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SCHUMANN: Kerner Lieder, Op. 35; Lenau Lieder und Requiem, Op. 90; Liederkreis, Op. 39. Darren Chase, baritone; Sergey Schepkin, piano. Arabesque Recordings Z6852 (download only). TT: 79.12. Darren Chase's Schumann program has a great deal to offer. The baritone has a firm, compact voice that takes on a brighter colour as it ascends. The head... Read More »

John Harbison, String Trio; Four Songs of Solitude [for solo violin]; Songs Americans Love to Sing [flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano]. Members of Camerata Pacifica. Harmonia Mundi HMC 907619. Much in the spirit of Bach's Musical Offering, American composer John Harbison's (1938) String Trio (2013) does not give itself up easily. It shares the... Read More »

Cable reviews are always fun. They can be challenging, too as you're really trying to focus on the nuances and draw a positive experience. Sometimes that just doesn't happen with cables, and unfortunately those don't get much press in PFO as we try to focus on the positive aspect of high-end gear. Several sets have... Read More »

The weight of expectations must be huge for Thom Yorke. I mean, not only is he the front-man for Radiohead, but he's got deep commitments musically in a couple of different areas at once. His side projects: The freshmen solo LP Eraser, has garnered critical acclaim world-wide. Atoms for Peace; his band with Red Hot... Read More »

Audioengine, based in the USA, is one of those companies that has worked to bring music into just about any environment, and at affordable prices. This is opposed to music lovers buying playback gear that they must somehow adapt their environment to. Speaking of affordable, most Audioengine gear is less expensive than just about any... Read More »

I'm excited to tell you about this great new tube line stage from Backert Labs based in Hockessin, Delaware near Philadelphia. This is, I believe, the first product from this new company headed by Bob Backert, who has been working magic modifying tubed equipment, especially preamps, for decades. Backert has a separate company called RHB... Read More »

When I was in my early teens, one of my fondest memories was helping my Father while he was working on his various audio projects. This was in the early 1960s. He was a fairly successful businessman but I always thought that deep down his true passion was electrical engineering and the consumer electronics of... Read More »

The movement of reference-grade reference tapes to DSD for downloading continues apace. One of the industry leaders in this regard is High Definition Tape Transfers. Bob Witrak at HDTT, who had been working previously in high-resolution PCM, is setting a very high bar for both the quality and quantity of his DSD downloads. If you... Read More »

My first experience with an audiophile rack was Grand Prix Audio's Monaco which blew my mind both in price and performance. Up until that point I knew that the material a component sat upon tended to alter its sonic signature to some degree and not always in a favorable manner. To my way of thinking... Read More »

Mastered from the original 1970s era analog tapes and pressed in Germany on beautiful 180 gram vinyl (and also released on CD), ECM's Re:Solutions series brings to light recordings by vibraphonist Gary Burton, saxophonist Sam Rivers, bassist Miroslav Vitous, and the duo of guitarists John Abercrombie and Ralph Towner. Some of these recordings have been... Read More »

I cannot remember the last time I did a review that exploded my mythological view of things like this one has done. I have said for a number of years that the Chinese have been ramping up their game in the world of hifi gear design, production and quality of execution. I run Chinese amps.... Read More »

Blue Circle's Gilbert Yeung is one of high end audio's more colorful and unconventional characters. I can't think of another audio designer who would offer an amplifier with 2,000,000uF of power supply filtering and a 288 opamp output stage or a line of ridiculously inexpensive high performance products enclosed in ABS pipes. The latter is... Read More »

As I learned at the recent 2104 New York Audio Show, there is no lack of absurd loudspeaker designs executed with all sorts of wacky and expensive materials. While this year's blessed event was not as off-the-charts as prior shows in regard to loudspeakers that look like they were built by aliens with auditory requirements... Read More »

Grado has done it again! I liked the original PS 1000 Headphones at $1695 when I first heard them. I am overwhelmed by the new and super-improved PS 1000e's at—guess what?!—the same price of $1695! The first law of high fidelity is "you never know what you are missing." You try a pair of 1000e's and... Read More »

Driving North The road from San Diego to Upland, east of Los Angeles, is both circuitous and a relief from decades of treks straight north up Route 5 or, northwest on the 405, to Santa Monica. Kevin Deal's Upscale Audio empire is defined by two locations in the bliss of semi-rural still rugged and hilly... Read More »

Antonin Dvorak, Symphony No.8. Leos Janacek. Jenufa Symphonic Suite. Orchestra: Pittsburg Symphony. Conductor: Manfred Honeck. Reference Recordings #FR-710SACD Hybrid It is truly nice to have the Pittsburg symphony back again after some previous delays. The orchestra has a great history supporting it that is not known well outside of the Pittsburg area; the full range... Read More »

I Never Said This Before Imagine the first time your youthful lust for innocent attachment to a mate of some sort, form or beguiling presence clocked you upside the head. Or inside your throbbing noggin. Imagine that virginal moment of longing and suspension—you, the uncertain gangly animal you were, staring at a creature who (for... Read More »

I love it when an albums' sound is so fresh and mysterious it challenges my ability to classify it. My dear friend and editor Dave Clark recommended Fhloston Paradigm's The Phoenix, knowing my taste (and his) for experimental electronic music. I would definitely call The Phoenix experimental. However, I'm not sure if this record is in fact 'electronic'. It... Read More »

Before I slip on the green eyeshade, I want to compliment the Ypsilon PST 100 Preamp on the sheer creature comfort of its musical presentation. I had almost forgotten such a thing existed in the land of Hi-Fi.  Wow! This preamp is pushing a lot of buttons. But it didn't start out that way. Before... Read More »