Stereophile has been my favorite audio rag for a long time. They have the best Editor in audio (John Atkinson), the best writers (too many to name), and provide the most balanced coverage of the audio hobby in all its forms of any print magazine I’m aware of. Stereophile gets it. As a bonus, Stereophile... Read More »

It is always gratifying for me to see products I have high regard for get recognized by others, and in this case it is the superb Leben CS-300XS integrated amplifier and the CS-660P power amplifier designed by the gifted Mr. Taku Hyodo, the founder of Leben Hi-Fi Stereo Company, which have received awards from the... Read More »

The 7th Annual Positive Feedback Online's Writers' Choice Awards for 2010 are now online for your reading pleasure - enjoy!

Yoshi Hontani sent me word that the wonderful little Leben CS300XS vacuum tube integrated amplifier was a winner of Gold Medal for 2010 from the French magazine Diapason. Here's a little excerpt from the review: "Faithful to the look and spirit of the end of the 1960’S, this small integrated tube amplifier is full of... Read More »

The Sablon Audio 'The Robusto' AC Power Cord review I have been working on just went live at Positive Feedback Online here. To quote the last section of the review as a teaser: "The Sablon Audio The Robusto power cord is a remarkable achievement in a power cord design, with performance that puts it right... Read More »

As you found out in posts 1 & 2, the first two winners for 2010 were ... drum roll ... the Tannoy Westminster Royal Special Edition loudspeakers ($35,000 USD) and the Leben RS-30EQ Phono Preamplifier ($2495 USD). While the Westminster Special Edition is expensive enough to make your teeth hurt, they really are worth every... Read More »

I just clicked 'send' to get my 2010 PFO Writers' Choice Awards on the way to PFO Editors Dave and David. As I mentioned earlier, by visiting my blog you get a preview of coming attractions before it goes into print at that esteemed magazine. We writers hand out the PFO Awards for those stellar... Read More »

Ye Olde PFO Editors Dave and David have called for the Writers Choice Awards to be submitted by us Hi-Fi hacks, so I'm putting that together now. One of the benefits you get by visiting my little blog is a preview of what's coming from yours truly before it goes into print at that esteemed... Read More »

I just got in for review at Positive Feedback Online what can only be described as a really astonishing USB cable that connects a USB DAC to a computer - the Acoustic Revive USB-2.0 SP. On the DAC end there is a single USB-out connector, but on the computer end(s!) there are two USB connectors... Read More »

I was just thumbing through my copy of the October 2010 edition of Stereophile magazine - which is the Recommended Components issue - and noticed that the Leben CS600 integrated amplifier has been awarded Stereophile's highest rating of 'A' in the integrated amplifiers section.  For those who aren't familiar with it, Stereophile is one of... Read More »

I thought I'd share a couple of photos of the Sophia Electric Model 91-01 300B mono amplifiers that have just arrived for review at Positive Feedback Online. Directly heated single ended triode (DH-SET) amplifiers have always held a special place in my heart, as they do certain aspects of musical reproduction so magically that it's... Read More »

The Sablon Audio 'The Robusto' power cord is today's fresh catch, and believe me, it serves up some fine listening. More often than not, it’s through the ‘audio underground’ that I get tips about new or relatively unknown Hi-Fi products that really deliver the musical experience in spades, for it is from the underground’s deep... Read More »

I really enjoy hearing from all of you. Every once in a while something really amazing comes to light among the music lovers that stop in for a visit, and this time it's Chris' post about his Tannoys (and more!) that really blew my mind. Chris and I have traded a couple e-mails, and Chris... Read More »

I get a lot of good ideas from friends sharing tips about music and Hi-Fi with me, and this musical & audio sharing is what makes the 'audio underground' so fun and inspiring. Vintage Garrard 301 turntables and Sony Playstation SCPH-1001s come to mind as examples of past tips that provided a lot of enjoyment... Read More »

I've been getting a number of inquiries about the new 'Woody' tonearm from Pete Riggle Engineering, so I thought I'd post this e-mail with photos (note the cool vintage Garrard 301 and Thorens TD124 turntables - drool) from Pete telling about his new String-Theory Woody Tonearm. I haven't yet seen or heard Pete's new tonearm... Read More »

I'm sitting here in my living room tonight, relaxing after a long day in the office, listening to my favorite Chet Baker album of all time, the Someday My Price Will Come on SteepleChase that was recorded live at Montmartre in Copenhagen on October 4, 1979. I've listened to the CD version for years, and... Read More »

Cool guys Stephaen (6Moons) and Pete (Pete Riggle Audio) stopped by this morning for a little coffee and music listening. Stephaen brought along the Pass Labs' solid-state INT-30A integrated amplifier that he is writing an article about for 6Moons. The INT-30A is a 30-watt integrated based on the Pass Labs' XA30.5 stereo amplifier, and like... Read More »

Fellow music lover Charlie Schnyder asked me if I would be willing to write a quick and easy “how-to” post about getting started with a computer hard drive as a digital source. As Charlie mentioned in his e-mail to me, there are a lot of music lovers who would like to take their existing CD... Read More »

You would not believe how many e-mails I have received over time from fellow music lovers and audiophiles that start out with, "My Hi-Fi system sucks, I need some advice ..." or a variation on that. Most of the time people ask me about getting a new piece of Hi-Fi gear that will remedy their... Read More »

I've been very pleased to read how various Stereophile writers (Stephen Mejias, John Atkinson, Robert Deutsch, John Marks, and Art Dudley, if I remember correctly) have praised the Leben CS300 and CS600 integrated amplifier based Hi-Fi systems featured at the Salon and Image Show in Toronto over the last few years. The common thread in... Read More »

I'm writing The Acoustic Revive Chronicles – Chapter 8 for Positive Feedback Online right now. In Chapter 8 I'll be covering the Acoustic Revive Single Core speaker cables, RCA interconnects, and the RCI-3 Cable Insulators. For those who are not familiar with The Acoustic Revive Chronicles let me explain what this series of articles is... Read More »

In the Stereophile website coverage of the 2009 Salon and Image Show there were also some nice comments about the Leben CS600 integrated amplifier. Stephen Mejias of Stereophile awarded the Leben CS-600 integrated and RS-30EQ phono stage, in combination with the DeVore Fidelity Gibbon Nine loudspeakers and a Clearaudio Champion Wood turntable, his "Best Music... Read More »

John Atkinson made a nice post about the Leben CS600 at the Stereophile website coverage of the 2008 Festival Son and Image Show in Montreal, saying in part, "In some ways—particularly the overall balance and the sheer accessibility of the music—this was the best I heard at the Show despite the system's affordable price." The... Read More »