Like my good friend John Marks, proprietor of The Tannhauser Gate, I am a profound lover of Bach. But I was unaware of Nicholas Bruhns, and the other choice tidbits of musical history that John so adroitly shares with us here. I envy him the ability to attend the Bard Festival, and take in such focused wonders of... Read More »
There's an old adage folks like to dust off whence we suffer some loss, as wrenching as it is inexplicable, not unlike a late April ice storm, midst that initial gush of springtime bloom, which heretofore has served to affirm the promise and wonder of life and renewal after such a long, harrowing winter: "They... Read More »
Meeting #109: Crystal Cable's The Ultimate Dream power cable and Siltech's Triple Crown power cable One of the most pleasant things about the job that I do—let me remind you, I am a specialist journalist who deals with the aspects of high-quality audio—is contact with people who share my passion for music and its best possible reproduction.... Read More »
Shaded dogs that is! This isn't the first time these absolutely legendary RCA Living Stereo recordings have appeared on reel-to-reel tape (Scheherazade (FTC2017) was according to Discogs released in 1960 on four-track tape). This is, however, the very first time this pair of now close to 60 year old recordings are available on real time... Read More »
This is a brief note to all our readers worldwide, letting you all know that as of late August, 2017, Positive Feedback has shifted to secure Web operations. We have done so by engaging a large and well-known company in the computer/network security industry, Symantec, and its VeriSign secure site certification. You'll notice the difference... Read More »
This article, by Carol Clark, Victor Chavira, and Larry Cox, originally ran when audioMusings was in print - Issue 3, 1998 I met Gilbert Yeung, president and founder of Blue Circle Audio, at the Hi Fi '97 show in San Francisco. When I ran into him again at CES this year, he agreed to send us some products... Read More »
Mozart Violin Sonatas, Nos 3, 8, 20, 25, 26, 30. Alina Ibragimova, violin and Cédric Tibeghien, piano. Hyperion CDA 68164. (2 CD's.) What always strikes us about Ibragimova's and Tiberghien's Mozart is that every sonata feels freshly addressed. Each work is allowed to have its own musical life and identity. I discovered this with their... Read More »
Unless you're a 'phile who lives under rocks, listens to CDs, and thinks that eclipses happen because someone didn't pay the power bill, you're aware that reel-to-reel (RTR) tapes have been going through a quiet renaissance over the past few years. There's an incredible romance that goes along with RTR machines, one that is deeply... Read More »
Legrand Jazz, Impex Records LP Reissue, Stereo. IMP 6028 of Columbia CS 8079 It is about time Legrand Jazz, this historic jazz LP—or shall I say "hard bop"—was reissued properly. The Impex LP is the 36th LP version of Legrand Jazz in the world, and the best, I think, by a country mile. Made from the Columbia session tapes... Read More »
YG Acoustics (www.yg-acoustics.com) is proud to announce its acquisition by LK Capital and Yoav Geva. Steve Foreman, the founder of LK Capital, stated: "Over the past 15 years, Yoav Geva (the YG in YG Acoustics) has been recognized by the audio industry and the professional press as one of the world's foremost ultra-high-end speaker designers,... Read More »
Blank tapes: Not usually the topic of an article in a high-end audio journal! But Greg Beron, he of United Home Audio fame, with its treasure trove of RTR tape recorders, knows whereof he speaks. He has lots of experience with tapes, and here shares a few comments about two tapes that are currently available.... Read More »
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 »
I was at CES when GamuT Audio of Denmark was starting to make a footprint with their electronics. This was in the early 2000s well before Gamut had speakers which have deservedly garnered raves. GamuT showed with some speakers were an exceptionally finished product soundwise, if not also in appearance. The speakers? Tonian Labs speakers,... Read More »
This is the third installment of John Marks' very helpful series that guides our readers through various aspects and considerations for digitizing their LPs. In it, John...he of The Tannhauser Gate blog site...is seeking to help you by providing recommendations for quality components in a cost-effective way. Could other components be used? Of course. But by... Read More »
Herein we have part two of our good audio friend John Marks, he of The Tannhauser Gate blogging fame, in which he continues his series on transferring and digitizing LPs in a cost-effective way. Many PF readers will find this series to be of assistance, as they seek to archive their valuable, but so very fragile, analog records.... Read More »
DIVA 3DCD-2017, CD $17.99, available at http://divajazz.com/sights-and-sounds/recordings/3divas_cd/ Should it matter that the music you're listening to is performed entirely by women? That's the problem I had right out of the gate when it came to reviewing this eponymous debut CD from three supremely talented jazz musicians—pianist Jackie Warren, bassist Amy Shook, and drummer Sherrie Maricle.... Read More »
I believe that the hottest word recently used by people listening to decent quality music is Tidal. Tidal is a paid streaming service offering music files in a lossless 16/44 FLAC quality (high quality CD) and hi-res video; The latest addition is the Tidal Master, which offers hi-res PCM audio encoded in MQA (Master Quality... Read More »
This is a fascinating new series from our good friend John Marks, editor of The Tannhauser Gate. In it, John proposes to provide a reasonably simple and affordable method for converting LPs to digital files for playback on computer-based systems. I think that his comments will be quite helpful for those of our readers here at PF who... Read More »
New preamp is the first to employ patented Salomie input circuit and new feature set with highly flexible input/output array Peterborough, Ontario August 7th, 2017 – Bryston has announced the introduction of the new BP-173 (Cubed Series) preamplifier, utilizing patented technology that debuted on the much heralded Cubed Series amplifiers. The BP-173 also features a new expanded input/output configuration... Read More »
