The lapping of the bay, the wind through fallen tree. Birds of the sea and the land. It is all music gifted to us by nature. We use our nature to make music, and we cannot forget that nature exists within us all. I recognize the face in the mirror despite the grey flecks in... Read More »
James Blake, Covers Standing out from the noise in popular music is no easy feat. It takes more than a strong voice to stick out from the crowd these days, with so many choices at our fingertips. From the genre blurring and warbly bass bending "Limit to Your Love," to the hauntingly ethereal landscapes of The... Read More »
A precision DAC that delivers category-leading performance and value March 2021—Ventura, CA—Periodic Audio proudly announces the Rhodium, an ultra-compact high-resolution DAC that offers the music lover incredible performance, value ($49), and versatility. “The Rhodium is a no-brainer for anyone looking to seriously boost their digital music’s sound quality,” said Periodic Audio co-founder Dan Wiggins. “Its... Read More »
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, MARCH 30, 2021 — Wireworld Cable Technology proudly announces that their Stellar active optical HDMI cable has just become the first optical HDMI cable to be certified as Ultra High Speed by the HDMI Forum. The HDMI Forum Authorized Testing Center has issued certificates covering the Stellar cables in lengths of 5m, 10m,... Read More »
Champlain, NY – April 1, 2021 – Focal Naim America announced today it will be the US distributor of Thorens. With the incorporation of Thorens, Focal Naim America will add a lineup of high-end audio made in Germany to its current audio partners. Throughout the company's history, Thorens has developed several devices that have become... Read More »
Part 1: TECHNOLOGY In the 1990s, the music industry moved from reel-to-reel recorders, both analog and digital, to DAW recording systems, i.e. computer workstations. The Alesis ELECTRONICS ADAT digital multi-track tape recorders represent a turning point in this history. Digital Sound Recording—an audio preservation method in which the audio signals are converted into a series... Read More »
This is an ongoing project by Claude Lemaire of Soundevaluations 166. The Doors, Strange Days. Elektra – EKS-74014 (1967), DCC Compact Classics – LPZ-2045 (1992), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: acid rock, psychedelia, psychedelic rock, blues rock, musique concrète (in small doses). The last track on The Doors debut album is titled "The End" but nothing could be... Read More »
Qobuz, the music lovers' Hi-Res streaming and download provider, has partnered with UMe and Zappa Records to provide dozens of Frank Zappa albums for the first time in Hi-Res Audio. UMe, the global catalog company of Universal Music Group, and Zappa Records are launching today a Hi-Res reissue campaign on Qobuz totaling 29 albums spanning... Read More »
Firenze, Italy, 30th March 2021 – Introducing the PH-1000, Gold Note’s new premium phono stage. What if you could play back any LP ever pressed with the correct equalisation? And what if you could adjust or even modify that equalisation curve on the go? Or adjust any of the settings using a simple knob without... Read More »
It's rare that one gets to experience a true tour de force, but that is what I've enjoyed the past several months with the Van Baerle Trio's traversal of Beethoven's complete works for piano trio—a marvelous journey through some of the greatest music ever written. I've long held the Beaux Arts Trio in highest regard... Read More »
GRAND RAPIDS, MI, March 30, 2021 – Pangea Audio, developer and manufacturer of high performance, high-value audio accessories, announced today that the latest version of its popular Record Doctor cleaning machine, Record Doctor VI, will soon be available in a with a new white finish. Originally developed and released to mark the 20th anniversary of the company’s... Read More »
Extreme engineering. Breathtaking sound. The ultimate streamer. Linn today launches next-generation Klimax DSM, the ultimate streaming product and the closest you can get to streaming audio perfection. Applying almost five decades of digital technology learnings and expertise, every element has been designed from first principles and is fully optimised for the best musical performance. A... Read More »
