In last year's 7th Annual Positive Feedback Online's Writers' Choice Awards for 2010 I managed to squeeze in an extra Award for a total of four:

My first choice was a no-brainer, and it went to my all-time favorite loudspeaker, the incredible Tannoy Westminster Royal Special Edition. The Westminster is so good that I still marvel at the rich musical experience it produces each and every time I listen to it.

As I said in that post:

"Tannoy Westminster Royal Special Edition loudspeakers ($35,000 USD): The Scottish Tannoy Westminster Royal Special Edition is the best loudspeaker I have used by a country mile. As the oldest loudspeaker manufacturer in the world, Tannoy has put everything they've learned about loudspeaker performance over the years into the Westminster Royal Special Editions, and as listener after listener to my listening room has said, the Westminsters are really something special, and are a couple of performance levels above either of my previous reference loudspeakers, the Avantgarde Duo or Harbeth Monitor 40.1. They should be considering the price differential: the Harbeth M40.1 is around $12K, the Avantgarde Duo is double that, and the Westminster is about triple that. In the case of the Westminster Royal SE they are expensive enough to make your teeth hurt, but you really do get what you pay for and a lot more, they are simply the most musically satisfying Hi-Fi purchase I've ever made. Using the Stereophile rating system that places the Avantgarde and Harbeth in highest category of Class A, the Westminsters are simply off the rating scale somewhere above Class A.

As my friend Ron said after hearing the Westminsters, "Where do you go from here!" Well, for me, nowhere. I'm finally done searching for loudspeakers that I can live with and love for the long haul. The Westminster Royal SE represents the end of long a journey through many different loudspeakers, all of them good to great, but in the Tannoy Westminster Royal SE I've finally found 'my' perfect loudspeaker. Maybe it's my Scottish DNA kicking in, but I like everything about them, and I can't imagine living without them. I hope I never have to.

For more information about arranging for an audition or purchasing the Westminster Royale Special Edition loudspeaker in North America contact Darrin Kavanagh, VP Residential Sales, Tannoy, TC Group Americas at [email protected] or 303-459-4594."

The wonderful Leben RS-30EQ also got an Award last year:

"Leben RS-30EQ Phono Preamplifier ($2495 USD): Unlike the staggeringly expensive Westminster Royal SE loudspeakers described above, my next award recommendation is the vacuum tube Leben RS-30EQ phono preamplifier, which falls into everyman's land price-wise at $2495 USD, so nearly all of us can experience its musical charms if we want to.

This handmade piece of audio art has been wowing music lovers around the world at the Salon de Image show in Toronto in the hands of Jonathan Halpern of Tone Imports. Jonathan imports Leben electronics (and other audio delicacies) to the North American market, and has been using the Leben RS-30EQ as the anchor for winning combinations of Hi-Fi gear that punch WAY ABOVE their weight, often winning 'best sound of show' over competitors with Hi-Fi systems that are 10 to 100 times more expensive, and that's coming from the hard to impress Stereophile writers like Stephen Mejias, John Atkinson, Robert Deutsch, John Marks, and Art. Interesting eh?

Whether the RS-30EQ is paired with the CS-600 or the CS-300X integrated amplifiers, the Leben RS-30EQ phono stage demonstrates a combination of low noise, freedom from obvious coloration, high transparency, high resolution, extended high frequencies, gorgeously liquid mid-range performance, deep and articulate bass response, superb dynamics, superb imaging, impressive soundstaging, and a natural musical expressiveness that makes it extremely involving to listen to LPs with. Not only that, but the Leben RS-30EQ is fun to listen to LPs with. Fun isn't something that fits into musical or sonic categories, but is perhaps more important than either, and over and over again I find myself forgetting about Hi-Fi stuff and just found myself getting lost in the fun of listening to music on LPs, which at the end of the day is what it's all about for me.

I'll tell you what, the combination of the Leben RS-30EQ phono preamplifier, the Leben CS-300X or CS-600 integrated amplifier, and my Tannoy Westminster Royal SE loudspeakers makes for a shockingly good Hi-Fi system—a minimalist super-system for the music lover—and one I could easily be content with until my last breath on planet Earth!

So there you have it. The Leben RS-30EQ phono preamplifier is really something special, and a stone-cold bargain at its $2595 US asking price. You can build a superbly musical high-performance audio system around a Leben RS-30EQ phono preamplifier and Leben integrated amplifier that doesn't cost a fortune by using a pair of smaller Harbeth, ProAc, or DeVore Fidelity loudspeakers. Knowing that a simple Leben system KO'd some of the biggest names in audio at Salon Son and Image two years running, you can just sit back, relax, enjoy the music, and quit worrying about gear. The line to sign up for a Leben RS-30EQ forms at the right, but don't dally too long, or you might be in for a long wait."

