Roger Skoff, a portrait, Orange County, CA, 2023 (photograph and image processing by David W. Robinson) Roger Skoff writes about why things cost what they do Like everything else, the cost of HiFi gear has escalated over the last few years. Some might say that that's just because the whole world is caught in an... Read More »
The Doors 1967-1971 6-LP Set - Latest Installment in Label’s Acclaimed High Fidelity Audiophile Vinyl Series The Doors - Live in Detroit - Arrives On 4-LP Vinyl For the First Time Ever For Record Store Day’s Black Friday The Doors Anthology Book Night Divides The Day Available Now For Pre-Order RIAA Officially Certifies 12 of... Read More »
October 3rd, 2024 – Audiovector is pleased to announce the launch of its new Trapeze Reimagined loudspeaker in North America. This stunning new speaker combines classic design elements with the latest audio technology to deliver a refined performance that brings every genre of music to life. In 1979, Audiovector’s founder, Ole Klifoth, launched the Trapez—his... Read More »
For Immediate Release HIFIMAN Debuts Goldenwave GA-10 Tube Amplifier 10th Anniversary Model Features Top-Shelf Vacuum Tubes and Specially Designed 120W Transformer BELLMORE, NY, October 3, 2024 – HIFIMAN, a leader in high fidelity personal audio, debuted a new Goldenwave tube headphone amplifier at the recent CanJam SoCal 2024, featuring pure analog sonics that are unique to... Read More »
FOCAL DIVA UTOPIA The sensational wireless hi-fi loudspeaker from Focal October 2, 2024 - Focal presents DIVA UTOPIA, its first wireless, connected, active loudspeaker. This model is the result of five years of development and represents the leading French audio brand's commitment to excellence. It combines pure hi-fi sound, unique design, cutting-edge Naim electronics, and... Read More »
MUNICH → TOKYO → KRAKOW This is the story of how wireless, in-ear headphones belonging to the top-of-the-line "8000" series, model ZE8000, turned into my personal headphones, not only in the sense that I became their owner, but that they were personalized specifically for me. And it's not at all about cosmetics, appearance or equipment.... Read More »
Our tribe of dedicated audiophiles and music lovers met up in Dallas Texas the weekend of June 7-9 for the seventeenth Lone Star Audio Fest. LSAF is designed and executed to be different from typical HiFi shows. The emphasis is placed on hosting a low-cost experience encouraging individual audiophiles, DIYers/Makers, startups and smaller companies to... Read More »
L-505Z incorporates LECUA volume control and LIFES1.0 power amp stage BALLSTON SPA, New York, September 2024 – Luxman completes the Z Series line of integrated amplifiers with the introduction of the L-505Z. The new model represents the latest development in a series of 505 models going back to the L-505f of 2001, while introducing significant... Read More »
Acoustic Revive is a Japanese company founded in 1997 and led by Mr. Ken Ishiguro. It specializes in audio signal cables, anti-vibration products, but also has a range of innovative products, the ideas behind which usually come from the University of Tokyo. We are testing a system for data transmission and LAN conditioning. When, at... Read More »
Varèse Sarabande is a specialty imprint of Craft Recordings, and is one of the world's most prolific producers of motion picture and television soundtrack recordings. While originally established in 1972 as an avant garde classical music label, it has since found a successful niche specializing in the release of film scores, original soundtrack recordings, and... Read More »
This is an ongoing project by Claude Lemaire of Soundevaluations 241. Shelly Manne & His Men – At the Blackhawk Vol.1. Contemporary Records – S 7577 (1960), Craft Recordings – CR00601 (2024), Acoustic Sounds Series, 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: hard bop, cool jazz. As the title suggest, this is the first of four volumes of drummer Shelly... Read More »
September 24, 2024 – Succasunna, New Jersey. Orchard Audio is excited to announce a new partnership with Danville Signal and Hollis Audio Labs to provide an advanced audio solution for discerning music lovers and audiophiles. This collaboration will offer customers an exclusive package featuring Danville Signal's dspNexus 2/8 audio processor paired with up to eight... Read More »
Los Angeles, CA - T.H.E. Enterprises, the owner of America's longest-running HiFi show (T.H.E. Show) has acquired the New York Audio Show from the Chester Group. Under new ownership, the renamed and reimagined event, T.H.E. New York International Audio Show, will carry on the tradition of showcasing ultra-high-end audio solutions to audiophiles in the Eastern Seaboard... Read More »
