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"If you want the finest amplifiers money can buy here is your chance. The Paradox Pulse mono amplifier uses only the finest of parts throughout including MUNDORF MLytic power supply capacitors, 12 gauge copper foil chokes (DC PI filtering), paralleled transformers, quad stacked Schottky diode bridge, finest transistors available 4302 and 4281, A/C PI filtering,... Read More »

Just looking at the SSCPS, you can tell Louis Desjardins knows a thing or two about materials design. But don't get him started—unless you've got a sizable chunk of time. We'll rev him up a bit later. First, let's give the floor to the Sparta Super Capacitor Power Supply and let it speak for itself.... Read More »

It was around 5 year ago that I learned a valuable lesson; never discount the validity of an audio tweak even, if it does not seem to have any apparent scientific basis, without trying it out first. The component that helped me learn this lesson was the Akiko Audio Tuning Sticks. It was claimed that... Read More »

They say a lot of things about small packages. "Good things come in small packages." There is a certain wisdom in that statement. Of course it rarely has an applicability to Heavy Weight Boxing! The professional athlete that goes 6'8" and plays, basketball, football, soccer, or whatever rarely feels that they would be better off... Read More »

If you frequent Positive-Feedback, you may have noticed my lengthy interview with Ketil Vestrum Einarsen, who was recently described by Jacob Holm-Lupo as "prog's mad scientist." Well, he is back with a new project called +Ingelrii+, which includes long-time collaborator Gaute Storsve on guitar, bass, and percussion. Trond Gjellum plays drums. In addition to his... Read More »

Three years ago, while visiting Acapella's showroom in Duisburg, I experienced that a Poseydon could bring you closer to the dynamics of a concert event than even the most demanding hi-fi enthusiast could have ever dreamed of. And, the acoustic transducer currently being there in demonstration is intended to narrow the gap between reality and... Read More »

In the beginning I was the tweakaholic. I spent much time fooling around with and writing about all manner of audio accessories, searching for the sonic Band-Aid that would repair my sound. It wasn't what I wanted—actually, I wasn't sure what I wanted—and these devices always delivered something. I wore the moniker like a badge... Read More »

I started my audiophile journey in 2011 with the purchase of a Sennheiser HD 600 and a Yulong D100 headphone AMP/DAC combo. The total cost for that system was $400 all in. My feelings on the purchase were mixed to say the least, I loved the performance, but the cost also seemed silly to both... Read More »

I've owned a number of decent headphones over the course of my life as an audiophile, and I always generally have a couple of pairs on hand. Mostly for listening when my wife, Beth, has control of the television and has landed on HGTV or some insanely sick horror flick that I could care less... Read More »

It was I who killed punk rock in the Listening Room with the Record Player. Well, kill might be too strong a word, defanged it might be closer to the mark. But at least I learned something about audio, so it wasn't a total loss. The moment square poseurs like me played Black Flag's Damaged... Read More »

If you are an audiophile, and have been in the hobby for more than the last five nanoseconds, then you know McIntosh. Easily one of the stalwarts of the industry, and a company that has always paid as much attention to aesthetics as to engineering prowess and quality. That is a lot of attention, by... Read More »

Review By Dave Hanson With this article, Positive Feedback continues its content-sharing relationship with Enjoy the Music. Dave Hanson shares his thoughts about the LampizatOr Amber III Hi-Res DAC. Read, and learn.... Dr. David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief World Premiere Review! Fall in love with your music all over again. It's one thing to create a component that listeners can... Read More »

Arlington Heights, IL - The music swirled about the room like wine in a sommelier's mouth. I'd first heard them in a packed Arlington Room at the Arlington Heights Historical Museum in February 2018. The frozen, yellow grass out front was thawing and inside, principals Eric Krupp and John Brunner were demonstrating their Gudebrod Audio... Read More »

The Hagerman Audio Labs Tuba Headphone Amp (image by Bob Levi) About 12 years ago I reviewed the Hagerman Trumpet, a very fine all-tube phono stage, built in Hawaii. It was impressive and musical and priced around $2000. It outperformed my Pass X Phono, a $4000 piece, and I almost bought it. When I was... Read More »

Audio cables act as passive filters, affecting the performance of a high fidelity speaker system for better or worse, depending on interactions with the room, first, the electronics, second, and personal tastes of the listener, third. As with a wine and food match at a chic bistro, the resulting interactions can be mediocre to stellar,... Read More »

I've owned a pair of Zu Audio Omens—the Dirty Weekend (DW) variety—for over five years now. Zu builds high-efficiency loudspeakers that employ 10-inch full range drivers and compression tweeters, with many of their models approaching 97dB per 1 watt input. During operation, the 10-inch drivers, which are custom-manufactured for Zu by Eminence in Kentucky, run... Read More »

The Grado Labs GH4 in place at Chez Levi (photograph by Bob Levi) The GH4 is Grado's second foray into creating headphones using Norwegian pine, upping the ante and overall headphone performance quite nicely along the way. By my count, Grado has used two types of mahogany, maple, oak wood treated by a whiskey barrel... Read More »

Let's face it, AC line power is the bedrock of every audio system. Not only is this singularly common commodity a fundamentally important component, vital for powering all gear in a system, the quality of that AC power line happens to significantly influence the performance capability of every component in each HiFi rig. The bad... Read More »

The Unbearable Joy of Thinking Outside the Box Now that GTT Audio & Video head Bill Parish and I are finally back on friendly terms (heck, he even calls me on the phone occasionally to give me a hard time, and to ask when I plan on finishing the reviews I promised to write, if... Read More »