Today's Fresh Catch: The Mactone MH-120 amplifier and XX-440 preamplifier!
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 »
What Is High-Fidelity?
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 »
Jeff checking in: Saying goodbye to 2022, and welcoming in 2023!
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 »
Listening and Musing: Audio Note (UK) AN-K/SPe loudspeakers Positive Feedback review follow-up!
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 »
Jeff checking in: audio reviewing, listening, music, and 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 »
Positive Feedback Review Sneak Peek: The Audio Note (UK) AN-K/SPe Loudspeakers!
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 »
Adventures in Real Sound with Yazaki-san: Alan-san’s GEC PX25A (DA30) Monaural SETs - Part 5!
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 »
Sources of 78 transfers for early recorded music explorers! Downloads coming!
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 Fall, and the season of hi-fi weather is upon us. Happy Fall!
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 »
Getting Into Hi-Fi: The $5000 *or less* hi-fi system challenge!
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 »
Jeff checking in: The Perfect Sound, SPEC RSA-M3 EX Real Sound Amplifier DIY project, Leben RS-30EQ DIY project, SET magnificence, and other hifi ramblings!
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 »
Jeff checking in: Amplifier heaven, listening to great Class A amplifiers, and an exciting upcoming amplifier project!
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 »
Meditations: Journey into the whirlwind ... and back out!
"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 »
The Pacific Audio Fest: Musings, meditations, observations, and random thoughts! Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8!
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 »
Positive Feedback Review Sneak Peek: Audio Note (UK) Meishu Phono Silver Tonmeister 300B SET Integrated Amplifier: The Mighty Master of Tone!
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 »
Jeff checking in: Audio Note (UK), First Watt, Pass Labs, Pacific Audio Fest, and 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 »
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Trip to the Pacific Audio Fest 2022 - Part 2!
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 »
Jeff checking in: Music, video, listening, Audio Note (UK), and other stuff!
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 »
Update on the Audio Note (UK) field-coil loudspeakers from Andy Grove!
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 »
Positive Feedback Review Sneak Peek: The Audio Note (UK) CD 4.1x ‘Level Three’ Red Book CD Player: Digital Transcendence!
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 »
Jeff checking in: 4 systems, Audio Note (UK), DIY, First Watt & Pass Labs, Soundsmith, and much more!
Greetings friends, I hope you are doing well. It seems like my audio list of topics to write about just keeps growing, and at times I ponder how I'll be able to keep up with everything going on. Not necessarily a bad 'problem' to have for an audio nut. However, particularly - at least for... Read More »
Listening: 4 systems ... with components from Audio Note (UK), Pass Labs / First Watt, and Triode Lab! Part 1.
I've been working on an update about the 4 audio systems that are cooking here at Jeff's Place right now, and I'll be parsing out updates as Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4, as I get a chance to finish writing them up, so stay tuned for much more to come as I get more time... Read More »
Musings on Audio: A retrospective ... all those reviews, the overall journey, and lessons learned.
I've been reflecting on my audio writing of late, as I've recently arrived at the milestone of 1000+ articles published here at Jeff's Place, as well as 79 feature articles for Positive Feedback, and before that 52 articles for Six Moons. You can find links to my Positive Feedback and Six Moons articles under my Jeff's Pages links at my Archives link (HERE). Alas,... Read More »
Jeff checking in: 1000 articles milestone, Pacific Audio Fest, SETS, and other stuff!
With the publication of the "Long term report: 13 happy years with the Leben Hi-Fi Stereo Company RS-30EQ phono stage!" article (HERE), I just published my one-thousandth article here at Jeff's Place - woo hoo! My first Jeff's Place article was published way back in March of 2010, a little over twelve years ago now. How time flies.... Read More »
Long term report: 13 happy years with the Leben Hi-Fi Stereo Company RS-30EQ phono stage!
My goodness, the Leben Hi-Fi Stereo Company RS-30EQ phono stage has certainly had 'legs' in my audio life. It was way back in Positive Feedback Issue 43 that I first wrote about the Leben RS-30EQ, nearly 13 years ago now! There's only two amplification components that are still here with me as trusted references over that lengthy... Read More »
Listening (and watching): Audio Note (UK) Meishu Phono Silver Tonmeister 300B SET Integrated Amplifier!
