I've got a lot of really interesting hifi things to tell you about, but it may take me a little longer than usual to fill you in on all the details, as the last few weeks have been difficult on the home front, and it is likely to be that way for a while longer. ... Read More »

In my introductory post on the topic of high-fidelity audio, I told you about the discussions that Peter Qvortrup (Audio Note (UK)) and I have been having about the state of contemporary audio – an audio state of the union, so to speak – and it turns out we have a rather significant Venn overlap... Read More »

I've had the good fortune to listen to audio components of late that have become my new performance benchmarks in ways I couldn't have imagined even a few short years ago. For music lovers, the good news is that these components have an extraordinary ability to play the wide swath of recordings that spans our... Read More »

Many thanks to Sue and Richard at Sophia Electric for sending Today's Fresh Catch, a pair of the Sophia Electric 45 Mesh Plate power tubes, and a Sophia Electric Aqua 274B rectifier.  The beautiful 2 watt Triode Lab 45 EVO SET integrated amplifier will be the fortunate recipient of these vacuum tubes from Sophia Electric, and I... Read More »

Happy Holiday Season to you all! I hope you are well, safe, and are enjoying listening to music with your hifi rigs!  Next up for review at Positive Feedback is the Pass Labs XP-17 phono preamplifier, designed by Pass Labs' Wayne Colburn. I'll be writing about the XP-17 in combination with the First Watt SIT-3 amplifier (review... Read More »

Today's Fresh Catch are the Audio Note (UK) AN-SPe silver loudspeaker cables, and a set of CDs of performances by Russian conductor Nikolay Golovanov that were sourced from 1940s tapes that were remastered by Anatoly Markovich Likhnitsky.  While I have found all of the Audio Note (UK) components I have tried to be excellent matches... Read More »

Welcome to a new series of informal essays that are meditations about what high-fidelity is, or perhaps could be, in enthusiast audio. There are a lot of dimensions to exploring high-fidelity in enthusiast audio, but the first question one might ask is, “What does high-fidelity mean in enthusiast audio?” One possible definition of many is... Read More »

I've had the Audio Note (UK) AN-S4/L step-up transformer here for about six weeks now, and have been listening to it in combination with my Ortofon SPU Classic phono cartridge. The "L" version of the AN-S4 SUT has a 3 Ohm input impedance, and is primarily designed for use with the Audio Note (UK) IO... Read More »

It certainly has been illuminating and fun telling you about the Audio Note (UK) Oto Phono SE Signature integrated amplifier (review HERE), and the Audio Note (UK) CD 2.1xII Level II Red Book CD player (review HERE), whose virtues have been a new high point in enjoying music for me. Now, to add to the... Read More »

In my last The 78 Experience -Feeling the Music post (HERE) I told you about the IM Lab record label CD from the former USSR, titled Treasures from the Musical Archives of St. Petersburg, featuring Valeria Barsova, soprano; from the Orchestra of the USSR Bolshoi Theatre, Samuil Samosud, Vassily Nebolsin, Alexander Melick-Pashayev, and Maximilian Steinberg conductors; and The... Read More »

For those in the USA, let me wish you a happy Thanksgiving holiday, and for those around the world, allow me to wish that you have many things to be thankful for this holiday season! While 2020 has been a bit of a rough year for me and my family, there's still a lot to... Read More »

I just wrapped up the review for Peter Qvortrup's Audio Note (UK) CD 2.1x/II Level Two Red Book CD player this morning, and submitted it to Positive Feedback Editors Dave and David for their consideration and editing, and it was just published (HERE).      I can tell you this: the CD 2.1x/II is one... Read More »

Thankfully, a lot of important music from the earliest recording eras have been archived by the nations where the recordings were made, or by individual collectors. This album from the IM Lab record label is an example of a commercial Red Book CD from the former USSR, and is titled Treasures from the Musical Archives... Read More »

As is my custom, I wanted to share a "sneak peek" into my next feature review for Positive Feedback "The Audio Note (UK) CD 2.1x/II Level Two Red Book CD Player: A CD Player that Reveals the Soul of the Music!" My purpose for doing this is twofold, first it gives you a chance, dear... Read More »

It is always a pleasure to hear from our good friend, Yazaki-san, and this time he is back to tell us about his continuing adventures with his vintage Marantz Model 7 preamplifier from the Golden Age of audio, and the discoveries he's made during those adventures. If you are just getting started reading Yazaki-san's articles,... Read More »

Today's Fresh Catch is the beautiful Triode Lab 45 EVO SET integrated amplifier finished in Ferrari red (Rosso Fiorano)!  The Triode Lab 45 EVO SET integrated amplifier puts out a robust 2 Watts of power, enough to easily drive my highly-sensitive Duelund-Altec Project vintage "Stokowski" Altec loudspeakers to live-like levels with the "gas pedal" only... Read More »

After Peter Qvortrup had shared with me some of the remarkable 78 transfers from CDs remastered by his friend, Anatoly Markovich Likhnitsky, I became keenly interested in finding more of them. Mr. Likhnitsky built custom remastering and digitizing equipment for his transfers of the music from 78 rpm disks in his 78 collection to digital,... Read More »

It might seem a bit odd to you that lately I've been talking about listening to and enjoying ancient 78rpm record transfers from the earliest recording eras on CD, rather than just playing 78s themselves. I do have some 78 records in my record collection, but I haven't yet set up a system that's optimized... Read More »

Today as I was finishing up my jazz guitar lesson with superb jazz guitarist David Gitlen, while we were listening to a little Joe Pass on CD and LP on the big Altec loudspeakers, there was a knock at the door.  It was a delivery person dropping off an Audio Note (UK) AN-S4 step-up transformer.... Read More »

It has been almost exactly a year and two months ago that Frederik sent me a pair of the then newly released Duelund "Dual" DCA16GA interconnects with Duelund plastic-free RCAs to listen to (HERE).   The time has gone by so fast it is almost frightening! With more than a year of listening to them under... Read More »

First let me recommend a video to you, the Master Class in Audio - Session 5 - Featuring Peter Qvortrup, produced by Karthik Ramanathan. This video offers a glimpse into Peter's extensive experience with all kinds of vintage and modern audio over the decades, and how he came to his current views about which performance characteristics in... Read More »

My The Pass Labs XP-12 Line-Level Preamplifier: A Musical Masterpiece! article is now live on Positive Feedback (HERE).  The Pass Labs XP-12 line-level preamplifier is a sweetheart of a preamp! As always, thanks for stopping by, and may the tone be with you!

I thought it was time for me to check in and tell you what's going on here at Jeff's Place, what is upcoming at Positive Feedback, and about a few other things that are rattling around inside my noggin at the moment. First off, we are now in the fourth quarter of 2020, and 2020 is going fast,... Read More »