Ye Olde Editor the seeker: A moment in Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Israel, 2022 (photograph by John Robinson). Well, actually from Long Valley, NJ, the home base of Bill Parish and GTT Audio. Because there's significant news from that site. Those of you who have been following my reviews, photo essays, and commentary over the years, you... Read More »
Dean Waters with Cigar: a study. 2023 Pacific Audio Fest, Seatac, WA (photograph and image processing by David W. Robinson) Throughout our lives we encounter special moments that are so transformative that we know that we will always remember exactly where we were and what we were doing the moment they occur. If you're old enough,... Read More »
I admit to being skeptical. In 2023 when Gary Gill and Lou Hinkley announced their plan to hold a new HiFi show called Southwest Audio Fest in Dallas Texas March 15-17, 2024 my first reaction was "does North America need another high-end audio show?" Apparently, it is not about needs, rather wants. And the Dallas... Read More »
When singer, songwriter, disco diva, and queer icon Sylvester walked onto the stage of San Francisco's War Memorial Opera House on March 11, 1979, it would prove to be not only an important pinnacle in his all too brief career, but also a historic moment for the city's LGBTQ+ community. The evening would become a... Read More »
Rhino Entertainment's High Fidelity Premium Vinyl Series continues with a pair of classic LP reissues from influential country rock performers Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, both of whose lives and music were inseparably entwined. Included are Gram Parsons' second and final studio album (and his undeniable masterpiece), Grievous Angel (Reprise Records, 1974), along with Emmylou... Read More »
Harold Tichenor continues his series of articles on reel-to-reel tape in this article on restoration copies. Dr. David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief Harold Tichenor at work on a RTR setup... Restoration copies are made from tapes that are deteriorating through wear, age, or inherent flaws. They are the means of assuring that the content is not... Read More »
Craft Recordings' revival of the Original Jazz Classics (OJC) series continues with another pair of exciting new 180 gram LP reissues. Including The New Miles Davis Quintet's classic 1956 session Miles (Prestige Records), along with a noteworthy collaboration between trumpeter Clark Terry and Thelonious Monk, 1958's In Orbit (Riverside Records). Both are landmark recordings of... Read More »
RHINO HIGH FIDELITY Premium Vinyl Series Celebrates Americana Month Limited Edition Reissues Of Luxury Liner & Grievous Angel from Musical Collaborators Emmylou Harris & Gram Parsons High-End Remastering Of Classic Country Rock Staples Available Exclusively At Rhino.com ORDER NOW LOS ANGELES—Rhino High Fidelity (Rhino Hi-Fi) returns with the latest additions to its acclaimed limited-edition, high-end... Read More »
Miles in France - Miles Davis Quintet 1963/64: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8 Available as a 6CD / 8LP set featuring over four hours of previously-unreleased music and new liner notes by Marcus J.Moore 2LP break-out set features all recordings from Paris 1964 with The Second Great Quintet Preview Miles In France today with a never-heard version... Read More »
Roger Skoff doesn't write about sour grapes In a previous article, I wrote about how one manufacturer of exceptionally fine High-End audio electronics had had to raise the price of his products in order to be able to sell them. It was all a vicious cycle that worked like this: In order to get the... Read More »
There are few if any male rock voices that I find more interesting and pleasing than the one possessed by Alex Chilton (1950-2010) during the sixties. The gritty, soulful, and expressive voice that Chilton used during his tenure with The Box Tops never, to my knowledge, reemerged on recordings after 1970. Rock historians are quick... Read More »
Mahler: Symphony 4. Netania Davrath, soprano; Utah Symphony/Maurice Abravanel. Vanguard Classics SVC-24 (CD, 1995, orig. rec. 1968). TT: 52.14 Downloads: archive.org (processed from LP); ca.7digital.com (Canada only); us.7digital.com (U.S. only) The charismatic Leonard Bernstein, with his equally prodigious gifts for music and self-promotion, has been accepted unquestioningly in many quarters as the great Mahler pioneer, but... Read More »
