thoughts on audio Archives - Positive Feedback

Jamie Howarth of Plangent Processes: Making Recordings Sound Better, Part One

Frank Doris — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 17:05:51 +0000

This is the latest installment of re-published articles from our good audiobud, Frank Doris, Editor of Copper magazine, the journal of Paul McGowan's company PS Audio. Paul has kindly given Frank Doris permission to re-publish here at Positive Feedback, and some of Frank's valued articles appear here occasionally, courtesy of them both. Enjoy! Plangent Processes offers a... Read More »

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Impressions: Final Postcard from Los Angeles & the LAOC Audio Society

David W. Robinson — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 17:18:09 +0000

Another year, another Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society Gala weekend. Early December once again. Been doing these for a long time, now...over the past number of revolutions around the Sun, chairing the LAOC Audiophile Recording of the Year Awards (ARYA). 2024 was another trip to LA for this event; my photographs and brief... Read More »

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The Aging Audiophile

Editors at Positive Feedback — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 17:14:32 +0000

This article by Dr. Sardonicus originally ran in Issue 77, 2015, 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. The Aging Audiophile … a Tale of Sorrow and Redemption (sort of) I... Read More »

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Imersiv D1 DAC (now in Beta) and Audeze CRBN2 Headphones

Bob Katz — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 00:57:44 +0000

Bob Katz at work wearing the Audeze CRBN 2 Headphones, a portrait. (Photograph by Mary Kent.) Introduction Today I'm reviewing two remarkable products, both of which represent a new audio paradigm and a veritable redefinition of the state of the art! I know, this is an old audio cliché, but in this case I think... Read More »

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Bah! Humbug!

Roger Skoff — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 23:36:01 +0000

Roger Skoff: a moment. Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society Gala. Buena Park, CA, 2024 (photograph and image processing by David W. Robinson) Roger Skoff writes about glad tidings from HiFi Land... Happy Holidays! Now's the time to enjoy family, good food, good friends, and good music, played in great sound. But, even now,... Read More »

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Audiophile Economics - Part 2

Roger Skoff — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 22:39:15 +0000

Roger Skoff writes about why things cost what they do In the first part of this article, I wrote about how pricing works, using not only our own industry but others for illustration. I explained that this article is not intended to replace an economics text, but to just touch on, and state in language... Read More »

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Waters on the Hardware: The Mola Mola Makua Preamplifier

Dean Waters — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 23:28:10 +0000

"Dean Waters: Portrait with Cigar." PAF 2023, SeaTac, WA The Mola Mola Makua Preamp, front-top oblique view In June of this year, I had a wonderful opportunity to attend High End in Munich. With an attendance of well over 20,000, it is certainly one of the largest, if not the largest, trade shows for the... Read More »

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My Experience with the GTT Audio Reference Listening System

Editors at Positive Feedback — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 22:49:11 +0000

Pastor Dave Robinson and Bill Parish with the Vivid Audio Moya M1 Loudspeaker A little about myself: This is a very brief review of the experience of the reference system with Vivid Audio M1 by Pastor Dave Robinson, a musician with a degree in music, an author, performer, and music director. I recorded at Capitol... Read More »

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Audiophile Economics (Part 1)

Roger Skoff — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 21:48:26 +0000

Roger Skoff, a portrait, Orange County, CA, 2023 (photograph and image processing by David W. Robinson) Roger Skoff writes about why things cost what they do Like everything else, the cost of HiFi gear has escalated over the last few years. Some might say that that's just because the whole world is caught in an... Read More »

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Impressions: A Postcard From New Jersey about GTT Audio

David W. Robinson — Sat, 21 Sep 2024 23:37:03 +0000

Ye Olde Editor the seeker: A moment in Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Israel, 2022 (photograph by John Robinson). Well, actually from Long Valley, NJ, the home base of Bill Parish and GTT Audio. Because there's significant news from that site. Those of you who have been following my reviews, photo essays, and commentary over the years, you... Read More »

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Waters on the Hardware: A Life-Changing Visit to GTT Audio

Dean Waters — Sat, 21 Sep 2024 23:06:45 +0000

Dean Waters with Cigar: a study. 2023 Pacific Audio Fest, Seatac, WA (photograph and image processing by David W. Robinson) Throughout our lives we encounter special moments that are so transformative that we know that we will always remember exactly where we were and what we were doing the moment they occur. If you're old enough,... Read More »

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Art and Audio

Roger Skoff — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 15:24:26 +0000

Roger Skoff doesn't write about sour grapes In a previous article, I wrote about how one manufacturer of exceptionally fine High-End audio electronics had had to raise the price of his products in order to be able to sell them. It was all a vicious cycle that worked like this: In order to get the... Read More »

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The Strangest Hobby

Roger Skoff — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 15:19:59 +0000

Roger Skoff writes about audiophilia No matter how busy we are with home, family, making or spending money, or any of our other more mundane concerns, all of us have time and resources that are not demanded for something else, and things that we do or enjoy for no reason other than simply that we... Read More »

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A Visit to the Audio Café in Beverly Hills to Hear the Clarisys Studio Plus Speakers

John Hughes — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 17:17:21 +0000

Ron Resnick shows off his pride and joy, The Clarisys Studio Plus Speakers. As I was snaking my car up the ribbon of road leading high up in the Beverly Hills, I thought about my history with ribbon speakers. I had been invited by Ron Resnick to experience the listening room which comprises his new... Read More »

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New from the audio analyst©, Part 3 – Virtual High End Munich – And You Thought AXPONA 2024 was Big!

