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I’ve written a lot of show reports, to the point where I was starting to repeat myself in some of the advice I was giving. So, I thought I’d write a separate article where I summarize my tips on attending audio shows. Part One: General Tips Rule number one: wear comfortable shoes! If you don’t,... Read More »

My first Chris Isaak concert was with my wife and several friends at the North Shore Center in Skokie Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. It was a December 2011 concert and Isaak played a few Christmas songs along with many of his fan favorites.  He came out in a Santa Claus outfit and quickly had... Read More »

I first met Jeff Wells over 15 years ago when he was the national sales manager for Spectron. He in turn introduced me to Class D amplification via the superb Musician III Mk. 2 amplifiers that Spectron produced at the time. Over the years I’ve come to appreciate Jeff’s no-nonsense approach to high end audio;... Read More »

For those readers new to this column, please read the introductory comments in Part one here. There’s an old stereotype out there that audiophiles don’t really like music, but rather just like playing with equipment. There’s even a “quote” that constantly surfaces, wrongly attributed to Alan Parsons (who never actually said it) that ‘Audiophiles don’t... Read More »

Most  This article is part of an ongoing series examining electromagnetic field theory and its application to high-fidelity audio reproduction. The engineering framework described here has been developed, tested, and refined over thirty-four years of product development at Synergistic Research – and has been the subject of extensive public discussion on my personal Facebook page,... Read More »

I’d already chosen my next review subject: a rock band from Chicago who thrived from the mid-sixties to the early seventies, but I got distracted by two new additions to my collection. So what could possibly distract me from great rock ‘n’ roll? Here’s the answer: Two Eddy Arnold (1918-2008) EPs from the early fifties!... Read More »

We all say, "There is no substitute for live music." This past spring, Ann and I treated ourselves to a generous helping of live orchestral music from one of our regional orchestras a few hours away. And yet, and yet... While the sound of live instruments cannot be fully replicated by even the finest audio... Read More »

A couple weeks ago we reposted Ferenc Koscsó's article introducing a minimalist, bit-perfect music player, written in C, with a single purpose: to deliver the music file data stream to the DAC by the shortest, most deterministic path, untouched, in its original form. His efforts offer an open-source, free to use, program for both the... Read More »

"The tonality is really good, better than most MCs at any price,” Alexey Kornienkov wrote on Facebook. “A joy with voices and acoustic instruments. Good tonality sometimes comes at the expense of resolution, but not in this case."  Also known as Alex Korf, he had presented alongside the acclaimed audio journalist, Michael Fremer, in an... Read More »

Not far from Copenhagen! Note that I attended only a small fraction of the events out there, and I mostly attended the events that I thought would be personally interesting. If I missed something you thought was critical don't be surprised since I missed some things that I thought were critical too but I couldn't... Read More »

Our friend Ferenc Koscsó has been breaking down barriers yet again. Audiophile, recording engineer, and founder of My Reel Club in Budapest, Ferenc has always probed deeply to understand, and help others understand, what is actually happening with our digital audio systems. Two years ago, Ferenc graciously permitted Positive Feedback to repost his probing article... Read More »

(AURA is now a Japanese company, founded in 1989 in the UK. Its first and best-known product was the VA-40 integrated amplifier. In 1996, the brand was acquired by the Japanese company Yukimu, which in 2023 released a new version of the classic amp, the VA-40 Rebirth integrated amplifier. The reviewed LCC 1 preamplifier and LCP 1... Read More »

Today, we take a walkthrough tour of the Austria Center Vienna, the fabulous new home of the High End Society’s annual international audio show, High End Vienna 2026.

Recently, while driving and tolerating my Las Vegas’ moldy oldies FM station KQLL, I heard an old favorite that I don’t hear too often. It was Rare Earth’s “Get Ready,” a song that I swear was custom-made for me. The deliciously grungy tone of the electric guitar is dangerously addicting, and what follows the guitar... Read More »

At Capital Audiofest 2025, a small book on a table in cable manufacturer M101’s exhibit caught my eye. Titled Passport to Sound, it’s a children’s book that explains the principles of audio components and systems by means of a treasure hunt that guides young listeners through the exhibits at an audio show. What a wonderful idea, I thought. For... Read More »

Roger Skoff writes about when a ripoff is really a ripoff I read recently in another publication that Asian manufacturers are now copying ultra‑High‑End brand audio products and selling them, just as one cited example, a US$95,000 amplifier for under US$1000. I think I was supposed to be outraged, but the article said that the... Read More »

The Soulution brand was established in 2005 and is owned by Spemot AG, a company based in Dulliken that has specialized for 56 years in the production of motors and electromechanical components for industrial automation, as well as motors and actuators for the automotive industry (BMW, Volkswagen, SAAB). Cyril Hammer has served as the company's... Read More »

Last year's big story was AXPONA 15th anniversary! This year's "Headline News" is hands down AXPONA's earth shattering attendance! A remarkable accomplishment for any high-end show, North American or otherwise! (Hold the presses: Just as we went to press JD Events announced the sale of AXPONA to Henry Wu, owner of Sound and Fury LLC.)... Read More »

Being a music and audio person, I have some thoughts about how AI will relate to our listening consumption in an increasingly AI-laden era. Unlike much of the AI slop and other...stuff that now permeates the internet and social media, this article was written exclusively by a human, me, and the opinions expressed are strictly... Read More »