September - October 2015 Archives - Positive Feedback

Nordost SPM Interconnects and Loudspeaker Cables

Editors at Positive Feedback — Mon, 08 May 2017 19:33:27 +0000

This article, by Dave Clark, Victor Chavira, Francisco Duran, and Sherman Hong, originally ran when audioMUSINGS was in print - Issue 1, 1998. At the Hi-Fi 97 Show in San Francisco, Vince Garino and Joe Reynolds of Nordost were most gracious in giving Carol and me a semi-private demonstration of the cable line. The demonstration involved... Read More »

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The Mola-Mola Suite - Makua Linestage & Kaluga Mono Amps

Marshall Nack — Wed, 05 Oct 2016 15:43:25 +0000

Mola-Mola Kaluga circuit board Some of you may recall when Class D amplification began to appear in high-end journals. There were birthing pangs, to put it mildly. Granted it was quiet, linear, and powerful; on the other hand, it was often dry and brittle. The treble, in particular, was nasty. At the time, around 2006,... Read More »

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The Electric Recording Company and Their Reissue of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D Major

Andy Schaub — Wed, 21 Oct 2015 22:23:31 +0000

"The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older, Shorter of breath and one day closer to death." —From "Time" by Pink Floyd So, first, you might ask, where have I been and why I am not talking about digital music servers, instead reviewing a vinyl reissue you can't buy anymore—at least... Read More »

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Phoenix Engineering LLC RoadRunner and Eagle PSU

Pete Davey — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 08:50:35 +0000

You would be surprised if you actually measured your turntable's platter. It may be several RPM off and you didn't even know it. I started to get suspicious when I was listening to some music and the pitch just seemed a little off. I'm guessing not everyone has the ability to discern a pitch-shift but... Read More »

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Music Hall de-be Headphones

Victor Chavira — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 08:44:49 +0000

Admittedly, I am not a headphone enthusiast. I have an old pair of open backed Grado SR 60s used occasionally for casual listening around the house. For music on the go I carry a pair of Klipsch S4i earbuds. Both pairs of headphones offer pleasingly smooth response and low coloration with a wide range of... Read More »

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I Really Had to Fight to Relate… Silversun Pickups

David Williamson — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 22:26:48 +0000

I think I made a mistake, one of those forest-for-the-trees kinds, in hunting for a radio-friendly single on the new Silversun Pickups album. I'd been spoiled with their previous offerings and came into this album, headphones swinging, lazily assuming I was going to be getting more of the same. It'd be really, really, amazingly good... Read More »

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Making a Case for Convenience: Audeze EL-8 Closed Back Headphone

Al Chieng — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 03:55:23 +0000

Audeze has come a long way from its first planar magnetic offering. The upstart company from the United States has steadily grown and offered what some would say to be the best headphones currently in the market place. Not wanting to stay on their laurels the guys from Audeze are back at it again; this... Read More »

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Heaven or Hell? The Lady or the Tiger? The Rocky Mountain Audio Show, 2015

Lynn Olson — Sun, 11 Oct 2015 00:15:47 +0000

Driving north on I-25 after the first day of the show. It's dark, we're tired, and only one lane of three is open. It's just as bad on the other direction. Traffic moves forward at 10 to 15 mph as rain comes down and gigantic paving machines emit asphalt roars and smells. The ten miles... Read More »

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The Audio Circular No. 16: Learning (the) Vinyl Rules, Phase Two

Gary L Beard — Sat, 10 Oct 2015 17:06:46 +0000

There's anarchy afoot in the listening room; LP's are stacked everywhere, yet even in the shadow of chaos, there is a renewed love for that old black plastic magic. Yep, spinning records has become quite the pastime again, and it all started with a realization that I wanted better vinyl playback. While writing Phase One... Read More »

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Master & Dynamic MH 40 Meets the Schitt Valhalla 2 Single Ended Triode Amp and Preamp

Ken Micallef — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 05:18:16 +0000

Today, headphones are designed for DJs, hipsters, style mongers and those willing to spend $3k on high-end "Wearable Technology." The $399 Master & Dynamic MH 40 headphones stand in stark contrast to those business models. Not only are the MH 40s an example of a well conceived and smartly designed product that surpasses marketing hype,... Read More »

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AudioPrism WaveGuide Common Mode Noise Filtration System: Return of the Tweak

Bruce Kinch — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 23:48:10 +0000

There's every probability you already have an opinion about audiophile tweaks and the folks who review them. Sometimes it seems like half the double-blindsters on the internet remain fixated on the original AudioPrism StopLight CD marker pen, so discussing any device from that company entails a certain incendiary risk-especially as Positive Feedback now features a... Read More »

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RMAF 2015

Mark Pearson — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 22:17:12 +0000

Another year and another RMAF show is in the books. I'm going to tell you about some of the rooms that I considered to sound very, very good, and I will leave out the rooms which didn't sound so great. As we all know by now, pulling off setting up a system in a hotel... Read More »

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The End of a Self–Imposed Audio Exile – The Return of “Stu’s Place”

Stu McCreary — Tue, 29 Sep 2015 05:12:00 +0000

I'm baaaack! Hey, this place looks really different. I like what you've done with the wallpaper and the new carpets. You look great too. You've gained a little weight and put on a touch of grey but I must say, it looks good on you—very distinguished. It's been thirteen years since I last graced the... Read More »

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Raising the Sample Rate of DSD - Is There a Sweet Spot?

