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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 »

I've long been a fan of both Tube amplifiers and Class D amplifiers, and here, finally, I get to check out their love child. Is it an illicit union, a chimera, or something completely new and wondrous to hear? I think a little history is in order. I was solidly in the solid-state camp long... Read More »

Years ago as news editor for the Cyber Boxing Zone, I witnessed the special veneration that insiders held for the late Emanuel Steward, a boxing trainer who headed Detroit's famous Kronk Gym and transformed the careers of world champions like Lennox Lewis, Wladimir Klitschko, and Tommy Hearns. Then after signing into my first AXPONA show... Read More »

Regular readers will be familiar with AGD from Michael Zisserson's previous review on this unit, I seriously recommend it for the deep technical info. You can find it HERE. I will try to stay away from pulling too much of Michael's work into my analysis of the amplifiers, for the sake of brevity and not... Read More »

The ampsandsound Nautilus, 60+ pounds of single ended glory As both a reviewer and a consumer, I read a lot of reviews myself. I often see solid state amplifiers being commended for having tube amp like qualities in their mid-range presentation, or tube amplifiers being commended for having solid state bass or speed. I myself... Read More »

Hybrid a thing made by combining two different elements; in biology: the offspring of two plants or animals of different species or varieties; a mythical creature being a combination of existing animal, such as griffin; […] If there was an audio award that would be given to products for their design, the Thöress brand would... Read More »

The Devialet D-Premier is sure to go down in audio history as a game changer. When it was introduced in 2010, little did we know that the D-Premier would alter the integrated amplifier landscape forever by redefining the concept of what an integrated amplifier is. Up to that point, an integrated amplifier had consisted of... Read More »

Readers might remember my review of the McGary Audio SA1 in 2018 (HERE). It was a wonderful amp and highly recommended. It made the PF Writer's Awards list and that is not something that is easy to do. Well Mike McGary is at it again with the new SA2 Stereo Amplifier and what a follow... Read More »

What's new in audio? Not much in the past 40 years or so. When was the last technological shake-up in audio? Compact Disc, maybe? From there, digital technology has spawned endless formats of claimed resolving power that is rarely capitalized on. What I have had a hankering for is not another format war, rather, HARD... Read More »

Linear Tube Audio has a delicious solution for our headphone amplifier needs—the microZOTL MZ3. We love it! Let me tell you why it now has a well-deserved home in Ann's study. Prologue… I've written previously about our journey into headphone-only audio as the result of our retirement, downsizing, and move into apartment living. We found... Read More »

Six months ago, I was an infrequent headphone user. At best I listened to an old set of ear buds with balance armatures while riding the elliptical during one my very infrequent visits to the gym. Did I possess a decent pair of closed-back circumaural headphones? Check. Had I attended headphone shows and been exposed... Read More »

"Holistic." "Quiet." "Transparent." Those words are my attempt to summarize the KECES S3 Preamplifier/S300 Combo: A delightful possibility for those who need a simple solution for a powerful, high fidelity system, with excellent headphone performance. As with the KECES E40 integrated amplifier (HERE), the minimalist nature of the Taiwan-born S3, and S300, fits into the... Read More »

Impressive sound quality that we've come to expect from Pass Labs. Review By Tom Lyle With this article, Positive Feedback continues its content-sharing relationship with Enjoy the Music. Tom Lyle shares his thoughts on the Pass Labs XP-17 Phono Preamplifier and X250.8 Power Amplifier. Dr. David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief For quite some time I've been using a Pass... Read More »

This article, as reviewed by Larry Cox, Dave Clark, and Victor Chavira 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. Pristine is a name implying... Read More »

I recently reviewed the entry level Boulder 508 phono stage, and it surprised the boots off me by its price / performance ratio. It's so good, in fact, that it ended up finding a permanent spot in my system. Since then I have been following the roll out of Boulder's latest product, the 866 integrated... Read More »

AGD's Andante and Vivace will transport you to the musical venue. Review By Rick Becker With this article, Positive Feedback continues its content-sharing relationship with Enjoy the Music. Rick Becker shares his thoughts on the AGD Andante Preamplifier and Vivace Monoblocks. Dr. David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief It is always an honor when a manufacturer asks me to review... Read More »

The last decade summers at my place have been hotter than ever before. At 6300 feet, what used to be two weeks of high temps has turned into 10 weeks of even higher temps. I know this is just a Chinese hoax, but damn, the heat my tube monoblocks generate is just too much for... Read More »

I was once upon a time in a galaxy far, far way, an unabashed, dyed-in-the-wool tube lover. The mere mention of solid-state electronics sent my upper lip into involuntary quivering. Still, it was important to separate my job as an audio reviewer from my personal preferences. Over the years, products from Levinson, Rowland, Cello, PASS,... Read More »

Background In this time of Covid 19 it was apt that I was given the opportunity to review a product from a small company headed by a dog named Lutz. Cottage industry is the name of the game, and Sparkos Labs is an outfit out of Westminster Colorado, United States that was born from a... Read More »