May - June 2022 Archives - Positive Feedback

Notes of an Amateur - Second Quarter 2022

Bob Neill — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 21:10:19 +0000

Bach. St. John Passion. Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists. John Eliot Gardiner, Deutsche Gramophone 486 1822. 2 CDs, 1 Blue Ray DVD. Is John Eliot Gardiner’s Bach definitive or 'just' English? Fair question. For me, his take on Bach in the cantatas and masses is the standard. Watching the DVD and listening to the CD’s... Read More »

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From an Editor's Notebook: My YouTube comments on the Kronos Discovery Turntable with Discovery RS Tonearm

David W. Robinson — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 19:44:10 +0000

Dr. David enjoying a fine cigar on the deck of Louis Desjardins' home in Montreal, Canada, 2022. (Photograph by Bill Parish; image processing by Robinson) Just last weekend I returned from a three-day trip to Montreal, Canada. I was there to visit Louis Desjardins of Kronos, creator of the extraordinary Discovery Turntable system. This included... Read More »

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Soundastic Reference Stereo Integrated Amplifier

Editors at Positive Feedback — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 17:55:09 +0000

From Poland, a passive pre with solid-state output. Review By Ric Mancuso With this article, Positive Feedback continues its content-sharing relationship with Enjoy the Music where Ric Mancuso shares his thoughts on the Soundastic Reference Stereo Integrated Amplifier. Dr. David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief Lyrics from the song "The Sound of Music" from the same title as... Read More »

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Zu Audio Soul VI Loudspeakers

Sam Rosen — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 16:41:55 +0000

There are few times in my life where I have been truly speechless when it came to audio equipment. I still remember the first time it happened. I searched high and low for a pair of Anthony Gallo Reference 3.1s. I had never heard the speaker, but I had read enough to know that if... Read More »

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ampsandsound Zion Amplifiers

Sam Rosen — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 16:23:59 +0000

Each Zion weighs nearly 75 pounds As I sat in my listening room with the lights dimmed, I began to take a journey. My journey started with the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Unlimited Love, and I then found myself listening to Mark Knopfler's Down the Road Wherever. After awhile I ventured onto St Vincent's MasSeduction, with a short... Read More »

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Reid by Maya Fridman on TRPTK

Rushton Paul — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 15:32:22 +0000

Maya Fridman's album, Reið (translated as "Journey"), is an album of such emotional complexity and depth of meaning that it requires multiple listening sessions to begin to absorb. I've long savored its complexity and the soundscapes Maya creates within it. The album is tremendously rewarding; it compels one's full attention. REIÐ, Maya Fridman. TRPTK 2019... Read More »

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Notes on Recent Finds, No. 1 (From HDTT in DXD, DSD256)

Rushton Paul — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 15:29:12 +0000

As I've commented before, Bob Witrak's High Definition Tape Transfers catalog is like walking into a treasure house of wonderful recordings, some classics, some little known, some new. I regularly discover recordings that I'm delighted to add to my music library. Unfortunately, a separate article on each recording I would recommend is just not practical.... Read More »

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Brief Notes from an Editor's Notebook: More on Gold Note…the PH-1000 Phono Stage

David W. Robinson — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 23:31:04 +0000

Ye Olde Editor, a moment. Happy Valley, OR, 2018 (Photograph by John Robinson; image processing by YOE) Continuing my brief notes on Gold Note from last month, and progressing onwards in their designs, here's the June installment of what's up with this impressive audio company. Combining audio-technical achievements with a fine sense of design aesthetics,... Read More »

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From the PF archives: The Wild, Wacky World of Walker!

Bruce Walker — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 22:54:37 +0000

"See Joe...no problem! Sell the kid...get the upgrade!"

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Gingko Audio Vibration Control Solution (VCS) Toolkit - Part 2

John Zurek — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 16:58:20 +0000

In Part 1 of this review, I had a great time listening to the awesome but temporarily incomplete Gingko VCS Toolkit, and I was looking forward to receiving the Cloud22 Bases to complete the review. When the bases did arrive I was intrigued to find that Vinh Vu also sent me the new Cloud22 wool... Read More »

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An Industry of Improvers: Roger Skoff Takes a Different Look at the History and Future of Our Industry

Roger Skoff — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 02:10:54 +0000

It used to be that great things were invented by one great man. Edison, Morse, Tesla, Bell, McCormick, Whitney, Fulton, and countless others all—at least until they became established—worked alone, or with just an assistant or two, to bring their wonders to the world. In most fields, that no longer seems possible. Maybe it's because,... Read More »

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The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady by Charles Mingus from HDTT in DSD256

Rushton Paul — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 20:37:16 +0000

A superb reissue of Mingus' The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady from HDTT in DSD256 that retains all the natural rawness and energy that makes this album special. This is a must have acquisition for any jazz library. The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady by Charles Mingus. HDTT 1963, 2022 (DSD256, DXD) HERE... Read More »

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The Prokofiev Symphonies with James Gaffigan - An Exceptional Cycle

Rushton Paul — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 20:33:47 +0000

James Gaffigan and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra deliver a very fine Prokofiev symphonies cycle. Collectively, these performances present a consistent and insightful look into Prokofiev's symphonic music, all exceedingly well executed. And all are recorded in the finest, most natural, sound quality one can find. The Symphonies of Sergei Prokofiev, James Gaffigan, Netherlands Radio... Read More »

