May - June 2020 Archives - Positive Feedback

Quicky: Block Audio's New C-Lock Power Connection Guard

Gary L Beard — Sat, 27 Jun 2020 20:17:15 +0000

(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 »

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Meze 99 Classics Headphones

John Zurek — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 22:19:43 +0000

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 »

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icOn4 Autoformer Based Passive Preamplifier

Sam Rosen — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 22:08:22 +0000

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 »

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Cardas Clear Beyond: What's In A Name?

Gregory Petan — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 21:55:51 +0000

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 »

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Audience Hidden Treasure HDAC Outlet

John Acton — Sat, 20 Jun 2020 21:25:00 +0000

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 »

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A Pair of Tweaks from Nordost QVIBE and QKOIL

Marshall Nack — Sat, 20 Jun 2020 21:08:22 +0000

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 »

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WyWires Platinum RCA Interconnects

Sam Rosen — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 19:34:46 +0000

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 »

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The IntegrityHiFi Tru-Glider Pendulum Tonearm with Nasotec Swing Headshell

Gary Lea — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 17:53:27 +0000

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 »

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RSX Power8™ AC Power Box

Robert H. Levi — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 17:26:36 +0000

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 »

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Schiit Audio Freya S Preamplifier

Sam Rosen — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 21:30:02 +0000

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 »

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Schiit Audio Bifrost 2 DAC

Larry Cox — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 21:15:06 +0000

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 »

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Valve Amplification Corporation (VAC) Signature Mk IIa SE Line Stage w/Phono – This Is Not That

Robert S. Youman — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 17:51:31 +0000

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 »

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Viva Italiano! Gold Note PA-10 Amplifiers Combine Elegance with Smooth Power

Juan C. Ayllon — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 17:36:46 +0000

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 »

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AudioNec Evo 2 Loudspeakers

Editors at Positive Feedback — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 17:15:27 +0000

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 »

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The Leben HiFi Stereo Company CS-600X Integrated Amplifier – An Old Friend Gets Even Better!

Jeff Day — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 20:14:31 +0000

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 »

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The Von Schweikert Research VR-4 Loudspeakers

Stu McCreary — Sun, 31 May 2020 20:06:13 +0000

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 »

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A Missive from the Recording Industry Regarding Covid-19

Scott Dorsey — Sun, 31 May 2020 18:30:22 +0000

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 »

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Albert Von Schweikert: In Memoriam

Greg Weaver — Sun, 31 May 2020 18:26:49 +0000

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 »

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The D.BOB Digital BreakOut Box: SACD Lives!

Bruce Kinch — Tue, 26 May 2020 20:00:42 +0000

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 »

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Notes of an Amateur: Music@Menlo, Haydn Concertos, Vivaldi Cello Concertos, Adès (2), Debussy/Rameau, Paul Desmond

Bob Neill — Tue, 26 May 2020 17:22:24 +0000

Music@Menlo Live, 2019 (available at https://musicatmenlo.org/live/) Year in, year out the Music@Menlo music education program issues its Music@Menlo Live series of recordings with music performed by the program's instructors. The cast has changed since the series began in 2002, though a few of the originals are still in evidence: program directors pianist Wu Han and... Read More »

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Moon 680D Streaming DAC by Simaudio

Will Wright — Fri, 22 May 2020 17:49:58 +0000

Simaudio recently introduced a new streaming digital to analog converter to their Moon product line. The $9000 680D streaming DAC slots in somewhere between the $15000 780D v2, and the $3000 280D. As with many, if not most of the products in the Moon series, the 680D has the same width and depth (18.75 x... Read More »

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A Fern & Roby Rack and a Bevy of Olympia Record Crates

Dave Clark — Fri, 22 May 2020 01:56:08 +0000

So how many of you reading this are getting so tired of the same old "staying at home, and man do I need to mix things up?" state of mind? Well, count us in. As I write this Carol and I have been staying home and not going out, other than around the neighborhood for... Read More »

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Moon Audio Black Dragon Cables

Sam Rosen — Tue, 19 May 2020 17:49:06 +0000

Finding True Value in the Audiophile world If you look back at my history as a reviewer for Positive Feedback, you will quickly see that I have reviewed a number of different cables. I have reviewed everything from headphone cables to interconnects, USB cables, BNC cables, and even power cords. I have a love hate... Read More »

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Between the Buried and Me - 20th Anniversary Remix/Remaster

Tom Gibbs — Mon, 18 May 2020 17:17:04 +0000

Formed in 2000 from the remnants of a handful of Raleigh, North Carolina bands, Between the Buried and Me was principally the brainchild of guitarist Paul Waggoner and vocalist Tommy Rogers. And while the group has gone through a number of personnel changes, the band's current incarnation features not only Waggoner and Rogers, but also... Read More »

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Weserbergland's Am Ende Der Welt

Sander Roscoe Wolff — Fri, 15 May 2020 22:52:49 +0000

Am Ende der Welt. Photo by Per-Einar Einarsen - Used with permission Weserbergland is a project led by Norwegian composer Ketil Vestrum Einarsen. He's deeply rooted in classical music, progressive rock, and experimental electronic composition. Their newest release, from Apollon Records, is Am Ende Der Welt. Compared to their previous release, it pushes farther, goes... Read More »

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