Fellow photography enthusiast and world traveler, Danny Bar, sent me some absolutely awesome photos of his recent trip to Vietnam and Georgia, which really makes me want to get out on travel and shoot some photos. Danny shot all of the photos below using his Leica M9 and the new Leica Summilux 35/1.4 II ASPH. I... Read More »

Fellow Tannoy Westminster Royal enthusiast David King recently contacted me to tell me about his positive results when upgrading the internal wiring connectors, driver connecting plugs, binding posts, and speaker support system of his Tannoy Westminster Royal HE loudspeakers. David has written a paper detailing his modifications, and has graciously agreed to share what he... Read More »

These Jazz Icons series of DVDs by Reelin’ In The Years Productions are treasures! I'm watching/listening to the Chet Baker Live in '64 & '79 ($18 USD at Amazon.com) as I write this and it is blowing me away! You might notice that in the photo to the left that Chet is playing a flugelhorn... Read More »

I just became aware of the Jazz Icons series of DVDs by Reelin' In The Years Productions in collaboration with Mosaic Records, and I feel like I've stumbled across a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow! Here's a couple of quotes from the Jazz Icons website which I couldn't agree with more:... Read More »

Today's Fresh Catch is Mark's new 2012 version of the Panatela interconnect. I've been listening to the Panatela 2012 for a little while now and I'm really impressed. As you know, I wrote about how the original version of the Panatela pretty much blew me away (PFO Issue 56), it's one heck of a great... Read More »

The review of the Sablon Audio Gran Corona AC power cord has just gone live at Positive Feedback Online here. Here's a couple of snippets from the review to entice you: "It is clear that the Sablon Audio Gran Corona AC power cord designed by Mark Coles is a tour de force in power cord... Read More »

Today’s Fresh Catch is the Bill Evans Trio’s in Helsinki 1970 on DVD. Like The Oslo Concerts DVD, you will not want to miss this DVD, which is available from Amazon.com for just $18.99 USD. Speaking of The Oslo Concerts be sure to read Laurie Verchomin's response to that post here for a link to... Read More »

Today's Fresh Catch is the Bill Evans Trio's The Oslo Concerts DVD. After Jonathan posted recommending this performance I ordered the DVD from Amazon.com for $15.49 USD. After the DVD arrived I played it in my Music Lovers system: Harbeth Super HL5 loudspeakers (sitting on Skylan stands), Leben CS-600 integrated valve amplifier (using KT90 tubes... Read More »

I got a really intriguing note from a reader who owns both a Kondo Audio Note phono preamplifier and the New Valve Order SPA-II phono preamplifier. Let's just say this reader, whom I've met in person once upon a time, and who wishes to remain anonymous, owns some really, really, amazing Hi-Fi gear that we... Read More »

I've got a couple of articles I'm working on now for Positive Feedback Online, but soon as they're done I'm going to start writing a long-term report about what it's been like living with my Tannoy Westminster Royal Special Edition loudspeakers over the past year or so. It turns out that Jim Smith recently purchased... Read More »

I just wrapped up a review for Positive Feedback Online about Jim Smith's Reference DVD Set of Get Better Sound on setting up high-performance audio & video systems that I mentioned in Today's Fresh Catch awhile back. The review just appeared in the January/February Issue 59 here. If you've been reading my writing for a... Read More »

It's Christmas Day is here in the Pacific Northwest, with New Year's Day just around the corner. Here's wishing all of my friends at Jeff's Place a very Merry Christmas and Hanukkah, and I hope your Holiday season is full of family & friends, love, light, great music, and peace!

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... Read More »

I had forgotten to mention it earlier, but in the October 2011 'Recommended Components' issue of Stereophile there's a couple of notable mentions: The EMT TSD 15 moving coil phono cartridge landed in 'Class A' by virtue of Art Dudley's earlier review of it. I have become increasingly impressed with my own EMT TSD 15... Read More »

I just got the November 2011 issue of Stereophile and all you fellow Leben CS300 & RS30EQ fans out there will be pleased to know that Art Dudley reviewed the pair and really liked them. In the November issue Art writes a mini-survey that compares three nice tube integrated amps: the aforementioned Leben gear, the... Read More »

I thought you'd enjoying seeing this photo Don Garber (Fi) sent me of an integrated 300B stereo amplifier prototype that Don built "for Gideon Schwartz of Audio Arts which he's taking out to RMAF to pair with the Voxativ speakers. He has a team that's going to be producing it. How close to the original... Read More »

As most of you probably know, Jim Smith's talent for the setup and voicing of Hi-Fi rigs is legendary. Right now I'm working on writing an article about Jim's new Get Better Sound Reference 3 DVD set on Hi-Fi setup procedures and strategies to help you get a system performing at it's best for your... Read More »

My review of the New Valve Order SPA-II phono preamplifier is now live at Positive Feedback Online here. Here's a couple of snippets from the review: "It's always a pleasure for me to introduce to the readers of Positive Feedback Online a talented fine audio constructeur, this time Andreas Hadjiminas, working out of Nicosia, Cyprus.... Read More »

The review of the Sophia Electric Royal Princess 300B vacuum tube is now live in Positive Feedback Online's Issue 57 here. The Royal Princess 300B vacuum tube is a major achievement in my opinion, combining superb musicality and sonics into one package. I hope you enjoy the review, I really enjoyed writing it and providing... Read More »

I've been having a lot of fun listening to music this weekend while making a few blog posts and doing some review writing. My Hi-Fi rig is sounding really good right now, and I thought you might like to see what's making it sound so good today. First up is my EMT TSD-15 MC cartridge... Read More »

I had a revelation in musical understanding while listening to Mark Coles' Sablon Audio Panatela interconnects while writing the review for Positive Feedback Online. The musical revelation that dawned on me was the importance of timbral listening in my personal hierarchy of listening priorities. The significance of that revelation to understanding my listening preferences has... Read More »

I am a 2-wheel nut. I've been riding bicycles since I could walk, and riding & racing motorcycles on and off-road (motocross) for nearly that long. My two wheel excursions these days revolve around my more sedate vintage Honda CR450 Cafe bike, and my Trek 5000 bicycle. I did my 25 mile commute to work... Read More »

Here's a few photos from my recent trip to France, this time from our stop in Verdun to see the battlefields of World War I. The photo below looks out over the battlefields outside the Fort de Douaumont, the fog eerily rolling in as we stopped. In the battlefields of Verdun hundreds of thousands of... Read More »