"The XA2 is an affordable transition amplifier enabling the discriminating Music Lover to move to Class A Technology." - Nelson Pass Pass Labs has started shipping their new XA25 Class A Power Amplifier, the most affordable power amplifier in their current line. With 2 x 25W @ 8 ohms, 2 x 50/W at 4 ohms... Read More »
I have been enjoying quite a lot of audio adventures over the last year or so while doing audio projects where I experimented with various wire types, capacitors, inductors, and resistors in audio circuits. As a result, my knowledge, skills, and confidence related to developing, modifying, and optimizing audio circuits have been progressing to where... Read More »
The Critical Mass Systems QXK Mk. III Rack in Four-Shelf Configuration, photograph courtesy of Critical Mass Systems. The latest chapter in a story… Some designs and products that I review are from new companies. This is a very good thing; it shows that the world of fine audio remains vibrant, creative, and open to innovation.... Read More »
Daedalus Audio at AXPONA 2017!
2017 marks the 40th anniversary of conrad-johnson design inc. and to celebrate, we are introducing two new anniversary tube amplifiers—the ART150 and ART300. These amplifiers employ the recently developed KT150 output tubes. A single pair of KT150s produces 150 Watts per channel in the ART150 stereo amplifier, while two pair produce 300 Watts in the... Read More »
In which our esteemed friend, John Marks of The Tannhauser Gate (www.thetannhausergate.com) introduces us to yet another worthy singer, she of a truly lovely voice, Camilla Tilling. I was not familiar with Ms. Tilling, but was very much taken by her fine performances on this recording by BIS. As always, John is a sure guide to worthy... Read More »
Playback Designs has announced their new Dream Series Audio DAC and Transport - SACD/CD/Server system incorporating the latest Ultra High Performance technology. Early prototypes will be shown at the Axpona show in Chicago and the High End show in Munich. According to Andreas Koch, president and designer of Playback Designs, this system could have been... Read More »
Michael Rabinowitz, Uncharted Waters. Cats Paw Records, CPD-9855, CD $20 at https://www.jazzbassoonist.com/shop As a high-end audio importer and distributor, part of my job is to sit down and evaluate new products so that I can answer questions from dealers, retail customers, and the press. Yesterday I was doing exactly that, comparing a new entry-level digital... Read More »
Appearing with TIDAL Audio at Axpona is the US Premier Dealer The Voice That Is TIDAL Audio and The Voice That Is are pleased and excited to announce Jorn Janczak, CEO of TIDAL Audio will attend Axpona 2017. The event will be held at The Westin O'Hare in Rosemont, Illinois April 21-23, 2017 in Room... Read More »
In this column, republished from his blog site, John Marks of The Tannhauser Gate (http://www.thetannhausergate.com) shares his six pack of choices for a seven-league-boots traversal of 1000 years of Western Music. The full selections would take about an hour. List-making is inherent to all passionate pursuits of excellence. Music, films, cars, cigars, wine, books, sporting events...just about... Read More »
We have some very cool news concerning the iconic Abyss AB-1266 headphone. In working toward creating the world's thinnest boutique headphone Diana®, new high-tech magnetics were created that allowed us to further refine the AB-1266 transducer. We at JPS Labs are now producing new planar drivers for the AB-1266, the updated model named the Model AB-1266 Phi Headphone,... Read More »
Those attending the first day of the LA Audio Show, premiering at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel from June 2 through June 4, are in for a rare treat. "The BBB Featuring Bernie Dresel," one of the hottest jazz orchestras in Southern California, will be appearing live. The poolside concert is expected to draw a Standing... Read More »
The focus of this review is to contrast the Sonore microRendu and Signature Series linear power supply with affordable power supplies from Channel Islands Audio and iFi Audio, in a Roon-based headless environment. But before we get into that, a brief summation of the recent past: from the point when I first came in contact... Read More »
Von Schweikert Audio Annual 1-Day Only April 1st Sale. You'd be FOOLISH to miss it! This year we're pleased to present to you... E.A.R.S. - Give Your Sound System the Treatment it Deserves! Are you a passionate audiophile? Have you upgraded every component, yet still wonder what more you can do to improve the sound of... Read More »
Kipnis Studio Standard (KSS) - Stereo Loudspeaker & Amplifier Testing Array with (Left to Right) Ologe Model FIVE, Ceratec Effeqct Mk. IV, and Waterfall Audio Niagara, Hurricane, & Elora Evo Glass Loudspeakers being powered by the Golden Cherry Amps from Tommy O'Brien at Digital Amplifier Co. (plus Nero Barky von Schnauzer - my assistant). The tiny... Read More »
This article, by Tom Davis, originally ran when Positive Feedback was in print - Vol. 6, No. 3, 1997. Finding the Right Kind of Provocation Little did I know that when I closed last issue's column with a promise to start responding to some of the speculations on High End aesthetics that have appeared in Positive Feedback, Harvey... Read More »
Everyone jumped in their vehicles at the end of the factory tour and drove—or caught a ride—to the "VPI Man Cave" for some listening sessions. How did the VPI man cave come into being? "After Mom passed," Mat shared, "Dad wasn't living in the house since it was too big and we were paying taxes... Read More »
Stein Music's "The Perfect Interface" Carbon Signature Resonance Control mat in place on our EMT 948 turntable. Every now and then I receive a product whose benefits are so obvious, and whose design is so straightforward that there's no point in holding back or trying to write an extended essay. It isn't a complicated call,... Read More »
Lotus: Complete Edition, Santana (Photo: Sony Music Japan) Sony Music Japan will be celebrating Santana's upcoming concerts in Japan from April 22 to April 27, 2017 in a big way with the release of a new Complete Edition of the band's legendary Lotus album in DSD 11.2 MHz stereo (also known as DSD 256 or Quad DSD),... Read More »
