After a holiday season of good cheer, John Marks returns to the pages of PF with a new reflection on the music of Gordon Lightfoot, one of blessed memory for him, as well as for me. John maintains a worthy blog site at The Tannhauser Gate, always worth regular visits for those who value fine reflections and... Read More »
Ye Olde Editor (photograph by John Robinson) By way of explanation… The final batch of my Brutus Award announcements for 2018 was significantly delayed by a major project that had to be attended to by the entire PF Web team: the transfer of the entire PF site and content to an entirely different Web host,... Read More »
A modern home audio system for modern lifestyles Binghamton, NY – January 24, 2019 – McIntosh, the global leader in prestigious home entertainment and ultimate-quality audio for 70 years, is proud to announce the MTI100 Integrated Turntable. Turntable? ✔ Amplifier? ✔ Vacuum tube preamplifier? ✔ Phono preamplifier? ✔ Analog & Digital inputs? ✔ Bluetooth?... Read More »
January 22, 2019 Los Angeles, CA - WyWires announces the launch of In-Ear Monitor Cables - with special retail pricing through March 30, 2019. The RED Series IEM cable is the third upgrade-from-stock cable designed and produced by WyWires for the Personal Audio market. In 2014, WyWires launched the original RED Series Headphone Cable, a... Read More »
Today it is probably the standard - Polish products are quite often reviewed by audio magazines. Just check the High Fidelity issue from the previous month, and you will find there three devices from the home country of Chopin and Maria Skłodowska-Curie: Fezz Audio Lupi Omega headphone amplifier, Avatar Audio Number 3 Bamboo loudspeakers and... Read More »
The H590 is an extremely important device for Hegel Music Systems. Basing only on the description, it would seem very similar to the H190 model, which we reviewed in High Fidelity, and it was featured on our cover, in November last year (HF | No. 163). Even comparing their features would suggest these are very... Read More »
These days there are many ways to get music – streaming services, digital download stores, internet radio stations – and Roon supports them all. Today, Qobuz, the world’s first certified Hi-Res streaming and download service, announced that they’ve partnered with Roon version 1.6 to integrate their acclaimed Hi-Res streaming directly in Roon. Now, users can... Read More »
What better way to kick off the new year than with our biggest update yet? Version 1.6 brings the brand new Roon Radio, integration with the Qobuz music service, and an improved user experience across several areas of the application. The update will be available to all users at 12pm EST on January 22nd, 2019.... Read More »
Lyn Stanley (photograph by Evelina Pentcheva) Synopsis: Preparation for the making a Direct-To-Disc recording is more complicated than a typical album. In this follow-up article to Lyn Stanley's Direct-To-Disc discussion elsewhere in Issue 101 of Positive Feedback, she outlines what are her key considerations and process needed to produce a challenging live format directly to a lacquer with... Read More »
Wayne Goins on the hunt for LPs: a selfie! In my last article for Positive Feedback, I extolled the virtues of the Modwright PH150 and the surrounding components that completed the rig (PS150 power supply; VPI Prime Scout; LTA Ultralinear amplifier and Microzotl amp; Daedalus Audio Athena v.2 loudspeakers; and a complete set of WyWires... Read More »
Surprise! I'm back with another installment of my "Perfect Song" series! As I started thinking about writing this article, I reminded myself that perfect isn't the same as favorite. A Google search for the word favorite netted this definition: preferred before all others of the same kind. A search for the word perfect provided this... Read More »
Atmosphere X Alive The Atmosphere Alive Level 1 AC Power Cable is the highest performance non-Active power cord in SR history, now greatly improved with our BLUE Fuse treatment process and a new UEF Matrix Shielding first developed to lower the noise floor of our flagship Galileo SX power cords. Musical pure copper is combined with our award... Read More »