Norman Varney of AV RoomService Ltd. has joined Positive Feedback as a Senior Technical Editor as of Issue 113. His expertise in his field of audio acoustics and experience in the field makes him a helpful voice in our creative community for the audio arts. As has been our wont from the beginning of PF,... Read More »
It has come to our attention that TIDAL altered its method for identifying its Master files, preventing the MiND 2 from recognizing that they contain MQA tags. Our R&D team is working on a new method for detecting these tags and will implement it in a firmware update within the next few weeks. In the meantime,... Read More »
March 24, 2021 -- Qobuz, the music lovers' Hi-Res streaming and download provider, is now the first music service to deliver 24-bit Hi-Res audio streaming on Sonos. Qobuz customers will be able to listen to studio-quality music on their Sonos speakers, preserving all of the details and color of original recordings, with the ease of simply pressing... Read More »
Tired of having your thousand dollar power cables just barely hanging from the wall outlet due to its weight? As an industry innovator SONORE either works on a new computer audio product like our super low noise audio streamers or we partner with inventors that simply bring a brilliant idea to the audiophile world. We... Read More »
Mogwai, As the Love Continues Like most popular art forms, music is over-classified. When an artistic medium is overly distilled through endless descriptions, categories, names, and titles, the magic is also seemingly stripped from it. The ethereal music of Mogwai, the ever-evolving Scottish band, is an unfortunate victim of these attempts to classify rather than... Read More »
The Silence Between, Pieter van Loenen, violin, and Tobias Borsboom, piano, TRPTK (2021, DSD256, DXD) HERE The Silence Between is a marvelously transparent recording of superb performances of five engagingly melodic, tonal 20th century works. (Well, almost. The Debussy piece comes from 1890 but clearly looks forward to the next century.) In this brilliant recording,... Read More »
Now Available for Pre-Order & Shipping 3/31/21, the U18s Combines Proprietary Drivers, LID Technology, and a New Electronic Crossover Network to Deliver a Uniquely Exceptional Listening Experience VANCOUVER, Wash., March 19, 2021 - 64 Audio, the leader in custom and universal fit in-ear monitors, is proud to announce the launch of the U18s, the new audiophile-grade, universal... Read More »
WestminsterLab is a company founded in London (hence the name), currently headquartered in Hong Kong, run by Angus Leung. Its offer includes connection cables and amplifiers, belonging to the top high-end level. For this review we received the Quest preamplifier and REI monoblocks; the preamplifier has its premier in HF. There are brands in audio... Read More »
Volti Audio Presents . . . “Lichtenberg Figuring” or “Fractal Burning” as it has become known, is a technique that uses high-voltage electrical currents to ‘burn’ dazzling tree-like figures into the wood finish of our speakers. The resulting figures are 3D in nature, burned down into the wood veneer of the cabinets, and then sprayed... Read More »
Chest-pounding, musical bass with accuracy and depth from a shockingly compact 10-inch cabinet that fits anywhere. The miniature yet mighty SVS 3000 Micro subwoofer seamlessly blends into any room and speaker system, energizing the space with astonishingly rich, effortless, and detailed bass that’s all the more impressive given its micro-sized enclosure. Featuring innovations from the... Read More »
We are proud to announce that the DMS-700 Network Audio Player has received Roon Ready certification from Roon Labs. Roon is a rich and engaging way to browse, organize, and listen to music. Artist photos, credits, bios, reviews, lyrics, tour dates, and composers are located automatically, then interconnected by links to build a surfable digital magazine. Roon is also... Read More »
Effective immediately, Franc Audio Accessories’ equipment Racks and Platforms will be distributed throughout the US and Canada by Monarch Systems Ltd. 17 March, 2021: Englewood, Colorado – Monarch Systems Ltd. is proud to announce our appointment as the official distribution partner of Franc Audio Accessories, manufacturer of high-quality and highperformance audio isolation furniture. Established in... Read More »
Qobuz to sponsor London-based label Mercury KX artist showcase at SXSW Online 2021 Contemporary Classical / Electronic music composers Sebastian Plano, Lambert, Luke Howard, and Sophie Hutchings will each perform a set to commence the SXSW music programme each day Qobuz, the only hi-res streaming platform of SXSW, is sponsoring the Mercury KX artist showcase... Read More »
