Talking only about the price of these speakers, about how impressive product we get for the price, how well it is made—that would be a classic reductionism. Focusing on one feature would suggest its dominance or even lack of other such features that make Pylon Audio Sapphire 25 speakers truly special. And that would be... Read More »
Cutting edge technologies are expensive. Whether they are used in medical, food, or military industry, or for sound recording and playback. Small companies deal with this issue using solutions developed by major players, multinational corporations that sell licenses for their products. What they have to do is to tweak such product/solution, customize it for their... Read More »
David W. Robinson and Stan Ricker, VSAC 2003 (photograph by Dave Glackin) I got the word last week from an audiobud online. Stan Ricker, recently stricken with a stroke, was dead. Oh no. Not again. Another good man down…this one truly irreplaceable. Another great audio friend gone; more tons of audio lore and wisdom subtracted... Read More »
Editor: You used to always publish the associated equipment that was used with the reviewed gear, very unfortunate that you have stopped this practice. To me, and I'm sure many other readers, not having this info makes a review mute. Regards, Robert Arbonneau Robert, the system descriptions are still there. To see a reviewer's system,... Read More »
New "Yale" OS upgrade lowers noise, distortion--at no cost to user Boulder, CO 7/31/15-- PS Audio, manufacturer of fine audio components since 1973, is pleased to announce a new operating system for its revolutionary DirectStream DAC. The upgraded OS is called "Yale", after Mount Yale, one of Colorado's "Fourteeners" (the 53 mountain peaks in the state that rise above 14,000 feet). The practice of... Read More »
Editor: Regarding Audionet, have you done a review yet? Can't find it on your site.. By the way, I: like the new site, and liked your room at THE Show In the lap of bodacious sound: The GTT Audio room. As usual, the good folks in the GTT Audio room were providing truly top-notch sound, despite the... Read More »
AUDUBON, PA, July 28, 2015 —Walker Audio announces the introduction of the Procession Turntable, the world’s first turntable with wireless remote control VTA/SRA (Vertical Tracking Angle/Stylus Rake Angle) adjustment that allows the user to change the arm angle from the comfort of their listening position with a push of a button. The Procession turntable features:... Read More »
I mentioned the Sennheiser Momentums that uncle Mikey lent me in my Audioquest Dragonfly review at OccupyHifi.org. I promised I would talk about them some more; so here's that article I know you've been dying for.
With the bluebonnets in bloom spring is a lovely time to travel in Texas. Bluebonnet the Lone Star state flower For music loving audiophiles no better excuse can be had for a springtime drive in Texas than the Lone Star Audio Fest held in Dallas, the first weekend of May for the past 11 years.... Read More »
My Hot Tub Epiphany, or: "Where the heck did my ice cubes go?" A funny thing happened to me a couple of weeks into writing this article. While relaxing one cool evening in my hot tub thinking-spot, I had an epiphany. About audio. Specifically, about how we internalize the sound of recorded music. And I... Read More »
I was a bit breathless. My friend and spiritual colleague David Robinson had invited me to sketch and cover a uniquely intriguing event at Princeton University’s Richardson Auditorium on Sunday, July 12, 2015. To kick off the Golandsky Institute’s summer series, noted pianist Ilya Itin was slated to perform the music of Scriabin and Rachmaninov.... Read More »
Grieg. Peer Gynt Suites. Six Orchestral Songs. Orchestra: Malmo Symphony. Conductor: Bjarte Engeset. Recording: Naxos CD8-570236 These Peer Gynt suites are the heart and soul of Grieg's incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play of the same name. This beautiful and very impressively melodic music is one of my personal favorites of all time. The immense... Read More »
Newark DE, July 09, 2015 -– HiFiMAN, a leading designer/manufacturer of high performance headphones and portable audio products, announced their most affordable full-size planar magnetic headphone, the HE-400S. At $299 MSRP, the HE400S is the least expensive planar headphone on the market yet it delivers unequalled performance, styling and comfort in its class. The HE400S... Read More »
MOON by Simaudio proudly introduces the MOON Nēo 230HAD Headphone Amplifier/Digital-to-Analog Converter, the newest addition to our MOON Nēo Series. Based heavily on the reference 430HA headphone amp and filling an immense void in the current headphone marketplace, the Nēo 230HAD offers exceptional performance at a price point that is virtually uninhabited. Additionally, music lovers... Read More »
For more than two decades I've been a fan of vibraphonist/pianist/band leader Ruben Estrada, whose lyrical delicacy and musical intensity define, and extend,the profound artistic heritage he absorbed on his way to Number One world class Latin jazz vibe and timbales guru. Estrada is an enormously modest man. His pride in his playing and his... Read More »
It so coincidentally happened that me and Wojtek, both love Japanese audio products. I admittedly prefer devices with tubes on board, but am also capable of appreciating solid-state devices manufactured in this country. It seems to me that almost every Japanese product apart from certain technologies, solutions, and so on, carries one more element that... Read More »
In Search of a Perfect Song… I recently republished that old article because I've had further opportunity to explore the concept. I began that article with a lesson about the difference between opinion and fact. Again I will remind you that this is my opinion of what makes a song perfect. Naturally, if you have... Read More »
"You paid too much for that junk! Take off those fake Vanilla Ice headphones and put on a pair of the real deal!" That's what I'd like to shout when I see somebody sporting one of those garish, neon metallic McHeadphones. Granted, that's hardly polite or inclusive, and who am I to go Grandpa Simpson on... Read More »
More and more interesting devices come to us from countries that, not that long ago, seemed to have nothing to offer for audiophiles, and today, to many people's of the West surprise, these countries deliver some widely appreciated products. Fortunately, as Heraklitus said, panta rhei. Many companies from behind Iron Curtain today are recognized an... Read More »
