Tannoy Kingdom Royal Review Live at Positive Feedback Online!
The review on Tannoy's flagship Kingdom Royal is now live at Positive Feedback Online here. I really enjoyed my time with the magnificent Kingdom Royal loudspeakers during the review period. Here's a few snippets from the review: "Tannoy's goal for the Kingdom Royal project was to develop a new high-resolution statement loudspeaker that would be... Read More »
Something Old, Something New, Something Blue
The Kingdom Royal review (something new) is now complete and is with the very cool Editors Dave and David at Positive Feedback Online for publication in the November issue, which will go live this coming week. The Kingdom Royals have officially become my favorite dynamic loudspeakers, with a luxurious and sophisticated way of presenting the... Read More »
Checking in ... a Royal Review Coming Soon!
Hello my friends, it's been crazy busy here at Jeff's Place, both on the day job, and with all the cool & fun Hi-Fi gear that has been coming through to visit. I'll be catching up on e-mails and comments shortly, as I've gotten a bit behind on that front, so hang in there and... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: ASR Audio Systems by Dr. Friedrich Schaefer - the ASR Basis Exclusive Phono Stage - More Updates!
Today's Fresh Catch is the ASR Audio Systems Basis Exclusive Phono Stage designed by Dr. Friedrich Schaefer. which I'll be reviewing for Positive Feedback Online. The Basis Exclusive was supposed to arrive at the same time as the Emitter II but a FedEx shipping game of 'hide & seek' took place that had Dr. Schaefer, Zed (US... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: Mercury Living Presence - Copland: Appalachian Spring/Billy The Kid
If you've read the Sablon Audio Panatela Special Edition Component Speaker Cable review at Positive Feedback Online you know how much I've been enjoying listening to music on the combination of an EMT TSD-15 phono cartridge, VPI Classic 'table, New Valve Order SPA-II phono stage, Sablon Audio Panatela interconnects & speaker cables, ASR Audiosysteme Emitter II Exclusive Version... Read More »
Sablon Audio Panatela Special Edition Component Speaker Cable Review Live at PFO!
The Positive Feedback Online review of the Sablon Audio Panatela Special Edition Component Speaker Cables has just gone live here. Mark Coles of Sablon Audio has really outdone himself with his new custom tailored Panatela loudspeaker cables. The Special Edition version of the Panatela speaker cables tailors performance to a particular loudspeaker in order to... Read More »
Coffee This Morning with Lucinda Williams
After I got up this morning, and puttered around for a while, I made some really fine coffee and sat down to spend some time with Lucinda Williams. I really like Lucinda Williams' album World Without Tears and the way it explores the dark side of human emotions. She sings about lost love, depression, lost... Read More »
The Tannoy Kingdom Royal In the Making
When I asked some background questions about the Kingdom Royal during its design process, Dr. Paul Mills referred me to a file that chronicled the development of the Kingdom Royal. It's an interesting history, and I thought you would enjoy reading it. Here's the link to the article: Kingdom Royal in the making. As both the... Read More »
Live at Positive Feedback Online! The Tempo Electric Aurum Ag Big Twist Interconnects
The Tempo Electric Aurum Ag Big Twist interconnects review just went live at Positive Feedback Online here. Here's a snippet from the review: "The Aurum Ag Big Twist interconnects are a purist design incorporating 28 gauge 24-Carat gold signal wire and 4N 30 gauge silver wire for the return. They're wrapped in 8 gauge Teflon... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: Sablon Audio Panatela Speaker Cables - Tannoy Dual-Concentric Special Edition Cable Set
Mark Coles has developed a Panatela Tannoy Concentric Special Edition speaker cable set optimized for Tannoy loudspeakers using dual-concentric drivers that sounds very impressive indeed. If you look closely at the photos you'll notice there's 5 binding posts per Tannoy loudspeaker: two binding posts for the low-frequency section, two binding posts for the high-frequency section, and... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: From Germany with Love - The ASR Audiosysteme Emitter II Exclusive Version Blue amplifier by Friedrich Schaefer
Quite a number of you have been telling me how much you like the ASR Audiosysteme electronics with your Tannoys. I can see why you are so impressed, as I just unboxed the ASR Audiosysteme Emitter II Exclusive Version Blue four-chassis integrated amplifier by Friedrich Schaefer. The Blue was quite a chore to unpack with it's... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: Tannoy Kingdom Royal loudspeakers - Updates 1 & 2! The unboxing party & 1st listening impressions.
