January - February 2016 Archives - Positive Feedback

Chord Electronics offers ULTIMA technology in its first ever small desktop amplifier

Positive Feedback — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 15:18:59 +0000

The new Anni brings ULTIMA tech to today’s high-performance headphones and compact loudspeakers Kent, UK, 21st September 2021: Chord Electronics has launched its first ever small desktop integrated amplifier, Anni. Capable of driving both headphones and compact loudspeakers, the Qutest-sized Anni benefits from the company’s proprietary ULTIMA circuit topology and is perfectly positioned to exploit... Read More »

The post Chord Electronics offers ULTIMA technology in its first ever small desktop amplifier appeared first on Positive Feedback.

The Listening Experience as an Art Form: Meditations on Equipment from conrad-johnson and Audio Research Corporation

Editors at Positive Feedback — Mon, 08 May 2017 20:43:48 +0000

This article, by Dr. John Coletti, originally ran when Positive Feedback was in print - Vol. 8, No. 1, 1999. As a teaching exercise, the student of criticism might be assigned the task of comparing or contrasting the work of one author, artist, or composer to that of another. The object of the lesson encourages a... Read More »

The post The Listening Experience as an Art Form: Meditations on Equipment from conrad-johnson and Audio Research Corporation appeared first on Positive Feedback.

ampsandsound Kenzie Headphone Amplifier

Dean Seislove — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 10:38:54 +0000

Headphonemania! Headphones hold top five slots in global audiophile charts! Well, that's what the headlines should say. Headphones, headphones everywhere, and now I see headphone ads from the same companies that used to make my plasma TVs. Even the President is bumpin' his Beats, although that may be just a farewell finger to his non-Beat... Read More »

The post ampsandsound Kenzie Headphone Amplifier appeared first on Positive Feedback.

The Audioengine HD6: A Statement Product that Sets the Standard for Small Powered Speakers

Tom Gibbs — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 01:18:18 +0000

Last year I had the good fortune to review Audioengine's B2 Bluetooth Speaker—a product that amazed me, not only with its impressive sound and build quality, but also with its portability and flexibility—I carted the B2 all over creation on vacations and getaways and it never failed to impress me (or friends and family) with... Read More »

The post The Audioengine HD6: A Statement Product that Sets the Standard for Small Powered Speakers appeared first on Positive Feedback.

The SPL Phonitor 2

Dirk Sommer — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 21:41:11 +0000

A lot has happened in the headphone and headphone amplifier markets ever since we at HiFi Statement reviewed the Phonitor four years ago. However, the analog loudspeaker emulation—called SPL Phonitor 2 in this case—remains a unique SPL feature in version 2. Headphones have won worldwide attention and prestige among people of all ages, thanks to... Read More »

The post The SPL Phonitor 2 appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Journeys in Audio Subjectivism - Part Three

Robert Schryer — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 04:10:39 +0000

The $18,000 Challenge, or: "Where the heck was I just now?" The gods of inspiration picked the moment I was fishing out leaves from my pool to wallop me in the head with an idea so unassailably right and fair and potentially fun it felt like I'd been granted a power to make the average... Read More »

The post Journeys in Audio Subjectivism - Part Three appeared first on Positive Feedback.

It's Still Good…

Roger Skoff — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 03:33:32 +0000

It's Still Good… Roger Skoff writes about buying and enjoying older gear My sister called me the other day and said that she and her husband (a no-kidding world famous junk sculptor) had fifty or a hundred old vinyl records; nearly that many tape cassettes; and "a bunch" (unspecified) of CDs that they wanted to... Read More »

The post It's Still Good… appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Notes of an Amateur: Auerbach, Wolpe, Wuorinen.