Andreas Koch — Sat, 26 Sep 2015 19:28:40 +0000

Andreas Koch of Playback Designs, RMAF 2014 Direct Stream Digital, or DSD, encoding has been used for years already for SACD and also as an intermediate format inside analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters. It's basic concept is Delta-Sigma modulation and uses 1 bit per sample with a sample rate of at least 2.8224MHz (64 x 44.1kHz).... Read More »

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Adventures in Real Sound with Mr. Shirokazu Yazaki

Jeff Day — Sat, 26 Sep 2015 19:17:11 +0000

In Issue 78 I introduced you to the remarkable Mr. Shirokazu Yazaki of Tokyo, Japan (above, center, with friends), in my article about the SPEC RSA-M3 Real Sound Amplifier. Mr. Shirokazu Yazaki has been a successful professional audio designer in Japan for over 40 years, and has been involved in the design of many fine... Read More »

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Positive Feedback’s DSD seminar at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2015

David W. Robinson — Sat, 26 Sep 2015 07:43:22 +0000

Positive Feedback will once again be hosting, and I will be moderating, a panel on DSD at RMAF 2015. This year we'll be exploring a different aspect of DSD. Our seminar title is "DSD: The artist and the studio perspectives." We'll be discussing what performing artists and producers/audio engineers have to say about their experiences... Read More »

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E.A.R. Acute 4/DAC 4 CD/SACD Player (US Premier Review)

Robert H. Levi — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 21:42:39 +0000

I was truly unsure that in 2015 any of us would be needing a two box, multi-function digital source for portable transportable media. I took a CD around with me at T.H.E. Show Newport and found few rooms that could play it or, at least, without first ripping it. That said, the course of true... Read More »

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NAD Masters Series M17

Larry Cox — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 00:43:20 +0000

I understand why there are so few surround sound gear reviews in high end audio. Two channel reviews occasionally dip into technology (not from moi) but (to paraphrase Bill Clinton), it's about the sound qualithy, stupid! Surround sound reviews end up being highly technical because so much is going on—straight wire with gain? Ha! In home theater and... Read More »

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The Neoteric Listener…Astell and Kern AKT5p Headphones and the Annalyric PC-1 15 Amp Power Cord and USB-1 Digital Cable

Dean Seislove — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 01:09:05 +0000

Once you know better, who wants to live with worse? PF Editor Dave Clark once described the letdown of listening to speakers from one’s youth and realizing that they don’t measure up as, "Kind of like running into that girl who you thought was so hot back in high school and wondering what the hell... Read More »

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HI-FI ONE: Rick Brown’s Gang Shakes Up Newport, or Re-visiting THE Show 2015

Jim Merod — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 14:10:32 +0000

Preface Without Mirth How many years will it take to tame, or dissolve, mind-numbing noise suffusing "audiophile" events? Year after year, more than twenty five in my experience, any expectation of focused attention with music and superior audio gear—formerly at CES and now THE Show Newport Beach, as elsewhere, where the claim of audiophile privilege beckons... Read More »

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AudioMachina Maestro GSE

Dirk Sommer — Sat, 19 Sep 2015 21:55:40 +0000

There are good reasons to review everything else other than loudspeakers. And the logistics is not even the worst reason. But there's a whole range of good reasons to look into AudioMachina's top of the range model. And that's why I've now lived with the Maestro GSE for several months. This is the first reason... Read More »

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Capitol Audiofest 2015

Scott Dorsey — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 23:36:37 +0000

Audio is about listening. All of the good things in the high end community come out of listening and thinking about what you listened to. All of the problems in the high end community can only be solved by listening and thinking about what you listened to. There are very few places where people can... Read More »

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Merrill Audio Jens Phono Stage

Marshall Nack — Sat, 19 Sep 2015 06:18:48 +0000

"I don't recall the name. It's a new product distributed by Merrill Audio of New Jersey." We were just starting a session when Jonathan, one of my regulars, mentioned a phono stage he heard at a meeting of The Audiophile Society in NYC. "It's certainly high-res. It seemed to retrieve a lot more back-of-orchestra instrumental... Read More »

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Notes of an Amateur: Mullova's Prokofiev, Eighth Blackbird, Schnittke for Cello, and Pacifica's Ornstein.

Bob Neill — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 17:44:49 +0000

Prokofiev. Viktoria Mullova. [Violin Concerto No. 2; Sonata for Two Violins, Solo Violin Sonata]. Viktoria Mullova, violin. Frankfort Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi, conductor. Onyx 4142. (live recordings). I am predisposed to like any recording by violinists, Jennifer Koh, Vadim Guzman, Rachel Podger, Gidon Kremer, Alina Ibagimova, and Viktoria Mullova and am seldom disappointed. The... Read More »

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I Left My Speaker in San Francisco: A Prequel to the Coming Magico S7 Review

Myles B. Astor — Mon, 14 Sep 2015 07:14:22 +0000

It took a while but I am finally first—even if but by a scant three hours—at something (Well to be honest, I did win a few fencing tournaments in my younger days). That something was not only being the very first high-end reviewer or audiophile (outside of Magico) to audition Magico's newest $58,000 (in standard... Read More »

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