A few things on my mind here. Make that two things; digital and analog. Digital as in getting the bits from A to B (in this respect the Diamond Revision 30th Anniversary USB cable from Purist Audio Design - $2100 for the 1.5 meter I have here) and analog in getting the signal from A... Read More »
3rd June 2020, Kent, United Kingdom: Chord Electronics is delighted to announce a new partnership with US company, The Sound Organisation, to distribute its British-built audio ranges in North America and Canada; the Kent company’s decision to appoint The Sound Organisation is effective immediately. Chord Electronics would like to take the opportunity to thank Jay... Read More »
Herein the latest from our goodly colleague, John Marks, editor of The Tannhauser Gate, his worthy and informative blog site. He points us to a male soprano whose voice would delight the angels. O! Can he sing! Dr. David W. Robinson, Ye Olde Editor "Well, the Welsh do sing, do they not?" I murmured to myself, upon... Read More »
AURALiC introduces a category-wide update to its award-winning G2 and GX Product Range: Series G2.1/GX.1. The G2 Series now stands as one of AURALiC’s most successful projects. The effects of this effort have served as an important lesson to the team: that digitally oriented audiophiles prize above all else: sonic performance, industrial design, and diversity... Read More »
Danacable Lazuli Isolation Sale extended through June 30. Thanks to the enthusiastic response, our Danacable Lazuli Isolation Sale raised $1,500 for the selected charities in May 2020. As the Covid crisis continues, we have extended the sale through June 30. The same conditions apply; see the Danacable Web Site for details.
From Positive Feedback magazine in print, Vol. 5, No. 6, Summer, 1995 The prospect of doing the first review of a new loudspeaker from the hands of Albert Von Schweikert filled me at the same time with excitement and with anxiety. The excitement was understandable. I had owned and cherished a pair of his Vortex... Read More »
While he was in quarantine from the terrible plague that was raging in London, Shakespeare wrote King Lear. That is a hard act to follow. I don't think I am going to manage writing anything nearly so significant while stuck here in quarantine. I have spent a lot of time talking to friends in the... Read More »
Albert Von Schweikert, March 13, 1945 – May 29, 2020. Founder and Chief Designer: Von Schweikert Research/Von Schweikert Audio Though born in South America in 1945 to a US military officer and the daughter of one of the principal engineers of the Panama Canal, the Von Schweikert family moved to Heidelberg, Germany while he was still... Read More »
Ye Olde Editor in the midst of holy smoke and fine drink... (portrait by John Robinson) Time for a quick shout-out for two recordings from HDTT: one, a wonderful Quad DSD (DSD256) recording that you should be aware of, while the other is of a remarkable Double DSD (DSD128) album. Both belong in your DSD... Read More »
Music@Menlo Live, 2019 (available at https://musicatmenlo.org/live/) Year in, year out the Music@Menlo music education program issues its Music@Menlo Live series of recordings with music performed by the program's instructors. The cast has changed since the series began in 2002, though a few of the originals are still in evidence: program directors pianist Wu Han and... Read More »
So how many of you reading this are getting so tired of the same old "staying at home, and man do I need to mix things up?" state of mind? Well, count us in. As I write this Carol and I have been staying home and not going out, other than around the neighborhood for... Read More »
Above: iFi iPhono3 Black Label Just for the record iFi’s new iPhono3 Black Label phono stage is the perfect fix for vinyl addicts, ensuring every record is heard just as the artist intended. Southport, England – As music lovers across the land return to the tactile virtues of vinyl, so the demand for high-quality turntables... Read More »
PRESS RELEASE: 21st May 2020 The moon can be seen from anywhere on the planet and now MOON can be seen in many countries across the planet! MOON’s performance audio products continue to grow in popularity across the globe and its partnership with Innovaciones Acusticas in Ecuador has led to the creation of some of... Read More »
Gold Note is pleased to announce the immediate release of the All-in-One DS-10 in its PLUS version. FLORENCE, Italy – May 18th, 2020 The DS-10 PLUS is a significant alternative to the acclaimed DS-10 CLASSIC: upon popular request the versatile state-of-the-art 4-in-1 unit featuring a new generation D/A converter, UPnP-DLNA Streamer, line preamplifier and headphone... Read More »
New Consumer Audio Show coming to the Seattle area in August 2021 Lou Hinkley of Daedalus Audio, in collaboration with Gary Gill of Capital Audiofest, are pleased to announce the launch of the Pacific Audio Fest, slated for August 6-8 2021. The Pacific Audio Fest is first and foremost a show by exhibitors for exhibitors. With... Read More »
No industry is ever immune to setbacks and disasters that loom large on our personal landscapes. Sometimes, they seem small in retrospect, but sometimes, the magnitude of the crisis is never diminished, and the only thing that matters is survival and managing the calamity with as much grace as we can muster. At RMAF, our... Read More »
New Stellar Strata combines exceptional sound quality and flexibility with full-featured DAC, streaming module, 200 watt-per-channel Analog Cell™ power amp and more Boulder, Colorado, May 18, 2020 – PS Audio today announced the introduction of its Stellar Strata Integrated Amplifier, which combines superlative sound with versatile features including a built-in state-of-the-art DAC and high-definition streamer,... Read More »
Formed in 2000 from the remnants of a handful of Raleigh, North Carolina bands, Between the Buried and Me was principally the brainchild of guitarist Paul Waggoner and vocalist Tommy Rogers. And while the group has gone through a number of personnel changes, the band's current incarnation features not only Waggoner and Rogers, but also... Read More »
Am Ende der Welt. Photo by Per-Einar Einarsen - Used with permission Weserbergland is a project led by Norwegian composer Ketil Vestrum Einarsen. He's deeply rooted in classical music, progressive rock, and experimental electronic composition. Their newest release, from Apollon Records, is Am Ende Der Welt. Compared to their previous release, it pushes farther, goes... Read More »
