The Silence Between, Pieter van Loenen, violin, and Tobias Borsboom, piano, TRPTK (2021, DSD256, DXD) HERE The Silence Between is a marvelously transparent recording of superb performances of five engagingly melodic, tonal 20th century works. (Well, almost. The Debussy piece comes from 1890 but clearly looks forward to the next century.) In this brilliant recording,... Read More »
Now Available for Pre-Order & Shipping 3/31/21, the U18s Combines Proprietary Drivers, LID Technology, and a New Electronic Crossover Network to Deliver a Uniquely Exceptional Listening Experience VANCOUVER, Wash., March 19, 2021 - 64 Audio, the leader in custom and universal fit in-ear monitors, is proud to announce the launch of the U18s, the new audiophile-grade, universal... Read More »
WestminsterLab is a company founded in London (hence the name), currently headquartered in Hong Kong, run by Angus Leung. Its offer includes connection cables and amplifiers, belonging to the top high-end level. For this review we received the Quest preamplifier and REI monoblocks; the preamplifier has its premier in HF. There are brands in audio... Read More »
Volti Audio Presents . . . “Lichtenberg Figuring” or “Fractal Burning” as it has become known, is a technique that uses high-voltage electrical currents to ‘burn’ dazzling tree-like figures into the wood finish of our speakers. The resulting figures are 3D in nature, burned down into the wood veneer of the cabinets, and then sprayed... Read More »
Chest-pounding, musical bass with accuracy and depth from a shockingly compact 10-inch cabinet that fits anywhere. The miniature yet mighty SVS 3000 Micro subwoofer seamlessly blends into any room and speaker system, energizing the space with astonishingly rich, effortless, and detailed bass that’s all the more impressive given its micro-sized enclosure. Featuring innovations from the... Read More »
We are proud to announce that the DMS-700 Network Audio Player has received Roon Ready certification from Roon Labs. Roon is a rich and engaging way to browse, organize, and listen to music. Artist photos, credits, bios, reviews, lyrics, tour dates, and composers are located automatically, then interconnected by links to build a surfable digital magazine. Roon is also... Read More »
Effective immediately, Franc Audio Accessories’ equipment Racks and Platforms will be distributed throughout the US and Canada by Monarch Systems Ltd. 17 March, 2021: Englewood, Colorado – Monarch Systems Ltd. is proud to announce our appointment as the official distribution partner of Franc Audio Accessories, manufacturer of high-quality and highperformance audio isolation furniture. Established in... Read More »
Qobuz to sponsor London-based label Mercury KX artist showcase at SXSW Online 2021 Contemporary Classical / Electronic music composers Sebastian Plano, Lambert, Luke Howard, and Sophie Hutchings will each perform a set to commence the SXSW music programme each day Qobuz, the only hi-res streaming platform of SXSW, is sponsoring the Mercury KX artist showcase... Read More »
March 16, 2021 - Focal, the French brand renowned worldwide for its audio expertise, unveils a new reference: Clear Mg. In addition to their sophisticated finishes, the sound reproduction of these open-back headphones is even sharper than that of their Clear predecessor. The luxury of Focal products lies in their performance and the experience they... Read More »
MOON’s 280D streaming DAC has been upgraded and updated to increase its already formidable connectivity options. At the heart of the 280D is the industry leading MiND2 streaming module, now featuring Spotify Connect and AirPlay 2, plus Tidal Masters, Deezer Hi-Fi, HIGHRESAUDIO* and Qobuz Sublime+ music services. The MOON 280D is designed to deliver an... Read More »
If you stop to think about it, you'll see that all of everything about our hobby—the music we love, the gear we give so much of our wealth and interest to, and the rooms we listen in—is about vibration. The recorded music we listen to is a vibration in the air caused by the vibration... Read More »
HASSE: Il Tigrane: Overture and Arias; VIVALDI: Il Tigrane: Arias; GLUCK: Il Tigrane: Arias. Isabel Bayrakdarian, soprano; Kansas City Symphony Orchestra/Constantine Orbelian. Delos DE 3591. TT: 64.06. Downloads: Amazon.com (mp3); boxset.me (FLAC); qobuz.com (various formats) Did you know about this Cleopatra? I certainly didn't. Cleopatra of Pontus married King Tigranes the Great (Tigranes II) of Armenia, in... Read More »
