My eyes welled with tears staring at a glorious reproduction of Edgar Degas' painting, The Orchestra at the Opera, in a massive book in the reference section of the University of California, Riverside Library. As an art student in 1990, I was overwhelmed by the virtuosity, draftsmanship, rhythmic composition, and sheer beauty of a bassoonist—captured... Read More »
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 »
To paraphrase Lawrence Welk: there are more new turntables than ever to choose from, good and bad, and this is certainly one of them. That's actually how a lot of reviews seem to go these days, and who can blame the poor writers? With seemingly every audio (and audio-adjacent) brand either getting into the turntable... Read More »
A Positive Feedback YouTube share from Döhmann Audio... Mark Döhmann of Döhmann Audio is widely seen and appreciated in high-end audio as a very gifted turntable designer. Well known from his days producing the Continuum Caliburn and Criterion turntables, Mark is a first-rank turntable designer who has been a master artisan since the early 1980s. Now... Read More »
Like many of you I have thoroughly immersed myself into the world of audio, and this passion has been with me since I was a young man. I remember my first humble audio system that was paid for by countless hours mowing lawns and working other various odd jobs in the neighborhood. Looking back at... Read More »
Over the past several years, increasing emphasis has been placed on products made in the U.S.A., and moreover, those hand-crafted by artisans. Entire fairs have sprung up showcasing wares by craftsman and more attention is being paid to the sources of materials of each product. Whether it is the farm-to-table movement, or your daily deliveries,... Read More »
David W. Robinson in Jerusalem, Israel, 2022: a portrait by John Robinson The Dohmann Audio Helix Two Mk2 Turntable, Schröder CB-11 Tonearm, Phasemation PP-2000 MC cartridge, & the Gold Note PH-1000 Phono Stage with PSU-1250 Power Supply Part the First of my reflections on the superb synergy of the Gold Note PH-1000/PSU-1250 Phono Stage, the... Read More »
E-in-C Robinson photographing at the Kronos factory, Montreal, 2022 (photograph by Bill Parish; image processing by Robinson) If you've been following my comments since last February, you're well aware of the fact that I have been repeatedly stating my extremely pleased astonishment at Louis Desjardins' Discovery Turntable System. So have others in our creative community.... Read More »
Ye Olde Editor, 2022: a portrait in Ink Outline (photograph by John Robinson; image processing by Ye Olde himself). A Study in Synergy There's that word again. As defined online by Oxford Languages, synergy is "the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater... Read More »
World Premiere Review! I strongly suspected when listening to the first song with the Musiko that I would buy it. Review By Rick Becker With this article, Positive Feedback continues its content-sharing relationship with Enjoy the Music where Rick Becker shares his thoughts on the Charisma Audio Musiko Turntable. Dr. David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief The Charisma Audio Musiko... Read More »
Three weeks ago, I had the pleasure of introducing you to the two new KRONOS Resonance Suppression tonearms, the Kronoscope RS and the Discovery RS. In that episode's interview with Louis Desjardins, recorded in his factory in Montreal, he indicated that he would be sending me one of the new Discovery RS arms to install... Read More »
Louis Desjardins and David W. Robinson: a moment. (Photograph by Bill Parish; image processing by David W. Robinson) You know, I just knew that Louis Desjardins was up to something. Last spring, I got a very excited Facetime call from him, talking about a discovery that he had made. No, make that "talking about The... Read More »
Up the Long Ladder Maurice Jeffries at GTT Audio: a portrait. Long Valley, NJ, 2021 I won't rehash here either the science behind KRONOS Audio's remarkable line of turntables, or the engineering insights that led Louis Desjardin, the turntable design world's current enfant terrible, to pursue his revolutionary approach to turntable design. Instead, I'll begin... Read More »
Greg Weaver, a fresco portrait. Chicago, 2018 (photograph and fresco image processing by David W. Robinson) It should come as no real surprise that paradigm shifts in the performance capabilities of hyper-audio gear come rarely. In my fifty-plus years in and around this industry, I have witnessed scant few. The first came in the early... Read More »
This article, as reviewed by Dave Clark originally ran in Issue 4, December/January 2003, 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. I will admit that my experience with turntables has been... Read More »
Muarah Audio made its debut during the Audio Video Show 2015 with a complete system designed for playing music from vinyl records. Associated primarily with turntables, it also offers electronics. This time, however, we are testing its flagship MT-1 EVO turntable with a PSC precise speed controller. The title of one of the articles on... Read More »
Reboots are everywhere these days, and it's easy to understand why. Capitalizing on existing goodwill and warm nostalgia is a surefire strategy for attracting an instant audience. My generation especially is eating it up. I mean, come on, who isn't binge watching those over-the-hill karate kids Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence still trading kicks in... Read More »
Within the audio hobby, there is an imaginary divide between companies that produce high-end components and others that create products meant to fill consumer demand at a price point. This demarcation line can be difficult to cross over, as companies may not possess the skills, focus, or resources needed to develop products that appeal to... Read More »
World Premier! The new SOTA sound allows music to become tactile. Review By Ron Nagle With this article, Positive Feedback continues its content-sharing relationship with Enjoy the Music Ron Nagle shares his thoughts on the SOTA Nova VI Vinyl LP Turntable. Dr. David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief There was a time when my school shoes wore out; my mom... Read More »