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A couple of years ago I wrote one of the first in the nation reviews of the AURALiC Vega DAC (read my Vega review HERE). I found the experience of using the Vega revelatory, especially on high resolution downloads. Since then many other reviewers have weighed in on the Vega with similar experience, and some... Read More »

PIPKOV: Bulgarian Suite for Piano, Op. 2. HADJIEV: Melodic Etudes. VLADIGEROV: Bulgarian Songs and Dances, Op. 25. Victoria Terekiev, piano. Gega New GR 31.  TT: 48.14 Downloads: amazon.com (mp3); getlinksoundcloud.com (mp3, 128 kbps) The album's title, Wind from the East, momentarily misled me: I was expecting music from rather further east, perhaps on the order of the... Read More »

In 2013 I wrote about Sweden's Larsen Hifi Model 8 speakers (HERE) a veritable bargain at $6,995 for those with such resources. The musical and organic sounding Model 8 notably provided exceptionally deep bass (~24Hz) from a small box (HWD 36" x 11" x 13"). My wife and I enjoyed the speaker very much as... Read More »

We are witnessing an entirely new generation of HiFi. Gone [going?] are the singularly designed, specifically functioning, one trick ponies; all hail the Swiss army knives arriving in lifestyle. Case in point, KEF's latest and perhaps greatest achievement, the awesome KEF LS50 Wireless Loudspeakers (LS50W). Yes. Wireless. As in, "look Ma, no wires!" Everything and... Read More »

Introduction – The Illusion of "LIVE" Imagine something hard enough and it often materializes. About this time last year, I was engaged in several speaker reviews, most notably the Waterfall Audio Niagara Glass loudspeakers (see my review, HERE) and I thought to myself, "I wonder what effect the digital to analog conversion (DAC) stage and any step-up amplification... Read More »

This time Brahms. Our musical guide John Marks, of The Tannhauser Gate (http://www.thetannhausergate.com), leads us into a recent recording of four symphonies by Brahms. Andris Nelsons leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra in four of Brahms' compositions. John's reviews of worthy music is once again republished from TGG with pleasure here at Positive Feedback! The performances are brilliant, done... Read More »

No other audio component takes as much abuse as in ear monitor headphones. My vintage balanced armature Klipsch earbuds have been stepped on, wash and dried, lost and recovered, twisted, pulled, and shoved into the pockets of jeans and sweaty gym bags. My classic Grado SR60 had their cable sliced through because I was wearing... Read More »

In which our esteemed friend, John Marks of The Tannhauser Gate (www.thetannhausergate.com) introduces us to yet another worthy singer, she of a truly lovely voice, Camilla Tilling. I was not familiar with Ms. Tilling, but was very much taken by her fine performances on this recording by BIS.  As always, John is a sure guide to worthy... Read More »

If you follow the reports from the numerous audio shows happening these days, you can't help but miss glowing extracts about Spatial Audio's exhibits featuring the M3 and M4 Hologram models. These open baffle speakers are designed by Clayton Shaw, who leads the research and product development efforts at Spatial Audio in Park City, Utah.... Read More »

Michael Rabinowitz, Uncharted Waters. Cats Paw Records, CPD-9855, CD $20 at https://www.jazzbassoonist.com/shop As a high-end audio importer and distributor, part of my job is to sit down and evaluate new products so that I can answer questions from dealers, retail customers, and the press. Yesterday I was doing exactly that, comparing a new entry-level digital... Read More »

There is a new player in town... Triode Wire Labs. When Dave Clark extols enthusiastic praise about a particular product line, I sit up and take notice (his review can be found HERE and another by Steve Kozle HERE). After reading his review, I just happened to casually glance at the MSRP's and that greatly inspired me to read... Read More »

What car does your mechanic drive, what food does your nutritionist eat, and what surgery does your doctor elect for himself? These questions are intriguing because they concern what experts do rather than what they say. Actions speak louder than words, we can all agree, particularly in an economy where people have so many incentives to lie or obfuscate... Read More »

One Sunday afternoon we were listening to Krzystof Penderecki's Clarinet Concerto (DUX 0559). This is difficult, contemporary music—difficult enough to turn many listeners off; enough to make your neighbors complain. At 2:20 into the first movement, the solo clarinet plays a series of grace note figures which never fails to take my breath away. It... Read More »

If you have the slightest interest in all things audiophile—and given that you're reading this, it's a good bet you do, you will have noticed the steady influx of Chinese made audiophile products to our shores in recent years. One such company is JE Audio, and the JE Audio IS250 Integrated Amplifier is the subject... Read More »

The First Watt series of amplifiers started as an exploration of uncommon circuit designs in a low wattage format, and has been an ongoing endeavor for two decades now. From Nelson Pass we have seen many an iconic audio product, such as the Threshold electronics, the Stasis circuit that Nakamichi commissioned, and of course the... Read More »

These are exciting times for users of integrated amplifiers. Never before have so many features and efficient power been squeezed into a single box. Over the course of thirty years, I have been privileged to own or listen to several exemplary models. In time, I believe that the AURALiC POLARIS will be considered by many... Read More »

Elgar, Symphony No. 2. Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Onyx 4165. Elgar, Elgar, Elgar. What do American music lovers make of Elgar? Probably what the English make of Samuel Barber and of Copland's ballets. Each of our cultures has its romanticism and it is generally in our romanticisms that our cultures make their most characteristic, not... Read More »

After a publication gap while I was on vacation recently, John Marks of The Tannhauser Gate (http://www.thetannhausergate.com) returns to grace the pages of Positive Feedback. In this review, he praises the work of Graham Slee. Since John also does work with cables, his Esperanto line, we would normally not publish any commentary...but how can one be unimpressed... Read More »

Doug Munro and La Pompe Attack, The Harry Warren Songbook (GotMusic Records, GMR-1004, available at http://www.dougmunro.com, $15.99 CD) My first trip to an honest-to-goodness high-end audio store, one where I planned on making an actual purchase, happened way back in 1989 in downtown Philadelphia. (I lived there for almost a year, which now seems strange.) I... Read More »