The Japanese company Accuphase was set up in 1972 as Kensonic Laboratory, Inc. in Tokyo and after it moved to Yokohama in 1973, its products have born the Accuphase logo. It used to specialize in amplifiers and radio tuners, and later also in CD and SACD players. We are testing its latest, top-of-the-range C-3900 line... Read More »
Verona, WI, March 10, 2021– Perlisten Audio, a new audio company founded by an all-star team of industry professionals, today announced that its products are available to U.S. dealers through Fidelity Imports, an importer and distributor of some of the world’s finest audio products. Fidelity Imports is the exclusive distribution company to offer Perlisten products... Read More »
MOON is pleased to announce that its streaming products* now offer Spotify Connect. The addition of Spotify Connect, together with the recent introduction of AirPlay 2 to the feature set, ensures MOON’s streamers continue to offer industry-leading connectivity. Spotify Connect is the quickest and easiest way to access Spotify’s immense library of music and podcasts.... Read More »
High end, two-channel audio systems have gone through a major transformation over the past decade. Systems that were once driven exclusively by vinyl and CDs are now largely run by content stored on NAS drives and servers. In order to ensure that audiophiles can enjoy the ease of streaming music without having to concede the fidelity... Read More »
At the peak of his career, Chesney "Chet" Baker represented the epitome of jazz cool, and along with the likes of Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Gerry Mulligan, and Stan Getz was one of the principal figures of the "West Coast Jazz" movement centered between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Baker relished living the fast life,... Read More »
HE400se Open-Back Headphone Features an Ultra-wide Soundstage, Detailed Spatial Imaging BELLMORE, NY, March 4, 2021 – HIFIMAN, the leader in high fidelity personal audio, will soon ship a powerful new planar magnetic headphone that offers outstanding audio at a mass market price. The new HE400se ($149) is an open-back planar magnetic headphone that employs single-ended drivers to deliver a wide... Read More »
March 3, 2021 Covid has obviously thrown more wrenches into the audio show schedule. Considering the constantly changing dates of some shows this year we want to assure everyone that if we cannot safely hold the Pacific Audio Fest on our scheduled dates (July 30-Aug. 1 2021) then we will simply refund all deposits and... Read More »
Light In The Attic Records (LITA) is a record label based in Seattle that has a certain knack for the unconventional, and has specialized over the last couple of decades in reissuing obscure, underrepresented, and sometimes virtually unknown artists. With the intent of bringing that unknown gem of an album, or perhaps a lesser-known artists'... Read More »
Craft Recordings completes their 50th anniversary celebration of the founding of Creedence Clearwater Revival with new LP reissues of the band's final two albums, Pendulum and Mardi Gras. 1970's Pendulum—which was CCR's second album release that year (Cosmo's Factory streeted only months earlier in July)—was recorded in a month in November, and was released only... Read More »
Part 1: The Awaking Late October of last year, a friend of mine who lives in Wichita Kansas, came to visit me for a jam session and a guitar lesson. We had a great time, and when he made it back home, he sent me a text photo of a vinyl haul he'd snagged at... Read More »
Melco’s latest 4.10 firmware enables its Japanese-engineered libraries for the latest version of Roon 25th February, 2021, Surrey, UK: Leading digital music library specialist Melco Audio has today released a new over-the-air firmware update (4.10) which brings Roon Ready integration to its five-strong EX Series of digital libraries, enabling them to exploit the... Read More »
23rd February 2021, Kent, UK: In a new article posted on the Neil Young Archives, Neil Young and Phil Baker describe how they currently use Chord Electronics' Mojo DAC/headphone amplifier with their phones and desktops. They created a web page dedicated to correct Mojo set up to help their members enjoy all that Neil Young... Read More »
American drummer Steve Gadd has performed with some of the most iconic names in music, including Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, Paul McCartney and Steely Dan. So, when the legendary drummer raves about the jazz he creates with saxophonist Michael Blicher and organist Dan Hemmer, it behooves music lovers to listen. They can do just that... Read More »
