May - June 2016 Archives - Positive Feedback

Positively dB’s Feedback

Editors at Positive Feedback — Mon, 08 May 2017 19:30:36 +0000

This article, by Doug Blackburn, originally ran when Positive Feedback was in print - Vol. 6, No. 4, 1997. There is so much stuff going on here lately I'm beginning to think I could write a 1-man magazine. But that might not be as interesting as PF's Assembly of the Diverse so I'll compress my thoughts... Read More »

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John Marks Welcomes You to The Tannhauser Gate...and I Welcome Him to PF!

David W. Robinson — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 23:21:31 +0000

I have had a long acquaintance and friendship-at-a-distance with John Marks of John Marks Records, and, until recently, a contributor to Stereophile. Music lover, producer, writer, reviewer, audio designer, and a very cogent, trenchant thinker, John is a person that I have a very great deal of respect for. I first encountered John around the time of... Read More »

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The Neoteric Listener - The Ayon Scorpio Integrated and CD-07s Compact Disc Player

Dean Seislove — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 01:55:10 +0000

The Ayon Audio Scorpio is a heavy, Class A integrated amplifier made of high grade aluminum and powered by gleaming KT88 and 12AU7 tubes. One look and listen, and you know it's textbook audio, the perfect answer to your friends when they say, "So how's a high end amplifier any different from my Yamaha?" Like... Read More »

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Dynamic Design’s Neutron SW16 Digital Power Cord

Marshall Nack — Fri, 17 Jun 2016 01:07:39 +0000

An importer/distributor I know has taken to calling me "the stalwart reviewer." At first we both laughed, although I wasn't sure what he meant. On reflection, I decided I should be flattered. One of the benefits of longevity is you get the long view, the evolutionary perspective, which can be especially satisfying when a brand's... Read More »

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Notes of an Amateur: Tchaikovsky, David Matthews, Ben Johnston, JS Bach.

Bob Neill — Thu, 16 Jun 2016 18:01:16 +0000

Tchaikovsky, Symphonies 1, 2, and 5. Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Vasily Petrenko. Onyx 4150 (2 CD's) Vasily Petrenko found the poetry in Shostakovich—what will he find in Tchaikovsky? Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 are my favorite of the six and we seldom hear them: Winter Dreams and the Little Russian. People of my generation know... Read More »

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Audio Tekne TEA-2000 Phonostage

Wojciech Pacuła — Fri, 17 Jun 2016 00:02:07 +0000

It happened only once before that High Fidelity tested the same product twice. It was the Nagra's PL-P preamplifier, that was firstly reviewed in our issue No. 19 (November 2005), and later in issue No 50 (November 2008). If memory serves it has never happened again within the whole 12 years history of High Fidelity. The... Read More »

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Behind the Booths & Back Vol.2 - T.H.E. Show Newport 2016

Michael Mercer — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 19:40:07 +0000

"There's always somethin'..." Howard Mercer I don't mean to bite off my friend and co-PF scribe Andy Schaubs' style by leading with a quote for this installment of Behind the Booths & Back, but given the fact that the quote came from my pops, it seemed fitting. His words danced around in my brain throughout... Read More »

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Munich 2016, Part 2: “Affordable” Standout Rooms

Brad Morrical — Sat, 11 Jun 2016 22:31:04 +0000

Now that I have highlighted the systems that for me were the top of the show, I will now turn attention briefly to a few systems that were still affordable by us mere mortals, and not just showcases in excess. By "affordable" I mean a system that comes in at less than the price of... Read More »

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Journeys in Audio Subjectivism - Part Five

Robert Schryer — Fri, 10 Jun 2016 23:26:26 +0000

(Not) Another $18,000 Challenge, or: "Whoa! This system costs how much?!" "I like Downbeat, you know?" This was the first sentence Graeme Humfrey said to me, after I'd introduced myself as a PF writer. Graeme is the proprietor of the latest audio shop to be handed my unsolicited musical challenge. "I mean, it's still great what you're doing," he... Read More »

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Gorgon Interconnect Cable from Stage III Concepts

Marshall Nack — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 00:14:41 +0000

"That is a…a…a power cord?" It's a guilty pleasure witnessing visitors' disbelief when I show them a Stage III Concepts cable. Even seasoned audiophiles are predictably wide-eyed. The uncommon (unnatural?) girth and nonpareil build quality of the cables make other brands appear malnourished. And then there's the top-of-the-line Leviathan Power Cord, the "Sea Monster," surely... Read More »

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iFi iDAC2 and iUSB3

Victor Chavira — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 23:09:53 +0000

The impact of computers as a source for high quality musical enjoyment cannot be underestimated. Computers allow listeners to store and stream massive amounts of musical data from the convenience of a laptop or other device in a manner that no other platform could before. Getting the most musical sound out of all those files... Read More »

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Report from AXPONA 2016

Brian Moura — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 15:46:22 +0000

The 2016 edition of AXPONA (also known as Audio Expo North America) was held at the Westin O'Hare hotel in Rosemont, IL just a short distance away from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport from April 15-17, 2016. AXPONA is the premiere audio show in the Midwest. While one will see a number of high end and... Read More »

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Impressions: The Stillpoints ESS Reference Rack System

David W. Robinson — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 09:55:18 +0000

"Take him hence; to the rack with him! We'll touse you Joint by joint, but we will know his purpose." William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure The Stillpoints ESS Reference Rack with Grid Shelves (image courtesy of Stillpoints) Fine audio reviewing can be great, with passion driving you through the work and all the costs that... Read More »

