July - August 2021 Archives - Positive Feedback

The Fono Acustica Armónico Speaker Cables and the Critic's Gaze

Marshall Nack — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 16:30:22 +0000

The Covid-19 pandemic turned the world topsy-turvy, devastating lives. Nothing is the same. We are beginning to turn right-side up, so to speak, but life must now be perceived through differently tinted glasses. Where we go from here—what comes next? One personal side effect for me was the suspension of my audio sessions for the... Read More »

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Revisiting the NPS 1260 3D Enhancer Solution

Editors at Positive Feedback — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 16:22:25 +0000

Too good to keep a secret! Review By Rick Becker With this article, Positive Feedback continues its content-sharing relationship with Enjoy the Music where Rick Becker shares his thoughts on the NPS 1260 3D Enhancer Solution. Dr. David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief Rick Schultz assured me that letting the NPS 1260 settle in for at least six weeks would reveal... Read More »

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Acoustic Revive RWL-III Absolute Acoustic Panel

Wojciech Pacuła — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 17:06:06 +0000

Acoustic revive is a Japanese company founded in 1997 and run by Mr. Ken Ishiguro-san. It specializes in audio cables and anti-vibration accessories, but it also offers innovative products, the ideas of which are most often inspired by the University of Tokyo. We are testing one of the products used to correct room acoustics, the... Read More »

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Hand Book of a Hidden Man, Part 3: The Runner

Dan Zimmerman — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 04:04:43 +0000

Something in my father came from somewhere else. Not knowing what it was or where it came from, I just watched and marveled. I really wanted to hang out with him, but he was the minister of a large church and I always had to wait my turn. He was usually busy caring for others... Read More »

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The Audiophile Game - Roger Skoff Writes About What We Do

Roger Skoff — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 01:39:12 +0000

There's been a vast amount written about what an audiophile is. (Personally, I and my friends have always preferred the term "HiFi Crazies," which, at least to us, seems more accurate and less pretentious.) Audiophiles—depending on who's writing, where, and when—have been described as everything or every combination of things from music lovers to equipment... Read More »

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WyWires Diamond and Platinum Cables

Sam Rosen — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 19:42:34 +0000

Before I start this review I want to make one thing clear, I love WyWires. To be clear the reason I love WyWires is because they have been the only cable brand that I have found that truly enhances my system without any drawbacks. They are not cheap, but the cables act more like components... Read More »

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Life Is Good - Three Audiophile Vinyl Gems

Robert S. Youman — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 16:12:15 +0000

Harry Nilsson, Nilsson Schmilsson. Mobile Fidelity Originally released on RCA in 1971, this is a title that deserved an audiophile reissue long ago. Considered by many as the "American Beatle" (an opinion also shared by the Beatles), Nilsson was an innovative if not highly charged song writer and singer in the midst of many talented... Read More »

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The Ayre QB-9 Twenty DAC Upgrade - A Premiere DAC at a Bargain Price

Juan C. Ayllon — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 18:56:10 +0000

Ever notice that our passion for audio sometimes mimics affairs of the heart? For example, as you muddle through a series of infatuations, disappointments, and "upgrades," you may find yourself gravitating to "the one that got away." For me, it was the Ayre QB-9 Digital to Analog Converter in 2009. A siren of song spot... Read More »

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Yes, Fragile - the MoFi Limited Edition

Claude Lemaire — Tue, 27 Jul 2021 22:48:25 +0000

That's one small step for MoFi, one giant leap for mankind. Yes, Fragile. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, Atlantic – UD1S 2-012, Limited Edition, SuperVinyl, Box Set (2019, Dec.), # 4164 of 7500. Originally released on Atlantic, 2401019 (1971, Nov.) Ratings Global Appreciation: 9.7 Music: A+ (9.9) Recording: 9.5 Remastering + Lacquer Cutting: 9.6 Pressing: 9.9 Packaging: Deluxe... Read More »

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The Audio Note (UK) Io I MC Phono Cartridge, AN-S4 Step-Up Transformer, AN-V Silver Interconnects, and AN-SPe Silver Loudspeaker Cables: An 'Out of this World' Listening Experience!

Jeff Day — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 18:23:26 +0000

My highlight of 2019 was visiting with Peter Qvortrup (below) and the Audio Note (UK) 'family' in Brighton, England. Meeting Peter Qvortrup, Daniel Qvortrup (Peter's son, below), Andy Grove, and Darko Greguras was a real treat. Peter and Daniel walked me through the Audio Note (UK) operation, and told me about some of the exciting... Read More »

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Two Outstanding LP Compilations of Funk Pioneers Dyke and the Blazers from Craft Recordings

Tom Gibbs — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 17:15:03 +0000

Arlester "Dyke" Christian—along with James Brown—was almost singularly responsible for the infusion of Sixties funk and soul into rap music in the late 1980s. Yet ask the average man on the street about Dyke & the Blazers, and you'll generally be greeted with a blank stare in response. One of Dyke's biggest hits, "Let a... Read More »

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Notes of an Amateur: Second Quarter, 2021

Bob Neill — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 16:29:52 +0000

Bach Sonatas and Partitas, Augustin Hadelich, violin. Warner Classics, 0190295048747. 2 CDs. A musician alone with his violin. No audience in sight. Or in mind. Some will consider these performances self-indulgent, a young maverick who hasn't earned the right to take this music to himself. Not me. I have enjoyed Hadelich's Ligetti (live), Adès, Sibelius,... Read More »

