Here's the latest from John Marks of The Tannhauser Gate blog site. His work is always a delight to re-publish here at Positive Feedback...this time is no exception. Enjoy! Dr. David W. Robinson, Ye Olde Editor The Internet radio station I listen to most often is Bavarian Radio's Classical channel. To get to it, click HERE and scroll down to... Read More »
Audirvana Plus, the hi-fi software player acclaimed worldwide, now comes to PC users. The audiophile music player is now available with its new interface for Windows 10. Paris, July 19, 2018—Audirvana, maker of Audirvana Plus, the reference hi-fi audio player first made for Mac users, announces the commercial release of the highly anticipated Windows 10 version.... Read More »
Munich 2018, or "What the hell was that?!" Fair warning: This is not going to be a standard show report, whatever that is. There are plenty of audio scribes, showgoers, bloggers, and videographers running around high-end audio shows these days. There are tons of articles, postings, discussions, YouTube videos, bloggo-blather, and camera dumps going on,... Read More »
ORG Records ORGM-2114, LP $20, special limited edition green or white $25, available at orgmusic.com We music lovers and collectors know the feeling of missing out on a particular band or performer for a big chunk of our lives, only to say, "Why haven't I discovered this until now?" I can think of dozens of... Read More »
This was a fun project. The original genesis was realized from dozens of emails from various readers over the last twelve months in response to some of my most recent hardware reviews. When trying to explain a point or what they were hearing in their own system, the references were often a track from one... Read More »
Vinyl Reviews - New online publication dedicated to all aspects of the analog life, including professional reviews from amazing music writers, user reviews, feature profiles, and purchase recommendations July 11, 2018 - Puget Sound, WA VinylReviews.com, an exciting NEW publication dedicated to reviews of vinyl quality and analog culture, announces its launch. Founded by Intervention Records CEO... Read More »
This past April Dave and I went to CanJam SoCal in downtown Los Angeles. It was a great show, and even though the venue was huge, it was easy to navigate. One of the first exhibitors we came across was Sonarworks. According to their website, they are "on a mission to ensure everybody hears music... Read More »
ORLANDO, FL, July 9, 2018 — Clarus®, the high-end audio cable brand that is a “sister” company to Tributaries A/V cables, is introducing a nine part series of consumer-informational videos: “Interviews with Jay Victor Cable engineer” that explain, in a straightforward manner, the intricate processes that are behind the development of their Clarus Crimson and... Read More »
DETROIT, MI – July 9, 2018 - Shinola has partnered with Barefoot Sound, a leading manufacturer of professional audio recording monitors, to create our first bookshelf speaker system with Bluetooth® technology. This introduction marks the first time Barefoot Sound has ventured out of the studio and mixing landscape. Thomas Barefoot designs speaker systems that are embraced by... Read More »
GRAND RAPIDS, MI, July 6, 2018 – Pangea Audio, developer and manufacturer of high performance, high value audio accessories, will soon deliver a new step-up phono cable that offers a demonstrable difference in sonic output when used with the majority of currently available turntables, no matter if they are reference-quality or entry level. The Pangea Premier... Read More »
Founded in 2010 by Pat Hickman, Whammerdyne Heavy Industries is an amalgamation of technical skill-sets united by a common passion for hi-end audio, based in Wilsonville, OR. With many years of combined experience in hi-end audio, electronics engineering, and CNC fabrication, the team set out to build the ultimate single-ended stereo amplifiers. That journey found... Read More »
Audiophiles can save big on Focal’s reference open-backed over-ear headphones and Questyle’s high-res portable digital audio player until August 31 Focal Utopia Focal’s Utopia headphones provide absolute acoustic purity offering striking realism, neutrality, dynamics, and clarity As a world first, Utopia features the only full range and fully open back loudspeaker, built within a pair... Read More »