March 16, 2021 - Focal, the French brand renowned worldwide for its audio expertise, unveils a new reference: Clear Mg. In addition to their sophisticated finishes, the sound reproduction of these open-back headphones is even sharper than that of their Clear predecessor. The luxury of Focal products lies in their performance and the experience they... Read More »
MOON’s 280D streaming DAC has been upgraded and updated to increase its already formidable connectivity options. At the heart of the 280D is the industry leading MiND2 streaming module, now featuring Spotify Connect and AirPlay 2, plus Tidal Masters, Deezer Hi-Fi, HIGHRESAUDIO* and Qobuz Sublime+ music services. The MOON 280D is designed to deliver an... Read More »
If you stop to think about it, you'll see that all of everything about our hobby—the music we love, the gear we give so much of our wealth and interest to, and the rooms we listen in—is about vibration. The recorded music we listen to is a vibration in the air caused by the vibration... Read More »
HASSE: Il Tigrane: Overture and Arias; VIVALDI: Il Tigrane: Arias; GLUCK: Il Tigrane: Arias. Isabel Bayrakdarian, soprano; Kansas City Symphony Orchestra/Constantine Orbelian. Delos DE 3591. TT: 64.06. Downloads: Amazon.com (mp3); boxset.me (FLAC); qobuz.com (various formats) Did you know about this Cleopatra? I certainly didn't. Cleopatra of Pontus married King Tigranes the Great (Tigranes II) of Armenia, in... Read More »
The Japanese company Accuphase was set up in 1972 as Kensonic Laboratory, Inc. in Tokyo and after it moved to Yokohama in 1973, its products have born the Accuphase logo. It used to specialize in amplifiers and radio tuners, and later also in CD and SACD players. We are testing its latest, top-of-the-range C-3900 line... Read More »
Verona, WI, March 10, 2021– Perlisten Audio, a new audio company founded by an all-star team of industry professionals, today announced that its products are available to U.S. dealers through Fidelity Imports, an importer and distributor of some of the world’s finest audio products. Fidelity Imports is the exclusive distribution company to offer Perlisten products... Read More »
MOON is pleased to announce that its streaming products* now offer Spotify Connect. The addition of Spotify Connect, together with the recent introduction of AirPlay 2 to the feature set, ensures MOON’s streamers continue to offer industry-leading connectivity. Spotify Connect is the quickest and easiest way to access Spotify’s immense library of music and podcasts.... Read More »
High end, two-channel audio systems have gone through a major transformation over the past decade. Systems that were once driven exclusively by vinyl and CDs are now largely run by content stored on NAS drives and servers. In order to ensure that audiophiles can enjoy the ease of streaming music without having to concede the fidelity... Read More »
At the peak of his career, Chesney "Chet" Baker represented the epitome of jazz cool, and along with the likes of Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Gerry Mulligan, and Stan Getz was one of the principal figures of the "West Coast Jazz" movement centered between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Baker relished living the fast life,... Read More »
HE400se Open-Back Headphone Features an Ultra-wide Soundstage, Detailed Spatial Imaging BELLMORE, NY, March 4, 2021 – HIFIMAN, the leader in high fidelity personal audio, will soon ship a powerful new planar magnetic headphone that offers outstanding audio at a mass market price. The new HE400se ($149) is an open-back planar magnetic headphone that employs single-ended drivers to deliver a wide... Read More »
March 3, 2021 Covid has obviously thrown more wrenches into the audio show schedule. Considering the constantly changing dates of some shows this year we want to assure everyone that if we cannot safely hold the Pacific Audio Fest on our scheduled dates (July 30-Aug. 1 2021) then we will simply refund all deposits and... Read More »
Light In The Attic Records (LITA) is a record label based in Seattle that has a certain knack for the unconventional, and has specialized over the last couple of decades in reissuing obscure, underrepresented, and sometimes virtually unknown artists. With the intent of bringing that unknown gem of an album, or perhaps a lesser-known artists'... Read More »