The Tannoy Kingdom Royal loudspeakers I will be writing about for Positive Feedback Online arrived from Scotland today, 4 days early! Update # 1: Over the weekend I was able to get some friends together to help me get them unboxed, and it was quite a show! Chad and I were getting ready to roll the... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: Shuguang Preferred Series 274B - Update! Warning!
My Sophia Electric 91-01 300B mono amplifiers are sounding like a vintage dream this morning: rich, warm, colorful, and extremely musical while listening to the Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto Getz/Gilberto album reissued on 45 by Analogue Productions. Certainly a great part of the splendor I'm hearing is contributed by the Sophia Electric Royal Princess... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: The Sophia Electric Princess™ Carbon Plate 300B Vacuum Tube
Sue at Sophia Electric mentioned that she thought the Princess™ Carbon Plate 300B Vacuum Tube ($600 USD per matched pair) would really complement the coaxial drivers in my Tannoy Westminster Royal SE loudspeakers, and asked if I would like to borrow a pair to listen to. You bet I would - thanks Sue! 🙂 It also... Read More »
Fotografie: Wandering through Holland
While I was looking at Danny Bar's superb photos it occurred to me what a lousy job I've been doing at posting my own photos over the last few years. I've taken thousands of photos all over the world but it seems like I'm always running so short on time that I don't get my... Read More »
Fotografie: Danny Bar Checking In From Greece
Danny Bar has been traveling in Greece and snapping photos with his Leica M9 camera with Leica Summilux-M 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH lens combination, and has captured some wonderful black & white images that really reflect the mood of what it's like to be in Greece right now. Enjoy! Many thanks, Danny, for sharing your fantastic... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: Vintage JAN grade 5Z3PA Rectifiers
When I reviewed the Sophia Electric Model 91-01 300B mono amplifiers for Positive Feedback Online back in January 2011 - which I purchased after the review - they came with NOS vintage Chinese JAN grade 5Z3PA rectifiers (which you can generally substitute for 5U4G and 274B rectifiers). I am just now realizing how good these rectifiers are... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: The Tempo Electric Big Twist Aurum Ag Interconnects
Ok, I just got home from the office, and there was a package waiting for me from Joseph Levy, the owner of Tempo Electric. Just so you know, Joseph Levy has particularly good taste in audio, and Joseph is more than a little fond of the audio electronic designs of the late Dr. Arthur Z. Loesch... Read More »
Fi 300B Mono Amplifiers: Up Close & Personal
Here's some closeup photos of the Fi 300B mono amplifiers that some of you have been wanting to see. (Click on the photos a couple of times for larger versions) A full complement of ST bottle shapes is sure a treat for the eyes! Not to mention the Heart of Muse Black Gate capacitors and... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: the audioharma Cable Cooker! (Updated 8/7/12)
My friend Stephaen Harrell (6Moons reviewer) loaned me his Hagerman ‘Fry Baby’ cable conditioning device a while back, and I was rather astonished at the performance increase that comes from giving cables a good fry. That combined with Mark Coles dedicated conditioning of every Sablon Audio cable that he makes, using one of Alan Kafton’s audioharma... Read More »
An On-line Vacuum Tube Reference & A Little Tube Rolling in the Fi 300B Monos - Updated August 10, 2012
Happy Friday everyone! After drinking a couple cups of coffee this morning, I decided to warm up the Hi-Fi rig and do a little tube rolling in the Fi 300B mono amplifiers, which is a great way to have little fun on a Friday morning! My Fi 300B monos came with Sovtek 5AR4 rectifiers (far... Read More »
Checking in and catching up ...
It's Sunday morning here at Jeff's Place, with the morning sun streaming in through the East windows, while I'm drinking a fine cup of coffee, and listening to an old Analogue Productions test pressing of Bill Evan's Waltz for Debbie that is just blowing my mind. Those Analogue Productions test pressings are freaky good, and... Read More »
Road Trip: Pete's Place
After I outed Pete Riggle's new Out Our Way audio diary webpage on his VTAF/Woody web site in my July 6th post, I sent Pete a message saying: "If you have time, I think it'd be fun to hear your system (it's been ages!), shoot some photos, hear what you've been up to lately, and if it's... Read More »
Pete Riggle is 'out his way'!
