Newtown Square, Pennsylvania – February 2020 – The Voice That Is, LLC announces sponsorship at 2020 Berks Jazz Fest. The Voice That Is (TVTI) will host the Inaugural Berks Jazz Festival Listening Experience, highlighting audio components from TIDAL Audio – German manufacturer of some of the finest speakers and audio components enjoyed worldwide. Jazz Fest... Read More »
Toronto, Ontario February 2020 Company announces high-power Roon Server that offers heavy-duty DSP processing Toronto ON - exaSound Audio Design, manufacturer of innovative, exceptional fidelity audio products, has just released the Delta Music Server. It premiered at the Florida Audio Expo, February 7-9, 2020. Built around the Intel i9-9900 8-core CPU, the Delta Music Server offers heavy-duty... Read More »
This Friday, February 14th, Qobuz, the certified Hi-Res music streaming and download service, is celebrating the one year anniversary of its US launch. By super serving the audiophile community with in-depth exclusive editorial content, personalized customer service, and a carefully curated catalog that includes not only all mainstream music but also deep representation of jazz,... Read More »
I didn't attend the 2019 Florida Audio Expo, but was told many times over that there were nearly double the number of rooms this year over 2019. There were 65 manufacturer and dealer rooms displaying this year, along with one hallway display. And show organizer Sue Toscano corrected the overgenerous estimates I'd been given from... Read More »
The Florida Audio Expo is currently underway, February 7-9, 2020, at the Embassy Suites Hotel located near the airport in Tampa, Florida. Though the show didn't actually start until Friday morning, there was a meet and greet in the main lobby that took place on Thursday evening, February 6. My wife Beth and I arrived... Read More »
Building upon the solid foundation of the award-winning Kid Thomas, the Odar was created for the discerning analog lover who wants the very best. Featuring two armboards, capable of using two 12-inch arms, and delivered with the new Cornet 3, 12-inch tonearm, equipped with hi-quality Wire World cables, a massive motor housing, massive 14-inch diameter... Read More »
PRESS RELEASE: 6th February, 2020 Simaudio's MOON performance audio products have been designed and manufactured in Canada since 1980. The award-winning range of amplifiers, streamers, all-in-one systems, and CD players is dedicated to defying obsolescence. The MOON brand represents the forefront of audio technology, and as time progresses, the Simaudio team believes in upgrading rather... Read More »
The Thelonious Monk Quartet, Monk's Dream. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab UD1S 2-011, Columbia 19075930421, Limited Edition, SuperVinyl, Box Set (2019, Sept.), # P001 of 6000. Originally released on Columbia – CS 8765 (1963, March). Ratings Global Appreciation: 9.9 Music: A+ (10) Recording: 9.6 Remastering + Lacquer Cutting: 10 Pressing: 9.8 Packaging: Deluxe Category: jazz, mostly cool with... Read More »
Atascadero, CA (01/30/20) – EJ Sarmento, President and Founder of Wyred4Sound – and Glass Audio America, LLC. EJ Sarmento – President and Founder of Wyred 4 Sound, is pleased to announce the formation of Glass Audio America, LLC for the purposes of manufacturing a complete line of Vacuum Tube and other products under exclusive license... Read More »
So this is the time of year for returning unwanted gifts, breaking resolutions, and picking up a few Steel Band CDs in the Caribbean. It's also a time to reflect on past accomplishments and give credit where credit is due. I'm a very part-time reviewer here, and didn't offer up any PF Writers Choice awards... Read More »
NEW Ear Gear Experience, Designer Vignette, Live Musical Performances, and Educational Seminars SCHAUMBURG, IL (January 17, 2020) - - Calling all audiophiles, music lovers, vinyl collectors, audio engineers and musicians, AXPONA (Audio Expo North America) will open April 17-19 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center offering attendees three jam-packed days of incredible sounds,... Read More »
Port and a Cigar at Night on a Deck. Happy Valley, OR, 2019 And now, on to the final chapter of my Positive Feedback Brutus Awards for 2019. Clarus Concerto AC Power Conditioner and Clarus Aqua High Current Power Cable A relative latecomer for 2019 Brutus Award consideration was the combination of the Clarus Concerto and... Read More »
