bones. 120 gram, black vinyl LP: $21.99 MSRP. Also available as a 120 gram, opaque red vinyl LP; no website or pricing information was available at the time of the review. Available from Craft Recordings. Sarah Jarosz is a multi-instrumentalist and singer / songwriter who grew up in Wimberley, Texas, a... Read More »

Back when I went to public school, everyone took band. If you had no preference, they gave you whatever instrument needed players to fill a section—that's how a dented, silver trumpet wound up in my lap. Most of us consumed the hour by chilling out, with the exception of a small coterie of trumpet players... Read More »

I tend to be a believer in a less is more approach when it comes to my audio system; find a high end DAC like the Chord DAVE, and use it's outputs to drive the amplifier directly. In my experience putting anything between the DAC and the amplifier adds noise, colors the sound, and removes... Read More »

IBIS, Self-Titled. Polydor Records 3581980. 1975 Locanda Delle Fate, Forse Le Lucciole Non Si Amano Piu. Polydor Records 3529073. 1977 Sensations' Fix, Finest Finger. Polydor Records 3559352. 1976 For the uninitiated, Italian Progressive Rock of the 1970s can be differentiated from its German and British peers by its heavier emphasis on the Hammond B-3 organ as opposed... Read More »

Muarah Audio made its debut during the Audio Video Show 2015 with a complete system designed for playing music from vinyl records. Associated primarily with turntables, it also offers electronics. This time, however, we are testing its flagship MT-1 EVO turntable with a PSC precise speed controller. The title of one of the articles on... Read More »

We're all thinking about travel. Where can we go? How are we going to get there? And what will we listen to on our way? The Diablo (Spanish for devil) is a battery-powered DAC/headphone amp that you'll be packing with you whether your next journey is to heaven, hell, or a more lateral journey across... Read More »

George Counnas of Zesto Audio with his Andros Deluxe II Phono Stage in Bob Levi's listening room Before I start: the most-asked question answered first! Yes. Those of you who own the Zesto Audio Deluxe Phono Stage may receive a factory Deluxe II upgrade through any Zesto Audio dealer for $1200, including a new faceplate... Read More »

It's funny. As we move up through the echelons of the audio world, the pieces that produce our sonic magic become more and more singular in function. The jobs which devices perform move into larger and more separate boxes as if no component can do two things well at once. Stay in your lane. In... Read More »

World Premiere Review! A killer combination forced me to overcome my fear and buy the review sample. Review By Rick Becker With this article, Positive Feedback continues its content-sharing relationship with Enjoy the Music Rick Becker shares his thoughts on the Charisma Audio Musiko Tonearm, Soundeck, and Audio Machina Accessories. Dr. David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief "The more one knows about... Read More »

Chamber music of Brahms and Schumann, how does it get any better? Well, you mix it with music of Hindemith and Enescu, add excellent musicians who perform all deliciously on viola and piano, and then capture the magic in a sterling recording. And thus you have a this exceptional release. I love music for the... Read More »

As lovely a piano recording as we are ever likely to hear. Javier Laso gives us superb performances of two great works of the piano literature. And Gonzalo Noqué, producer and chief recording engineer for Eudora Records, gives us a recording that captures of the sound of a grand piano as well or better than... Read More »

Sarah Shafer (s), Tessa; Raquel Winnica Young (ms), Pi; Dan Kempson (b). Arts Crossing Chamber Orchestra/Efraín Amaya. Albany TROY 1846. TT: 78.30 About a year ago—when it became apparent that the pandemic shutdowns would be dragging on for a while—the noted singer-actor Stephen Pasquale was interviewed by Classic Stage Company's Artistic Director, John Doyle (on Zoom,... Read More »

For those Audiophiles that have been around a while, the name Siltech conjures images of high-end esoterica and rarified audiophile air. Edwin van der Kley Rynveld, an electrical engineer with very high level experience at Exxon and Phillips, acquired the company in 1992. Since the acquisition, Edwin has propelled Siltech into the ranks of the... Read More »

Did high output moving coil cartridges morph into some kind of oddball niche product when I wasn't paying attention? Despite the considerable press attention paid to the relatively new line of Hana cartridges, nearly all of it has focused on the low-output versions. The precious few reviews mentioning the high-output versions treated them as, at... Read More »

Established in 2013, iFi currently has developed and manufactured over 30 products from its headquarters in Southport, UK. Sourcing parts from all over the world its main aim has been to create high quality audio wherever you are. Thus, the iFi iDSD Diablo would be the quintessential device to deliver on its mission statement. For... Read More »

Anna Marie Wooldridge was born on August 6, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois, although she was raised from childhood in Michigan. Alternating between her desires to be an actress and a singer, she started performing while still in high school, and soon relocated to the west coast in the early Fifties, where she performed mostly in... Read More »

Bob Levi with the brand new McIntosh MHA200 Tubed Headphone Amp (all photographs courtesy of Bob Levi) Once Upon A Time, in Binghamton, NY, a gathering of McIntosh engineers decided to produce an all-tube headphone amplifier without peer. They loved the sound of the Mc275 amplifier and its transformer circuit dating back to 1949, but... Read More »