Pete Riggle has been outed: The always amazing Pete Riggle (he is amazing!) Cc'd me on a message to vacuum tube electronics designer extraordinaire Kara Chaffee of deHavilland Electric Amplifier Company, in which he told Kara about his new audio diary webpage on the VTAF/Woody web site. Pete's most recent diary post briefly discusses listening to a one-off deHavilland Chaffee... Read More »
New Valve Order SPA-one Phono Equalizer
For those of you who have been keeping score, you know I've been really impressed with the New Valve Order SPA-II (Stereo Phono Amplifier-II) that I reviewed for Positive Feedback Online in Issue 57, and it has become my reference for the state-of-art in a phono equalizer. The SPA-II was created by the talented fine audio constructeur,... Read More »
Siedy Abee checking in from the Netherlands - Westminster Royal SEs!
I'd like you to meet Siedy Abee, a new friend checking in from the Netherlands. I always enjoy hearing from Hi-Fi friends about a system that they are really enjoying, and a new Hi-Fi friend with a pair of Westminster Royal SEs is a treat because we can share our tips & tricks regarding the... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: Don Garber's Fi 300B Mono Amplifiers
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Don Garber is an American Master. Don’s Fi electronics delight enthusiasts around the world, not only for their wonderful musical performance, but also for their artisanal hand-crafted quality. Owning a Fi product is a direct-from-the-artist experience, electronic artwork of the highest order. I just unpacked a... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: Sablon Audio's Panatela Speaker Cables
Mark Coles of Sablon Audio fame has been busy in his cable laboratory, crafting a truly wonderful new speaker cable design - the Panatela. If you look at the accompanying photo you'll see the 5-binding post arrangement my Westminster Royal SE uses. The West's use a bi-wire arrangement for connecting the Dual Concentric speaker unit... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: Analogue Productions' Grateful Dead Reckoning Remaster
Analogue Productions has given the Grateful Dead's Reckoning album the deluxe remastering treatment. Reckoning was cut from the original analog master tapes at Analogue Productions' Quality Record Pressings on 200g vinyl by Kevin Gray. I'm listening to it right now and it is ridiculously well done live music with remastering to die for! If you... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: Townes Van Zandt Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas
By far, one of my favorite folk musicians is Townes Van Zandt. His songwriting, guitar playing, and vocals were remarkable. His recorded legacy isn't as good or as even as it deserved to be. His life was tragic and predictable: a bipolar disorder, a drug addiction, and alcoholism haunted him, but the beauty of his music shone through... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: Very Tall - Oscar Peterson Trio with Milt Jackson
I just got home from traveling in Holland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and France for three weeks, which is why I've been a little thin on posts lately. As you would expect, by the time I got home from travel I was in great need of a vinyl fix, so I ordered up a batch... Read More »
More on the Leben CS-1000P Power Amplifier
Ever cool guy Yoshi Hontani released more information about the new Leben CS-1000P today. Yoshi San's message said, "A first production lot of 5 units have already been sold out and the next production lot of 10 units is scheduled at early June. (6 units have already been sold out as of today)." The new Leben... Read More »
Leben introduces a new amplifier: the CS-1000P
While the full details have not yet been released, Leben has announced that they will be offering a new amplifier: the CS-1000P, which is based on the KT120 vacuum tube (click on the photos for larger images). Stylistically, the CS-1000P power amplifier is on a chassis similar to the CS-660P, which in my opinion is... Read More »
Danny Bar: Checking in From Paris With Some Great Black & Whites!
Photographer Danny Bar is on the road again, and this time is checking in from Paris with some wonderful black & white photos. (Click on the images for larger versions.) Danny used his Leica M9 with the new Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH lens to capture these beautiful B&W images. I'm a big fan of the Leica... Read More »
An American Master: Don Garber of Fi
Don Garber is an American Master. Don's Fi electronics delight enthusiasts around the world, not only for their wonderful musical performance, but also for their artisanal hand-crafted quality. Owning a Fi product is a direct-from-the-artist experience, electronic artwork of the highest order. Most of you know how much I loved my Fi 2A3 mono amplifiers,... Read More »
Chet Baker: His Life and Music
I've been doing a late-night listening session to Barclay's Chet Baker Quartet after reading Jeroen De Valk's biography of Chet Baker, which reads like a harrowing murder mystery. Chet Baker was a brilliant jazz trumpet player that played by ear and couldn't read music, was a heroin addict, and in many ways, he was an innocent... Read More »