Another contribution from John Marks of the blog site The Tannhauser Gate. This one brief, and controversial in some musical quarters. Nonetheless, this is John's point of view, and this section of Positive Feedback is entitled, "Audio Discourse." Therefore, read on... Dr. David W. Robinson, Ye Olde Editor My post about Gidon Kremer & Co.'s chamber-orchestra version of... Read More »
Electrifying Recording Breaks New Ground in Orchestral Music Featured Performances by Jofre, Violinist Michael Guttman and The Grammy-Winning Orpheus Chamber Orchestra There’s a reason we remember the trailblazers, those who accomplished something first. They’re the daring ones, the people who defy convention. Composer and master bandoneón player JP Jofre joins the ranks of those who have ventured... Read More »
This is an ongoing project by Claude Lemaire of Soundevaluations 66. Babe Ruth, First Base. Harvest, EMI – SHSP 4022 (UK) (1972), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: hard rock, heavy prog artistic rock, funky-based grooves, Spanish overtones Named after America's most famous baseball player, British band Babe Ruth reaped its biggest success in Canada—particularly in Québec—with "The Mexican", melding Spanish... Read More »
Experience Stereo Bliss with this 450 Watt Stereo Amplifierthat features a 66% Increase in Dynamic Headroom Binghamton, NY – July 2, 2018 – McIntosh, the global leader in prestigious home entertainment and ultimate-quality audio for over 65 years, is proud to announce the MC462 Quad Balanced Power Amplifier. Experience stereo bliss with the new MC462... Read More »
Image courtesy of Accustic Arts A bloody busy year so far, with much more to go. One of the projects that I took on very early in 2018...with some hesitation, I confess, due to the workload that was already building...was an offer to hear the Accustic Arts Tube Preamp II Mk2 and Mono II Monoblock... Read More »
This article, as reviewed by Mike Pappas, originally ran when Positive Feedback was in print. Volume 6, Issue 4. A Pure Class D Project How did I get into this? Well, our fearless editor David Robinson called me about eight weeks ago and told me one of the most fantastic tales I have ever heard...... Read More »
Cuerdas Cubanas, Toomai String Quintet. CD and downloads available at CDbaby.com. TT: 30.55 López: A Gozar con mi Combo. Lecuona: Gitanerías; Zambra Gitana; Andalucía; En Tres por Cuatro; La Comparsa*; Danza Lucumí. Castro: No Encuentro Palabras*. Moré: Bonito y Sabroso*. Brito: Cómo fue*. Morales: Dame Bururu*. (*with Alina Roitstein, singer; all selections arranged by Andrew Roitstein)... Read More »
This is a unique situation: the same company owns two cabling brands that are significantly different from each other. The manufacturer is INTERNATIONAL AUDIO HOLDING BV, and it owns two brands: CRYSTAL CABLE and SILTECH . What's more, the cables of both brands do not compete, but complement each other. It is possible, due to the unique... Read More »
Hürth, 22nd of June 2018 TIDAL Audio GmbH, designer and manufacturer of premium high-end audio components is pleased to announce the creation of a new brand: VIMBERG™. The first two models in the range of launched products are 3-way loudspeakers ‘Mino’ and ‘Tonda’. Jörn Janczak, CEO of TIDAL Audio GmbH states: “VIMBERG is our answer to the constantly asked... Read More »
EXOGAL Audio announced today that they are ceasing development of MQA for inclusion in EXOGAL products. June 22, 2018. Said Jeff Haagenstad, CEO of EXOGAL: "We have been evaluating MQA technology and watching the wider MQA ecosystem since early 2016. After much research on the fundamental technology and more importantly on the market demand for MQA,... Read More »
ORLANDO, FL, June 11, 2018 – HIFIMAN, the leader in high fidelity personal audio, today announced availability of Ananda (SRP: $999), the company’s new open-back planar headphone designed to maximize performance of any personal audio source, especially smartphones and tablets. “Ananda is designed for music lovers who want one high-performance, extraordinarily comfortable headphone for all personal listening,... Read More »
SAN FRANCISCO (6/13/18) Parasound has introduced the HINT 6, an improved version of its popular Halo Integrated Amplifier. After the original Halo Integrated Amplifier was introduced, it quickly became known as "HINT" in the Parasound community, and that name is now adopted in the new model. The amazing sound quality and musicality of the original... Read More »