Greg Weaver — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 16:37:25 +0000

While AXPONA represents the largest hi-fi show in the US, High End Munich, held each May at Munich's monstrous Order Center, is the largest, most well-attended audio show on planet Earth! With the first of my episodes from this year's event, episode 175, I've included a virtual walk from the stairway in front of the... Read More »

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New from the audio analyst©, Part 2 - What’s Causing the Stir in Affordable Audio Gear Today?

Greg Weaver — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 22:16:31 +0000

David W. Robinson and Greg Weaver: Audio buds from way-back! Long Valley, NJ, 2023. (photograph by Bill Parish) I make no excuses for being able to listen to my music daily on a synergistic two-channel audio system that I've assembled over the decades, one that costs more than three times what I paid for my... Read More »

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Market Research

Roger Skoff — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 16:14:58 +0000

For a change, Roger Skoff wants to ask your opinion instead of just telling you his… I'm old, and quite possibly out of it, so what I see going on in our hobby may very well be completely wrong. I hope it is. I became a HiFi Crazy (as we kids used to call ourselves),... Read More »

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Critical Thinking in Audio (or the lack thereof)

Norman Varney — Fri, 24 May 2024 16:32:22 +0000

The world is full of false information. At the same time, we are frequently to be blamed for not doing our due diligence to verify information. As audiophiles, we are in constant pursuit of improving the performance, and therefore the enjoyment of our playback systems. It seems however, that many audiophiles pursue this goal while... Read More »

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Impressions: AXPONA 2024, Part the First…Show Overview & Photo-Essay

David W. Robinson — Sat, 04 May 2024 18:31:40 +0000

Ye Olde Editor, AXPONA 2024 (photograph by Bill Parish; image processing by David W. Robinson) Another year, another trip around the Sun, another AXPONA. Apart from the COVID years, I have been attending AXPONA since Mark Freed first invited me personally to do so in late 2014. 2015 was my first show. So, I've been... Read More »

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How Can It Do That?

Roger Skoff — Fri, 03 May 2024 21:46:40 +0000

Roger Skoff answers a question that many audiophiles have, but never ask... On one of the audiophile groups on Facebook a few days ago, I saw a question from one of the group's members that I had wrestled with, myself, many years ago, when I first got into our hobby. Here it is: I'm very... Read More »

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Do Streaming Services Have a Sound?

Editors at Positive Feedback — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 22:12:12 +0000

I'm pleased to introduce this article by my audio friend, Ferenc Koscsó, founder of My Reel Club™ and eminent recording engineer. As so often in today's world, Ferenc (who lives in Budapest) and I have never met in person, but over the past five years we've shared many online communications about things audio. His goal... Read More »

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Eating Soup with a Fork

Roger Skoff — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 15:47:33 +0000

Roger Skoff of RSX Technologies at the LAOC Gala, 2023 (portrait and image processing by David W. Robinson) Roger Skoff writes about doing the right things the wrong way You wouldn't do that, would you—eat soup with a fork? Or paint your house with a Q-tip cotton swab? Or run a cement mixer in a... Read More »

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About Method - Or About What to Do When It Fails

Wojciech Pacuła — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 18:39:32 +0000

For a man who still retains spontaneity, truth will always remain a great word, at the sound of which the heart beats more vividly. W. F. Hegel, Lectures on the history of philosophy I don't know if you have noticed, but since the beginning of High Fidelity, we have tried to operate according to principles... Read More »

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Flaunt the Audio Imperfection

Frank Doris — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 16:23:24 +0000

Frank Doris is a valued colleague at Positive Feedback, a Senior Associate Editor here, as well, and Editor of Copper magazine, the publication of PS Audio. We republish the best of Frank's writing, with the kind permission of Copper. This reflective essay was first published on October 16, 2023, in Copper, Issue 199, as his "Frankly Speaking"... Read More »

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Is it Really all BS? Part 2

Roger Skoff — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 23:37:47 +0000

Roger Skoff of RSX Technologies at the LAOC Audio Society Gala, December of 2023 (photograph and image processing by David W. Robinson) Roger Skoff writes more about the weirdest thing about our hobby. In Part 1 of this article, I wrote how some people who claim to be audiophiles seem to be constantly on the... Read More »

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