The Acoustic Revive TB-38 Quartz Underboards also got an Award last year:

"The Acoustic Revive Chronicles series of articles were a lot of fun for me to write. I always got excited when I'd hear that there were Acoustic Revive products coming my way for review, because Mr. Ken Ishiguro's innovative applications of physics, materials science, and audio engineering principles to his product line of high-performance audio products never failed to amaze me in their effectiveness in enhancing the performance of my audio system. The hard part for writing this third award for Acoustic Revive was figuring it out how to narrow it down to just one item, and I didn't succeed. Instead I narrowed it down to a subset of all the Acoustic Revive products I reviewed for 2010, and which continue to blow my mind with their performance enhancing attributes.

The Acoustic Revive RST-38 and TB-38 Quartz Under-Boards really impressed me and see daily service in my primary system. The Quartz Under-Boards are stands, or more correctly, vibrational energy dissipation platforms, to place your audio equipment upon. The RST-38 and TB-38 Quartz Under-Boards are designed to quickly route vibrational energy away from audio components and dissipate it, eliminating its deleterious effects of music reproduction. The Quartz Under-Boards feature a composite wood chassis that is filled with quartz granules, upon which a birch plywood top plate is placed to sit components upon.

The Acoustic Revive Quartz Under-Boards had the following effect on the overall sound of my Hi-Fi rig: transparency increased, and the music becoming more natural and less electronic sounding at the same time. Well, what can I say? Everything gets better; you get better sonic performance and better musical performance at the same time—they're a no-downside addition to a Hi-Fi rig for sure. One thing that I do like in particular about the RST-38 and TB-38 Under-Boards is that you don't have to pump them up like you do pneumatic isolation devices. Once you set them up and place your components on them you can forget about them, which is a nice touch.

The Acoustic Revive RST-38 Quartz Under-Board Isolation Platform is $1100 USD, and the Acoustic Revive TB-38 Quartz Under-Board Isolation Platform is $725 USD."

The Acoustic Revive Single Core RCA speaker cables also got an Award in 2010:

"I started out the PFO review of the Single Core cables with a quote from Confucius (551 – 479 BCE) that reminded me of the Acoustic Revive Single Core cables: "Much can be realized with music if one begins playing in unison, and then goes on to improvise with purity of tone and distinctness and flow, thereby bringing all to completion."

The overall effect of the Single Core cable set has been to make music through my Hi-Fi rig more dramatic, bigger, more exciting, and more entertaining—more like you experience in life—more naturally life-like. The Single Cores are very good at portraying the sonics captured during the recording process, but more importantly they are simply outstanding at portraying the musical content of a recording and turning it into an astonishingly pleasing musical experience—for that bit magic they receive my highest recommendation.

The improvement in the musical and sonic prowess of my system was not subtle with the Single Core cable set installed, it was transformative—it was HUGE. The Acoustic Revive Single Core are the finest set of cables I've ever had the pleasure of listening to in my system, and you should interpret the review as a rave lauding the virtues of the Single Core cables.

The Acoustic Revive Single Core RCA speaker cables are $1800 USD for a terminated 2-meter pair, the Single Core RCA interconnects are $1275 USD for a 1-meter pair."

All of those Award-Winning products from 2010 still see daily use in my two reference systems a year later, which says a lot: They really are the best-of-the-best.

The 8th Annual Positive Feedback Online's Writers' Choice Awards for 2011

This year I cringed a little bit when the esteemed Positive Feedback Online Editors Dave Clark and David Robinson sent out the call for the Annual Positive Feedback Online's Writers' Choice Awards, as it meant that once again it was time to sift through the past year of reviews and identify only 3 items for an award. As our dear Editors make very clear every year, “This is for THREE (3) components, music, whatever, only! That is 3! Not 4, not 5, not 6 ... but 3”.

I very carefully vetted each and every item I accepted for review this year so that I could maximize the best-of-the-best for you in my reviews, as my time availability for writing and reviewing was more limited than usual, so pretty much everything that I have written about for Positive Feedback Online in 2011 was a winner in its own right. So that means that I had to pick 3 Writers’ Choice Awards out of a group of winners that all deserved special mention, which I found to be no easy task.

Since the 7th Annual Positive Feedback Online's Writers' Choice Awards for 2010 were published in Issue 52, November/December 2010, I have written six reviews of seven products, which made up my list of nominees for 2011:

In Issue 52, November/December 2010, I wrote about the Sablon Audio The Robusto AC Power Cord.

In Issue 53, January/February 2011, I wrote about the Sophia Electric Model 91-01 300B SET Amplifiers.

In Issue 55, May/June 2011, Chapter 9 of The Acoustic Revive Chronicles was published, where I wrote about the RAS-14 AC Power Conditioner and the USB-1.0SP USB Interconnect.

In Issue 56, July/August 2011, I wrote about the Sablon Audio Panatela Interconnects.