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 »
Bricasti Design surpasses their already world-class performance with a new Network Player option for the M1 DAC. Since the Network Player provides an option for computer based media files that is not simply a game of swapping convenience for fidelity…It was apparent it was time to undertake the journey of computer-based, networked audio. Change is... Read More »
Monterey CA, September 15 – 17, 2017 One of this legendary jazz festival's most star-studded line ups will drive energy and sheer musical glory to its full height this fall in the comfortable expanse of Monterey's bucolic fairgrounds. Tributes to jazz heroes—Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Ella Fitzgerald and Sonny Rollins—will punctuate the weekend. Herbie Hancock... Read More »
RADIO FREE CHIP Ourselves in the tune as if in space, Yet nothing changed, except the place - Wallace Stevens The guitar is a small orchestra. It is polyphonic. Every string is a different color, a different voice. - Andrés Segovia In January of 1987, Andrés Segovia embarked on what turned out to be his... Read More »
In this exciting episode, our good friend and courageous audio guide John Marks of The Tannhauser Gate (http://www.thetannhausergate.com) announces his intention to take on a rebuild on the venerable SME 309 tone arm. But this project will be with a twist! For part one, and to find out what the twist is, read on, dear reader, read on...... Read More »
Like many boomers, I've reached the point in my life where the aesthetics of Mid-Century Americana have become incredibly pleasing. It might be nostalgia, borne from the idea that the world of my childhood looked very different than now but in delightfully subtle ways such as the lines of the furniture in the average living... Read More »
Bill Evans Trio, Sunday at the Village Vanguard. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab UD1S 2-002 Box (2017, June), #2103 of 3000. Originally released on Riverside – RLP 9376 (1961, Oct.) Category: jazz. Format: Vinyl (2x180 gram LPs at 45 rpm) Ratings Global Appreciation: 9.6 - Music: A (9.0) - Recording: 9.2 - Remastering + Lacquer Cutting: 10 - Pressing:... Read More »
Audio Skies is proud to announce they just became the exclusive North American distributor for Levin Design handmade record brushes. We mostly demo an analog source at shows and dealers, and the Levin record brush is the best brush we have ever tried. It actually absorbs the dust and dirt instead of just pushing it... Read More »
Hear us this weekend! July 28-30, Hilton Oakland Airport Hotel. We invite you to come hear our cables this weekend at the California Audio Show at the Hilton Oakland Airport Hotel. This was a last minute opportunity, so we won't be listed on the caaudioshow.com website, nor will we be listed in the show directory, but... Read More »
Oakland, CA 7/27/17 - Burwell And Sons Loudspeakers is excited to announce our late entry to the 7th California Audio Show ! The show is held at the Hilton Oakland Airport from Friday, July 28 to Sunday, July 30, and we'll be there for every minute of it. We set some ambitious goals for ourselves with this show, and have... Read More »
JULY 27th 2017 (LOS ANGELES, CA) On A Higher Note, a California based premier promoter of musical integrity and distributor of synergistic high end audio components announces the arrival of Vivid Audio’s GIYA Series 2 loudspeakers, the GIYA Series 2 (G1S2, G2S2, G3S2, and G4S2) to replace the original GIYA series (G1, G2, G3 and... Read More »
David W. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief of Positive Feedback. (Photograph by John Robinson) As time has gone by, I have become more and more interested in covering not only audio shows or events, but also the people there. And not as photojournalism, but as art. Real portraits made during the difficulties of audio show circumstances. Show reporting... Read More »
Superb craftsmanship meets unmatched clarity and detail in a refined, customizable loudspeaker to fit any room Napa, CA, July 24th, 2017 – James Loudspeaker (www.jamesloudspeaker.com), designers and manufacturers of the highest quality décor-friendly entertainment products for both residential and commercial applications, has announced the introduction of the Q-Series floor-standing loudspeakers, a built-to-suit array of three models offering unmatched... Read More »
SIMAUDIO Ltd. is pleased to announce the soon-to-be-released MOON 240i Integrated Amplifier. This is the entry-level modern integrated you have been waiting for. With connectivity accented on digital audio (up to 24-bit/352.8kHz and DSD256), as well as a plethora of analog line-level inputs, plus a phono input, the 240i can easily become the one-box centerpiece... Read More »
Great news! John Grado and Grado Labs have come out with a brand new reference Grado cartridge, and were kind enough to send me a review sample for me to try and to report to our readers worldwide here at Positive Feedback. The Grado Epoch Phono Cartridge premieres in August, 2017 and is a cartridge of firsts! ... Read More »
Those of you who have been reading Positive Feedback for a long while will likely recognize the name Dan Zimmerman. He is a very close friend and fellow sojourner with me, and we have many deep interests in common: film, painting, photography, videos, poetry, philosophy, Christian life and thought, and spirituality...the list is a long one.... Read More »
The Brooklyn Company Kicks Off The Lineage Series With Sapphire And Cocobolo Grado Labs is proud to announce a major step forward in phono cartridge design, the all-new Lineage Series. The first two cartridges to join the series are the Brooklyn built Epoch and Aeon. For the first time in the family's sixty-four year history, sapphire,... Read More »
Gold Note—the Italian High-End manufacturer based in Firenze—is introducing P-1000, the first line preamplifier they have ever made, available from September at a MSRP price of 5.850,00€/USD $6.520,00 (6.500,00€/USD $7,250.00 for the P-1000 with digital input and DAC available on demand). P-1000 is an innovative ultra-balanced Class-A preamplifier powered by a new proprietary Six Gain... Read More »
