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Most diehard audiophiles believe the best system you can build will have the following components: a turntable, phono stage/preamp, and an amplifier. Keep it simple, keep it analog, and with the right component selection, the result is a system that sounds effortless and realistic in a way that a digital based system can never sound.... 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 »

Wave Storm Reference BNC Cables and the Chord Dave I have heard many cables I have liked over the years, and have endorsed several of them throughout my time writing for Positive Feedback. However, I would never have called any of them essential. My recommendations were always wrapped within circumstances; if you have a system... Read More »

ZMF Vérité Closed, ZMF Wooden Case, Cable Bag, and Warrantee Card ZMF has become one of the most well-known names in the head-fi community, producing headphones that sound incredibly good, and perform well above their price tag. They have excellent design that relies on exotic wood finishes, and a passionate team led by Zach and... Read More »

How to think about Power Conditioning Power conditioning is an incredibly touchy subject and seems to divide the audiophile community as a whole. There are some who say it is extremely important, subscribing to the classic garbage in, garbage out mentality. Then there are those that argue that if the equipment is designed properly and... Read More »

When it comes to streamers, my point of view is simple: software is king. Good software can make a streamer, and bad software can break a streamer. For example, I have a streamer that sounds wonderful, however, it crashes at least once a listening session. For a time I tolerated these crashes, however, with no... Read More »

In the audio world, a dealer relationship is still fairly common. As more businesses go online, dealers are adapting and making their products available online as well. Some manufacturers are even starting to forgo dealers and have started selling direct to their customers. The result, when done well, is more performance per dollar. This is... Read More »

For those who have read my other reviews on Positive Feedback, one thing that is probably apparent, is my love of tubes. I find that tubes bring a sense of space and realism that is rare in solid state amplifiers. Now tubes are not perfect, they have their drawbacks. For example, if you are using... Read More »

I am sure I do not speak for everyone, but personally, I rarely find myself turning up the volume on any of my preamplifiers past 50%. I also find that most of the time I am trying to turn down the source before it gets to my power amp rather than add gain to it.... Read More »

As I sit back, listening to Melody Gardot on my Hifiman HE1000SE, things just sound right. While my system has always sounded great, and I have an excellent system consisting of a Chord Dave / M Scaler, custom built tube amplifiers from ampsandsound, and a plethora of excellent headphones to choose from, I always felt... Read More »

Schiit is a name that many in the audiophile community know and love. My first tube amp was actually the Schiit Vahalla, and I have owned the Asgard, Lyr, and Mjolnir in the past and currently have a Gungnir Multi-bit DAC that I use in my office. Needless to say, I have always liked Schiit;... Read More »

Finding True Value in the Audiophile world If you look back at my history as a reviewer for Positive Feedback, you will quickly see that I have reviewed a number of different cables. I have reviewed everything from headphone cables  to interconnects, USB cables, BNC cables, and even power cords. I have a love hate... Read More »

Wireworld Platinum Eclipse 8 My first high end aftermarket cable was the Wireworld Nano Eclipse headphone cable. It was reasonably priced, had a unique cable geometry, and sounded excellent. This early success caused me to buy other Wireworld products well before I became a reviewer. All of my power cables are Wireworld, and for a... Read More »

The Bigger Ben has 5 impedance outputs Let's get one thing out of the way before we begin this review, I am a big fan of ampsandsound. I have owned, or had in home trials of pretty much every headphone amp that, Justin, the owner of ampsandsound, and his team have produced. I have purchased... Read More »

The Axios CU headphone cable ships in a hard case I have been on the hunt for the best headphone cable to pair with my Hifiman Susvara for the last six months or so. Every time I go to an audio show, I always see the Hifiman Susvara connected to amplifiers with a beautiful cable.... Read More »

The Hifiman HE1000SE Headphones in all its glory Preamble Those who know me know that I am a big fan of Hifiman. One of the first high-end headphones I ever fell in love with was the HE500. I have also owned the HE400 and the HE560. I have also reviewed the Ananda BT, and currently... Read More »

A multi-channel processor review on Positive Feedback? Pictures do not do the NAD M17V2 justice, the case work is extraordinary Some start their audio journey in the two channel world. I, on the other hand, started my journey in the multi-channel world with a Yamaha 5 channel receiver, and a set of really cheap speakers.... Read More »

FTA cables are extremely luxurious Some of you may have have seen my Final Touch Audio Callisto USB cable review (HERE). If not I suggest going back in time and giving it a read. The short summary is that the Callisto USB cable changed my thinking about if a USB cable could actually have a... Read More »

Core Power Deep=Core 1800 Sometimes the job of an audio reviewer is hard. This is especially true for things like cables, power conditioners, and other components outside of source devices, preamplifiers, amplifiers, and speakers. Not only is there a fundamental debate in the audio world over whether or not these non-audio producing / processing devices... Read More »