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It used to be that great things were invented by one great man. Edison, Morse, Tesla, Bell, McCormick, Whitney, Fulton, and countless others all—at least until they became established—worked alone, or with just an assistant or two, to bring their wonders to the world. In most fields, that no longer seems possible. Maybe it's because,... Read More »

Ye Olde Editor, contemplating on a high deck in Tiberias, Sea of Galilee, Israel, 2022. (Portrait by John Robinson; image processing by Ye Olde Etc.) Just yesterday Positive Feedback posted notice of the launch of an audiophile standards group: the Association of International Audiophile Publications. The formation of this new high-end audio association took most of... Read More »

Back in the 1980s or maybe earlier, "transparency" became the buzzword in high-end audio. Harry Pearson of The Absolute Sound was a big proponent of the term, and soon many reviewers and sycophants jumped on the idea, to the point where talking about "transparency" quickly became a tiresome cliché. But what does "transparency" really mean? I think most audiophiles... Read More »

A very brief note, just before departing on a two-week photographic/church trip to Israel and Jordan: Every now and then I encounter a high-end company that really impresses me with the quality of its work. I could make a pretty long list of such enterprises, but it would go fading off into the sunset, music intermingling... Read More »

Roger Skoff writes about how illusions can sometimes be illusory If I were ever asked what one thing about High-End audio was my greatest turn-on, my answer would have to be "imaging": the ability of a great system playing a great recording in a great room to make you feel as if you could actually... Read More »

Roger Skoff explains… We've all seen them: The LP turntable that's gold-plated, stands four feet tall, weighs hundreds of pounds, and costs as much as a small house before inflation set in. There's also the utterly gorgeous gold-plated or solid solid silver—meaning chassis, wiring, and even the wiring of the hand-wound transformers—electronics that have come... Read More »

So, you want to build a dedicated audio-visual room, but don't know where to start? We faced that same quandary this past summer after we downsized to a smaller, new construction house with an unfinished basement, where the A/V room would be located. Having profited well from this frenzied real estate market fueled by historically... Read More »

Kraftwerk's influence on today's pop music is so pervasive, the band is so historically important, and so much has been written about them already that doing an introduction here almost seems clichéd. But for those who haven't been plugged in: they more or less invented electronic pop music. As such, they've had an incalculable influence... Read More »

Roger Skoff gives advice about advice givers I recently came across an internet ad where some guy, who apparently makes his living by telling audiophiles what crooks other people are, was advertising his consulting services to tell you—for a not insubstantial fee—how to spend your money. When I checked further, I found out that he... 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 »

This article by Dan Wright originally ran in Issue 4, December/January 2003, so while we call this section "New Old Stock - Articles from Our Days in Print" you are also going to see some articles from our early days of going online. If it Sounds Good, It IS Good… Dan Wright has joined the... Read More »

FYI, Roger Skoff is the founder and President of RSX Technologies, and the former founder and President of XLO Cables, a name well known to many. He knows whereof he speaks…. Michael Riley (known to his friends as just "Riley"), was one of my co-writers in the early days at Sounds Like...Magazine, the first audio... 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 »

This article, as written by Clark Johnsen originally ran in Issue 4, December/January 2003, so while we call this section "New Old Stock - Articles from Our Days in Print" you are also going to see some articles from our early days of going online. In keeping with the present holiday season I recollect an... Read More »

Roger Skoff agrees with Porgy and Bess's character Sportin' Life about some Hi-Fi issues Nostalgia is a wonderful thing. It allows us to recall, honor, and enshrine the most cherished parts of the past while overlooking the less pleasant ones entirely. To the mind's eye (or to the ears of some audiophiles), the past is paradise.... Read More »

When I started writing music reviews for Positive Feedback, David gave me the brief to focus on high resolution DSD and DXD recordings. I think this was his way of challenging me to make the transition from an analog-only vinylholic to this new digital audio world into which I'd been plunged. And, so, I've found... Read More »

A reference system is a fundament of audio reviewer's work. It is his working tool. It turns out, however, that although we all want the same thing, and we want to capture the nature of the tested product or the reviewed album as best as possible, the way to achieve it can very significantly. It... Read More »

Dr. David W. Robinson, in contemplation with cigar. Happy Valley, Summer, 2021. (Photograph by John Robinson; image processing by Robinson) One of the high-end audio events that I attend every year is the Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society's Gala. Held for years now at the Holiday Inn at Buena Park, CA, the LAOCAS's... Read More »

Roger Skoff writes about why it costs so much to get less Roger Skoff is the former CEO and Lead Designer for XLO Cables. Nowadays, he captains RSX Technologies, a new high-end cable company in southern California. Words are cheap. If you just want to hear the words of a song, even a kid's "crystal... Read More »