July - August 2023 Archives - Positive Feedback

Doc Watson, Southbound

Robert Pincus — Sun, 20 Aug 2023 20:11:41 +0000

I've been pondering over whether I should even write about this album, since conflicts of interest are rarely a good thing. After weeks of beating my head against the proverbial wall, I realized that I didn't create the 60s folk masterpiece known as Southbound (Vanguard VSD 79213). Rather, I only chose it to be part... Read More »

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A World of Wilco: Bearing Witness to Jeff Tweedy's Music

Wayne Goins — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 22:54:22 +0000

Wayne Goins in watercolor (image processing by David W. Robinson) Jeff Tweedy and his world of Wilco music has entered my space, and I'm pretty damn happy about it. Let me just say upfront: I admit it—I'm probably the last one to the party. Actually, I'm extremely late, but very likely not the last one.... Read More »

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Zu Undertone MK II Subwoofer

Sam Rosen — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 22:45:52 +0000

I think those who have read my past reviews will see that there are some brands that I keep coming back to. The brands that I really like and come back to make great products that not only perform well, but are priced right for their performance and are differentiated from their competition. Zu Audio... Read More »

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Black Sabbath Hand of Doom 1970 - 1978 Picture Disc LP Box Set from Rhino

Tom Gibbs — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 17:55:59 +0000

Rhino Entertainment is releasing Black Sabbath Hand of Doom 1970 - 1978, which is an eight LP, picture disc boxed set that includes all eight Black Sabbath studio albums that feature the band's original and classic lineup. Black Sabbath's original incarnation included Ozzy Osbourne on vocals, Tony Iommi on guitars, Geezer Butler on bass, and... Read More »

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In Memoriam: The Passing of Brian Hartsell

David W. Robinson — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 22:01:26 +0000

Brian Hartsell in the Atrium at RMAF 2005…back when you could smoke there! Brian Hartsell has passed away. Another good audio man gone. Apparently, he died on Friday, August 4, 2023, while in hospice care. My audiobud Nick Despotopoulos got in touch with me earlier this week to let me know. (Thanks, Nick!) His life... Read More »

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Woody Shaw's Blackstone Legacy, the latest Jazz Dispensary Top Shelf LP Reissue from Craft Recordings

Tom Gibbs — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 21:44:34 +0000

Jazz Dispensary is Craft Recordings' specialty label that unearths rarities from the multitude of riches found in Concord Music's jazz, funk, soul, and fusion recordings from the Prestige, Fantasy, Contemporary, and Milestone imprints from their mid-60s through the mid-70s catalogs. While many of those releases arrive in the form of compilations of classic grooves from... Read More »

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Clarisys Audio Minuet Loudspeakers

Pete Davey — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 21:04:39 +0000

I can't believe it! They are finally here. From people that know me, you shouldn't be surprised that I have another ribbon speaker in my listening room. This has been a long journey, and started with Apogees back in the mid 2000s where I fell on the Apogee refurbishment journey. I had a few Divas,... Read More »

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Craft Recordings' Original Jazz Classics Reboot Continues with Mal Waldron's Mal/2

Tom Gibbs — Sat, 05 Aug 2023 20:53:16 +0000

Craft Recordings continues their exciting Original Jazz Classics reissue series with the next title in the second batch of releases, pianist Mal Waldron's 1957 sextet date, Mal/2. I have to admit that as jazzed (literally!) as I have been over the announced titles so far in the OJC reboot, I was somewhat surprised by... Read More »

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KECES S300+ Stereo Amplifier

Dean Waters — Sat, 05 Aug 2023 20:40:35 +0000

Dean Waters on the hardware: First contact with the KECES S300+ Stereo Amplifier I've been given the wonderful opportunity to listen to and evaluate the KECES S300+ dual-channel Class A / Class AB hybrid amplifier. What a marvelous experience! First time I've had goosebumps listening to recorded music since I can't remember how long. This... Read More »

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My Dillards Adventure

Robert Pincus — Sat, 05 Aug 2023 20:19:36 +0000

I am grateful for the existence of bluegrass and for The Dillards, because they introduced me to the exciting world of bluegrass music. Let me state this right here: I love bluegrass music!. Some people lump bluegrass under the same umbrella as country music, but it actually belongs under its own umbrella. Bluegrass comes in... Read More »

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Rhino Quadio High Res Blu-ray Releases from Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, J. Geils Band, and Jefferson Starship

Tom Gibbs — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 18:22:05 +0000

I came of age in the mid-seventies, when owning a quadraphonic sound system was being marketed as the ne plus ultra of the HiFi audio experience. I'll never forget the first time I walked into a HiFi dealer who happened to have a quad system set up and running that actually worked; hearing the immersive... Read More »

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Notes on Recent Finds, No. 10 - More Great Ones from HDTT

Rushton Paul — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 20:41:54 +0000

High Definition Tape Transfers (HDTT) continues delivering reissues of iconic vintage albums in high resolution sonics that are simply "to die for" in their wonderfulness. Each few weeks, I think "It can't get any better than this" and then it does! Bob Witrak continues to work through an incredibly deep resource of tapes and LPs... Read More »

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Top 500 SuperSonic List - Part 37

Claude Lemaire — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 20:36:58 +0000

