November - December 2017
Audio Discourse
Ars-Sonum Filarmonia SK Integrated Amplifier
John Marks essays the Ars-Sonum Filarmonia integrated in this article. In doing so, he's revisiting...he had given a very favorable evaluation of an...
Redcloud - PS Audio's New DirectStream Operating System
Named for Redcloud, a 14,035' high peak in Colorado's San Juan Mountains, PS Audio's latest firmware update for the DirectStream Digital to Analog...
A Look Back at Bill Conrad and Lew Johnson's 40 Years in...
Lew Johnson (left) and Bill Conrad (right) with the ACT2 preamplifer at a CES many years ago! This is the story of Bill Conrad and Lew Johnson of...
conrad-johnson 40th Anniversary ART300 Monoblock Tube...
When conrad-johnson releases a statement product, everybody listens. Particularly when the new 40th anniversary ART300 amplifiers are the team of Bill...
YG Acoustics Sonja Series 2 Loudspeaker Launch
Last weekend Lynn and I attended the launch of the YG Acoustics Sonja Series 2 Loudspeaker. The event followed the format of recent product unveilings...
Pear Audio Blue - Little John/Cornet 1 Turntable/Tonearm, Part...
Where does the line between a project and a hobby lie? When does a review transition from an assignment to an obsession? Pear Audio Blue Little John...
The Year 2017 - What the Heck Happened?
Alright, so as 2017 winds down I am left with a feeling of, "Where did it all go?" Not just as in all things audio, but also as in well… yeah, that...
Audio Ramblings - The SOtM SMS-200ultra, tx-USBultra, and...
SOtM, a Korean company, had caught my attention at a number of shows with their way cool looking and affordably priced products that allow one to get...
The New Apartment Lounge: Sutherland Engineering's Knock-out KC...
The Apartment Life For those curious about the name I've chosen for my new Positive Feedback column, the New Apartment Lounge, here's the story. Last...
Impressions: Robinson's Brutus Awards for 2017, Part the First
So soon! Another year, another time to announce my Brutus Awards for 2017. Every year seems to go by faster, and this year was no exception. As...
Audio Ramblings - The Gold Note Mediterraneo Turntable, B 5.1...
In my last Ramblings I wrote about the Gold Note PH-10 phonostage and in summary, loved what it did with our vinyl (reveiwed HERE) … in this...
The 14th Annual Positive Feedback Writers' Choice Awards for
Beginning at the end of 2003, PF established its first annual awards for fine audio. The Brutus Award was established for the best that David...
Frederica von Stade: Canteloube, Songs of the Auvergne, Album 1
Good friend John Marks of The Tannhauser Gate once again sallies forth to introduce us to another musical worthy: In this case, the ravishing...
Brief Impressions: GTT Audio, Audionet, YG Acoustics, KRONOS,...
In which our hero meditates… The Audionet HEISENBERG Monoblock Amplifiers, bi-amped, with the YG Acoustics Sonja XV Loudspeakers and Kubala-Sosna...
Adam Schoenberg: "Finding Rothko" and Other Orchestral Works
Goodly guide and hale-fellow-well-met! John Marks of The Tannhauser Gate once again leads us into fascinating lesser-known musical worlds in this...
Wayne E. Goins: An Introduction from a Jazz and Blues Master!
Wayne Goins, Jazz and Blues Man Extraordinaire, joins Positive Feedback as a Senior Associate Editor and as a Musician in Residence. We welcome Wayne...
Impressions Photo Essay: Prelude
Ye Olde Editor, a portrait. (Photograph by John Robinson; image processing by Ye Olde Etc.) I made a recent trip to Salina, Kansas to catch the 20th...
Impressions: The Sound Galleries SGM2015 – Chapter 1, with...
In which our hero meditates… (Drawing by Robinson at a particularly boring faculty meeting many years ago….) What's the deal with me and German...
Audio Ramblings - The CORE and EDGE from Antipodes Audio, Part 1
So it is now 2017, and many of us music lovers and gear nuts have moved into the area of playing back our music files (streamed or downloaded from the...
The Greatest Tail-Chaser of Them All
Roger Skoff Comments on the State of Music and Our Hobby Most of us will never sit on the stage at a concert of any kind. Neither will we ever have the...
SWR Vokalensemble, Marcus Creed: Morton Feldman, "Rothko Chapel"
Our fellow voyager and good audio friend, the esteemed John Marks, he of The Tannhauser Gate blog site, strikes out in a direction in this article...
GTT Audionet Launch
Lynn in the BIG room Last year Lynn and I trekked out to New Jersey for the YG Acoustics Sonja XV speaker press event. That roll out went so well that...
