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This is the third installment of John Marks' very helpful series that guides our readers through various aspects and considerations for digitizing their LPs. In it, John...he of The Tannhauser Gate blog site...is seeking to help you by providing recommendations for quality components in a cost-effective way.  Could other components be used? Of course. But by... Read More »

Herein we have part two of our good audio friend John Marks, he of The Tannhauser Gate blogging fame, in which he continues his series on transferring and digitizing LPs in a cost-effective way. Many PF readers will find this series to be of assistance, as they seek to archive their valuable, but so very fragile, analog records.... Read More »

DIVA 3DCD-2017, CD $17.99, available at http://divajazz.com/sights-and-sounds/recordings/3divas_cd/ Should it matter that the music you're listening to is performed entirely by women? That's the problem I had right out of the gate when it came to reviewing this eponymous debut CD from three supremely talented jazz musicians—pianist Jackie Warren, bassist Amy Shook, and drummer Sherrie Maricle.... Read More »

I believe that the hottest word recently used by people listening to decent quality music is Tidal. Tidal is a paid streaming service offering music files in a lossless 16/44 FLAC quality (high quality CD) and hi-res video; The latest addition is the Tidal Master, which offers hi-res PCM audio encoded in MQA (Master Quality... Read More »

The little preamplifier that could? KR Audio is the now relatively well known Czech amplifier brand that made its name on very big, and big sounding, tubes and tube amplifiers. Who, in the audiophile world, doesn't know the fearsome name of the Kronzilla, with its awe-inspiring KR T1610 output tubes. While these are no longer... Read More »

Image courtesy of Tweek Geek Power conditioners are an essential part of a high fidelity audio system. The reproduction of musical sounds in our homes begins with AC power. Unfortunately, AC power is susceptible to all manner of electrical contamination that impedes audio components from sounding their best. Even dedicated sound rooms with independent wiring... Read More »

This is a fascinating new series from our good friend John Marks, editor of The Tannhauser Gate. In it, John proposes to provide a reasonably simple and affordable method for converting LPs to digital files for playback on computer-based systems. I think that his comments will be quite helpful for those of our readers here at PF who... Read More »

Computer audio is a little bit like Sauron's "Ring." It promises audiophiles control over their digital files, easier access to information about the music they are listening to and even dominion over the information from the overlord of information called the interwebs all from your throne, er listening seat. What's not to like? That's the lure. The... Read More »

The Compact Disc player launched some time ago by the Norwegian Hegel Audio company was called the Mohican. It is a clear allusion to The Last of the Mohicans, a novel by James Fenimore Cooper from the year 1826, which shouts: "the Compact Disc format is dead!", i.e. all digital optical disc formats are the past.... Read More »

Back in Issue 88 of Positive Feedback I wrote about the Duelund Coherent Audio DCA16GA tinned-copper audio cable that I've been using for building interconnects, loudspeaker cables, and for the internal wiring of my Tannoy Westminster Royal SE loudspeakers' Duelund CAST external crossovers. That was a scant seven months ago, and now due to popular... Read More »

Bricasti Design surpasses their already world-class performance with a new Network Player option for the M1 DAC. Since the Network Player provides an option for computer based media files that is not simply a game of swapping convenience for fidelity…It was apparent it was time to undertake the journey of computer-based, networked audio. Change is... Read More »

The Grado Epoch Phono Cartridge has become available this August, 2017, and takes its place as Grado's supreme cartridge offering. With my hands-on experience using the Grado Statement 1 and Statement 2, the Statement 2 being one of my five current references, cartridge advances are speedily continuing, and most advances mean more expensive. The Statement 2... Read More »

Monterey CA, September 15 – 17, 2017 One of this legendary jazz festival's most star-studded line ups will drive energy and sheer musical glory to its full height this fall in the comfortable expanse of Monterey's bucolic fairgrounds. Tributes to jazz heroes—Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Ella Fitzgerald and Sonny Rollins—will punctuate the weekend. Herbie Hancock... Read More »

RADIO FREE CHIP Ourselves in the tune as if in space, Yet nothing changed, except the place - Wallace Stevens The guitar is a small orchestra.  It is polyphonic. Every string is a different color, a different voice. - Andrés Segovia In January of 1987, Andrés Segovia embarked on what turned out to be his... Read More »

As an agnostic progressive, I’ve learned to keep my own counsel when herfing with strangers or casual acquaintances. I don’t want to perpetuate any stereotypes about knuckle-dragging cigar smokers, but I also don’t want to get my butt kicked in the back alley of a cigar lounge for suggesting that La La Land and Moonlight are far superior to the latest Jack Reacher film.

Sometimes just reading the news here at PTA gets me into trouble. Like last March, when I happened upon a blurb about Zu Audio’s Dirty Weekend event, where a stripped down version of the company’s popular budget floorstander, the Omen, is offered at a ridiculously low price to entice folks interested in the Zu speaker line through the door.

When the McIntosh MP1100 phono preamplifier arrived at my doorstep, I was as excited as when I saw the first McIntosh product at 12 years old. I admit, I am a McIntosh fan boy, perhaps not blindly starry -eyed enough to buy the $1,800 USD McIntosh wall clock, but I have a long enough family history with McIntosh to prove my street cred.

In this exciting episode, our good friend and courageous audio guide John Marks of The Tannhauser Gate (http://www.thetannhausergate.com) announces his intention to take on a rebuild on the venerable SME 309 tone arm. But this project will be with a twist! For part one, and to find out what the twist is, read on, dear reader, read on...... Read More »

I've used the same pair of speakers for 22 years. (And they still surprise me.) They're nameless and were made for me by Richard Marsh: a pair of Dynaudio cabinets with Dynaudio drivers and crossovers built by Richard. He said I should call them DS-something—so how about Marsh/Dynaudio DS-1? He'd made a pair for himself,... Read More »