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Fyrlyd Records FYRLYDLP1602, available at http://fyrlyd.no/ for 389 NOK "I'm a huge fan of those guys." Music reviewers aren't supposed to admit to such things. We're supposed to be objective in our approach to something that's almost perfectly subjective. We're supposed to accurately describe the release, offer some sort of reference for the reader that... 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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

Everyone jumped in their vehicles at the end of the factory tour and drove—or caught a ride—to the "VPI Man Cave" for some listening sessions. How did the VPI man cave come into being? "After Mom passed," Mat shared, "Dad wasn't living in the house since it was too big and we were paying taxes... Read More »

File this under a story within a story. At the surface, this report details VPI's newest product line offerings and releases. Throw in on top of that a side order of an interesting factory tour where attendees were treated to a tour of VPI turntables' assembly line, quality control testing as well as meeting the... Read More »

The National's sixth album, Trouble Will Find Me, continues the Brooklyn-based band's streak of melancholy mellow, indie rock. It's reminiscent of the rhythms and monotone vocals of Joy Division and with the suffer-in-silence-like lyrics of The Smiths. "Don't Swallow The Cap" and "Graceless" are dead ringers for Joy Division songs. Singer Matt Berninger and band... Read More »

Preoccupations, Preoccupations JAGJAGUWAR, Digital, vinyl, and CD In hindsight, naming a band Viet Cong probably wasn't the best idea, but they did it anyway and controversy ensued. Claims of cultural appropriation and insensitivity sparked outrage from student communities, online communities, and the threat of protest and boycotts forced the hand of concert promoters to cancel shows. That... Read More »

So for the past few months I have had the pleasure of using Ron Sutherland's DUO phono stage as the means of taking this from my Transrotor Leonardo 25/25/60 Doppio turntable, audiomods' Series 5 arm, and the Shelter 901 cartridge, and turning it into that for analog playback. Our current 'reference' phono stages are either the... Read More »

Johnny Hartman - Once In Every Life Reissued by Analogue Productions APJ 105 originally released in 1981 by Bee Hive Records BH 7012 A very difficult record to review! So much to say and so little room to say it. In 1995 Clint Eastwood directed and starred in The Bridges Of Madison County. In September... Read More »

Rush Paul is an audio friend of mine, who happens to share my passionate love for LPs and Lloyd Walker's wonderful Walker Audio Proscenium Turntable, arguably one of the very best reference turntables on this humble rock. He's deeply into getting the best out of his albums. Rush recently sent me his notes summarizing his... Read More »

Many know Talk Talk's first three albums, which had hits like "It's My Life" and "Life's What You Make It." But Talk Talk made five albums, each one better than the last, and then quit at the top of their art. Surprisingly few know the band's last two albums:  The Spirit of Eden and Laughing... Read More »

There's glory for you! In which our hero meditates… This isn't going to be anything like a standard review, which is something that I don't do anyway. No short-term romance…no quickie relationship…no three-months-and-done. No "Wow, what the hell was that?!" No "of all the turntables I've ever heard, this is another one." No, this is... Read More »

You would be surprised if you actually measured your turntable's platter. It may be several RPM off and you didn't even know it. I started to get suspicious when I was listening to some music and the pitch just seemed a little off. I'm guessing not everyone has the ability to discern a pitch-shift but... Read More »

There's anarchy afoot in the listening room; LP's are stacked everywhere, yet even in the shadow of chaos, there is a renewed love for that old black plastic magic. Yep, spinning records has become quite the pastime again, and it all started with a realization that I wanted better vinyl playback. While writing Phase One... Read More »

KLaudio has introduced several significant functional and cosmetic improvements to their highly acclaimed ultrasonic record cleaning machine since my original report back in the September/October 2013 issue of Positive Feedback. Included among the many changes are: The top loading record cleaning slot and the fill port for pouring the distilled water into the tank are... Read More »

"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." – Heraclitus That's how I feel about most things in life; I appreciate the subtle differences and I don't like to experience the exact same things over and over. While I certainly have my... Read More »

Everyone has at one time or another fallen prey to a never say never moment. My most recent gaff? Never, even in my wildest dreams, did I ever expect to write a follow-up to "Paper or Plastic? Vinyl's Final Resting Place: The Next Installment" (http://pollux.positive-feedback.com/Issue38/lp_sleaves.htm). In fact, I would have bet the house that the... Read More »