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The New Apartment Lounge: The Mola Mola Kula Integrated Amplifier (with Onboard DAC and Phono Stage) Reimagines Downsizing

Maurice Jeffries — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 15:27:42 +0000

All Creatures Great and Small As a mid-50s baby boomer, I face the daunting but simultaneously liberating task of deciding which of my possessions to keep and which to jettison. For most of my adult life, I have chosen smaller, carefully curated living spaces over "mcmansions," a preference more and more Americans have embraced, young and... Read More »

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Poseidon Power Cord from Stage III Concepts

Marshall Nack — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 15:10:40 +0000

The first inkling something outrageous was approaching came abruptly with the email teasers. Soon a conversation ensued (or, more accurately, a monologue) with Brian Ackerman, the Stage III Concepts distributor and proprietor of Aaudio Imports, about a product so far beyond the pale—a power cord weighing 35 lbs, essentially equal to three individual Stage III... Read More »

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Marantz NA6006 Network Audio Player

Ed Kobesky — Wed, 14 Jul 2021 19:44:26 +0000

This is too much streaming player and not enough at the same time. It feels like something only a forty-something could love, which I am, and I do. I love that it's a very good DAC, especially since my Rega Apollo will likely be my last CD player; when it dies, I'll just wade into... Read More »

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Aavik Acoustics I-180 Integrated Amplifier, D-180 DAC, and S-180 Streamer / Network Player

Editors at Positive Feedback — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 19:05:34 +0000

A symbiotic sonic relationship... for your listening pleasures. Review By Tom Lyle With this article, Positive Feedback continues its content-sharing relationship with Enjoy the Music where Tom Lyle shares his thoughts on the Aavik Acoustics I-180 Integrated Amplifier, D-180 DAC, And S-180 Streamer / Network Player. Dr. David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief The Danish high-end audio manufacturer Aavik was... Read More »

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Show Me: Roger Skoff Writes About Hi-Fi Shows - Past and Coming

Roger Skoff — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 23:48:25 +0000

Roger Skoff is the former CEO and Lead Designer of XLO, and the current Chief Honcho and Lead Designer of RSX Technologies. Full disclosure = no conflict of interest, eh? The views expressed here are Roger's own...but they happen to be ones that I would agree with. You might, too, eh? And if not, la... Read More »

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Hand Book of a Hidden Man, Part 2: The Plasticity of Dirt

Dan Zimmerman — Sat, 10 Jul 2021 19:15:41 +0000

As I said before, besides being conscious that I was a separate entity, I learned that I was also a mobile unit. I could walk around, touching many interesting things. My fingers were amazing appendages. They were instruments of discovery. I was continually surprised by all the wonderful things I could do with my hands,... Read More »

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AudioQuest Noise-Stopper Caps

Marshall Nack — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 20:29:09 +0000

Stick around long enough and you get to witness the life cycle of a fad. Presently, the audiophile community has been riding herd on RFI, judging by the third-party Band-Aids proliferating on Audiogon and webzine talk. I believe the interest to be an offshoot from the prior focus on the electrical ground: after all, RFI... Read More »

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Paris, Hilary Hahn

Stephen Francis Vasta — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 20:51:17 +0000

Paris, Hilary Hahn (violin); Radio France Philharmonic/Mikko Franck. DG 00289 483 9847 (CD). TT: 52.51. CHAUSSON: Poème. PROKOFIEV: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D. RAUTAVAARA: Deux sérénades. The chief interest here lies in Einojuhari Rautavaara's Deux sérénades, adapted for Hilary Hahn from his opera The House of the Sun; when the composer died in mid-project, his onetime student... Read More »

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A Brace of Buzz Busters from iFi - The GND Defender and DC Blocker

Bruce Kinch — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 17:28:38 +0000

I've long been a fan of those wizards at iFi, especially the wonky folks tasked with widget warfare on hi-fi noise pollution. Although perhaps best known for their cost-effective DAC/Headphone amps, iFi has also issued a stream of USB and AC power iPurifiers and iDefenders to address audio problems both common and not so. Of... Read More »

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Hand Book of a Hidden Man, Part 1

Dan Zimmerman — Sun, 04 Jul 2021 00:25:29 +0000

Dan Zimmerman, an artist with Positive Feedback, has been developing a new book on creativity and the inner, spiritual life of the artist. The subtitle of PF, you may recall, is "A Creative Forum for the Audio Arts." Music and the audio arts are only domains within this larger world of creative work. Therefore I... Read More »

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Celebrating Delbert McClinton: Keep Doin’ What You Do

Wayne Goins — Sat, 03 Jul 2021 23:22:07 +0000

I know, I know…I promised y'all I was gonna present Part III of the Grant Green story to you from last issue. But there's something I just gotta tell you about, and it can't wait. Reason is, it's a timely issue—one of the legends is hanging up his spurs, and this is my tribute to... Read More »

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Graceline L3 Cables

Danny Kaey — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 22:18:53 +0000

I love cables. I hate cables. There, I said it. Cables—from an audio perspective—are that step-brother no one really knows how to engage at the annual Thanksgiving bash. Everyone knows he's part of the family, everyone knows he generally has a nice guy image, but no one really knows how to properly befriend him. Let's... Read More »

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Rockwell Amplifier by ampsandsound

Sam Rosen — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 22:18:06 +0000

For the last five weeks, I have had the opportunity to sit back and enjoy one of the best amplifiers I have heard in a long time. It all started when I got a phone call from the owner of ampsandsound, he said he had something new and special in the works. I was intrigued,... Read More »

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