November - December 2016 Archives - Positive Feedback

Simaudio Celeste P-5003 Preamplifier

Editors at Positive Feedback — Mon, 08 May 2017 18:22:37 +0000

This article, by Carol Clark, Victor Chavira, Larry Cox, and Larry Fisher, originally ran when audioMusings was in print - Issue 9, 1999. When was the last time music inspired you to dance? No, I don't mean the obligatory dancing you do at say, a wedding—I'm talking about the pure, unadulterated dancing that you do... Read More »

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Roon Headless on a NAS with the microRendu: Initial Forays

Tom Gibbs — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 04:04:05 +0000

Anyone who might have read any of my recent babblings here is probably aware that I'm in the process of building a new house that will have a large-ish dedicated listening room with state-of-the-art networking. There will be no computer present in the new room, but there will be available hardwired connections for any peripherals... Read More »

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Graham Slee Accession Phono Stage

John Hoffman — Sun, 18 Dec 2016 02:52:42 +0000

The humble phono stage is the unsung hero in most analog systems, yet many hobbyists overlook its importance and often allow it to become a bottleneck. This is especially true for those folks who operate in the affordable realm of vinyl playback, and are concerned with getting the most from their audio dollars. This topic... Read More »

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Esoteric K-01X SACD/CD Player

Robert S. Youman — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 04:58:07 +0000

The Esoteric K-01X SACD/CD Player It has been an interesting couple of years while ramping up on my knowledge and experience with computer audio and the latest from all things digital. For those marketing folks out there, the traditional definitions for innovators (2.5%), early adopters (13.5%), early majority (34%), late majority (34%), and laggards (16%)... Read More »

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True Tales from the Dungeon, Part 2

Tom Gibbs — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 04:04:48 +0000

When this journey/adventure/ordeal started in June, I never imagined in a million years that we'd still be here in the Dungeon in mid-December. To this point, it's been this roller coaster of highs, lows and emotions, fueled by nearly non-stop demands being made by virtually everyone involved in the process of building our new home.... Read More »

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Sophia Electric Coke Bottle KT88-ST Tubes

Francisco Duran — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 23:14:14 +0000

Since the modification to my solid-state Reference Marantz integrated amplifier more than a few years ago, my tube amplifiers have been gathering dust. My modified PM15S1 has been getting the lion's share of the musical stage at my house. But a recent upgrade of my Margules U280SC to 25th Anniversary Edition has changed all that.... Read More »

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Impressions: Robinson's Brutus Awards for 2016, Part The Second

David W. Robinson — Sun, 11 Dec 2016 06:14:34 +0000

Gather around, audiosports fans! It's that time of year again…Positive Feedback's Brutus Awards season. Here is 'Part The Second' of Robinson's Brutus Awards 2016. Part The First can be found HERE and Part The Third HERE. Electronics, Part 1 Gryphon Audio Kalliope Quad and Qcto (256fs and 512fs) DSD DAC The Gryphon Audio Kalliope DSD DAC upon arrival…... Read More »

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Christmas Music Part 3: "A String Quartet Christmas"

John Marks — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 21:01:38 +0000

Finally, the third and last of John Marks' Christmas recommendations for us. Delmoni... a String Quartet Christmas...a real treasure to us all. Thanks to friend John! And Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! Dr. David W. Robinson, Ye Olde Editor A String Quartet Christmas Arturo Delmoni & Friends Steinway & Sons Recordings... Read More »

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Christmas Music Part 2: "Carols of the Nativity"

John Marks — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 21:00:50 +0000

Herein, John Marks Christmas Music 2: "Carols of the Nativity". Thanks to John for these musical gifts during this holiday season! Dr. David W. Robinson, Ye Olde Editor Christmas Night – Carols of the Nativity The Cambridge Singers and the City of London Sinfonia, conducted by John Rutter. Collegium CD 106 or download (Recorded January 1987 by the... Read More »

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Christmas Music Part 1: Nat King Cole, "Christmas Favorites"

John Marks — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 21:00:12 +0000

'Tis the season! John Marks leads us into Christmas time with a trio of short essays on three different artists and albums, together with samples from each. This is Christmas Music Part 1: Nat King Cole, "Christmas Favorites". As always, friend John does a delightful job of leading us into the music, instead of just... Read More »

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Notes on the van den Hul 3T The Rock Hybrid Interconnects

Robert H. Levi — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 18:57:19 +0000

van den Hul 3T Rock Interconnects I have been most curious about Van den Hul interconnects as they have a sterling reputation, but a lesser following in America compared to the rest of the world. Jay Rein, their distributor at Blue Bird Music graciously suggested I try their middle-level wire in the 3T series, The Rock, which... Read More »

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Impressions: Robinson's Brutus Awards for 2016, Part The First

David W. Robinson — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 16:34:31 +0000

Gather around, audiosports fans! It's that time of year again…Positive Feedback's Brutus Awards season. You can find Part The Second HERE and Part The Third HERE. At the end of each year, my unindicted co-conspirator Dave Clark and I give our Positive Feedback awards. These are our annual "best stuff we heard this year" plaudits. No padding, crap, junk food, or... Read More »

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Redefining Neutrality - The Stealthy Silnote Audio Orion-M1 Master Reference Series XLR Interconnects

Maurice Jeffries — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 19:12:34 +0000

