(Tw)eek! It’s a Useful Product: The Block Audio C-Lock! Block audio is new to me, but if websites are worth a thousand words, then this audio manufacturer from the Czech Republic is well worth getting to know. Perhaps someday I'll be writing about one of Block's active components, but today, I'm writing about a new... Read More »
A little over a year ago I was making my way through the headphone hall at AXPONA 2019, and spotted the Meze Audio booth. I wasn't familiar with Meze, but their offerings looked interesting and I enjoyed listening to their 99 Classics for a few minutes. In the past year or so I've been leaning... Read More »
I am sure I do not speak for everyone, but personally, I rarely find myself turning up the volume on any of my preamplifiers past 50%. I also find that most of the time I am trying to turn down the source before it gets to my power amp rather than add gain to it.... Read More »
When I first relocated to NYC from Chicago in 1994, I was deep in the boil of my audio obsession. The timing of my move couldn't have been better. I had exhausted nearly all the audio salon's salesmen in Chicago, and needed a fresh batch of victims to torment. One of my first visits was... Read More »
Garbage in, garbage out—health-conscious individuals focused on nutrition will nod their heads knowingly. This same aphorism applies to high-end audio, where electrically-powered components draw their sustenance from AC power. Audiophiles often go to great lengths to optimize the power flow to their systems, employing dedicated lines, power conditioners, upgraded power cords, and upgraded fuses. Aftermarket... Read More »
By far, the cheapest items in Nordost's line of QRT Audio Enhancers are the QVIBE2 AC Line Harmonizer (MSRP $349.99) and QKOIL1 AC Enhancer (MSRP $249.99). While the cost may be modest, the performance gains claimed in the product descriptions are not. If they even came close, this pair of tweaks would be a godsend... Read More »
As I sit back, listening to Melody Gardot on my Hifiman HE1000SE, things just sound right. While my system has always sounded great, and I have an excellent system consisting of a Chord Dave / M Scaler, custom built tube amplifiers from ampsandsound, and a plethora of excellent headphones to choose from, I always felt... Read More »
I have been a audiophile for some 50 years now. In that time I have seen a lot of changes. Tubes gave way to solid state, only to see tubes come back around with a vengeance. Vinyl was considered extinct in the eyes of many the moment CDs hit the market, only to see the... Read More »
After reviewing the RSX Beyond AC Power Cables and Phono Cables which are designed and priced for the audiophile purist, I was stunned by Roger Skoff's latest offering of an AC Power Box featuring elegant maximal design and minimal cost. With eight power outlets featuring Furutech transparent connectors, all spring-loaded for a powerful grip, and made of purest... Read More »
Schiit is a name that many in the audiophile community know and love. My first tube amp was actually the Schiit Vahalla, and I have owned the Asgard, Lyr, and Mjolnir in the past and currently have a Gungnir Multi-bit DAC that I use in my office. Needless to say, I have always liked Schiit;... Read More »
In an industry with speakers that cost three times the median house price in the United States, ($280,000, per zillow.com on May 16, 2020) good value is welcome. While the world is the oyster, or pocket change, for some, many of the rest of us need a little Santa Claus action. Unfortunately, Virginia, there isn't... Read More »
I have this thing for combining tube preamplifiers and solid state Class A amplifiers. Some might think that there is just too much chocolate in the pudding, but I love the coherent, fleshed out musical connection that this combo can provide—maybe the best of both worlds. As the performance and sound of solid state and... Read More »
Like the biblical hero depicted in Florence, Italy's famous David statue by Michelangelo, the diminutive PA-10 is angular and elegant, but capable of bringing down a giant or two by slinging notes with speed, precision, and wallop. Compact at 8 ½" W x 3 ⅜" H x 11 ½" D and 8.82 lbs., it's the... Read More »
These speakers will not be for everyone, and not for every amplifier. Review By Dr. Matthew Clott With this article, Positive Feedback continues its content-sharing relationship with Enjoy the Music. Dr. Matthew Clott shares his thoughts on the AudioNec Evo 2 Loudspeakers. Dr. David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief I happen to be one of those audiophiles that are always... Read More »
I've had my Leben HiFi Company CS-600 integrated amplifier for over a decade now. I purchased it after the review, and I have enjoyed every minute with it. My Leben CS-600 has been totally reliable, excels musically & sonically, and it is beautiful to look at. The CS-600 was also a very well thought out... Read More »
From Positive Feedback magazine in print, Vol. 5, No. 6, Summer, 1995 The prospect of doing the first review of a new loudspeaker from the hands of Albert Von Schweikert filled me at the same time with excitement and with anxiety. The excitement was understandable. I had owned and cherished a pair of his Vortex... Read More »
While he was in quarantine from the terrible plague that was raging in London, Shakespeare wrote King Lear. That is a hard act to follow. I don't think I am going to manage writing anything nearly so significant while stuck here in quarantine. I have spent a lot of time talking to friends in the... Read More »
Albert Von Schweikert, March 13, 1945 – May 29, 2020. Founder and Chief Designer: Von Schweikert Research/Von Schweikert Audio Though born in South America in 1945 to a US military officer and the daughter of one of the principal engineers of the Panama Canal, the Von Schweikert family moved to Heidelberg, Germany while he was still... Read More »
You don't have to be an economist to appreciate that much of Western Civilization is the result of the perennial tug-of-war between progress and profit, the towline under tension too often being…quality. The once well-beaten path to Emerson's maker-of-a-better-mousetrap has long since grown over, the production of an adequate device for the purpose of trapping... Read More »