In Issue 57, September/October 2011, I wrote about the Sophia Electric Royal Princess 300B Vacuum Tube and the New Valve Order Audio SPA-II Phono Preamplifier.

So 2011’s reviews consisted of two reviews of electronic components (the Sophia Electric Model 91-01 300B SET mono amplifiers and the New Valve Order Audio SPA-II phono preamplifier), fours reviews of wire products (the Sablon Audio ‘The Robusto’ AC power cord, the Acoustic Revive RAS-14 AC power conditioner, the Acoustic Revive USB-1.0SP USB interconnect, and the Sablon Audio Panatela interconnects), and one review of artisan-level vacuum tubes (the Sophia Electric Royal Princess 300B).

After careful consideration, and without further ado, my 3 Writers’ Choice Awards from this group of winners are:

Sorry, but the results of the 2011 Writers’ Choice Awards are sequestered until the Awards go live in Positive Feedback Online in the near future. When they do I'll give you the full scoop plus a little extra behind the scenes insights that will not appear in the Awards for 2011.

Since I was limited to 3 PFO Writers' Choice Awards, I couldn't possibly mention everything that impressed me in 2011 gear & music wise, so I thought I'd give a few mentions on the music front, then update the post a little later with more gear mentions:

Even though I never review music per se for Positive Feedback Online, it goes without saying that the music is the reason for this whole wonderful Hi-Fi hobby, so when someone like Chad Kassem of Acoustic Sounds fame does something as wonderful as open a new record pressing plant it deserves to be shouted from the rooftops! Chad's new Quality Record Pressings operation is really something to cherish and be thankful for. A couple of my favorites so far - and each is a recommendation to add to your collection:

Some years ago, maybe it was 1998, I was back on a developmental assignment working at Congressional Research Service in Washington, D.C., for a couple of months, and an article came out in the Washington Post about Betty Carter. In the article then President Bill Clinton said one of his all time favorite jazz records was the 'Ray Charles and Betty Carter' album, which also happens to be one of my faves too. Bill's favorite song? 'Baby, It's Cold Outside', also my favorite song on the album. Bill Clinton is one cool cat. Last night I played the new Analogue Productions LP version of the Ray Charles and Betty Carter album that was just released, and let me tell you that it is *stunning*. If you love this LP be sure to pick up a copy before they run out. V-E-R-Y highly recommended.

The Oscar Peterson Trio's We Get Requests is a musical masterpiece in my opinion, and it should be part of everyone's jazz collection. This version, mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound, and pressed on 45-RPM disks at Quality Record Pressings, is out of this world. Here's the description from the Acoustic Sounds web site:

"When Jim Davis started producing records at Verve, he changed the company's recording philosophy toward its most prolific instrumentalist. Where Norman Granz had produced countless Oscar Peterson albums dedicated to the popular song, Davis was more interested in making albums closer to how the Peterson trio sounded live. His first Peterson records were the legendary London House sessions. By the time of this album, there had been no personnel change in the trio for five years - so it is no surprise that the rapport among the musicians here is telepathic."

 This was a Verve title that was originally released in 1964, and features  Oscar Peterson on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Ed Thigpen on drums. It just doesn't get any better than this my friends.

Duke Ellington's Newport 1958 isn't from Chad's Quality Record Pressings, rather it's from Speakers Corner, but like the Ray Charles and Better Carter and the We Get Requests albums above, it's a must have. Here's the description from the Acoustic Sounds website:

"The appearance of Duke Ellington and His Orchestra at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival was such a tremendous success that it was quite natural that organizer George Wein invited the band to take part again in 1958. All the soloists were still around, and in addition Gerry Mulligan was invited to perform a duet with Harry Carney (Prima Bara Dubla"). What an event to look forward to! But this time the old diehards were disappointed: the Duke had had some new tunes written for him, which of course didn't trigger any memories: "El Gato," with Cat Anderson playing with the rest of the trumpet section, a new composition ("Happy Reunion") for Paul Gonsalves on the tenor saxophone and then some compositions which were reminiscent of Debussy and arrangements by Billy Strayhorn. Also there was a fantastic flugelhorn solo by Clark Terry in "Juniflip." The highlight of the concert, though, was when the kings of the baritone sax, Gerry Mulligan and Harry Carney, stood in the limelight and the Duke Ellington Orchestra could celebrate a similar triumph to that of 1956."

As we enter into the Holidays let's not forget the most important thing of all, the people who bring the music into our lives. Here's a big 'THANK YOU!' to Rebecca, who arranged for us to attend to a live blues performance at Blue Chicago a couple of weeks ago. See you in Paris in April!

I've been traveling and working a lot lately, so my posts have been pretty scarce. I'll be getting caught back up and working through the questions you've sent to me shortly and responding, and as always, thanks for stopping by Jeff's Place where the music is always playing.

More to come!