Shiitr Show 2
Brian Hunter of Audiohead volunteered to cover this for Positive Feedback as we could not make it... As always with Schiit Audio, good time was had....
Suncoast Audio Premier of the LampizatOr Pacific DAC
Mike Bovaird, the owner of Suncoast Audio in Sarasota Florida, held an event at his store on October 14, 2017 to provide a premier demo of the new...
Hardware Reviews
Zesto Audio Andros Allasso Step Up Transformer
The Zesto Audio Andros Allasso Step Up Transformer Once upon a time, full-featured preamplifiers like the ARC SP-3 ruled the audio scene and contained...
Vermouth Audio Little Luccas MkII Limited Edition Loudspeakers
Little in Name Only After a number of reviews of products from Indonesian company Vermouth Audio it was time to sample where it all began. The...
The Time Reference Arrives: CH Precision T1 Time Reference...
"In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." Andy Warhol didn't foresee the internet, but he sure nailed a defining characteristic of...
The Gold Note PH-10 Phono Stage and Mediterraneo Turntable
The man knows his business. Truly, the Gold Note PH-10 Phono Stage is a stunning bargain, and the partnering Gold Note Mediterraneo turntable is an...
van den Hul Crimson XGW Stradivarius Moving Coil Cartridge
I am very excited about this review. I have been a big fan of the van den Hul (vdH) product line for many years. That includes cartridges, cable,...
Premier Review of the Grado Epoch Mono Cartridge
Just when you think an audiophile's life cannot get any better, along comes the most astounding mono cartridge devised by man. From the master of...
Unique Innovation Technology Perfect Music Purifier USB Digital...
Ever since I discovered that all USB cables were very different musically, and needed to be selected with maximum care, I have been searching for the...
Premier Review of the Kubala-Sosna Sensation Interconnects
Located between the Emotion and Elation! series of Kubala-Sosna Research cables comes the brand new Sensation Interconnects. A pricing of $5600 per...
Two from Audio Consulting: The SWGLA Preamplifier and Silver...
The Ghosts in the Machine "Remember when we used to talk about hearing the inner voices?" Lynn whispered. "How listening to the system was like looking...
Bob Levi Quickies: Bybee, UIT, and Pro-Ject
Plug-In Speaker Bullets (Crystal Series) The very cool looking Bybee Bullets, handmade to perfection of aluminum, gold, and other special metals, are...
Triode Wire Labs' Cables: A Looming Star
Triode Wire Labs' Cables Come to the Tune Saloon! All right, you caught me. Triode Wire Labs is already a Star. Their products have been favorably...
Audio Physic Tempo Plus Loudspeakers
German loudspeaker manufacturer Audio Physic celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2015. In the world of high-end audio, 30 years is quite an...
Qualia physic Q1 Mains Filter
I do not know if you remember our interview with Daniel Břeizina, the editor-in-chief of the Czech portal HiFi-Voice.com, published in the previous...
33 Rackit Modular Record Storage Unit
For many years, Per Madsen in San Francisco made elegantly designed modular record racks which were prized by record collectors and audiophiles. With...
Fidelizer's Nimitra and Nikola Linear Power Supply
Fidelizer Nimitra About two months into my first job—bagging groceries—I had a recurring nightmare. Mid-conversation I would discover I was sitting...
Grado Labs Prestige Black2 Phono Cartridge: A World Premier...
Have I got great news for you! The development of the brilliant, new Epoch $12,000 Grado Lineage Series Cartridge (see my review of it in PF Issue 92...
Ripping CDs Made Easy...The Acronova Nimbie USB Plus Disc...
Ripping CDs is a job that's easy to put off. "Honey, what's the plan for these CDs?" my wife says sweetly. I may be a little obtuse at times, but...
SPEC RSA-F33EX Integrated Amplifier
The SPEC company and its founder, Mr. Shirokazu Yazaki, as well as its main constructor, Mr. Banno Tsutomu, have a special place in my heart. I was the...
The Linear Tube Audio Micro ZOTL MZ2 Headphone...
When I listened to the Spatial Audio M3 Turbo S (read that review HERE) I was hoping to pair them with the Linear Tube Audio Micro ZOTL MZ2...
Parasound Halo JC 3 Jr. Phono Preamplifier by John Curl: ...
Having known the legendary John Curl's work since he did the JC2 Preamplifier for Levinson in 1972, a ground-breaking design for solid-state, and every...
conrad-johnson CA150 Control Amplifier
Bill Conrad and Lew Johnson of Virginia-based conrad-johnson feel that typical integrated amplifiers are compromised in performance compared to...
Interviews
A.J. van den Hul: A Sitdown with the Granddaddy of All Cartridge...
