This isn't the first time that I've expressed my love for sampler LPs, and it probably won't be the last. Some of them sound awful, but the ones that sound great are a pleasure to own. One of the main reasons I love samplers is because they provide me the opportunity to hear songs and... Read More »
Welcome to Ho, Ho, Ho, mistletoe, and all that jazz once again! Craft Recordings brings us another selection of Christmas albums this year, and they're certain to brighten any holiday celebration. Included among Craft's offerings is an expanded reissue version of the classic A Charlie Brown Christmas, available as Super Deluxe Edition CD/BluRay sets and... Read More »
Ye Olde Editor presenting the first LAOC AS MUSE Award to Abey Fonn…in ink outline, no less! (Photograph by unknown; image processing by yours truly) The weekend of December 2-3, 2023, saw the Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society (LAOC AS) hold its 30th Anniversary Gala celebration. Following is a collection of photographs that... Read More »
Chicago, IL 12/12/2023 – Music Hall, the well-known audio brand recognized for offering high-quality yet affordable audio components and turntables, announces a change in ownership. Turntable USA, a new venture led by industry veterans James Davis, Norbert Schmied, and Jonathan Derda, has acquired the Music Hall brand. This transition secures Music Hall's mission started by... Read More »
Prokofiev Lieutenant Kije, Stravinsky Song of the Nightingale, Fritz Reiner, Chicago Symphony Orchestra. HDTT 1958 2023 (DSD256, DXD) HERE One of the glories of the RCA Living Stereo catalog now in glorious sonics from HDTT. These recordings of Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kije (1957) and Stravinsky's Song of a Nightingale (1956) performed by Fritz Reiner and the... Read More »
Beginning at the end of 2003, PF established its first annual awards for fine audio. The Brutus Award was established for the best that David Robinson and Dave and Carol Clark had heard in their own listening rooms during that year. You can think of it as our equivalent of an "Editors' Choice" award. The Gizmo Award,... Read More »
There are many reasons to collect records, and the best and most common reason is for the music. However, if you also care about sound, and you own a high end audio system, the sound can be, as it is to me, just as important. You can also collect LPs like people collect stamps and... Read More »
Uncompromising Top of the Line Performance Extraordinary Value E3’s striking black and blue design aesthetic, ergonomic shape, and Gorilla Glass 3 clad cups are just a taste of the the exciting upgrades to our midrange lineup. E3 is a closed-back headphone that delivers DCA’s signature open-back listening experience with all the benefits of closed-cup isolation.... Read More »
New proprietary 12-inch driver, optimized motor mechanics and a 300W Class AB amplifier combine to deliver exceptional levels of performance for audiophile music and film devotees. Las Vegas, NV, November 28, 2023 – World renowned for its signature high output, low-distortion audio engineering and trusted by musicians, studios, live sound engineers and audiophiles over five decades, The Acoustic... Read More »
A revolutionizing streaming DAC unit with unprecedented musical authenticity and aesthetic proficiency Aavik is excited to announce the launch the Aavik SD-880, the newest member of the flagship 880 series, our first ever streaming DAC. A further result of the unique collaboration of Michael Børresen's outstanding audio engineering skills and Flemming Erik Rasmussen's exceptional artistic... Read More »
SONORE is excited to announce the new Optical Rendu V.3 and the new Signature Rendu SE V.3 are now available! Both include an upgraded ethernet switch chip, which yields even less phase noise compared to our record performing V.2 line (Signature Rendu yields -155db peak noise @ 80Hz). Both maintain incredible noise isolation, creating a... Read More »
A portrait of Dean Waters at Pacific Audio Fest 2023 (photograph and image processing by David W. Robinson) In November of 2023 Chandos Records released their seventh album in their Music in Exile series. Each album in this series of recordings focuses on a different composer who was forced to flee their homeland to avoid... Read More »
Roger Skoff tells it like it is, and why When I recently Googled the question, "What is the best HiFi system in the world," I found that American Songwriter magazine had published the following (HERE). Quick Summary of the Best Home Stereo Systems Denon D-M41 (Best Overall) Bose Wave SoundTouch Music System IV (Best Compact Home Stereo... Read More »
