March - April 2017
Audio Discourse
Impressions: The Critical Mass Systems QXK Mk. III Rack System...
The Critical Mass Systems QXK Mk. III Rack in Four-Shelf Configuration, photograph courtesy of Critical Mass Systems. The latest chapter in a story…...
1000 Years of Western Music History in 6 Tracks
In this column, republished from his blog site, John Marks of The Tannhauser Gate (http://www.thetannhausergate.com) shares his six pack of choices...
The Sonore microRendu and Signature Series Linear Power Supply
The focus of this review is to contrast the Sonore microRendu and Signature Series linear power supply with affordable power supplies from Channel...
VPI Hosts Press Open House Day. Part II: The Ultimate "Man
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...
Brief Impressions: Stein Music's The Perfect Interface...
Stein Music's "The Perfect Interface" Carbon Signature Resonance Control mat in place on our EMT 948 turntable. Every now and then I receive a product...
Santana's Lotus: Complete Edition in Quad DSD and SACD Surround...
Lotus: Complete Edition, Santana (Photo: Sony Music Japan) Sony Music Japan will be celebrating Santana's upcoming concerts in Japan from April 22 to...
Impressions: The OPPO Digital HA-2 SE Headphone Amp and Quad...
The Oppo Digital HA-2 SE A while back, the good folks at Oppo sent me a review sample of their replacement for the HA-2 USB DAC and Headphone Amp, the...
John Barry: *Somewhere In Time* Soundtrack (1998 re-recording)
Soundtrack: The great patron of classical music over the past century, nearly...or since the "talkies" arrived, anyway...has been the voracious maw...
VPI Hosts Press Open House Day: Part I: Factory Tour
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...
Audio Ramblings - The ENGIMAcoustic Sopranino Super Tweeters
So yeah, I like to dabble in tweaks and stuff that might add that much more to our musical enjoyment. Something that gets us that such more from our...
My Questions and Answers (MQA): An Interview with Andreas Koch
My Questions and Answers (MQA) An interview of and by Andreas Koch on the subject of digital audio formats In the age of digital audio it appears that...
Bybee Filters Ride Again
Bybee filters. These things have been available for audio in various iterations for nearly twenty years, as far as I can tell. The filters are said to...
The Neoteric Listener - The A&K T8iE MK II In-Ear Monitor...
Used to be, the only people needing fancy in-ear monitors were wasted rock stars or serious looking dudes protecting the President. The rest of us...
The VPI Avenger and a Tale of Three Tables - Part 1
Strap yourself in your seat, because we are going to go on a VIP ride with the VPI Avenger turntable. And yes, you dear readers are the VIPs in this...
Bass and Hi-Fi
Roger Skoff writes about audio's bottom line - bass and Hi-Fi. When I was twelve years old, I had never heard bass. Really. Oh, I thought I had, but...
Impressions: The KRONOS Pro LE Turntable, Black Beauty Tonearm,...
The KRONOS Pro LE Turntable with Black Beauty Tonearm, photograph courtesy of KRONOS Audio. Take a breath. A shift of gear, now. From reference-grade...
Audio Ramblings - The Focal ELEAR Headphones and Cabling From...
So I've been playing around more with headphones (headphones from Sennheiser, Audeze, AKG, and OPPO are in my usual rotation of references), but after...
Audio Ramblings - USB Cables from Curious and ANTICABLES
USB Cables… my last Rambling's column centered on the Purist Audio Luminist Revision Neptune cables and how, well either differences in cables are...
Hardware Reviews
From the Kipnis Studios: The View From The Top - Essence for Hi...
Introduction – The Illusion of "LIVE" Imagine something hard enough and it often materializes. About this time last year, I was engaged in several...
Periodic Audio IEMs
No other audio component takes as much abuse as in ear monitor headphones. My vintage balanced armature Klipsch earbuds have been stepped on, wash and...
The Spatial Audio Hologram M3 Turbo S Loudspeakers
If you follow the reports from the numerous audio shows happening these days, you can't help but miss glowing extracts about Spatial Audio's exhibits...