I've been having a ball getting reacquainted with single-ended-triode (SET) amplifiers. Over the past few decades I've owned numerous SET amplifiers built around 45, 2A3, 300B, and 845/211 vacuum tubes. They were all unique and all had their desirable traits, and I really enjoyed my time with them. I can tell you for sure that... Read More »
Long term report: The Audio Note (UK) Oto Phono SE Signature integrated amplifier!
Greetings friends, I hope you are well. I also hope you had a chance to read my feature article about the Audio Note (UK) Oto Phono SE Signature integrated amplifier in Positive Feedback Issue 108 (HERE). The Audio Note (UK) Oto Phono SE Signature integrated amplifier arrived here at Jeff's Place in October of 2019, I wrote the feature... Read More »
Positive Feedback Review Sneak Peek: The Triode Lab 2A3 P-SET RSR Monaural Amplifiers - Double the SET Fun!
The full feature review of the Triode Lab 2A3 P-SET RSR monaural amplifiers is now live 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 Triode Lab... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: The Audio Note (UK) AN-K/SPe loudspeakers!
The Audio Note (UK) AN-K/SPe loudspeakers have arrived from Peter Qvortrup at Audio Note (UK)! Woo hoo - I've been looking forward to these arriving! 🙂 I promise to get some better photos for you soon, as these are gorgeous loudspeakers with their satin finished palisander (rosewood) book matched veneers, and my accompanying photos just don't... Read More »
Jeff checking in: Triode Lab 2A3 RSR monos, Audio Note (UK), and Soundsmith!
Greetings music lovers, and welcome to Jeff's Place! I hope you are doing well, and that life is treating you kindly. I can't believe it is March 2022 already. The days seem to be racing past right now. I'm finding it challenging to keep up with everything going on that I want to do, and to... Read More »
Books: "Experiencing Gigli with Quality Audio" by Paul James!
Bold. Thought provoking. Wise, even profound. A great read! "Experiencing Gigli with Quality Audio: Exquisitely Beautiful Singing", by Paul James, from Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Before I go any further I should tell you that you should add Paul's book to your library ASAP. It is an absolutely brilliant book, and if you don't get a copy before it... Read More »
Jeff checking in: Sergio Mendez at Jazz Alley in Seattle, Audio Note (UK), Triode Lab, analog, digital, SET, solid-state, music, and other stuff! Part 3.
Greetings friends, I hope you are doing well! In Part 1 of this post I told you about "other stuff" first, starting with my trip to Jazz Alley for a Sergio Mendez concert with friends, and some side activities we enjoyed. I mentioned my Seattle trip to give you some ideas for other activities for... Read More »
Jeff checking in: Sergio Mendez at Jazz Alley in Seattle, Audio Note (UK), Triode Lab, analog, digital, SET, solid-state, music, and other stuff! Part 2.
In Part 1 of this post I started telling you about the "other stuff" first, which was my trip to Jazz Alley in Seattle to attend a Sergio Mendez concert with friends. There's two reasons for that. Firstly I wanted to give you some ideas of additional things to do for those of you contemplating... Read More »
Jeff checking in: Sergio Mendez at Jazz Alley in Seattle, Audio Note (UK), Triode Lab, analog, digital, SET, solid-state, music, and other stuff! Part 1.
I'm getting back into the swing of things for 2022, now that the Holiday Season has receded in the rear-view mirror. I have a lot to tell you about, including Audio Note (UK), Triode Lab, analog, digital, SET, solid-state, music, and of course some other stuff. Hopefully I'll be able to lightly touch on each... Read More »
Listening: Triode Lab 2A3 Parallel Single-Ended-Triode RSR Monaural Amplifiers!
Greetings, and I hope you are doing well. I also hope you got a chance to read my First Listen impressions of the Triode Lab 2A3 parallel single-ended-triode RSR monaural amplifiers in my vintage Altec A5 Voice of the Theatre loudspeakers based audio-visual system (HERE). I was impressed with their performance. I often put new arrivals here... Read More »
Third Anniversary of Jeff's Place at Positive Feedback, and other stuff!
Greetings friends, welcome to Jeff's Place, and I hope that 2022 is treating you well so far. I just happened to notice that today is the third anniversary of Jeff's Place at Positive Feedback! Woo-hoo! 😃 Many thanks to Dave Clark and Dr. David Robinson for offering to host Jeff's Place at Positive Feedback. It's been terrific to... Read More »