Graphite Audio is a young Polish brand, established in 2020 after many years of work on successive anti-vibration solutions. Its founder and designer is Szymon Rutkowski. The company offers isolation platforms, cones, speaker spike bases and cable isolation stands. This is a premiere test of the Classic 100 Ultra platform. The High End Exhibition in... Read More »
The KECES has been striving to remove the ambient noise from audio, and to make you enjoy the pure and crystal-clear sound quality, just like live performance. The new stereo preamplifier S4 is the world’s first preamplifier which build in DS Audio’s equalizer. This new launched of preamplifier with build in DS audio EQ and... Read More »
Buffalo, NY, November 21, 2023 -- Bluebird Music, distributor of high-performance audio products since 2000, is pleased to announce the availability of the new Canton Reference Series loudspeakers. Canton is one of seven brands distributed by Bluebird, along with AVM (Audio Video Manufaktur) electronics, Jadis vacuum tube electronics, SME tonearms and turntables, Questyle personal audio products, Fezz Audio vacuum tube electronics, and Weiss DACs. Canton has been a leader in loudspeaker... Read More »
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Chicago, IL - November 21, 2023 MoFi Distribution proudly introduces the new MoFi Electronics MasterDeck turntable, a reference grade product designed by master turntable maker Allen Perkins. Created by vinyl lovers for those with the desire to accurately reveal and experience the true music embedded deep in the groves of their vinyl LP collection. The MasterDeck... Read More »
Vacuum Swing Arm Allows for Simultaneous Cleaning of Two Sides of a Record; Powerful New Rotation Motor Turns the Record GRAND RAPIDS, MI, November 20, 2023 – Pangea Audio, a developer and manufacturer of high performance, high value audio accessories, announced today a new edition of its acclaimed Record Doctor vacuum record cleaning machines that simultaneously... Read More »
Greetings friends, I hope you are doing well! In August of 2019 the Shuguang Electron Tube Factory was shut down in preparation for a move to a new location. By March 2020 the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a worldwide pandemic, which would result in the shut down of most vacuum tube production still operating... Read More »
Craft Recordings has just released a new 25th Anniversary Edition of R.E.M.'s 1998 album Up, which was the iconic group's first outing as a trio in the aftermath of drummer Bill Berry's retirement from the band. My limited exposure to post-Bill Berry R.E.M. wasn't particularly favorable at the time of that string of albums' original... Read More »
Dr. Tom Davis has a longtime association with Positive Feedback. He was a very active contributor to the magazine back in the 1990s during our paper 'n ink days and a hale and hearty audio friend. He is now joining us once again, and I could not be more pleased! His writing is always worth... Read More »
As a child of the 60s, I heard some of the greatest rock and roll ever created, and the place I heard much of it was in the back seat of my mom's car. As I lived in Los Angeles, the number of AM radio stations that played rock and roll was vast, and therefore... Read More »
Craft Recordings is offering another exciting line-up of limited-edition LPs for the upcoming November 24th Black Friday celebration of Record Store Day (RSD). Craft's offering of rarities and specialty releases are just a handful among literally hundreds of cool records that will be available online and at your favorite independent record store. For Black Friday,... Read More »
20%* off on all home products, including: Focal Theva, Vestia, Kanta speakers All Focal Headphones Celestee - $639 sale price Clear Mg - $1,199 sale price Stellia - $2,399 sale price Utopia 2022 - $3,999 sale price ^10% off Focal Bathys - $629 sale price Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition - $3,039 sale price Naim... Read More »
Craft Recordings continues their impressive Original Jazz Classics reboot with a brilliant pair of live album reissues, featuring the Dave Brubeck Quartet's Jazz At Oberlin (1953, Fantasy Records) and the Bill Evans Trio's Sunday At The Village Vanguard (1961, Riverside Records). Dave Brubeck's Jazz At Oberlin showcases an earlier incarnation of the group that would... Read More »