Lake Grove, NY January 15th, 2019 – VANA, Ltd. (www.vanaltd.com), importer of world class audio products, proudly announces the arrival of the European Audio Team (E.A.T) Prelude turntable, an affordable high-performance turntable engineered to deliver the musicality and longevity enthusiasts have come to expect from E.A.T. The Prelude utilizes the new 9-inch A-Note tonearm that is... Read More »
Qobuz, the European-based certified Hi-Res streaming and download service whose launch in the US has been highly anticipated in the audiophile community, announced today that it is now available for registration to US customers as an open beta. Initial US market beta users are being onboarded this week. Music aficionados looking for a premium audiophile... Read More »
NativeDSD's Technical, Editorial and Marketing Team in News (Are you not familiar with NativeDSD.com? We invite you to read more about the audio quality & listen to 60 minutes of DSD (Direct Stream Digital) Music for free here: www.nativedsd.com/welcome.) The ride has been fun but after so many hours of listening, voting and writing, we are... Read More »
The Small Green Computer's sonicTransporter i5 fills a niche for those looking to add a simple and affordable music server to their system—one that runs with, say Roon (you will need a license for Roon), though the sonicTransporter i5 can also run with Samba and other software options. I say affordable as it is $795... Read More »
Bending Wave USA today announces that it will open its offices and state of the art sound room in Davie, FL later in January. To celebrate the milestone, a Grand Opening celebration will take place on January 26th and 27th, 2019. The sound room is equipped with $750,000 worth of high-end luxury speakers and cables... Read More »
Lyn Stanley (photograph by Evelina Pentcheva) Part I Synopsis: There is some confusion in the audio world about the difference between a Direct to Disc recording and a One Step Record. Lyn Stanley has made both and she will explain in detail what they are and what is required to make each. First, I would like... Read More »
This is an ongoing project by Claude Lemaire of Soundevaluations 82. Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon. Harvest – SHVL 804, 1E 064 o 05249 (UK) (1973), 582 1361 (UK) (2003) (30th anniversary edition), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: space rock, art rock, progressive rock, electronic, jazz fusion, and funk touches. Ahh, at last, there it is.... Read More »
WARNING: This may very well be the most controversial article on High-End audio you'll ever read. Roger Skoff at the LAOC Audio Society Gala, 2018 Are you going to put together a new High-End audio system? Start with the cables! Read on to find out why this can give you better sound and save you... Read More »
This article, as reviewed by Francisco Duran, Dave Clark, Larry Fisher, and Larry Cox, originally ran in audioMusings' Issue 12, 2000 and then in Issue 1, June/July 2002 of Positive Feedback To say that the 47 Labs CD combo is unconventional in its design and looks is an understatement. The Model 4713 Flatfish player/transport is a... Read More »
Roberta Invernizzi, soprano; Auser Musici/Carlo Ipata. Glossa GCD 922905. TT: 59.30. Astianatte: Se la Grecia s'armerà. L'oracolo del Fato: Qui ti scrivo o nome amato; Se non canti più per me. Il Ciro: Nell'orror della procella. Bajazette: Par che mi nasca in seno. Sinfonia. Il Tamerlano: Svena uccidi; Cor di padre. Santa Eufrosina: Qui dal porto. Amleto:... Read More »
David W. Robinson: a portrait by John Robinson Onwards into Part the Fourth of my Brutus Awards. PASS Labs HPA-1 Headphone Amplifier Wait! I'm not done yet with reference headphone amps. Early in the year, the good folks at PASS Labs sent along their HPA-1 Headphone Amplifier for my evaluation. I was pleased to get... Read More »
Here are some LPs that I've gotten in recently and I want to bring to your attention. Espresso, Bob James Trio, EVLP023, from Tappan Zee Records. 2018, Featuring Bob James, Billy Kilson, and Michael Palazzolo. $32.99. Tracks Recorded by Ken Freeman, KFP Studios, Bethlehem, PA. Tracks Recorded at Stagg Studios, Van Nuys, CA.. Assisted by Josh Frank. Mastered by Steve Vavagiaskis for Bang... Read More »
Continuing... ZYX UNIverse Optimum X MC What a year for phono cartridges 2018 has been. I've already extolled the seductive charms of the Air Tight PC-1 coda and the return of the van den Hul Colibri Signature Stradivarius in this year's Brutus Awards. Magnificent achievements, both of these, whose awards were richly deserved. But there... Read More »