By now, readers of this series have realized that it's a means for me to discuss songs I really like. In previous articles, these are songs that send a shiver down my spine, and I have outlined many times what I mean by that. I've also discussed the fact that these songs aren't "favorite" songs,... Read More »
E-in-C Robinson going deep with the Sonoma Acoustics reference headphone system at AXPONA 2018 (photograph by Martin Roberts; image processing by David W. Robinson) Recordings, Labels, Sites, & Streaming Services This installment of my 2019 Brutus Award announcements will be relatively short and to the point. I've talked about many of this year's winners in... Read More »
Karen Gomyo was born in Tokyo, but grew up in Montréal. That is, up to the point when, at age 10, she moved to New York City, in order to study at the Juilliard School, at the invitation of Dorothy DeLay. Miss DeLay taught, among many others, my friends Arturo Delmoni and David Kim. Indeed, it's the... Read More »
Silversmith Audio: A New Generation of Cable Design Celebrating 20 Years, Silversmith Audio Announces a Revolutionary New Line of Speaker Cable: FIDELIUM™ New Cable Line Represents a 330% Performance Increase Over Previous Top-of-the-Line PALLADIUM at 1/10 the Price Springfield, VA — January 23, 2020: Silversmith Audio today announced the launch of a new line... Read More »
January 23, 2020, Englewood, CO - Monarch Systems Ltd., a distributor of high performance consumer electronics, has officially launched their brand and services. Monarch Systems Ltd. will be focused not only in offering premium brands through “b to b” channels but also top-level dealer support and end-user care. Additionally, Monarch Systems Ltd is supremely active... Read More »
Chip and Roger at the LAOC Audio Society Gala Banquet, December, 2019 (photograph and image processing by David W. Robinson) Roger Skoff finally proves that cables work and tells at least part of the reason why. For at least the last thirty years (that I know of), audiophiles have been divided into four—if not necessarily... Read More »
Here's the latest from our good audio friend and brother who writes and edits at The Tannhauser Gate, John Marks. He draws our attention to a very promising stereo/multichannel SACD from BIS. I have found John's recommendations to be trustworthy always, and have thus already ordered mine from Amazon. You can do the same! David... Read More »
Chicago, IL, January 21, 2020 - MoFi Distribution, known for distributing some of the top brands in the Hi-Fi audio industry, announces a new distribution partnership with PIEGA Loudspeakers (Switzerland). The two companies expect to increase the awareness of Switzerland's largest speaker brand in the US and Canada. Founded in 1986, PIEGA has earned global acclaim... Read More »
David Elias: self-portrait at the Kilauea volcano crater, Hawai'i; Mauna Loa is in the distant background David Elias is a Musician-in-Residence here at Positive Feedback, and a longtime contributor to our magazine. He is a very early adopter of DSD, and worked with the renowned DSD master engineer Gus Skinas to produce several albums recorded in... Read More »
This post excerpt comes in part from an email response to my friend Harold in the Netherlands. He was curious about our discussion related to my early MP3 work as an online musician through the '90s into 2000s, and how and why my MP3s could have sounded so good back then to literally everyone who... Read More »
Here's the latest from our good friend and fellow audio voyager, John Marks, he of The Tannhauser Gate. As always, John's sensibilities are exceptional, and his commentary is always both educational and a delight to read. Enjoy! Dr. David W. Robinson, Ye Olde Editor There are times when I think that a music-business story is... Read More »
It is with great pleasure that the Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society, the world’s largest, awards its 27th Founders Award to George Cardas. The Founders Award is the highest honor the Society annually bestows in our industry on those extraordinary individuals who have advanced audio and audiophile enjoyment worldwide. From telephone lines, to... Read More »
1/15/2020 - UK based KEF has been busy. 2019 saw the introduction of their space saving LSX speakers, and a top to bottom redesign and refresh of their middle of the range R series speakers, all garnering unanimous praise. Never one to rest on their laurels KEF has the hit the ground running in 2020... Read More »