Meze Audio is introducing Empyrean II – innovative open-back, planar magnetic headphones that mark the brand’s continuous pursuit of audio perfection. Building on the acclaim of the original Empyrean - already one of the most technologically advanced designs – this new generation emerges as a symphony of artistry, innovation and craftsmanship. (MSRP: $2,999) The Empyrean II will... Read More »
Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition, Fritz Reiner, Chicago Symphony Orchestra. HDTT 1957 2023 (DSD256, DXD "Redux") HERE Just superb - you owe it to yourself to get this! This recording from December 7, 1957, in Orchestra Hall, Chicago, is a world treasure. It is among the earliest stereo recordings released on LP (1958) and it... Read More »
New Bluetooth 5.2 Earbud Represents a “Light Luxury” Approach to Reference-Quality Wireless Audio BELLMORE, NY, November 6, 2023 – HIFIMAN, the leader in high fidelity personal audio, today introduced the new SVANAR Wireless LE, a “light luxury” edition of its reference True Wireless® earbud, SVANAR Wireless. The new SVANAR Wireless LE ($299) is a full range... Read More »
BELLMORE, NY, November 6, 2023 – HIFIMAN, the leader in high fidelity personal audio, is now shipping a new True Wireless® earbud, SVANAR Wireless Jr, that is a follow-up to its reference wireless earbud, SVANAR Wireless. The new model, which is available at a suggested retail price of $179, offers many of the same sonic... Read More »
Totaldac is a French audio manufacturer, founded in 2010 by Vincent Brient. Its headquarters are located near Mont Saint-Michel, a rocky island in the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, in the English Channel. The company specializes in digital-to-analog converters and audio file players. It also offers a range of amplifiers, speakers and accessories to improve digital signal... Read More »
The veteran pianist shows that his musical creativity is still blossoming with his brilliant debut for evosound. Famed for his light touch, exquisite musical sensitivity, and hard-swinging approach to the piano, jazz master Tsuyoshi Yamamoto (山本 剛) has enjoyed a long and storied career that has yielded over 50 albums, seen him play alongside American... Read More »
Southaven, MS, October 26th, 2023 – American Audio & Video (AA&V), a division of Jam Industries USA, LLC, is thrilled to share that Cyrus Audio has launched a brand-new high-end turntable, the TTP turntable. Cyrus Audio are looking forward to celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2024 so much so that they have decided to... Read More »
I'm far from being an expert on Hawaiian music, but I'm crazy about it. LPs, both stereo and mono, of Hawaiian music have provided me with decades of pleasure. I also love the way vintage Hawaiian records sound, because they often sound amazing. I currently own 55 Hawaiian LPs, and I used to have more.... Read More »
Premier Divine Acoustics is a Polish specialized company, founded in 2003 by Piotr Galkowski. It’s core business are loudspeakers, but the lineup also includes an anti-vibration platform, anti-vibration feet and loudspeaker cables. Divine Acoustics products are in-house developments, significantly different from other products of those kinds available on the market. We are Premier testing its... Read More »
Bartók Concertos. Bartók Piano Concertos 1-3, Pascal Rogé, piano; London Symphony/Walter Weller. Violin Concerto 1, Kyung-Wha Chung, violin; Chicago Symphony/Sir Georg Solti. Violin Concerto 2, Iona Brown, violin; Philharmonia Orchestra/Simon Rattle. Two Portraits, Chantal Juillet, violin; Montreal Symphony/Charles Dutoit. Decca Eloquence 480 2320 (2 CDs). TT: 79.30, 78.13. Downloads: Amazon.com (all except Violin Concerto 2) This compact collection, fitting Bartók's major concerti onto... Read More »
Toronto (pronounced: Tir-ran-Nah) is a Native Canadian word for "place of high taxation." It was also the city where TAF 2023 (the Toronto Audio Fest) was held at the Westin Toronto Airport Hotel from Friday 20 October to Sunday 22 October 2023. The Westin is located right next door to Hell…er, ehm…the Lester B. Pearson... Read More »
Rhino Entertainment has just released Devo: 50 Years of De-Evolution (1973-2023), a box set that celebrates the legacy of the iconic band and their 50th anniversary as performers. Devo's genre-bending style of rock and roll bounded across a half-century of art punk, new wave, post-punk, and synth pop, and their nine studio albums never failed... Read More »