Andy Zimmerman, Half Light. Newvelle Records NV014LP, LP available as part of subscription at newvelle-records.com I came to a stunning realization about my musical tastes the other day. I was discussing Haydn with a friend, and he asked why I wasn't a bigger fan of his music. I hemmed and hawed for a while before coming... Read More »
Last year at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest we had a chance to listen to the AR-M200 player. It is a great sounding player and compact in size, and at a list price of USD $399 it's a great deal. In this tag-team article, we both give our thoughts. Carol At last year's RMAF Dave... Read More »
Ah yes, the world of cables… well specifically the world of USB cables. A lot of controversy as to their audible impact, or perhaps not if one actually sat and listened with an open mind. In the past I have shared the thinking behind their designs and any potential impact on the music (HERE), and have reviewed... Read More »
I think that the assertion that the Nobel Prize in Literature is essentially silly (and therefore, we are fools for taking it seriously) has something to be said for it. (Those happen to be the positions of the British novelist and translator Tim Parks.) Not one of: James Joyce, Tolstoy, Ibsen, Henry James, Robert Graves, Graham Greene,... Read More »
In their continuous pursuit of the finest in musical reproduction... ABYSS gives the AB-1266 Phi Reference Headphone a new suit, made of the hardest thin film coating on Earth. A colored polymer ceramic coating (CC) is factory applied and oven cured. This beautiful two-tone luxury black finish gives the Phi a sophisticated look and is... Read More »
It is no small feat to develop a product that transcends generations and becomes so ingrained in our society that it immediately conjures images of superior performance and jaw-dropping visions of beauty. Looking at a 1963 Porsche 911 next to a 2018 911 GTS, one can still see the striking lineage and heritage which this... Read More »
Do you know Polish music? No? It is a time capsule to read something more about it. And about my dreams too. Now and then I have such a thought: if we have so much in common with Japan, especially when it comes to love of music, why aren't we releasing Compact Discs in Poland... Read More »
Muddy Waters was born on April 4, 1913 and died on April 30, 1983. The 35th anniversary of his passing has recently come and gone. For this occasion, I find no better reason to introduce to you a dissection of one of the greatest blues albums ever recorded, entitled Folk Singer. Before we begin, please... Read More »
You may have noticed a trend over the years in my response to high-end audio shows. I've gravitated more and more to photographs not of products, but of people. Less and less of audio porn; more and more of the folks who make up the slightly mad world of fine audio. There are plenty of... Read More »
Making the simple complicated is commonplace. Making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. - Charles Mingus Years ago my friend, the British guitarist Robert Fripp (of King Crimson renown), found the time for a brief assignation at a Greenwich Village bistro. Over lunch, when I inquired as to how his visit to Manhattan was... Read More »
T.H.E. Show… The Home Entertainment Show of 2018… back after being abandoned by the creation of the Los Angeles Audio Show (LAAS ) in 2017, which died a sudden and yet sort of expected death in 2018 after its first show near LAX in 2017, left many with a sour taste and not sure what... Read More »
"May you live in interesting times." Legend has it that in ancient China this was a curse to be invoked against one's enemies to deprive them of a calm, simple life. The modern audiophile equivalent was the April 2, 2018 press release from Oppo's audio/video division announcing cessation of production of existing products and closing... Read More »
FIRENZE, Italy: Gold Note - the Italian High-End manufacturer based in Firenze – is introducing PSU-10, the external power supply developed to improve even further the performance of the PH-10 phono stage. PSU-10 has been engineered with the best quality audio-grade components to enhance the performance of PH-10 and improve even further your system: with... Read More »
