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Ye Olde Editor at play… (Portrait by John Robinson) Into the home stretch with my Brutus Awards for audio hardware in 2019. Just two or three more to go. Cardas Audio Clear Beyond RCA Interconnects The Cardas Clear Beyond RCA interconnect breaking in on audioexcellenceaz's audiodharma Cable Cooker…which is an essential component if you work... Read More »

Dass ich die Laufwerke und Tonarme von Bergmann Audio sehr schätze, dürfte hifistatement-Lesern nicht verborgen geblieben sein. Als sich dann in einem Gespräch mit Johnnie Bergmann und Werner Obst, seinem deutschen Vertrieb, herausstellte, dass es bisher keinen Vergleich zwischen Magne und Odin Tonarm gibt, war dieser Test beschlossene Sache.

Zen. Dieser Begriff sollte jedem bekannt sein, was dahinter steckt jedoch nicht zwangsläufig. Auf Wikipedia ist einem Zitat zu entnehmen, dass Zen eigentlich „nichts“ bietet. Für ein HiFi-Produkt ist ZEN somit ein ironischer Name. Natürlich hat sowohl Zen als auch der ZEN DAC mehr zu bieten als nichts, wovon Sie sich im Folgenden überzeugen können.

Tauschgeschäfte bringen manchmal Überraschungen mit sich, vor allem dann, wenn man sich – so wie der Autor – vorher nicht über das Tauschobjekt informiert hat. Als ich mit Dirk Sommer vor einigen Wochen aus organisatorischen Gründen Themen tauschte, wusste ich nur, dass ich mir den Sforzato DSP-010EX einen Netzwerkplayer mit DAC eingehandelt hatte.

The other day I had one of those funny moments when I did something out of character. These used to be infrequent, but now that I'm retired from the day job, there are more. Should I be worried? Or does life get more amusing when you exit the rat race and it slows down? This... Read More »

Apportioning budget to a high-end audio system represents a complex exercise, one inherently fraught with compromises, and one for which there is no hard-and-fast formula. Recognizing that loudspeakers generally have the greatest influence on the sound of a given system, does one allocate a more significant portion of his or her budget to speakers? Or,... Read More »

Are you in the market for a really nice entry level turntable for under $2000? You may have just landed at the right spot. I have been living with this little gem for about 2 months now, and it has found favor with me for the quality, the features, and the sound that this little... Read More »

Oracles house themselves within temples of the humble. Review By Rick Becker With this article, Positive Feedback continues its content-sharing relationship with Enjoy the Music. Rick Becker shares his thoughts about Synergistic Research's Foundation Cables. Dr. David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief Like with climate change, it's hard to believe there are still cable deniers in this world, but they... Read More »

The last 2 years of computer audio (2017 – 2019) for listeners and musicians have been unlike anything I have seen or heard since the earliest exciting and revolutionary days of the introduction of DSD as SACDs into the market which I participated with as an album (SACD The Window released in 2003). After the... Read More »

Ye Olde Editor at the wheel of my BMW M3 hardtop convertible, 2014 (photograph by John Robinson) LampizatOr Pacific DAC upon arrival (DHT SET Triode, unbalanced version without volume control, for Windows 10) If you've been following my writing over time, you may be familiar with the fact that LampizatOr has been showing up in... Read More »

Cables have it rough. Last in thought, least in budget, forever to be put to work quickly, and then quickly overshadowed by flashier audio gear. When gushing about an audio system, who starts with the cables? Nobody ever, that's who. Such neglect is a crying shame. Cables bear the precious audio signal like a yeoman's... Read More »

Yuja Wang, courtesy of Medici TV This is a first—I can't ever remember reading an article in The Economist that brought tears to my eyes… . The article in question is, to use academic terminology, a "reception history" of the piano in Chinese culture from the mid-19th century to the present. Here's the vignette from China's 1966-1976 "Cultural Revolution" that... Read More »

This review took a little longer than I thought. I originally found out about this amp from my colleague Robert Levi, and could not resist sending EveAnna Manley an email to see if I could procure a review model. She was more than willing to send it out with the 250 monoblocks that I also... Read More »

When it comes to high end audio, there's no lengths—or distance—some will spare to squeeze out that extra bit of performance from their kits. And now, globetrotting to the ends of the earth has yielded Serbia-based Final Touch Audio's Callisto USB Cable (MSRP $865 for one meter), an entree promising sonic bliss that some pundits... Read More »

WOLF-FERRARI: Piano Trios: No. 1 in D, Op. 5; No. 2 in F-sharp, Op. 7. Trio Archè. Brilliant Classics 95624.  TT: 70.15 Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (1876-1948) is best remembered for his operas—I quattro rusteghi, Le donne curiose, Il segreto di Susanna—which are still performed from time to time, mostly in Italy. (A famous Barcelona performance of his Sly,... Read More »

Some of the fondest memories I have of growing up is fishing with my father on the waters of the Puget Sound. Those outings left an indelible mark on me, and will stay with me for the rest of my life. The time for fishing trips with dad has passed, and are no more. Perhaps... Read More »

It’s good to be king, or so they say. For me, that’s precisely the vibe that exudes from the Bricasti M12 Platinum Edition Source Controller. With a name like that, this august device seems more than comfortable mantled in royal attire. It wears well.

This is one of the best, most fun-sounding headphones I've ever heard, at any price. It comes from an unlikely source, and I probably would have never discovered it at all had I not totally revamped my office system this year to transition from physical media to streaming. I'm confident it's as good as I... Read More »

A few months ago, Hifiman reached out to me, and asked if I would be interested in reviewing the Ananda BT. I was intrigued because I traditionally avoid wireless headphones, but curiosity got the better of me. I have had the pleasure of having the Ananda BT in my house for the last few months.... Read More »