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Todd Hunter Trio – Eat, Drink, Play

Marc Phillips — Sat, 28 May 2016 21:09:05 +0000

Like most audiophiles who are into jazz, I tend to reach way back into history for my sonic fixes. I'm talking late '50s and early '60s, of course, and maybe a few Three Blind Mice titles from the mid-'70s just to mix things up. The idea of choosing a modern jazz piece as a reference,... Read More »

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A Munich 2016 Show Report Part 1: My Top 5 Systems at the Munich High-End Show, Plus My “Affordable” Picks

Brad Morrical — Sat, 28 May 2016 20:23:29 +0000

As usual for the Munich show, the numbers of rooms that I can call truly excellent were quite limited. Now, one can debate as to whether this was due to "show conditions"; poor rooms with thin walls, poor electrical power (I have witnessed this first hand many years ago), poor choice in matching of components... Read More »

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Audio Sensibility Cables: Musings on Price and Prejudice

Bruce Kinch — Tue, 24 May 2016 15:18:46 +0000

"I can cable an entire audiophile system for $1000" This was back in May of last year, and I was on the phone with Steven Huang of Audio Sensibility Cables, based in Toronto, Canada. I'm an old-school audio cheapskate, and had just remarked on how well one of Steve's very affordable phono cables had performed... Read More »

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LampizatOr Euforia

Larry Cox — Tue, 24 May 2016 06:38:40 +0000

Apparently, I left a few readers in the lurch by closing my LampizatOr Euforia review saying I'd discovered a difference making change and that I'd follow-up the review, but was too lazy to rewrite it before posting. I've been overwhelmed at work, have 90 year old parents who suddenly need attention, a busy eleven year... Read More »

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Impressions: AXPONA 2016 and my Audio Oasis! Awards, Part 2

David W. Robinson — Sun, 22 May 2016 21:56:21 +0000

In part two, I cover the balance of my Audio Oasis! Awards for AXPONA 2016. As I said in part one, these notes are presented in no particular order, and so there is no greater or lesser in the sequence. Read on… ModWright/Ryan Loudspeakers/Aurender/PS Audio/Cardas/Shunyata/Massif Audio/GIK Acoustics/Audioquest room A portrait of Dan Wright of ModWright,... Read More »

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Jenna & Alex: Live Concert Broadcast in DSD

Brian Moura — Fri, 20 May 2016 14:55:01 +0000

Jenna Mammina and Alex de Grassi (Photo: David Pappas) On April 21st, a bit of music history was made as singer Jenna Mammina and guitarist Alex de Grassi performed an hour long concert that was broadcast live over the Internet in Direct Stream Digital (DSD) 5.6 MHz Stereo. The concert was the first of its... Read More »

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New Sony Receiver with 5.1 Multichannel DSD 5.6 MHz Playback

Brian Moura — Fri, 20 May 2016 14:46:11 +0000

Sony STR-DN1070 AV Receiver with 5.1 Multichannel DSD 5.6 MHz Playback Sony Electronics has expanded their DSD series of High Resolution Audio products with the release of the new STR-DN1070 Audio Visual receiver. Sony describes the STR-DN1070 as a 7.2 Channel Home Theater AV Receiver with High-Resolution Audio and Video plus Native Multichannel Native DSD... Read More »

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Impressions: AXPONA 2016 and my Audio Oasis! Awards, Part 1

David W. Robinson — Thu, 19 May 2016 22:49:39 +0000

In which our hero meditates… [Sketch by Robinson, c. 1989, during a particularly boring faculty meeting…] So…another audio show in the books, and it's time to share the highlights as I heard them. I would normally have had these out to you all a couple of weeks ago, but lost that time to a necessary... Read More »

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Audio Ramblings - The PS Audio BHK Signature 250 Stereo Power Amplifier

Dave Clark — Mon, 16 May 2016 23:38:37 +0000

So back on track here… got the Aurender review (a truly wonderful product—read that HERE) done and so on to another product that I loved so much, I ended up buying the review sample… the PS Audio BHK Signature 250 Stereo Power Amplifier. Bought it? What about the legendary Clayton M200 amplifiers? Are you selling... Read More »

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Images of the High End Exhibition 2016 - Part 3

Wojciech Pacuła — Sun, 15 May 2016 18:38:58 +0000

Tape cassettes recorded directly from an analog master tape, the so-called "Master Compact Cassette". And the box! The Hemiola Records company specializes in reel analog tapes that are master tape copies. The Tone Tool turntable, Sprocket model. Prices starting from €108 900—without the arm, of course. The Swiss Goldmund is a synonym for high-end. The person... Read More »

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Images of the High End Exhibition 2016 - Part 2

Wojciech Pacuła — Sun, 15 May 2016 18:22:32 +0000

The Italians from Pathos have a sense of style—in the photo there is the new INPOL Heritage integrated amplifier, which resembles the INPOL topology developed by the company. In the system there was also the Endorphine CD player and Frontiers speakers. The inexpensive TEAC TN-300 turntables in any color and with a USB output. Mark... Read More »

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Images of the High End Exhibition 2016 - Part 1

Wojciech Pacuła — Sun, 15 May 2016 18:09:24 +0000

Hideaki Nishikawa-san, the TechDAS constructor, is signing a printout with the May High Fidelity cover. "Japanese style? – Sure, with pleasure…" Einstein has prepared a premiere – The Tonearm, presented on the Air Force III turntable. The German Trigon company does not often surprise us with new products, but now demonstrated a few novelties at... Read More »

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