van den Hul Colibri Signature Stradivarius (the second coming!) Late in 2017, Randy Forman…he of Finest Fidelity distribution fame, and a jolly good gent…got me a van den Hul Colibri Signature Stradivarius (CSS). It got its break-in and fun run-out in the later days of the class vintage professional turntable, the direct-drive EMT 948's visit... Read More »
In 2018, I made the jump from a passable desktop audio system into the big leagues. Because of that, I'm ready to hand out some Brutus awards, I think for the first time ever! It's not often that I need to listen to things as I work at my desk, but I find myself listening... Read More »
Unbelievably enough, it's the end of the year 2018…already! I know that I say this every year, but every year it's worse and worse; time whizzes by faster and faster, and the final quarter always arrives long before I'm ready for it. The Earth rotates, and faithfully follows its annual orbit around yon Sun, so... Read More »
Sweetbeats Productions, Digital download available at Apple Music and Google Music $8.99 I know I've raved about recordings in reviews, even in the last year, where I remarked that I put it in my CD player or an LP on my turntable and I didn't take it out/off for a very long time. That's a... Read More »
On December 11, 2018, PS Audio announced download availability of the newest Operating System for the PS Audio DirectStream Junior DAC. Named after another of Colorado's 14,000 foot peaks, Snowmass, this update to PSA's DirectStream digital converters is likely to be judged a significant step up in sound quality. Handwritten for the DirectStream Junior's Field-Programmable Gate Array... Read More »
It is a great honor and pleasure for us to present our new Anniversary-Turntable, the Ortofon Century. 100 Years Ortofon Our long-time partners and friends of Ortofon have the incredible jubilee of 100 years. Not many companies can say that they have been the industry leader in their field and managed to exist for such... Read More »
Miramar, FL—December 11, 2018—JL Audio, an innovator in high-end audio solutions, now shipping an 8-inch version of their Fathom® IWS in-wall subwoofer systems with additional enclosure option for in-ceiling applications. The new 8-inch Fathom® IWS and ICS systems join a previous model, with a 13.5-inch driver, in the Fathom® IWS lineup. “We are excited about the potential of... Read More »
MQA Support Now Available on the SP1000, Coming Via Firmware Update on December 12 to SP1000M, SE100 and SR15 Players Irvine, CA – Astell&Kern, a global leader in portable high-resolution audio players, announces new firmware updates that will add MQA support for the A&ultima SP1000M, A&futura SE100 and A&norma SR15 on December 12, 2018. MQA... Read More »
Last weekend I traveled to Buena Park, CA, to attend the 25th Anniversary Gala Weekend for the Los Angeles and Orange County (LAOC) Audio Society. Some background: The LAOC was founded originally with the help of two of my partners at Positive Feedback, Carol and Dave Clark. They recently told the story of that development... Read More »
I first became aware of Mr. Ken Ishiguro's Acoustic Revive products in 2007 when they were recommended to me by Mr. Yoshi Hontani (The MuSon Project, Osaka, Japan), who exports hifi exotica from the Leben Hi-Fi Stereo Company, the Spec Corporation, fo. Q, Audio Replas, KRYNA, SFORZAT, Murasakino Ltd, and of course, the subject of this article, Acoustic Revive. This is Chapter... Read More »
ORA Singers: The Mystery of Christmas. Music of Allain, Anonymous, Byrd, Hall, Hyde, Lauridsen, Macmillan, McDowall, Peacock, Rowarth, Rutter, Samitz, Sixten, Tallis, Williams, and Weir. CD Harmonia Mundi HMM 905303. Downloads (24-bit/96kHz stereo AIFF, ALAC, FLAC, and WAV) available from HDTracks. Streaming available from Tidal. Recorded at St. Augustine's Church, Kilburn, London, January 23-28 and August 7-12, 2017. Nicholas Parker (all... Read More »
Great First Impressions I'll never forget the look on Greg Weaver's face the moment he and I got to hear (at the AXPONA 2018 high end show) what Studio Electric and chief designer Dave McPherson's latest thinking on what small loudspeakers, the diminutive M4, could do. Greg had that classic "I told you so" grin... Read More »
