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 »

Greetings friends, and Happy Holidays! I hope you are doing well! My Positive Feedback review of the Audio Note (UK) AN/K-SPe loudspeakers has been published, and you can read it HERE.  Audio Reviewing and Listening to Music During my time with the Audio Note (UK) AN/K-SPe loudspeakers a few ideas came to mind about hi-fi performance attributes... Read More »

The full article about the Audio Note (UK) AN-K/SPe loudspeakers is now available to read at Positive Feedback 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 article 'sneak peek' is about the Audio Note (UK) AN-K/SPe loudspeakers.... Read More »

It's always a pleasure to hear from friend Yazaki-san about his latest adventures in Real Sound, and in Part 5 Yazaki-san tells us about his latest discoveries with the GEC PX25A monaural amplifiers he built for his friend Alan-san to use with his vintage Altec Corona loudspeakers. I always learn a lot from Yazaki-san's articles,... Read More »

 As I mentioned in my last post, the great musical performances available on acoustic, electric, and early monaural magnetic era recordings don't normally circulate out of the cognoscenti music lover circles into the audiophile realm. I'll tell you what, very few people in the world have heard what those 78 records are really capable of in... Read More »

It's raining steadily outside of my window right now. The weather has gone from blazing hot for multiple weeks this Summer, with skies randomly filled with smoke from forest fires, to cooler temperatures with cloudy skies dispensing rain across our parched countryside. The rain of October is the start of the hi-fi 'weather' season for... Read More »

A friend of mine, Will, a brainy and talented guy who used to work at the national laboratory with me as an intern, years ago now, just yesterday asked me one of the most relevant questions about audio that I've received in a long time: "I don't see 'a getting into hi-fi' system article on... Read More »

Murphy's Law has been going full steam ahead in my life lately, it seems, with a series of Murphy-like disasters shuffling aside my plans for some travel and adventure on a motorcycle tour through Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, and Western Montana, that I had scheduled for this week. While I wait for life's positive vibes... Read More »

A couple of good friends - Leo and Santos - stopped by for a little "single-ended-triode (SET) amplifier and wine tasting event" here at Jeff's Place.    It's always fun to get together with good friends like Leo and Santos for a little wine tasting, single-ended-triode amplifier 'tasting', good food, and good music. It's the perfect way... Read More »

"Journey into the whirlwind ..." isn't actually a nod to the memoir by the same name, written by Eugenia Ginzburg, about her life and imprisonment under the rule of Joseph Stalin. Neither is it a reference to the last three years of being "imprisoned" by the coronavirus pandemic, the resulting social isolation, and the limited... Read More »

Greetings friends, I hope you are doing well! Pacific Audio Fest Report - Part 1 I just got home from three very enjoyable days attending the Pacific Audio Fest in Seattle, Washington. Big kudos to Lou Hinkley and Gary Gill for putting on such a spectacularly good audio fest. I've got all kinds of musings, meditations,... Read More »

The full feature article has now been published at Positive Feedback 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 article 'sneak peek' is about the Audio Note (UK) Meishu Phono Silver Tonmeister 300B SET integrated amplifier. The... Read More »

Greetings friends, I hope you are doing well!  I've been doing well, except for the Summer cold I caught a few weeks back. Knocked me down for about a week, but all better now.  Summer is definitely here, and the temperatures are soaring, with yesterday hitting 104F! I actually went out for a bicycle ride... Read More »

We're getting closer to the Pacific Audio Fest 2022, scheduled for Friday through Sunday, July 29-31, 2022, in Seattle, Washington, at the convenient location of the Doubletree Hilton Sea-Tac Washington located near the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).  The show hours are 10AM - 6PM Friday and Saturday, and 10AM-4PM on Sunday. Red Alert: If you haven't booked your room yet,... Read More »

Greetings friends, I hope you are doing well! 😃 The Music I've been all over the map in my music listening lately, from opera to funk, both which are well outside of my usual wheelhouse of jazz listening.  I find it's easy for me to get into an audiophile rut if I listen to the... Read More »

Field-coil drivers are among the 'dream components' of many high-performance audio aficionados due to their more powerful motors, and the constant flux field density from their power supplies. This allows field-coil drivers to track an audio signal with more accuracy and precision, which provides big benefits in terms of dynamic response (and articulation) across the... Read More »

The feature review of the Audio Note (UK) CD 4.1x ‘Level Three’ Red Book CD player has now been published at Positive Feedback 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 article 'sneak peek' is about the Audio... Read More »