Bob Neill — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 19:17:17 +0000

Homo Ludens. Piano Music of Lera Auerbach. Eli Kalman, piano. Centaur CRC 3441. There are three Lera Auerbachs (1973) in this program, held together by a powerful, singular voice that only becomes clear after extended listening. The first Auerbach we hear is in Images of Childhood (2000), a dozen short idylls focused on Auerbach's childhood... Read More »

The post Notes of an Amateur: Auerbach, Wolpe, Wuorinen. appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Audiomods Classic II Tonearm

John Hoffman — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 08:23:22 +0000

We live during interesting times, at least as far as audio gear is concerned. The arena of cheap and cheerful hi-fi have seen unprecedented advancements of sound quality and have provided the frugal audiophile with a means to achieve a level of playback that was only reserved for the well-heeled hobbyists. For instance, manufacturers from... Read More »

The post Audiomods Classic II Tonearm appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Prism Sound Announces Callia DAC/Preamp for Home Audio Market

Brian Moura — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 23:24:05 +0000

Prism Sound, makers of recording studio and pro audio A/D and D/A converters and the SADiE digital workstation, has announced plans to enter the home audio market with their first product later this month. The announcement follows similar entries into the home audio market by a series of companies that started in the pro audio... Read More »

The post Prism Sound Announces Callia DAC/Preamp for Home Audio Market appeared first on Positive Feedback.

ampsandsound Stereo 15 Special Edition Amplifier (and their unnamed chip amp!)

Steve Lefkowicz — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 08:17:08 +0000

I've been interested in high-end audio since the mid 1970s, maybe even before that, certainly before anyone used the term High End Audio. This was mostly due to my love for music, and happening to have a few school friends and acquaintances who parents had really good systems. It wasn't until I was in college... Read More »

The post ampsandsound Stereo 15 Special Edition Amplifier (and their unnamed chip amp!) appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Impressions: Art Pepper Arrives in Double DSD!

David W. Robinson — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 08:47:01 +0000

In the world of Jazz, there are the greats, the near greats, the great-but-obscure, and the close-but-no-cigar. It's easy (but contentious!) to list the obvious first tier…my own list, in no particular order, would have artists like Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Nat King Cole, Charles Mingus, Billie Holiday, Count... Read More »

The post Impressions: Art Pepper Arrives in Double DSD! appeared first on Positive Feedback.

In Search of the Perfect Song, the RMAF Edition

Carol Clark — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 10:52:15 +0000

I know, Carol when are you going to give the perfect song idea a rest? Well, unlike a 'favorite' song, I think there can be many versions of a 'perfect' song. In fact, this edition of my perfect song series revisits a song from the first article. The difference here is the venue, and the... Read More »

The post In Search of the Perfect Song, the RMAF Edition appeared first on Positive Feedback.

ACA Seraphim Skogrand SE Speakers

Malcolm J. Gomes — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 08:08:15 +0000

Over the past couple of decades, many of my audiophile friends have often questioned my preference for well designed, intelligently engineered 2-way speakers over their 3-way counterparts. This preference has been based not just on listening tests but also on the fact that 2-way speakers enjoy some significant advantages over all but the very best... Read More »

The post ACA Seraphim Skogrand SE Speakers appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Janet Feder - THIS CLOSE

Marc Phillips — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 03:45:46 +0000

I've told this story before, so bear with me. I first met Janet Feder at the 2012 California Audio Show in San Francisco. That was the show that marked the US debut of the KEF LS50 loudspeaker—I know that because I supplied the Unison Research amplification that powered those amazing little Halloween-colored monitors. Janet walked... Read More »

The post Janet Feder - THIS CLOSE appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Musings on Building a Digital Music Server Goes Portable: The Chord Mojo and the Importance of Synergy

Andy Schaub — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 02:51:47 +0000

"I know it's only rock 'n roll but I like it, like it, yes, I do" —The Rolling Stones Not that long ago, I was working under contract at a big software company in Silicon Valley. However, I had been having tremendous pain in my right knee, largely from a sports injury, and got the... Read More »

The post Musings on Building a Digital Music Server Goes Portable: The Chord Mojo and the Importance of Synergy appeared first on Positive Feedback.