For several months, the superb Silnote Audio Orion-M1 Master Reference XLR interconnects have anchored my reference system. The time spent testing their sonic mettle has proven an unmitigated delight, and a revelation. I first encountered Silnote's superb line of audio cables at the 2014 AXPONA audio show. I stumbled upon the Silnote Audio room purely by... Read More »

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Auralic Altair Wireless Streaming DAC

Gary L Beard — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 04:59:25 +0000

For the second time this year, I've had the good fortune to report on an exciting new digital product. This time it is Auralic's latest digital to analog star, the Auralic Altair Wireless Streaming DAC. According to Auralic's president & CEO, Xuanqian Wang, "The new ALTAIR is both a high quality streamer and DAC, and was... Read More »

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Lamm Industries LP1 Signature Phono Preamplifier - The Voice of Authority

Marshall Nack — Sun, 04 Dec 2016 07:25:17 +0000

Tempus Fugit but Some Things Stay the Same Three nearly identical, "old school," black chassis took up position on my rack. It would be a stretch to call them eye candy—some visitors chided the pro audio cosmetics—yet the effect is nearly the same. The Lamm LP1 Signature Phono Preamplifier is an imposing sight that proclaims... Read More »

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The Parasound Halo Integrated Amplifier - Raising the Bar for Price/Performance

Scott Robertson — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 20:13:27 +0000

The world of high-end audio is wondrous, but can easily reach the realm of unrealistic indulgence for all but the very wealthy. I have been fortunate to hear two channel audio systems with price tags well into the six-figure range (plus custom or acoustically treated listening rooms) and have wonderful sonic imprints of the experiences.... Read More »

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The Ghost Town, or Corriganville, Old Tucson, and Bodie

Dan Zimmerman — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 21:45:30 +0000

The Ghost Town, or Corriganville, Old Tucson and Bodie [Once again, my longtime compadre of creativity, Dan Zimmerman combines text and his superb drawings to reflect upon life, death, memory, and art. Let those who have eyes and those who have ears, see and hear… All drawings by Dan Zimmerman. Dr. David W. Robinson, Ye... Read More »

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Transmission Line Revelations: The Intriguing Role Audio Starship SE Transmission Line Loudspeakers

Maurice Jeffries — Tue, 29 Nov 2016 18:44:11 +0000

Sometimes bigger, I mean longer, is better! Straight out of the box, one can't help but notice that the Role Audio Starship SE speakers look a bit different than your typical compact two-way floor-standers. Oh, the cabinets appear traditional enough, albeit quite attractive and well-built; the speaker binding posts of high if not exceptional quality;... Read More »

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Audio Ramblings - The Sutherland DUO Phono Stage

Dave Clark — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 22:00:04 +0000

So for the past few months I have had the pleasure of using Ron Sutherland's DUO phono stage as the means of taking this from my Transrotor Leonardo 25/25/60 Doppio turntable, audiomods' Series 5 arm, and the Shelter 901 cartridge, and turning it into that for analog playback. Our current 'reference' phono stages are either the... Read More »

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The Legacy Audio Signature SE Loudspeaker, by Wolfgang Kemper

Dirk Sommer — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 00:19:41 +0000

[Note that this guest review is by Wolfgang Kemper of HiFi Statement, our affiliated journal in Germany, edited by good friend Dirk Sommer.] The famous New York Mercy Sound Studios has been working with Legacy Audio speakers for years. Now, thanks to the distributor Notabene-audio, Legacy Audio is also represented in Germany. The Signature SE Premium... Read More »

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Into the 'Looking Glass' - Wells Audio's AC Conditioner

Francisco Duran — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 07:42:10 +0000

Sometimes we come to the reality that a certain product in our system is not the be all and end all we thought it was. Take for instance the "built-in DAC". It is a great idea till that fast paced technology renders that chip obsolete. I have often thought that what I have my system plugged into was... Read More »

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Bigger Isn’t Necessarily Better: The Diminutive Lumin D1 Audiophile Network Music Player

Maurice Jeffries — Mon, 21 Nov 2016 01:23:03 +0000

Navigating the New Digital Highway with the Lumin D1 Audiophile Network Music Player For the past year or so, I have grown increasingly frustrated with the theoretical promise but pragmatic limitations of computer-based audio playback. When all the stars align, meaning a musical alignment of one's chosen computer and operating software, one's chosen hard drive(s), and... Read More »

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Stage III Concepts Analord Master

Marshall Nack — Sun, 20 Nov 2016 04:37:09 +0000

One evening in the vacant space of my commute home, I contemplated phono cables. (Yes, too much free time on my hands.) Specifically, wouldn't the magnitude of difference in the output of a phono cartridge vs. that of an analog interconnect dictate a specialized design for the phono cable? (A medium output MC typically generates... Read More »

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Nessun Dorma: The Puccini Album

Stephen Francis Vasta — Sat, 19 Nov 2016 20:27:08 +0000

Nessun Dorma: The Puccini Album It's happened again. I'd read several years' worth of pro-and-con about Ian Bostridge before hearing the fellow, on a recital disc that I reviewed for this site a few years back. Now, after hearing numerous encomia for tenor Jonas Kaufmann, I've finally heard him sing. Given the novel repertoire for... Read More »

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John Marks on the Music: The Emerson Quartet, 'The Art of the Fugue'

John Marks — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 04:41:59 +0000

Who can gainsay Bach? Like Mozart or Beethoven, he is a towering figure. I don't know exactly how many recordings that I have of The Art of the Fugue over the decades now, but I do know that I have a lot of them, but not this one by The Emerson Quartet! And so, one more?... Read More »

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