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"I feel the need—the need for speed!" (Peter "Maverick" Mitchell, Top Gun). Speed control that is! Whether it's jets or a turntable's speed... it all matters. We've all heard the chipmunk like squeals of a 33 1/3 rpm LP mistakenly played at 45 rpm, or the unholy dirge of a 45 played at 33 1/3.... Read More »

Hey Positive People! The last time we spoke, I was in the midst of bouncing between two rigs set up in my basement—one using several on-loan items:  the Modwright PH150 with the surrounding components that completed it (PS150 power supply; VPI Prime Scout; LTA Ultralinear amplifier and Microzotl amp; Daedalus Audio Athena v.2 loudspeakers; and... 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 »

It's time for an update on the MAG-LEV ML1 levitating turntable. You'll find my world premiere review HERE. After four months in heavy use and with my modifications on board, I am pleased to report that the ML1, for all its novelty and glamour, is also a high performing, exceptionally musical turntable, even for the... Read More »

A turntable is an area of engineering art balancing on the border between mechanics and electronics. This time, we will take a closer look at the product unique even among the best turntables: TechDAS Air Force III Premium Turntable Heavy, massive, compact, with a platter moving around on a thin film of air, with a vacuum... Read More »

Disruptor! The MAG-LEV Audio ML1 Levitating turntable is a disruptor! Are you surprised? I own one of six Paravicini magnetic drive turntables in America. It does not levitate, but it is quiet and astonishingly open and life-like. ML1 as delivered: Signal to noise ratio -73dB! Way better than your turntable? Why? It has no motor!... Read More »

A couple of weeks back, I arose on an otherwise unremarkable Sunday morning, had my coffee and checked my losing lottery numbers. I then proceeded downstairs to remove and replace the Hana EL cartridge that's been the recent mainstay of my analog playback system. The Hana SL (with its Shibata stylus) had recently arrived from... Read More »

The Beat MagDrive™ Turntable with Schröder Linear-Tracking (LT) Tonearm Ye Olde Editor, in medias puffus (photograph by John Robinson) Me, I call it "Big Red." Here was a real mountaintop moment for me with turntables earlier this year. It came in two parts:  First, getting to meet Steve Dobbins, the creative master turntable craftsman at... Read More »

After many many years as an audiophile delving into all forms of music reproduction in the home, I am most aware of the direction of the many twists and turns of our limitless hobby. The infinite variability of our quest enhances the fun and fulfillment waiting just after the next acquisition. Recently, I described a dynamite phono... Read More »

So, months, days and year (no "s") into my sojourn with the Pear Audio Blue Little John (system par excellence), I've hit critical mass. I'm taken, enamored, sold-on, dedicated, committed to and otherwise fully engaged with this turntable life. Without spending another three-thousand-plus words telling you all the ways I'm madly in love with the... Read More »

Bergmann Audio is a company and not an individual—and that's a good thing. Otherwise it would not have been very charming to admit that I did not quite believe the news about their tenth anniversary. For me, the Danish manufacturer appeared to be much older, basically due to their technically independent designs seeming to have... Read More »

Image courtesy of Pear Audio Blue Damnation. Time is sand through the fingers, crap through the goose. Projects pile up, deadlines come and go, and the best intentions of rodents and humans crash and burn. Turntables. Tonearms. Cartridges. LPs. Reissues. New record companies. New pressing plants. A glory of riches, getting better and better over... Read More »

As I mentioned when I introduced myself to this journal, I'm a rookie when it comes to high tech audio equipment—but I'm a fast learner. And l have already learned pretty quickly how deep this rabbit hole goes when one steps into the arena of sound and technology. Now, I'm not one for keepin' up... Read More »

Despite my growing fascination with all things computer/network audio, I've always loved the sound of vinyl and still spend a fair amount of time spinning LPs. Even considering the many acoustic and mechanical flaws either inherent or possible with vinyl reproduction, the sound of a well-played LP has an almost intoxicating quality that's near impossible... Read More »

This review started out an examination of the popular EAT C Sharp Turntable, but ended up a phono playback review. Only focusing on the turntable meant I was ignoring the cartridge and phono cable. A poor cable or cartridge meant I was only reviewing the weakest link in the chain! With that oversight fixed, the... Read More »

During the audio shows you can find both, interesting and boring things, new and vintage designs, big and small ones. But also the ones that you respect right from the start, and those that you do not even know whether to laugh or cry about. The loudspeakers and turntables often belong to the latter category.... Read More »

Where does the line between a project and a hobby lie? When does a review transition from an assignment to an obsession? Pear Audio Blue Little John Turntable in Red (image courtesy of Pear Audio Blue) Have you ever had a piece of audio equipment you just didn't want to leave alone? The kind of... Read More »

The man knows his business. Truly, the Gold Note PH-10 Phono Stage is a stunning bargain, and the partnering Gold Note Mediterraneo turntable is an absolute delight. Positive Feedback Editor Dave Clark's laudatory review of the Gold Note PH-10 (HERE) and equally favorable column on the Gold Note Mediterraneo turntable (HERE) could have made life... Read More »

­­In my last Ramblings I wrote about the Gold Note PH-10 phonostage and in summary, loved what it did with our vinyl (reveiwed HERE) … in this Ramblings let me ramble a bit about the Mediterraneo turntable ($6973 with bundled B 5.1 arm) and the supplied Donatello MC cartridge ($1030). For the Mediterraneo turntable, from the Gold... Read More »