It isn't just every day that a hardcore audiophile disguised as an audio reviewer meets living high-end audio legend. In fact, there's no doubt that...
Music - SuperSonic Recordings
Top 500 SuperSonic List - Part 5
This is an ongoing project by Claude Lemaire of Soundevaluations. 41. Frank Sinatra, Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!! Capitol Records – SW 1491...
Music Reviews
Denny Zeitlin and George Marsh's Expedition
Denny Zeitlin & George Marsh's Expedition. (Sunnyside Communication SSC1487, CD $12.98, http://sunnysidezone.com/album/expedition) The first time...
Notes of an Amateur: Podger, Wuorinen, and the Dover Quartet.
Grandissimi Gravita. Violin Sonatas by Vivaldi, Tartini, Veracini, Pisendel. Rachel Podger, violin; Brecon Baroque. Channel Classics SACD. CCSSA 39217....
Puccini, Arias
Angela Gheorghiu, soprano; *Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi/Anton Coppola; +Orchestra of...
Marek Pospieszalski
Marek Pospieszalski, gra piosenki, które śpiewał Frank Sinatra Marek Pospieszalski MP001, Medium: Compact Disc. Date of release: 15th March 2017 A...
Lars Jakob Rudjord's Indiepiano on LP
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...
Chopin's Last Waltz, an LP from Kimber Kable
Chopin's Last Waltz, Robert Silverman pianist, Kimber Kable ISOMIKE 5606, LP. Producer: Ellen Silverman Editing: Aaron Hubbard Mastering: Chad Kassem,...
Vincent Bélanger, Pure Cello
Audio Note Music – ANM 1601 (UK) (2017, March) Format: Vinyl (2x180 gram LPs at 45 rpm) Named official 'musical ambassador' for Audio Note Music,...
New Old Stock - Articles from Our Days in Print
From Clark Johnsen’s Diary: Tone, Tweaks, & Digitalia:...
This article, by Clark Johnsen, originally ran when Positive Feedback was in print - Volume 8, Issue 2, 1999 I. In The Beginning Was The Tone The...
Our Friends at HIFI Statement
Franco Serblin Lignea
Die Franco Serblin Lignea ist ein sehr ausgefallener Lautsprecher, wohl schon eine Skulptur. Einzigartig ist das Design, jedoch keineswegs.... . . Read More »
Audia Flight FLS 10
Der neue Audia Flight FLS 10 Vollverstärkers war auf der diesjährigen Highend zu besichtigen. Hören konnte man ihn jedoch noch nicht. Es dauerte.... . . Read More »
Mytek Manhattan II
Seit mehr als fünf Jahren tummeln sich die in der Studio-Szene schon damals anerkannten Digital-Spezialisten von Mytek auch sehr erfolgreich auf dem.... . . Read More »
Our Friends at High Fidelity
Stacore Advanced Anti-Vibration Platform
Yayuma Audio, a company whose sound processor we wrote about in the February issue of High Fidelity (No. 154), was created out of passion and on the...
Cantano W Turntable and Cantano T Arm
During the audio shows you can find both, interesting and boring things, new and vintage designs, big and small ones. But also the ones that you...
Qualia physic Q1 Mains Filter
I do not know if you remember our interview with Daniel Břeizina, the editor-in-chief of the Czech portal HiFi-Voice.com, published in the previous...
SPEC RSA-F33EX Integrated Amplifier
The SPEC company and its founder, Mr. Shirokazu Yazaki, as well as its main constructor, Mr. Banno Tsutomu, have a special place in my heart. I was the...
Marek Pospieszalski
Marek Pospieszalski, gra piosenki, które śpiewał Frank Sinatra Marek Pospieszalski MP001, Medium: Compact Disc. Date of release: 15th March 2017 A...
Our Friends at Part-Time Audiophile
Introducing The Occasional Magazine
The Occasional Part-Time Audiophile is a new thing. Another experiment. And while it may be new to us, it’s not exactly new. The history of our hobby.... . . Read More »
Radio Free Chip
Radio Free Chip
Confession is Good for the Soul Those few pilgrims who've remained in touch, and kept up to date with RADIO FREE CHIP's infrequent musings, might just...
Show Reports
Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2017 - Young Guns and More
Cue exhibit C, marked as personal identification tag, allowing said member of the audio press to attend Denver's annual mile high HiFi show. "Your...
Rocky Mountain Audiofest 2017: Revamped, Refreshed and...
At last! The construction that plagued last year's Rocky Mountain Audiofest is history and the show is back to normal. Improved sleeping rooms. Much...
RMAF 2017 Photo Essay Part 1
For the past fourteen years Rocky Mountain Audio Fest happens each October. Usually Dave and I battle airports and uncomfortable flights, but this year...