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From an Editor's Notebook: The launch of the Association of International Audiophile Publications (AIAP)

David W. Robinson — Sun, 05 Jun 2022 21:35:06 +0000

Ye Olde Editor, contemplating on a high deck in Tiberias, Sea of Galilee, Israel, 2022. (Portrait by John Robinson; image processing by Ye Olde Etc.) Just yesterday Positive Feedback posted notice of the launch of an audiophile standards group: the Association of International Audiophile Publications. The formation of this new high-end audio association took most of... Read More »

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Zesto Audio Bia 200 Select Stereo Amplifier: World Premier Review

Robert H. Levi — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 23:23:42 +0000

The brilliant late audiophile, J. Gordon Holt, once wrote that if the purchaser of a fine system was torn between buying a great pair of speakers or a great amp, one should choose a great amp and a good pair of speakers that fit your basic needs. He commented that he had heard numerous systems... Read More »

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Guitarist Enno Voorhorst in Pure DSD256 - Superb!

Rushton Paul — Mon, 30 May 2022 19:38:49 +0000

A thoroughly engaging and well-spent hour with this delightfully articulate guitarist. Enno Voorhorst is a master of subtle grace, dynamic drive, and brilliant technique. But, he never allows his huge technique to overshadow his musically compelling communication of nuance and emotion. 840 - Enno Voorhorst, guitar. Cobra Records 2022 (Pure DSD256). HERE In this album,... Read More »

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Hand Book of a Hidden Man, Part 6: I Learn to Fight

Dan Zimmerman — Mon, 30 May 2022 19:33:22 +0000

I was on the sidewalk in front of our house in San Luis Obispo. In 1952 it must've been a very quiet place, otherwise it's hard for me now, looking back, to understand why my mother let me go out by myself. I was only four. But she was very pregnant at the time, and... Read More »

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Top 500 SuperSonic List - Part 31

Claude Lemaire — Mon, 30 May 2022 15:02:14 +0000

This is an ongoing project by Claude Lemaire of Soundevaluations 191. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Unlimited Love. Warner Records – 093624874720 – 093624880653 (2022), (2x33 1/3 rpm). Genre: alternative rock, funk rock. First things first, even though this is the band's twelfth studio album, this is only the third 'Chili Peppers LP in my collection—the other two... Read More »

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Monet Power Cable from Crystal Cable - a Very Pleasant Surprise

Marshall Nack — Mon, 30 May 2022 14:51:03 +0000

When the Monet power cables from Crystal Cable were offered for review, first thing I went online for a look-see. The photos suggested a slimmed down cable with no surplus parts, nothing more than the elemental hardware required for the task at hand. The Monet is the thinnest power cables in the new Art series... Read More »

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Rachel Podger's Magical Mozart Cycle on Channel Classics

Rushton Paul — Sat, 28 May 2022 20:35:40 +0000

Few musical cycles are as compelling as is Rachel Podger's and Gary Cooper's cycle of the complete sonatas for violin and piano by Mozart on Channel Classics. With the plethora of new recordings, we sometimes lose sight of great recordings from the recent past. I thought it would be useful to revisit these and perhaps... Read More »

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Seeking Clarity About Transparency

Frank Doris — Sat, 28 May 2022 20:33:22 +0000

Back in the 1980s or maybe earlier, "transparency" became the buzzword in high-end audio. Harry Pearson of The Absolute Sound was a big proponent of the term, and soon many reviewers and sycophants jumped on the idea, to the point where talking about "transparency" quickly became a tiresome cliché. But what does "transparency" really mean? I think most audiophiles... Read More »

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PureAudioProject Quintet15 Speaker System

Pete Davey — Wed, 25 May 2022 17:28:44 +0000

Wow! It's been a while. If you are interested in Pure Audio Project or never heard of it, I suggest you read my older review of the Trio 15 speaker system HERE. That was written back in 2019. I loved that setup; a very open / wide soundstage with the pleasantness and tonality that open... Read More »

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Nuït by Maya Fridman and Maarten van Veen from TRPTK

Rushton Paul — Mon, 23 May 2022 15:35:51 +0000

Can you like a work of music without understanding it? Indeed, yes. I don't claim to yet understand what Maya Fridman and Maarten van Veen have created in Nuït, their new release from TRPTK. But I do like it, and I plan to continue listening to come to grips with it. It is a wonderful... Read More »

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Two New Audiophile LP Benchmarks: Eric Clapton Unplugged and Patricia Barber Higher

Robert S. Youman — Mon, 23 May 2022 15:33:19 +0000

Eric Clapton, Unplugged (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab) This latest limited edition Mofi UltraDisc One-Step box set was cut by Krieg Wunderlich and pressed at RTI. You get your two 180 gram 45 RPM LPs on Supervinyl with all the usual packaging and perks, but I had to wonder if this pressing was really going to... Read More »

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A New Realization of Stockhausen's Tierkreis

Sander Roscoe Wolff — Fri, 20 May 2022 21:03:26 +0000

Tierkreis by Bruce Friedman, Jeff Schwartz, and Jim McAuley Tierkreis is a collection of 12 short compositions written by Karlheinz Stockhausen, each originally created to be played on a music box. In 2008, Bruce Friedman, a trumpet player based in Southern California, organized a concert of Stockhausen work, part of a global celebration of his... Read More »

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