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 »
Rhino Entertainment is celebrating the 30th anniversary of cheeky and eclectic alternative icons Ween and their classic fourth studio album, Chocolate and Cheese, with an expanded, 180 gram, 3-LP Chocolate and Cheese (Deluxe Edition). The elaborate gatefold LP jacket contains the remastered original album spread across two LPs, which was necessary to accommodate an album... Read More »
Lou Hinkley of Pacific Audio Fest Lou Hinkley is the owner of Daedalus Audio and a partner with Gary Gill in PAF and the new Southwest Audio Fest in the Dallas, TX area of the USA. In this essay he shares his thoughts about high-end audio and audio shows. "It was the best of times... Read More »
Craft Recordings' and Acoustic Sounds continue their partnership with the second title in the Bluesville Series reboot, this time featuring Mississippi Delta bluesman Skip James' seminal 1966 Vanguard recording, Today! The LP was pressed by Acoustic Sounds' Quality Record Pressing (QRP) on 180 gram vinyl; Craft and QRP are also collaborating on the Contemporary Jazz... Read More »
If you listen to digital, love classic jazz and the golden age of stereo classical recordings, then surely you have been listening to the outstanding releases from Bob Witrak's High Definition Tape Transfers. Bob's transfers to high resolution digital (DSD256 and DXD) very typically sound better than the releases from the labels themselves. You know—the... Read More »
Everybody says it and I'm confirming it. Moving sucks! And as an audiophile with two turntables, two speakers that weigh 130 pounds each, an eighty pound tube amp, and a huge LP collection (and a pretty damn large CD collection as well), moving doesn't double suck, it triple sucks! Having said all of this, it's... Read More »
Renowned A/V electronics distributor and UK-based specialist audio group combine to build awareness of emerging brands in North America. TORONTO, CANADA, AUGUST 13, 2024 – Lenbrook Americas, a distributor of leading premium audio brands in the North American market, and Monitor Audio Group, the UK-based owner of the emerging high-fidelity British brands, Roksan and Blok, are... Read More »
Alta Audio, the company that combines advanced technology and outstanding aesthetics to create industry-leading home audio loudspeakers, will be front and center at Pacific Audio Fest with its reference tower speaker, Aphrodite. Joining with Infigo Audio in its Grand Ballroom #2 display, Aphrodite ($50,000/pair with a 15% up-charge for pantone colors other than black), includes a custom-designed... Read More »
Rhino just pulled out all the stops with a surprise new release: the Rhino High Fidelity Premium Vinyl Series inaugural box set, ZZ Top's From The Top: 1971-1976, which shines a light on the raucous boogie ‘n blues rockers first five albums. No advance press release was issued, there were no product shots, and zero... Read More »
Debuting on vinyl and available for pre-order today, the album features three B-sides, plus an unreleased alternative mix Click here to pre-order Los Angeles, CA (August 6, 2024) – Craft Recordings and Independiente are proud to announce an expanded vinyl reissue for Martina Topley-Bird's 2003 critically acclaimed and Mercury Award-nominated debut album Quixotic. Available for pre-order today, and due out September 6th, the expanded 2-LP edition housed in... Read More »
THE COVETED 1976 FUSION MASTERPIECE TO BE RELEASED VIA JAZZ DISPENSARY’S TOP SHELF SERIES Masterminded by the Fattoruso Brothers, Airto Moreira, and Hermeto Pascoal, the newly-remastered album includes underground favorites “African Bird,” “Tombo,” “ Golden Wings,” and “Corre Niña” Click here to pre-order or stream Goldenwings Los Angeles, CA (August 6, 2024)—Craft Recordings and Jazz Dispensary proudly announce the long-awaited vinyl reissue of Goldenwings, the 1976 fusion masterpiece from Uruguayan... Read More »
The now available 5-model RUBIKORE speaker series will debut in North America at Audio Advice Live 2024 Audio Advice Live, Raleigh, North Carolina – Following the successful launches of the flagship DALI KORE and more recently the EPIKORE-11 speakers, DALI continues their 40-year legacy of loudspeaker research and development with the new RUBIKORE Series of Premium HiFi... Read More »
Jazz Dispensary is one of the specialty imprints of Craft Recordings that's dedicated to mining the riches of Concord Music's vast catalog of labels. Jazz Dispensary employs "sound sommeliers" to comb the archives, looking for the finest original sources there for less well-known masterpieces of funk, soul, jazz, fusion, and all the related genres they... Read More »
1st Aug 2024. Press Release. Merrill Audio Advanced Technology Labs, LLC is pleased to announce the ELEMENT 110 Power Amplifier Monoblocks, which is certain to set a new standard for Power amplifiers in the 300 Watt range. As a world class phone preamplifier, the ELEMENT 110 reproduces rich music tones, with precise wide sound staging, a... Read More »
