It’s well-known among audiophiles that our systems can sound better or worse from day to day. Sometimes, the better the system, the more inconsistent it can sound. Over the past year, I’ve made some significant upgrades to my gear, including a new DAC, preamp tubes, cables, and perhaps most importantly, new loudspeakers. And over the... Read More »
For Late Boomers like me, Carly Simon's 'Anticipation' instantly triggers memories of my teen years. It played over crackling AM radio, clicked and popped on a friend's turntable, and blared over public pool PA speakers. Back then, the scent of suntan oil and glistening swimsuit bodies tantalized in the summertime. Oozing angst and excitement, the... Read More »
The avant garde in any field of endeavor inevitably challenges conventional expectations. That, in part, is precisely the point of its existence: to alert, provoke and stimulate aesthetic or conceptual attention. Judi Silvano's new album, GARDEN WINDS, with a brisk nod to Stravinsky midway, invites appreciation from those who are vulnerable to surprise and, no less, who are comfortable... Read More »
A new collection of audiophile cables offer truly innovative engineering that elevates performance to unprecedented levels September 16, 2026, Alberta, Canada — RS Audio is proud to announce the launch of the Apparition Series, a new family of premium high-end audio cables designed to deliver a rich, highly engaging listening experience to the world's most... Read More »
Music of the Baroque and earlier rule this Recent Finds edition. From Bach (J.S. and C.P.E.), to Fux, Lassus, Hildegard von Bingen, and Machaut we have music of an earlier period on tap. And a very special treat: the marvelous Elinor Frey in her inaugural album on Channel Classics—long may that relationship flourish. C.P.E.... Read More »
Roger Skoff gives the facts about cables Lately, I’ve been following on Instagram some of the idiocy that so‑called “experts” have been posting about hi‑fi. Although there certainly is the occasional something of merit there by a person with real knowledge, the overwhelming majority of what I’ve seen seems either to be from a parts... Read More »
Lorenzo Audio is proud to announce the launch of a new loudspeaker series, the Bravo Collection, marking a significant advancement for the company. The Bravo Collection incorporates all the techniques and expertise developed in previous models, along with the introduction of a new working methodology, the “Resonance Optimization System,” or simply ROS*. The Lorenzo Audio... Read More »
The Band, Music From The Big Pink (Vinylphile, 33 RPM) One of the most iconic and influential albums in rock 'n' roll history, The Band’s Music From The Big Pink was originally released in 1968 on the Capital Records label. As their debut album, it was their first recording effort after touring with Bob Dylan... Read More »
I recently awoke to a WhatsApp message from Dalibor Kasac of Euphony Audio, asking me to please call him as soon as possible. He had exciting news regarding upgrades to their Stylus operating system, and was certain I’d share his enthusiasm for the new features. Our conversations over the last year or so have led... Read More »
The incomparable Kitty Wells (1919-2012), whose real name was Ellen Murial Deason, was the first female singer to achieve a number one hit on the country charts. The year was 1952 and the song was “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.” Many hits quickly followed, making her the first female star of country... Read More »
The difference between the journalist and the novelist is the deadline… An award given as a story. For quite a while now I have given the rarest of my recognitions – my PF Lifetime Achievement Awards. As I wrote in 2017: “Finally, we have a PF Lifetime Achievement Award, wherein I honor persons who have produced... Read More »
In this Recent Finds I'm pleased to share with you two marvelous new recordings by Jared Sacks, one a Pure DSD256 recording of Brahms solo piano music with my favorite pianist, Anna Fedorova. Also included are two excellent opera recordings: Mozart's Don Giovanni and Barber's Vanessa, each in outstanding sonics. Plus more... Brahms, Intermezzi... Read More »
More very brief stuff, here. Another new word for my audiophile lexicon: Argumentarian. You know who you are. Selah... Dr. David
Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf Viola Davis, narrator; Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra/Gustavo Dudamel Deutsche Grammophon 4868159 (EP, WAV download only) I really ought to listen to Peter and the Wolf more often. It's tagged, unfairly, as a children's piece, but, performed with a modicum of sophistication, it's charmingly entertaining. Here in New York, the Philharmonic... Read More »
Bob Witrak continues to mine the archives for classic recordings to reissue – often in sound that is better than I ever imagined these recordings could deliver. Here are some recent releases that bring back warm memories but, more importantly, are wonderful additions to my digital music library today. Enjoy. Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5... Read More »
Unlike last year when I rushed through the show in about four hours, this year I made sure I attended for two full days. On Friday I expected the crowds would be smaller, making it easier to get photos and maybe get some time playing my records as I know when a room is crowded,... Read More »
Our inimitable editor-in-chief, Dr. David, charged me with focusing on DSD256 and DXD recordings. I mostly follow that brief. And today, I have an abundance of outstanding ultra-high resolution recordings to share: six Pure DSD256 recordings and two DXD 32-bit recordings. Their sound quality gratifies my search over decades for the most discerning playback systems... Read More »
If you enjoy pop vocal records from the sixties, you might be familiar with the name Ernie Freeman (1922-1981). Freeman wrote the arrangements for Frank Sinatra’s 1966 album That’s Life (Reprise FS-1020) and Dean Martin's 1963 album Everybody Loves Somebody (Reprise RS-6130). He was also the pianist on the 1962 album Roots (Reprise R9-6057) by... Read More »