Triode Wire Labs - Power Cords, Speaker Cable, and AES/EBU...
There is a new player in town... Triode Wire Labs. When Dave Clark extols enthusiastic praise about a particular product line, I sit up and take notice...
In the Master’s House: A Reflection Upon JM Reynaud Bliss...
What car does your mechanic drive, what food does your nutritionist eat, and what surgery does your doctor elect for himself? These questions are...
New from TARA Labs - The Muse Cables
One Sunday afternoon we were listening to Krzystof Penderecki's Clarinet Concerto (DUX 0559). This is difficult, contemporary music—difficult enough...
JE Audio IS250 Integrated Amplifier
If you have the slightest interest in all things audiophile—and given that you're reading this, it's a good bet you do, you will have noticed the...
First Watt F7 Amplifier
The First Watt series of amplifiers started as an exploration of uncommon circuit designs in a low wattage format, and has been an ongoing endeavor for...
AURALiC POLARIS Wireless Streaming Amplifier
These are exciting times for users of integrated amplifiers. Never before have so many features and efficient power been squeezed into a single box....
Graham Slee Lautus Analog Interconnect Cables
After a publication gap while I was on vacation recently, John Marks of The Tannhauser Gate (http://www.thetannhausergate.com) returns to grace the...
ESS RLM-713 Headphones
ESS RLM-713 Headphones, photograph courtesy of ESS ESS is back big time with an array of top quality loudspeakers and—for the first time—headphones...
Modi Multi Times, or the Modi Multibit is Good Schiit
My son's increased homework load and need for more quiet time is requiring more headphone listening for me. I don't particularly like listening to...
T+A elektroakustik PA 3100 HV Integrated Amplifier and PDP 3000...
I have been very excited about this review since the opportunity was presented late in 2016. The T+A PA 3000 HV integrated amplifier and PDP 3000 HV...
Lamm Industries L2.1 Reference Preamplifier
"I suppose there's no remote? Dual mono volume controls?" I was discussing the operation of his L2.1 Reference Preamp with Vladimir Lamm. VL: "Yes,...
Ayon CD-3sx CD Player
The Ayon CD-3sx CD Player is a companion piece to the Ayon Triton III integrated amplifier that I reviewed. This is a full-featured Tube Top Loader...
The Value of Treatments: GIK's New Impression Series Acoustic...
As Joe Walsh would say, I'm an ordinary, average guy. While I've got some very nice gear, the room itself has been neglected. I'm sure it has modal...
Audio Research Ref 6 Preamplifier - A Follow-up
I'm overdue to finish what I started with my preliminary review of the Audio Research Ref 6 preamplifier (HERE). I have now spent many pleasurable...
Kimber Kable Select KS 1236 Phono Cable
New to phono enthusiasts is Ray Kimber's latest and greatest tonearm cable concoction which will definitely delight and amaze you. The Kimber Select...
Grado RA-1 AC Powered Headamp
Let's cut right to the chase. I have had a battery powered Grado RA-1 since 1996, and found it to be more than satisfactory with Grado cans. With new...
Audioengine HD3 Powered Speakers: Helping Make Life in the...
Those of you who pay any attention to any of my stuff at all will know that I've been in the process of building a new home for the last year, and it...
Interviews
An Interview with Greg Timbers, Past Designer/Engineer for JBL
Greg Timbers So, tell us a bit about your history in speaker design… beginnings and such. The journey that led you to JBL. I have been interested in...
A YouTube Video About PF's Jim Merod: The Jazz Man!
Positive Feedback has a lively and diverse creative community on its masthead. One very unforgettable person, and a very close, dear friend of mine, is...
Music - SuperSonic Recordings
Top 500 SuperSonic List - Part 2
This is an ongoing project by Claude Lemaire of Soundevaluations. Here is the second 10 of his Top 500 SuperSonic List... 11. Carole...
Music Reviews
Michael Rabinowitz, Uncharted Waters
Michael Rabinowitz, Uncharted Waters. Cats Paw Records, CPD-9855, CD $20 at https://www.jazzbassoonist.com/shop As a high-end audio importer and...