When I hear that Gonzalo Noqué is releasing a new Pure DSD256 recording on his Eudora Records label, my ears prick up. When I find that he is recording the excellent pianist Susana Gomez Vazquez, I'm doubly on alert. Her playing is just scintillating and her choice of programming is always intriguing. And so, when... Read More »
XACT is proud to announce the launch of two groundbreaking products that set new benchmarks in high-fidelity audio performance: the XACT S1 EVO Music Server and the XACT PHANTOM™ USB and LAN Cables. These new offerings cater to the most discerning audiophiles, delivering exceptional sound quality through advanced engineering, meticulous craftsmanship, and innovative design. XACT... Read More »
The labels represented in NativeDSD's catalog continue to deliver outstanding performances in great sounding recordings. NativeDSD is just a stunning resource for those who love immaculate high resolution recordings made by some of the best recording engineers working today (Jared Sacks of Channel Classics, Brendon Heinst of TRPTK, Gonzalo Noqué of Eudora, Jake Purches of... Read More »
The Mk II upgrade to our globally best-selling Hana S series cartridges enhance both their musical performance and value. Master cartridge designer Masao Okada implements a new tapered Aluminum cantilever with increased rigidity, resulting in a remarkable improvement transferring groove modulation from vinyl record to the cartridge generator. The S Series Mk II cartridges feature... Read More »
September 2, 2024 – MOON is pleased to announce that North Collection Bridges are now available. The North Collection Bridges are designed to improve system performance and to complement the style of these premium audio products. Stacking two units with North Collection Bridges realizes its distinctive aesthetic and increases stability and airflow between them to... Read More »
This article by Jeff Day originally ran in Positive Feedback ISSUE 45 September/October 2009, so while we call this section "New Old Stock - Articles from Our Days in Print" you are also going to see some articles from our early days of going online. It's common knowledge that cleaning vinyl records makes a big... Read More »
Craft Recordings' latest noteworthy release of classic jazz has just arrived, and it's a compilation of some of the finest recorded works by legendary alto saxophonist Charlie Parker. Ornithology: The Best of Bird features a selection of classic studio tracks from Parker's mid-1940's sessions for Savoy Records; the studio sessions are supplemented with a group... Read More »
Rhino Entertainment is heralding jazz guitarist and vocalist George Benson’s return to the Warner Music Group with the release of his long lost orchestral album, 1989’s Dreams Do Come True: When George Benson Meets Robert Farnon. The orchestral tracks for the album were recorded in London during a fertile and prolific period while Benson was... Read More »
Pioneers of the original wireless hi-res multi-room streamer bring you the expertly designed NODE NANO, NODE, and NODE ICON with re-designed hardware and rich, new audio features. TORONTO, CANADA, AUGUST 20, 2024 – BLUESOUND, the original wireless hi-res multi-room music brand, today announces three new wireless music streamers, the NODE NANO, NODE, and flagship NODE... Read More »
September 21 and 22, 2024 | Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware — Saturday – Sunday, September 21nd and 22rd: Doug White, of The Voice That Is, in cooperation with the Philadelphia Area Audio Group and the New Jersey Audio Society, will host a two-day event featuring great music on vinyl only (no digital) and open... Read More »
Anna Fedorova performing selections from Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, from YouTube video linked below. Anna Fedorova is among the greatest pianists performing and recording today. Sure, my opinion. But well judged. Anna plays organically, self-effacingly. She consistently lets the music flow forth for its own sake, never as a way of saying "look at... Read More »
M66 wins EISA award for its sonic performance, unique flexibility, and range of connectivity options TORONTO, CANADA, AUGUST 15, 2024 – NAD Electronics, the highly regarded manufacturer of high-performance audio/video components, announced today that the M66 BluOS Streaming DAC-Preamplifier has won the 2024-2025 EISA Streaming Preamplifier Award. Expert Imaging and Sound Awards, known as EISA, is an association... Read More »