SAN FRANCISCO (1/16/20) -- For nearly two decades, the Parasound Halo JC 1 monoblock power amplifier, designed by the legendary John Curl, wasParasound's flagship product, and the aspirational amplifier for thousands of audiophiles world-wide. A five-year effort by Curl and Parasound, and sweeping circuit improvements, have resulted in the amazing Parasound Halo JC 1+ monoblock... Read More »
Ye Olde Editor at play… (Portrait by John Robinson) Into the home stretch with my Brutus Awards for audio hardware in 2019. Just two or three more to go. Cardas Audio Clear Beyond RCA Interconnects The Cardas Clear Beyond RCA interconnect breaking in on audioexcellenceaz's audiodharma Cable Cooker…which is an essential component if you work... Read More »
Oz Audio and High End by Oz LLC proudly announce their cooperation for distribution for the North American market. Ø Audio founded in 2017 by Sveinung Mala in Norway and introduced first commercially available product, Icon loudspeakers. Icon pictured above is a horn speaker using a 12” woofer. The cabinet is an asymmetrical design and... Read More »
Ye Olde Editor at the wheel of my BMW M3 hardtop convertible, 2014 (photograph by John Robinson) LampizatOr Pacific DAC upon arrival (DHT SET Triode, unbalanced version without volume control, for Windows 10) If you've been following my writing over time, you may be familiar with the fact that LampizatOr has been showing up in... Read More »
Yuja Wang, courtesy of Medici TV This is a first—I can't ever remember reading an article in The Economist that brought tears to my eyes… . The article in question is, to use academic terminology, a "reception history" of the piano in Chinese culture from the mid-19th century to the present. Here's the vignette from China's 1966-1976 "Cultural Revolution" that... Read More »
WOLF-FERRARI: Piano Trios: No. 1 in D, Op. 5; No. 2 in F-sharp, Op. 7. Trio Archè. Brilliant Classics 95624. TT: 70.15 Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (1876-1948) is best remembered for his operas—I quattro rusteghi, Le donne curiose, Il segreto di Susanna—which are still performed from time to time, mostly in Italy. (A famous Barcelona performance of his Sly,... Read More »
January 2, 2020. GoldenEar Technology, manufacturer of some of the world’s highest value audiophile loudspeakers, and The Quest Group, best known as the owner of the AudioQuest brand of cables, Niagara power products, and DragonFly DACs, are very pleased to announce that GoldenEar has become part of The Quest Group, a California corporation wholly owned... Read More »
High End By Oz LLC is pleased to announce United Home Audio as an authorized dealer for Vitus Audio covering Washington DC, Virginia, and Maryland. United Home Audio is owned and operated by the legendary designer of UHA tape decks, Greg Beron. Please contact United Home Audio for a demonstration of Vitus Audio products. United... Read More »
LOS GATOS, Calif., January 3rd 2020 - Basil Inc. today announced that it is now an authorized dealer of KEF home audio products at a time when the British-born company is introducing new products through scientific innovation and hands-on experimentation to underwrite its reputation as the ultimate loudspeaker manufacturer. Basil Inc. will bring all of... Read More »
David W. Robinson photographing at Icicle Creek during the fire season of 2012: a portrait. Leavenworth, WA. (image by Lila Ritsema) My Brutus Awards, once again. Lordy, tempus fugit! What are they? Quoting myself in 2018, quoting myself recursively… "The Brutus Awards are given at the end of each year, in recognition of the best high-end... Read More »
A boy hears a sound. He hears sound before he has a name. He hears gurgling, pounding underwater. He hears an ocean of blood swimming around him. Through his veins. Through his mother. He breaks into the light of day. He's shocked that he has a voice. He finds his voice and screams. He hears... Read More »
Hans Ole Vitus Nielsen with his latest SIA-030 amp, next to the High Fidelity reference system Hans Ole Vitus Nielsen, usually called Hans Ole, known for his surname—Vitus (it will become clear at the end of the interview), is the founder, owner and main engineer of the Vitus Audio company. It is one of the most... Read More »
