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Peter Ledermann is the Artisan Smithy of Sound, Part 2: The New Soundsmith Zephyr Mk III Phonograph Cartridge!


If you read Part 1 of this Soundsmith review series in Positive Feedback Issue 98 (HERE), where I wrote about the new Carmen Mk II phonograph cartridge, you know that I found the Carmen Mk II to be one of the most musically enjoyable phonograph cartridges I have ever written about. The Carmen Mk II... Read More »


The New First Watt SIT-3 Stereo Power Amplifier by Nelson Pass!


Pretty much everyone involved in enthusiast audio has heard of Nelson Pass, and for good reason, as Nelson has been a central figure in the audio design world since the mid-1970s. I asked Nelson if he would tell me a little about his early years, about how he first got involved in music and audio... Read More »


Peter Ledermann is the Artisan Smithy of Sound: The New Soundsmith Carmen Mk II Phonograph Cartridge!


I get emails from audio enthusiasts and music lovers around the world asking for recommendations of a relatively affordable phonograph cartridge that is warm, dimensional, musical, and has relatively high output so you don't have to use an expensive step-up transformer with it to play music. I have found that particular combination of traits in... Read More »


The "Tunable" Audio MusiKraft Denon DL-103 Phonograph Cartridge


Audio MusiKraft was founded by Guy Pelletier in 2016 in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada, and consists of "a small core of experienced craftsmen and devoted music lovers" whose mission is to help their customers get the maximum musical satisfaction from their vinyl collections. Audio MusiKraft's first product—the subject of this review—is the "tunable" Audio MusiKraft Denon DL-103... Read More »


The Arai Lab MT-1 Step-Up Transformer for Moving Coil Phonograph Cartridges


One look at the Arai Lab MT-1 step-up transformer (SUT) and you'll know in a moment that it is a very serious, ultra-quality, audio product. The fit and finish are impressive and impeccable, yet what really stood out for me was the Arai MT-1's considerable size and weight—it wasn't that much smaller than one of... Read More »


Sexy Blue Tubes: The Sophia Electric EL34-ST and Aqua 274B Vacuum Tubes!


I've always enjoyed visiting with Richard and Sue at Sophia Electric about their vacuum tubes and amplifiers, so when Dr. David contacted me about Sue's inquiry to see if I'd be interested in writing about the new Sophia Electric EL34-ST and Aqua 274B vacuum tubes, I said, "You bet!" I'll start with the new Sophia... Read More »


An Adventure in the Art of Tone with the Duelund Coherent Audio DCA Series of Tinned-Copper Cables, Part 1


Back in Issue 88 of Positive Feedback I wrote about the Duelund Coherent Audio DCA16GA tinned-copper audio cable that I've been using for building interconnects, loudspeaker cables, and for the internal wiring of my Tannoy Westminster Royal SE loudspeakers' Duelund CAST external crossovers. That was a scant seven months ago, and now due to popular... Read More »


The Murasakino Musique Analogue Sumile MC Phonograph Cartridge from Japan!


Ever since the first moving-coil phonograph cartridge was developed in 1948 by Holger Christian Arenstein (the Ortofon Mono-A), phono cartridge designers have been working at maximizing & refining the performance of moving-coil cartridges by trying various topologies & materials combinations for the stylus, cantilever, coil wire, suspension, magnets, pole pieces, internal wiring, cartridge housings, cartridge pins, and... Read More »


The Acoustic Revive Chronicles, Chapter 13: The RPT-6 Absolute NCF Power Distributor, the Power Reference TripleC NCF AC Power Cord, and the RAS-14-TripleC NCF Power Stabilizer


Acoustic Revive was founded in Japan in 1997 by Mr. Ken Ishiguro, who is the design genius behind the innovative and ultra-quality Acoustic Revive products. Like many hi-fi enthusiasts, Ken-san's interest in audio arose through his love for music as a youngster. Ken-san told me, "I was listening to the Beatles when I was fourteen... Read More »


Lefson: French High-End Analog Audio Devices - The Lefson Resistor


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 Acoustic Revive RPC-1 Power Supply Conditioner: Power to the People!