This is an ongoing project by Claude Lemaire of Soundevaluations 221. Billie Holiday, Songs For Distingué Lovers. Verve Records – MG VS-6021 (1958), Classic Records MG VS-6021 (180g) (1995), Verve Records, UMe, Acoustic Sound Series B0036831-01 (2023) 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: jazz, vocal jazz, small-ensemble swing, bluesy ballads. If ever there was such a thing as a... Read More »

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Lone Star Audio Fest 2023

Norman Tracy — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 23:29:15 +0000

Lone Star Audio Fest held in Dallas, Texas, the weekend of June 2-4, 2023, was a big success. LSAF had been on hiatus since 2019, so it was with some trepidation that we awaited the reboot at a new hotel. As the exhibitor list filled and then the date arrived when we began to fill... Read More »

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Pacific Audio Fest 2023, Part Two

Carol Clark — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 20:25:23 +0000

Continuing on with our coverage. Angel City Audio, EverSolo, Melody, Motet Distribution. Good sounding room. Hugh Nguyen, ACA. A truly loving guy! Bella Sound. Sound was... pretty good with the right music. Genesis Advanced Technologies, Profundo Audio, Merrill Audio Advanced Technology. Genesis Advanced Technologies, Profundo Audio, Merrill Audio Advanced Technology. Genesis Advanced Technologies, Profundo Audio,... Read More »

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In Unity There Is… We May Never Find Out

Roger Skoff — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 20:19:53 +0000

Roger Skoff picks up the cry for a new HiFi Industry Association Do you remember electric trains? Practically every family who had kids owned one. Even adults loved them, and they could be bought almost everywhere, including toy shops, hobby shops, department stores, and even some "dime" stores. At Christmas time, there was hardly... Read More »

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Pacific Audio Fest 2023, Part One

Carol Clark — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 20:56:17 +0000

Pacific Audio Fest, Doubletree Hilton adjacent to SeaTac Airport. Great weather, nice flight via Alaska Airlines, wonderful room. This is like our 50th show in the past 35 years. Something like that, hard to remember them all. But after all these years we have learned that for the most part, rooms will reflect the music... Read More »

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Catching Up with Steinway's (Classical and Jazz) No-Cost Streaming Service

John Marks — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 20:52:43 +0000

When it comes to supporting their Steinway Artists (by which Steinway & Sons actually means pianists; when Steinway says "artists," they don't mean those guys and girls wearing smocks and berets who wield paint brushes while squeezing oil paint out of tubes), Steinway really puts its money where its Public Relations interests lie. Steinway is... Read More »

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Core Power EQUI=CORE 1800 MK3

Sam Rosen — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 20:19:07 +0000

Power conditioning is one of those topics that is considered a little divisive within the audiophile community. There are some who say power conditioning is not needed, there are some that say it makes sense, but it ultimately provides little value, and then there are some who say that it is incredibly important. Where I... Read More »

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2023 Pacific Audio Fest

Editors at Positive Feedback — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 19:00:16 +0000

The following show report was written by John Hughes. John is a long time friend and offered to share his perspective of the Pacific Audio Fest. A brief introduction to John Hughes I started my Audiophile journey at 16 when I begged my father to buy a vintage Magnavox Console at a garage sale. I... Read More »

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Notes on Recent Finds, No. 9 - Endless Bounty from NativeDSD

Rushton Paul — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 18:21:22 +0000

Continuing the conversation about what I've found recently that you might also be interested in checking out. Starting off with two very excellent releases from Yarlung Records, both in Pure DSD256, and then moving to Karina Canellakis' excellent new Bartok Concerto for Orchestra in her premier recording release as a conductor, the marvelous 2014 release... Read More »

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Impressions: the Pacific Audio Fest 2023, a Photo-Essay – Part the Second

David W. Robinson — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 00:01:28 +0000

David W. Robinson and Leif Swanson: a Fantasy. Music and fine audio weren't the only things happening at PAF 2023, though. A group of us also participated in the late afternoon and nightly sessions of the ad hoc Audiophile Cigar Society. To those of us who appreciate fine cigars and excellent pours of adult beverages,... Read More »

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Long Out-of-Print R.E.M. Albums Now Available on 180 gram LPs from Craft Recordings

Tom Gibbs — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 15:48:32 +0000

I grew up about thirty minutes outside of Athens, Georgia, where I was a college student in the late 70s. And was very much in touch with Athens' burgeoning music scene, which included bands like the B-52's, Pylon, and Love Tractor. At the time of R.E.M.'s appearance on the scene, when "Radio Free Europe" was... Read More »

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Confessions of a Record Collector, Part One

Frank Doris — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 21:16:36 +0000

I wonder if a lot of Copper and Positive Feedback readers are record collectors. Well, I suppose that's like asking if dogs like bones. Record collecting can be fun or frustrating, cheap or expensive. Finding a mint original copy of an RCA Living Stereo Reiner Scheherazade or Meet the Beatles at a garage sale for 50 cents—an... Read More »

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The Pass Labs XP-12 Preamplifier - an Indispensable Instrument in My Reference System!

Juan C. Ayllon — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 20:00:37 +0000

I am amazed how my role as an audiophile and audio reviewer informs my volunteer work running the Behringer X32 mixing console at church—and vice versa. Although one focuses on live performances in a much larger and livelier space than my more acoustically intimate home Audio/Visual room, in both cases, I listen closely for issues... Read More »

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