The Audioquest JitterBug

John Zurek — Mon, 18 Jan 2016 03:06:57 +0000

Since converting my digital playback chain to a heavily modded Mac Mini/Mytek Stereo 192 source (read review HERE) I've been very happily listening to a variety of 16/44 and hi-res files. For once I couldn't think of any upgrades that I really needed. But when I read an ad for the Audioquest JitterBug, it resonated with... Read More »

The post The Audioquest JitterBug appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Notes of an Amateur - Favorite Classical Recordings of 2015

Bob Neill — Sun, 17 Jan 2016 18:59:09 +0000

Joan Tower. Violin Concerto. Stroke. Chamber Dance. Cho-Liang Lin, violin. Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor. Naxos 8.559775. New Seasons. Gidon Kremer. Glass, Pärt, Kanchelli, Unabeyashi. Kremerata Baltica. Deutsche Gramophone. DG 4794817. Rosary Sonatas. Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber. Rachel Podger, violin. David Miller, theorbo and arch lute; Marcin Swiatkiewicz, harpsichord, organ; Jonathan... Read More »

The post Notes of an Amateur - Favorite Classical Recordings of 2015 appeared first on Positive Feedback.

CH Precision M1 Mono Amplifier - The Future of Amplification

Marshall Nack — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 23:21:11 +0000

We are creatures of habit. For ten consecutive years Lynn and I have taken our summer vacation at the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival in Canada, which bills itself as the largest of its kind in the world. It is huge in terms of programming and number of days, if not in audience size. A... Read More »

The post CH Precision M1 Mono Amplifier - The Future of Amplification appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Notes of an Amateur: Wilhelmina Smith, Cellist; Bridge Records’ American Modernists, Part I.

Bob Neill — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 17:56:00 +0000

Wilhelmina Smith, Cello. Britten, Schnittke, and Shostakovich. Thomas Sauer, piano. Arabesque 26801. I had known of Wilhelmina Smith since her career began in the 1990's, knew especially that she played on the wonderful Arabesque album of Copland's chamber music. But I did not know until recently that she had also made a recording as lead.... Read More »

The post Notes of an Amateur: Wilhelmina Smith, Cellist; Bridge Records’ American Modernists, Part I. appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Audio Ramblings - The Lino Phonostage from Channel D

Dave Clark — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 11:40:09 +0000

Phonostages. Or phono preamplifers. Same things. You know, the box or input on your preamp or whatever that takes what is coming from your turntable and makes it into something you can actually appreciate—like music. Right, so let me elaborate… it amplifies the signal and applies the required RIAA curve necessary for proper vinyl playback. Sounds easy,... Read More »

The post Audio Ramblings - The Lino Phonostage from Channel D appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Audio Ramblings - The Concerto Turntable from Triangle Art

Dave Clark — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 12:19:02 +0000

Analog is the thing now. Well for many it has always been the thing, but for many others… it is the new thing. Nice. Great stuff on vinyl and for sure, if done right, it can be quite different than digital. I say different, as better, all depends on the mastering, pressing, quality, etc. I... Read More »

The post Audio Ramblings - The Concerto Turntable from Triangle Art appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Bass for Miles Part II - The Power of Audeze, SubPac, & the Force

Occupy HiFi — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 00:30:35 +0000

Miles has clocked plenty of game-time since Part I of our Bass for Miles column here at OccupyHifi. So I thought it was time to head over to Fort Miles (a.k.a Miles room at his mothers house, where his first-rate PC Gaming lair is located) and speak with Miles in his element. Admittedly, I had other motives: Like experiencing Star Wars Battlefront on Miles gaming system with my beloved Audeze LCD-X open-back planar headphones with the SubPac S2 radiating low-end through my bones as I waged war against the Dark Side.

The post Bass for Miles Part II - The Power of Audeze, SubPac, & the Force appeared first on Positive Feedback.

Arion Phono Preamplifier by Luminous Audio Technology

Malcolm J. Gomes — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 05:50:09 +0000

I have come across many audiophiles who have truly splendid turntables, tone arms, and cartridges, of which cost them an arm and a leg. Nevertheless, they still may not enjoy the best that vinyl has to offer if the bottleneck in their audio arsenal is their phono preamplifier. There is no doubt that the phono... Read More »

The post Arion Phono Preamplifier by Luminous Audio Technology appeared first on Positive Feedback.

New Classical Music

Karl Lozier — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 20:25:27 +0000

This is Glyndebourne's first ever staging of an opera by Rameau. Though he was well known as an innovator/thinker in the music world, it was not until he was fifty years old before he composed this opera in 1773. It just might be his best opera. Based on a well-known story from long ago, there... Read More »

The post New Classical Music appeared first on Positive Feedback.