A New Solution to Understanding What Your Digital Audio System Is Doing With the Data Stream - Part 3 A few weeks ago we reposted Ferenc Koscsó's article introducing a minimalist, bit-perfect music player, written in C, with a single purpose: to deliver the music file data stream to the DAC by the shortest, most... Read More »
Very brief stuff, here. A new word for my audiophile lexicon. X/Z/Alpha bemuseick. Selah. Dr. David
Bert van der Wolf's lifelong dream of creating a dedicated recording venue with superb natural acoustics and attached mastering studio finally became a reality with the purchase and restoration of a nineteenth-century church in Heerewaarden. Following extensive acoustic renovations, the first recordings took place in late 2025. I've followed this remarkable project since Bert first... Read More »
Roger Skoff writes about the impossible dream Back in the 1950s and early ’60s, when I and our hobby were both very young, the whole subject of hi-fi seemed much simpler. Julian Hirsch – the most highly regarded audio reviewer of his time, with, eventually, more than 4000 tests to his credit – specifically stated... Read More »
The following is a repost of an article by the exceptionally talented recording and mastering engineer Frans de Rond, originally published on the blog of his Sound Liaison recording label. You can find the original article HERE. Frans recently included this article in his newsletter. As I read it, I found myself nodding, smiling, and... Read More »
Black Cat Cable Unveils the Graceline III Wagner Cable, Redefining Premium Audio Performance CUMMING, GA — August 1, 2026 — Black Cat Cable announces the launch of the Graceline III Wagner cable, the latest addition to the company's premium high-fidelity audio lineup. Graceline III Wagner is the first new cable to be introduced by Black... Read More »
Well organized and rather compact compared to sprawling shows in other cities, I really enjoyed auditioning the systems and meeting my friends in the industry. The Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society was present in the Society room and nibbled on the treats provided by the hotel. I visited there for a while then struck out to hear... Read More »
I’ve written a lot of show reports, to the point where I was starting to repeat myself in some of the advice I was giving. So, I thought I’d write a separate article where I summarize my tips on attending audio shows. Part One: General Tips Rule number one: wear comfortable shoes! If you don’t,... Read More »
My first Chris Isaak concert was with my wife and several friends at the North Shore Center in Skokie Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. It was a December 2011 concert and Isaak played a few Christmas songs along with many of his fan favorites. He came out in a Santa Claus outfit and quickly had... Read More »
For those readers new to this column, please read the introductory comments in Part one here. There’s an old stereotype out there that audiophiles don’t really like music, but rather just like playing with equipment. There’s even a “quote” that constantly surfaces, wrongly attributed to Alan Parsons (who never actually said it) that ‘Audiophiles don’t... Read More »
Most This article is part of an ongoing series examining electromagnetic field theory and its application to high-fidelity audio reproduction. The engineering framework described here has been developed, tested, and refined over thirty-four years of product development at Synergistic Research – and has been the subject of extensive public discussion on my personal Facebook page,... Read More »
I’d already chosen my next review subject: a rock band from Chicago who thrived from the mid-sixties to the early seventies, but I got distracted by two new additions to my collection. So what could possibly distract me from great rock ‘n’ roll? Here’s the answer: Two Eddy Arnold (1918-2008) EPs from the early fifties!... Read More »
We all say, "There is no substitute for live music." This past spring, Ann and I treated ourselves to a generous helping of live orchestral music from one of our regional orchestras a few hours away. And yet, and yet... While the sound of live instruments cannot be fully replicated by even the finest audio... Read More »
A couple weeks ago we reposted Ferenc Koscsó's article introducing a minimalist, bit-perfect music player, written in C, with a single purpose: to deliver the music file data stream to the DAC by the shortest, most deterministic path, untouched, in its original form. His efforts offer an open-source, free to use, program for both the... Read More »
Transition and Strategic Review Crystal Claire to Provide Direct Oversight as Company Reviews Operations and Future Direction Toronto, ON — July 2, 2026 — Acora Acoustics today announced a leadership transition as the company begins a strategic and operational review of its business, structure, dealer relationships, customer support commitments, and future direction. Valerio Cora is... Read More »
Not far from Copenhagen! Note that I attended only a small fraction of the events out there, and I mostly attended the events that I thought would be personally interesting. If I missed something you thought was critical don't be surprised since I missed some things that I thought were critical too but I couldn't... Read More »
Our friend Ferenc Koscsó has been breaking down barriers yet again. Audiophile, recording engineer, and founder of My Reel Club in Budapest, Ferenc has always probed deeply to understand, and help others understand, what is actually happening with our digital audio systems. Two years ago, Ferenc graciously permitted Positive Feedback to repost his probing article... Read More »
Recently, while driving and tolerating my Las Vegas’ moldy oldies FM station KQLL, I heard an old favorite that I don’t hear too often. It was Rare Earth’s “Get Ready,” a song that I swear was custom-made for me. The deliciously grungy tone of the electric guitar is dangerously addicting, and what follows the guitar... Read More »
At Capital Audiofest 2025, a small book on a table in cable manufacturer M101’s exhibit caught my eye. Titled Passport to Sound, it’s a children’s book that explains the principles of audio components and systems by means of a treasure hunt that guides young listeners through the exhibits at an audio show. What a wonderful idea, I thought. For... Read More »