This article originally ran in Volume 5, No. 2 of Positive Feedback Back in the Tube Saddle Again It's been a while, hasn't it? A couple of loudspeakers and a DAC got in the way, but now I'm back with a big embrace of those thermionic devices that I've grown to love. Since our last... Read More »
Norman Varney of AV RoomService Ltd. has joined Positive Feedback as a Senior Technical Editor as of Issue 113. His expertise in his field of audio acoustics and experience in the field makes him a helpful voice in our creative community for the audio arts. As has been our wont from the beginning of PF,... Read More »
Introducing DualCoherent™ 2 Sonja Series Upgraded YG Acoustics is pleased to announce DualCoherent 2, a significant advance in one of our core and unique technologies. DualCoherent 2 builds on YG’s industry-leading DualCoherent crossover technology, further optimised through the powerful modelling capabilities of Cambridge Acoustic Sciences (CAS) https://cambridgeacousticsciences.com/. Working together with CAS, we measured the electronic... Read More »
New Music App Offers a Wider Range of Music-streaming Services and Enhanced Usability, with More Upgrades to Follow. WORTHING, UK (February 12, 2021)—Bowers & Wilkins, the leading global premium audio brand, is proud to announce an exciting new development to its Formation wireless technology platform. Launching on February 12th, the new Bowers & Wilkins Music... Read More »
We are blessed once again by some fine reflections from our good friend and brother, John Marks, he of The Tannhauser Gate fame. This time around we read his thoughts on the Graham Audio Chartwell LS6 Monitor Loudspeaker. I always fine John's commentary to be excellent reading, a blend of audio experience, music, deep insight, and... Read More »
Qobuz, the first Hi-Res music streaming service, is celebrating its two year anniversary in the US on February 14th. A love letter to the audiophile community, Qobuz streams in up to 24-bit / 192 kHz, and offers editorial content, liner notes, lyric booklets, and other musichead content found nowhere else. With the best sound quality... Read More »
Treat Your Headphones to McIntosh Vacuum Tube Amplification Binghamton, NY – February 4, 2021 – McIntosh, the global leader in prestigious home entertainment and ultimate-quality audio for 70 years, is proud to introduce the MHA200 Vacuum Tube Headphone Amplifier. The McIntosh MHA200 Vacuum Tube Headphone Amplifier is designed for discerning headphone enthusiasts who demand the... Read More »
If you're a serious audiophile, one of the things you can be certain of is that you're eventually going to have a problem. If you're lucky, it might just be that something in your system breaks or, like tubes and some other kinds of electrical or mechanical parts, eventually wears out. If you're less lucky,... Read More »
No, not quite done yet. RSX Technologies MAX Power Cable and the RSX Technologies Power8 Multi-Outlet Power Box The RSX Technologies MAX Power Cable. All images courtesy of RSX Technologies. Disclaimer first: Roger Skoff, formerly of XLO Cables, has been writing essays for Positive Feedback for a few years now. Back in 2019 he started... Read More »
I am indebted to David P. Goldman‘s wonderful Tablet magazine article on the place of classical music in Israeli society for introducing me to the young pianist Noam Sivan, who is recovering the lost art of classical-piano improvisation. Born in 1978, Sivan has taught at the Curtis Institute and the Juilliard School. Currently he is Professor of Piano Improvisation at the... Read More »
Okay so I have always been about removing or filtering out "noise" or whatever crap is in the signal or wherever… stuff that can cloud or obscure the music. Been after this ever since I realized it was there. Crap that gets in the way of the music. AC conditioners, AC regenerators, signal filters, grounding... Read More »
This is an ongoing project by Claude Lemaire of Soundevaluations 161. Diahann Carroll and The André Previn Trio, Porgy and Bess. United Artists Records UAS 5021, United Artists Records UAS 4021 (mono) (Can.) (1959), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: jazz, musical. I loves you Porgy... let me count the ways. There are several interpretations of Gershwin's work—originally considered by... Read More »