Audio consumers only want to know one thing: "Is it worth it?" You can write, speak, sing, or finger paint about audio products all you want, but nobody stops reading and starts buying until cash equals contentment. What's more, determining value is a tricky thing. The glamor goods have it easy. Speakers the size of... Read More »
As we move along the time continuum, expectations are that activities or whatever will become easier and easier. That is, what was time consuming and laborious, is now, and should become, faster and less difficult. These are the goals of a modern society. Which does not mean to make tasks or activities less fun or... Read More »
THE Show Newport Beach 2015, held on May 28-31, is in the books now…and what a show it was! Upwards of 9,000 people were in attendance…crowds everywhere…a terrific time for audiophiles from all over. Looking back on all of the audio shows that I've attended over the past 26 years, I'd say that this year's... Read More »
One of the interesting exhibits at the recent High End Audio show in Munich earlier this year featured Horch House. For those of you who aren't familiar with the company, Horch House is the analog audio division of Lutz Precision, a worldwide leader in auto making equipment based in Austria. While it probably seems a... Read More »
This article was originally published in Issue 26 of Positive Feedback. I decided to republish it because I've gotten the bug to write another article with some more perfect songs. Back when I wrote this article it seemed like I was a topic for discussion on message boards. I was everyone's favorite target because I... Read More »
If you love DSD downloads as much as I do, but haven't yet heard of High Definition Tape Transfers, then brother, let me do you a big favor. Some of the best DSD downloads now available in classical music and jazz are coming from Bob Witrak and his operation over at HDTT. Possessed of a... Read More »
The Always Unimaginable Future The First World War pre-dated the arrival of vivid sonic capture. It's not difficult to imagine that—despite the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914, which let loose animosities ready for release after Europe's and Asia's 1870 conflicts—almost anything might have helped stave off the disaster of that delusional... Read More »
The first time I listened to music with the Dragonfly was with a pair of Audeze LCD-XCs and a SubPac S2 Tactile Bass Ssytem! It sounded great, and the SubPac made it so much better. I've been using the Dragonfly with a pair of Sennheiser HD7s (with cushion pads) - and I'll be talking about them more soon.
Aight... (like "alright" in Brooklyn-slang) Time for a new sorta' Top Ten List here at Positive Feedback. We gotta slap some Sonic Satori flava on this one. First off however, I've got to give shout-outs to Dr. D (a.k.a David Robinson) for coming up with a kick-ass word that spawned the title (Aural—as it was initially called the... Read More »
For whatever reason, despite my best intentions, until now I've never had a chance to listen to any product of Austrian company Trenner&Friedl in my room. Sure, I listened to a few models during shows, also in friend's system, but never at home, never in my system. Each time I listened though, I was truly... Read More »
The latest Compact Disc player manufactured by the Japanese company C.E.C. (which I am going to simplify to CEC in this article), which was launched at the end of the last year, is officially called "CEC Belt Drive CD Player CD 5" (with the note: "USB Sound System - 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD128/5.6MHz"). So, everything... Read More »
It is with heavy hearts that we must share with you the sad news of the passing of a legendary man. Last night, the evening of November 4th, Harry Hall Pearson Jr. passed away peacefully in his home in Sea Cliff, NY, at the age of 77.
On Friday, after T.H.E. Show in Newport Beach—actually in Irvine—California, I went to dinner with PS Audio's Paul McGowan and company: Arnie Nudell, Bill Leebens, Scott Schroeder and Paul's son, Scott. Ostensibly, I was there to talk about something Paul wants to do that will probably involve me. But the talk took an interesting direction.... Read More »
When I speak about meeting Dan Clark of MrSpeakers I often talk about buying his original Mad Dog headphones without even listening to em! I was at one of our Los Angeles Head-Fi Meets a couple years ago, and my friend Jude Mansilla (Founder of Head-Fi.org) went to his booth and bought a pair. All I needed to hear was that the MD were a pair of closed-back planar magnetic headphones - and since Jude bought em on the spot, I figured they were good. Well, Jude was on as usual. Not only did Dan Clark give me a wonderful gift: The planar magnetic headphones experience without bothering others around me - they're also a damn good pair a' cans!
What kind of a watch does James Bond wear? That's easy; everybody knows that, at least as written by Ian Fleming, it's a Rolex Oyster Perpetual. Now, what kind of a car does he drive? Odds are that, whether in a book or a movie, it's an Aston-Martin, a Lotus, a BMW, or a Bentley... Read More »
Lets prove em' wrong. Many people think quality appreciators are snobs. Now, if you are a dweeby-snob get the fuck off my page - or, rather, STAY ON IT - But the truth is many of us MUSIC ADDICTS are tired of the ol' school high end audio BULLSHIT. I'm not interested in debate over this either. Truth is: I worked for the man, and most importantly, I honored the man who coined the fuckin' term. GET OVER IT. I have!
Singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett cites a poster hanging in her Grandmother's bathroom when she was a child as inspiration for the title of her first full-length album, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit (Mom+Pop Records MP221-2). Distilling the mundane into lyrical profundity extends beyond just the titular for Barnett, whose songs on... Read More »
To reiterate from Part 1... Before we get to our show report... here are a few general thoughts on shows and the people who attend: People count, in most cases, more than gear. You have to have an emotional connection to whatever is playing, so if your room is empty it might be because you... Read More »
