Announcement of the debut of the new Klaudio Magnezar turntable at the 2023 Pacific Audio Fest:  Hello, I hope this email finds you well. My name is Peter Park, writing to you on behalf of Klaudio, a world renowned designer and manufacturer of high-end audio equipment. We are thrilled to announce the grand debut of... Read More »

The 2023 Pacific Audio Fest is coming up fast - its next week in Seattle! Washington state company Genesis Advanced Technologies will have their $680,000 USD Prime+ loudspeaker system (above) available for Fest goers to hear in the Cascade 9 room. At the 2022 Pacific Audio Fest the Genesis room was one of the highlights... Read More »

Red alert! The 2023 Pacific Audio Fest is only a couple of weeks away. If you haven't already, it is time to get those tickets, rooms, and flights reserved!  To read Part 1 click HERE.  The Fest hours are Friday from 10 am to 6 pm, Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm, and Sunday... Read More »

I've had a long time passion for vintage Altec loudspeakers. At the moment I own three pairs: A pair of Altec A5 Voice of the Theatre loudspeakers in my audio-video system, a pair of Altec 832A Corona corner loudspeakers in my bedroom system, and the custom Altec loudspeakers that were built for conductor Leopold Stokowski... Read More »

In 2023, post-pandemic life is pretty much back to normal in terms of social gatherings, and I think we are all really happy to get back to doing the things we enjoy, like attending an audio fest or a live concert performance.  For those of us living in the Pacific Northwest of the USA, the... Read More »

I'm a huge fan of Duke Ellington's music. One of my Duke favorites is Ellington Indigos, which is one of those albums I just never seem to tire of listening to.  Ellington Indigos was originally released in 1958 as a mono LP (CL 1085), a stereo LP (CS 8053), and as a 7 1/2 ips reel-to-reel (GCB 18),... Read More »

It just sort of fell into my hands while I was looking at CDs in my collection to play through the Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x CD player, Triode Lab 45 EVO SET integrated amp, and Duelund-ized Westminster Royal SE loudspeakers combination of hi-fi kit. Bob Sharples' Contrasts in Hi-Fi and Bob Sharples and His... Read More »

Greetings friends, I hope you are doing well!  I've been enjoying the improving springtime weather here. Like the last few years, this could to turn out to be an extra-hot year, as we were within 1 degree of the hottest temperature on record here for this time of year just a few days ago.  That... Read More »

Years ago I had written off CDs as a worthy software format for high-fidelity music listening. Boy, was I wrong about that one. It has turned out that a high-fidelity CD player is an indispensable source for me, and it compliments my listening to LPs in ways I would have never imagined possible, back when... Read More »

Many thanks to Darko Greguras - Audio Note (UK)'s digital designer extraordinaire - for suggesting I try Audio Note (UK) AN-V silver interconnects in two termination configurations with the $30,850 USD Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x Red Book CD player that is in for review. Darko recommends these AN-V silver interconnects for use with CD... Read More »

The full feature review of the Mactone XX-440 line preamplifier and MH-120 stereo amplifier has now been published at Positive Feedback, and you can read it HERE.   As is my custom, I like to give you a 'review sneak peek' into my soon to be published feature articles for Positive Feedback.  This time the feature... Read More »

Greetings friends, I hope you are doing well, and your 2023 is off to a great start! I'm in the midst of listening sessions of, and writing my feature review for Positive Feedback about, the Mactone XX-440 line preamplifier (above), and the Mactone MH-120 stereo amplifier (below). I've taken to calling the Mactone combo "Max-tone"... Read More »

The nanny state is taking away your freedom to listen to loud music!  Huh? What? What did you say? The World Health Organization has launched a global standard for safe listening at venues and events that is worth reading (HERE), and in response numerous countries around the world are putting in place legislation that sets legal... Read More »

Its no secret that the Audio Note (UK) Red Book CD players have challenged my perceptions of what a digital audio reality sounds like, with their analog-like presentation, superb musicality, and exemplary sound quality from Red Book CDs. But that's only part of the Audio Note (UK) CD players allure for me, as where they really... Read More »

Greetings friends, I hope your 2023 is off to a great start! My own 2023 has started off with a bang, as I've been listening to some impressive audio components that are in for review, like the Audio Note (UK) 5.1x Red Book CD player that is the subject of this post. I always like... Read More »

Fellow Tannoy owners will want to take note that the Mactone XX-440 preamplifier and MH-120 amplifier are an exceptional pairing with my Tannoy Westminster Royal SE loudspeakers. At times, the big Westminsters can be a bit fussy about associated components, due to the revealing nature of the 15-inch Tannoy Dual Concentric's horn-loaded tweeter, that is... Read More »

If you read my Positive Feedback review of the Audio Note (UK) CD 4.1x Red Book CD player (HERE) you know I was really impressed by its musical and sonic charms. More than that, exposure to the Audio Note (UK) CD 2.1x/II and CD 4.1x Red Book CD players actually changed my life in very positive ways,... Read More »

The Mactone XX-440 preamp and MH-120 amp that Steve Mishoe (In Living Stereo) sent to me were well run-in prior to their arrival, so I had the luxury of not having to do the run-in of them myself. Just a few days of playing music with the Mactone components was all that was needed on... Read More »

High-fidelity audio components are often much more than just products to be bought and enjoyed by us hi-fi enthusiasts. Often these high-fidelity components represent the embodiment of a passionate vision for audio reproduction that are both works of audio art as well innovative audio engineering accomplishments.  I'm always fascinated by the background stories of the... Read More »

Greetings friends, I hope you are enjoying 2023 so far!  I am for sure, and part of my enjoyment for 2023 is the arrival of the Mactone MH-120 amplifier and XX-440 line preamplifier from Japan, courtesy of Steve Mishoe at In Living Stereo, in New York City.  Mactone is a revered high-fidelity audio brand in... Read More »

If you look up the term “high-fidelity” in the Merriam-Webster dictionary it says “… the reproduction of an effect (such as sound or an image) that is very faithful to the original …”. I could talk about high-fidelity inclusive of films, but to simplify, I’ll just limit myself to musing about sound recordings of music.... Read More »

For me, the end of a year is always a time for reflection upon the events of the past year, as well as doing a bit of daydreaming about what the coming year might hold!  2022 Highlights!  2022 actually felt like life was almost starting to get back to normal, with a waning coronavirus pandemic,... Read More »

With the publication of the Positive Feedback review of the Audio Note (UK) AN-K/SP3 loudspeakers (HERE), I've finished up my survey of the Audio Note (UK) Level Two and Level Three components that I have here at Jeff's Place, and they will be (mostly) winging their way back home in the not too distant future. ... Read More »