Dear Exhibitors, Showgoers, Esteemed Members of the Press, and Valued Members of the Audiophile/Music Enthusiast Community: As you are aware, we have sent out a few public announcements regarding T.H.E. Show 2020 in this one, we will provide what we believe to be a final update. There have been a few delays to releasing it... Read More »
Florence, Italy – May 11, 2020 – Gold Note is pleased to announce the immediate release of the line preamplifier P-1000 in its MkII version. The P-1000 MkII is part of the acclaimed Series 1000, the unique flagship Hi-Fi electronics line entirely hand-made in Italy. P-1000 MKII is an innovative ultra-balanced Class-A preamplifier powered by... Read More »
Nelson Pass: a portrait. Sea Ranch, CA, 2018. (Photograph and image processing by David W. Robinson) This piece was originally presented at the 2019 Burning Amp Festival but was hampered by problems with the projection system. It has been rewritten for Positive Feedback.... Introduction I don't need to tell you that audiophiles tend to be... Read More »
The very first time as a teenager I laid eyes on my brother's new DynaKit amp, I knew inside that I'd found one of my life's true callings. I've always loved everything about audio gear; the look, the feel, the smell—but ultimately, the sound it's capable of producing. And I can honestly say, for the... Read More »
BRAHMS: Hungarian Dances, WoO 1; Waltzes, Op. 39. Marco Schiavo and Sergio Marchegiani, pianists. Decca 481 7812. TT: 71.20. Downloads: classical-music-download.com (FLAC); over-blog.com (320 kbps mp3); prestomusic.com (mp3, FLAC, hi-res FLAC); qobuz.com; wattpad.com (mp3, OGG, FLAC) The short review: gleaming, limpid performances of delightful, well-wrought music, in excellent sound. Get it. Some of you may want to know... Read More »
This is an ongoing project by Claude Lemaire of Soundevaluations 136. Sonny Rollins, The Bridge. RCA – LSP-2527 (1962), Classic Records – LSP-2527 (1996), 33 1/3 rpm, 180g. Genre: jazz, hard bop. Premiering with Prestige in 1953 with a couple of stops and stints at Blue Note, Contemporary, and Riverside, this was Rollins' first of six recordings for... Read More »
1200-watt mono power amp features hybrid tube/ICE Edge design, balanced circuitry, ultra-efficient operation and extraordinary musical performance Boulder, Colorado, May 7, 2020 – PS Audio today announced it is now shipping its new Stellar M1200 Power Amplifier. Designed to deliver extraordinarily clear, detailed and musically accurate performance, the monoblock M1200 features an all-new hybrid design... Read More »
ABSOLUTE DAC: DAC section: 8 parallel channels The highest performing DAC to date, discreet power through 16 separate power regulators in the circuit. Direct coupled output with no capacitors in the output stage. The sonic result is no longer a lossy simulation requiring brainpower to cover for what is not there: you are there. Clock Oscillators: Getting the Music... Read More »
The luxury innocent piano white version: Real piano lacquer white with real 24 karat gold leaf application on the aluminum rings and big aluminum tweeter wave guide. The other aluminum parts are black ultra matt. This 24 karat gold leaf application is done by a real artisan master, who is normally in charge of the best... Read More »
To ease your isolation blues and help out during the Covid-19 crisis, Danacable is holding a special sale for the Lazuli line of headphone cables for the entire month of May: You make a donation to one of the following charities, which are helping in the fight against Covid-19: World Central Kitchen (www.wck.org) Feeding America... Read More »
Yet more sad news: I've received the belated word today that Marty DeWulf, editor and publisher of Bound for Sound, another well-known high-end audio journal from the late 1980s until the early 2000s, passed away at the relatively young age of 65 on March 22, 2020. Marty's health had apparently not been good for a... Read More »
Personally, I consider this to be one of the more memorable musico-poetic explorations that John Marks has done. He of The Tannhauser Gate ambushes us with not one, but two allusions, both of which left me bemused. May they do you as well as they did me! Dr. David W. Robinson, Ye Olde Editor An... Read More »
Roger Skoff writes about cost and value in high-end audio Roger Skoff, a portrait. LAOC Audio Society Gala, 2018 (photograph and image processing by David W. Robinson) Note to our readers: Roger Skoff has been writing essays about high-end audio for years at Positive Feedback. Roger was formerly the founder and CEO of XLO Cables,... Read More »
This article, as reviewed by Ed Morawski and Dave Clark originally ran in Issue 2, August/September 2002, 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. I feel I have a pretty fair... Read More »
"First Press" ("1st Press") is a term used to describe LP releases. It is used to describe the earliest editions of a given title. This is a difficult topic and collectors specializing in it are usually focused on some part of the publishing market. But it is very similar with Compact Discs—below we will discuss... Read More »
Alpharetta, GA, USA - May 1, 2020 Black Cat Cable is pleased to present the latest iteration of the Coppertone series: FLATWAVE™ The new conductor is a small, pure copper ribbon that we flatten in-house with a precision rolling machine. The flattened conductor is then rolled through our Airwave tooling, shaping it into a sinusoidal... Read More »
Dear AXPONA Exhibitors and Sponsors; We at AXPONA wish you all the very best during these COVID-19 disrupted times. We care most about the health and safety of you and your loved ones. So many businesses are hurting, the future is unpredictable, opinions are mixed and emotions on all sides are strong. Ultimately we must... Read More »
April 30, 2020 Dear AXPONA Community; It is with heartfelt disappointment but concern for the health and safety of all AXPONA participants that we announce today the official cancellation of AXPONA 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19. We thank everyone who had committed to making the 2020 event into what would have been the... Read More »
