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There has always been something magical about the Raidho line of speakers. Why do I mention Raidho in an article about Scansonic speakers? Great question—well, if you didn't know, these are designed by Michael Børresen, the same designer of the Raidho line of speakers! This is, admittedly, what attracted me to these speakers in the... Read More »

Same Room Records SSR030, double LP $25, double CD $20, download $15—robertsarazinblake.bandcamp.com Recitative is one of those albums you release after you've had your big breakthrough, after you've hit it big and now sales are guaranteed because everyone's watching to see what you'll do next. This is the album where you get the big budget,... Read More »

Ayon Audio has over the last 15 years become one of the best known high end tube amplifier manufacturers, at least here in Europe. In particular, they have become known as one of the premier manufacturers of single ended amplifiers (SETs), preamplifers and digital sources and got their start in taking the designs from the... Read More »

Bushmen of the Kalahari When We Were Free: Bushman Music of the Kalahari Rhythm is the prominent element of the music on these CDs: claps, rattles, single-stringed instruments with mouth or can as a resonator, thumb pianos. This is sad, passionate music. Some of it sounds like a collective expression of misery set to hypnotic, repetitive... Read More »

Michael Zisserson's review of the Esperanto Audio Black S/PDIF Cable is published with a disclosure. Michael has done some professional work for John Marks in the realm of speaker design, and this should be disclosed so that our readers are aware of this fact. I do not see this to be a conflict of interest,... Read More »

Stein Music The Perfect Interface,  Pi Slip Stein Music's Pi Interface Sheet under your LP and prepare for sonic improvement most every time. Whether you have a mat or bare surface on your turntable, these superbly designed Japanese paper mats are a bell ringer for sure. Comes in two models:  the Signature White brings nuance... Read More »

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 »