The Oppo Digital HA-2 SE A while back, the good folks at Oppo sent me a review sample of their replacement for the HA-2 USB DAC and Headphone Amp, the HA-2 SE (Special Edition). This is their very compact DAC + headphone amp with battery, made for road/travel warriors who want extra finesse and punch... Read More »
Soundtrack: The great patron of classical music over the past century, nearly...or since the "talkies" arrived, anyway...has been the voracious maw of the film industry. Better than any capricious emperor, king, duke, or philanthropist, Hollywood et al. has been a grand footer-of-bills for many decades now. Some of the results have been schlock, but some of... Read More »
This is an ongoing project by Claude Lemaire of Soundevaluations. In a slight variation of sorts, and at the risk of foregoing a bit of diversity, for Part 3, I elected to pit back-to-back two selections sharing a common thread between them. 21. Buzz Brass, Mélanie Barney, The Planets. Fidelio Music Inc. FALP028 (2012), (2x45 rpm). Genre: classical, modern... Read More »
File this under a story within a story. At the surface, this report details VPI's newest product line offerings and releases. Throw in on top of that a side order of an interesting factory tour where attendees were treated to a tour of VPI turntables' assembly line, quality control testing as well as meeting the... Read More »
Elgar, Symphony No. 2. Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Onyx 4165. Elgar, Elgar, Elgar. What do American music lovers make of Elgar? Probably what the English make of Samuel Barber and of Copland's ballets. Each of our cultures has its romanticism and it is generally in our romanticisms that our cultures make their most characteristic, not... Read More »
Doug Munro and La Pompe Attack, The Harry Warren Songbook (GotMusic Records, GMR-1004, available at http://www.dougmunro.com, $15.99 CD) My first trip to an honest-to-goodness high-end audio store, one where I planned on making an actual purchase, happened way back in 1989 in downtown Philadelphia. (I lived there for almost a year, which now seems strange.) I... Read More »
So yeah, I like to dabble in tweaks and stuff that might add that much more to our musical enjoyment. Something that gets us that such more from our music. I admit it, I am a junkie for such things. People who have visited here look at the system and comment about its complexity and... Read More »
Music@Menlo 'Live,' 2016 "Russian Reflections" . (8 discs), available separately or as a box set. www. musicatmenlo.org. If you share Music@Menlo's enthusiasm for nineteenth century music, this latest edition of their annual set of (summer 2016) festival recordings will please you. It features a large group of minor and minor major Russian composers (plus Tchaikovsky... Read More »
My Questions and Answers (MQA) An interview of and by Andreas Koch on the subject of digital audio formats In the age of digital audio it appears that a new format is trying to conquer the consumer market every few years, but their success-to-failure ratio is much smaller than 1. It makes us wonder why... Read More »
Bybee filters. These things have been available for audio in various iterations for nearly twenty years, as far as I can tell. The filters are said to employ some of the technology used to reduce the noise floor of military submarines to improve sonar performance. I first read about these in the early 2000s, if... Read More »
LA AUDIO SHOW CREATES 'ALFIE' and 'XTREME' AWARDS LOS ANGELES — The LA Audio Show, premiering at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel from June 2 through June 4, has announced that it will present a series of prestigious "Audiophile" Awards for the finest products exhibited at the show in three general categories: Personal Listening, Speakers and Electronics. ... Read More »
It was clear from the moment I knew I would receive Kondo OnGaku amplifier for a review that I would also want to listen to it together with my friends from Krakow Sonic Society. These meetings give us not only a chance to meet, talk and listen to some music together but most of all to... Read More »
The Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society, the world's largest at over 2100 members, presents events held monthly at varying locations throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties in Southern California. Don't miss The Los Angeles Audio Show, June 2-4, the Society’s co-venture with the Orion Organization, which will be the largest fine audio mega-show ever... Read More »
Relativity Education with Audeze, Ableton + SubPac announce the next edition of the innovative Electronic Music Sessions educational program. Los Angeles Center Studios |Los Angeles, CA | March 8th, 2017 | Relativity Education, in conjunction with Audeze, Ableton, and SubPac, is proud to announce the newest iteration of its innovative Ableton-Certified Electronic Music Sessions (EMS)... Read More »
Kyomi Audio & GamuT Audio invite you to a memorable event Saturday March 18th in Chicago! Featuring: GamuT's new RS7i full range speakers GamuT's M250i mono amps & D3i Preamp GamuT's new complete line of Reference cables Kyomi Audio is hosting a GamuT' event in Chicago, featuring GamuT's Chief Engineer Benno Baun Meldgaard who will be explaining and demonstrating his latest innovative... Read More »
March 4, 2017 - The LA Audio Show, running at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel from June 2 through June 4, has announced an ambitious group of 17 seminars over the three day period. "Our partner, the Los Angeles & Orange County Audio Society (LAOCAS), put together a team, headed by Mark Katz, the organization's Chairman,... Read More »
Greg Timbers So, tell us a bit about your history in speaker design… beginnings and such. The journey that led you to JBL. I have been interested in Music since forever. My Mom played Piano and there was always music in the house. I started with Heath Kits and stuff around 12 years of age,... Read More »
Used to be, the only people needing fancy in-ear monitors were wasted rock stars or serious looking dudes protecting the President. The rest of us settled for crappy little earbuds that could only produce one sound accurately: "Good riddance!" High end IEMs were reserved for world class X-Games competitors barreling off the mini-ramp. But times... Read More »