Acoustic Revive RPC-1 Power Supply Conditioner The intrigue usually starts with a message from Yoshi-san or Elia-san from the MuSon Project in Osaka, Japan, who export Japanese audio exotica to The World. Every time I get a message from Messrs. Hontani I get pretty excited, because long experience has taught me that with their extremely... Read More »


The Duelund Coherent Audio DCA16GA Premium Tinned-Copper 'Vintage Tone' Cable


Frederik Carøe in Denmark knocked me out with his amazing Duelund Coherent Audio CAST capacitors, inductors, resistors, and autoformers that I wrote about in Issue 70 and Issue 74 of Positive Feedback as part of the Duelund-Westminster Royal SE loudspeaker project, and now Frederik has done it once again with his superb Duelund Coherent Audio... Read More »


The 12.5-Inch Woody SPU Tonearm™ from Pete Riggle Audio Engineering


The 12.5-Inch Woody SPU Tonearm™ from Pete Riggle Audio Engineering. If Gustav Stickley (1853 – 1942), the renowned figure of the Arts & Crafts movement in America, were to have made a tonearm to complement his American Craftsman style of furniture, what would it have looked like? I like to imagine that if Stickley had... Read More »


Adventures in Real Sound with Mr. Shirokazu Yazaki


In Issue 78 I introduced you to the remarkable Mr. Shirokazu Yazaki of Tokyo, Japan (above, center, with friends), in my article about the SPEC RSA-M3 Real Sound Amplifier. Mr. Shirokazu Yazaki has been a successful professional audio designer in Japan for over 40 years, and has been involved in the design of many fine... Read More »


The Garrard Project 2015: From Simple to Spectacular!


There's just something musically magical about the performance of idler-wheel Garrard transcription turntables that keeps me fascinated with them. Certainly the vintage Garrard 301 represents a beloved milestone of turntable design that remains enduringly popular with hi-fi enthusiasts to the present day, and who, like the 1956 Garrard advertisement below suggests, have concluded that Garrard... Read More »


The Vintage McIntosh Experience: A Musical Ride With The MX110Z Tuner/Preamplifier and the MC30, MC225, and MC240 Amplifiers


I've really had a lot of fun listening to vintage McIntosh vacuum tube audio electronics in my hi-fi system over the last year. The McIntosh MX110Z tuner/preamplifier, the MC30 monaural amplifiers, and the MC225 & MC240 stereo amplifiers were available as new products during the time period between 1954 and 1969, depending on the model,... Read More »


The SPEC RSA-M3 EX Real Sound Amplifier from Japan


Most regular readers of Positive Feedback know of my long-time passion for vacuum tube electronics. I've enjoyed the musical prowess and sonic chops of contemporary artisan-designed single-ended amplifiers with various output tubes, like the EL84, 45, 2A3, 300B, F2a, and 845 output valves; as well as inspired push-pull amplifiers using KT88, EL84, KT66, EL34, KT90 outputs, and... Read More »


The Acoustic Revive Chronicles: The Eleventh House!


As many of you know—and as the title reference to "The Acoustic Revive Chronicles" suggests—over the years I've written quite a lot about the innovative Acoustic Revive audio accessories designed by the brilliant Mr. Ken Ishiguro in Isesaki, Japan. In fact, I've spent more time writing about Mr. Ken's Acoustic Revive accessories than I have... Read More »


Duelund Coherent Audio from Denmark: The Duelund-WRSE Project, Part 3: Duelund CAST Silver Capacitors and Duelund CAST Silver & Copper Autotransformers


The Duelund Coherent Audio/Tannoy Westminster Royal Special Edition Project article I wrote for Issue 70 of Positive Feedback was the most fun I've had writing about audio ever!  In that amazing project we took a 'no holds barred' approach to building ultra-high performance external crossovers for my Westminster Royal SE loudspeakers using the exotic, hand-crafted-in-Denmark, Duelund CAST capacitors, inductors,... Read More »


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