Notes of an Amateur: Elgar, Mozart, and Bach.
Elgar, Symphony No. 2. Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Onyx 4165. Elgar, Elgar, Elgar. What do American music lovers make of Elgar? Probably...
Doug Munro and La Pompe Attack The Harry Warren Songbook
Doug Munro and La Pompe Attack, The Harry Warren Songbook (GotMusic Records, GMR-1004, available at http://www.dougmunro.com, $15.99 CD) My first trip...
Notes of an Amateur: Music@Menlo 2016; Bartok's Music for Solo...
Music@Menlo 'Live,' 2016 "Russian Reflections" . (8 discs), available separately or as a box set. www. musicatmenlo.org. If you share Music@Menlo's...
Tinariwen’s Elwan on LP
Tinariwen, Elwan (ANTI- 87467-1, 2-LP set $19.98 through Amazon) Reviewing contemporary music is often merely a matter of describing a hybrid. "Their...
Notes of an Amateur: Mischa Zupko, Giaches De Wert, Schnittke,...
Eclipse: Chamber Music of Mischa Zupko. Wendy Warner, cello. Sang Me Lee, violin. Mischa Zupko, piano. Cedille CDR 90000168. Calling someone a "Chicago...
Polish Jazz Forever III
Remasters 2016 vol. 1 | vol. 3 | vol. 4 | vol. 24 | vol. 54 | vol. 63 COMPACT DISC | LONG PLAY Warner Music Poland sp. z o.o. Wytwórnia Polskie...
New Old Stock - Articles from Our Days in Print
Burning Issues 1: Who Are We? A Response
This article, by Tom Davis, originally ran when Positive Feedback was in print - Vol. 6, No. 3, 1997. Finding the Right Kind of Provocation Little did...
Our Friends at HIFI Statement
Lyngdorf Audio Tdai-2170
Brandneu ist der Verstärker Lyngdorf TDAI-2170 nicht. Zwei bedeutsame Merkmale unterscheiden ihn von vielen seiner Mitbewerbern: Er besitzt einen.... . . Read More »
Audioquest Nightowl Carbon
Der NightOwl ist nicht einfach die geschlossene Variante des an dieser Stelle vor knapp anderthalb Jahren vorgestellten NightHawk, Audioquests erstem.... . . Read More »
MastersounD Dueventi
Als sich der MastersounD DueVenti zum Test ankündigte, sorgte das bei mir nach inzwischen mehreren beeindruckenden Begegnungen mit Geräten aus.... . . Read More »
Chord SPM 1050 Poweramp
Da lag ihre makellose Hülle vor mir. Ihr platinblondes Antlitz schimmerte im Abendlicht. Die kühle Schönheit Ihres schimmernden Körpers nahm mich.... . . Read More »
Auralic Polaris Integrated Amp with Streamer
Wer es kompakt liebt und hohen Anspruch an Vielseitigkeit und Qualität stellt, für den kann der brandneue AURALiC POLARIS Streaming-Vollverstärker.... . . Read More »
Our Friends at High Fidelity
Polish Jazz Forever III
Remasters 2016 vol. 1 | vol. 3 | vol. 4 | vol. 24 | vol. 54 | vol. 63 COMPACT DISC | LONG PLAY Warner Music Poland sp. z o.o. Wytwórnia Polskie...
HiFiMAN Headphones - HE1000 V2 and Edition X V2
HiFiMAN Headphones - HE1000 V2 and Edition X V2 Within past several years the world of high-end audio took a course leading it towards the "wall"....
Show Reports
Colorado Audio Society November 2016 Meeting
Although I've been wanting to make it to one of the CAS (Colorado Audio Society) meetings forever, they are usually held in the Denver area. This makes...
The MSB Technology and Wilson Audio Event at Fidelis Home Audio
Time with fellow music lovers, intimate demonstrations of cutting-edge technology, all brought together by a gracious host is a humbling reminder of...
