Greetings friends, I hope you are doing well! I'm starting to feel better now, and am back in the saddle after recovering from a recent surgery. The surgery turned out to be more of an ordeal than I was expecting, so my ability to write was impacted, causing delays for all the cool hifi kit... Read More »

As I mentioned in my PAF 2023 reporting, "One of the things that really impressed me in the Genesis room was the new Analog Audio Design TP-1000 R2R machine, capable of both recording and playback, that is being imported by Brian Tucker of Pro Audio Ltd."  "One of the cool things about the Analog Audio... Read More »

Greetings friends, I hope you are well! Update: Just a heads up that the Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x CD player full feature review for Positive Feedback will be running a little late. I had to go in for Mohs surgery, and it turned out to be a little more extensive than expected, so I’m... Read More »

The full feature review of the Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x Red Book CD player is now live on Positive Feedback HERE. Greeting friends, I hope you are doing well! As is my custom, I like to share a sneak peek into my upcoming feature reviews for Positive Feedback with all of you here at... Read More »

As soon as I put Richard's new Aqua II 274B rectifier in the Triode Lab EVO 45 SET amp I knew something special was going on. Fresh out the box the Aqua II 274B sounded gorgeous: beautifully natural tone, a huge sense of recorded acoustic, gorgeous tone color, a vivid sense of imaging presence, and... Read More »

A lot of us tubeaholics have been sweating bullets about the unavailability of vacuum tubes coming out of China and Russia due to covid pandemic induced factory shutdowns, supply chain issues, and trade restrictions (Russia).  We've all been hoping that everything would get sorted out and vacuum tubes would start to flow again before the... Read More »

The 2023 Pacific Audio Fest is a wrap! It was a fun time for catching up with friends and colleagues, and of course you, dear readers. It was nice to see Doc Robinson at PAF 2023. I really had a nice time catching up with Positive Feedback Managing Editors Dave & Carol Clark during PAF.... Read More »

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 »