Today's Fresh Catch: The Prototype Sablon Audio Panatela IC
I've been listening to a prototype version of the Panatela interconnect, designed by Mark Coles for Sablon Audio, for a while now. I'll tell you what, it's a honey of an IC! The stealth-white clad prototype can be seen in the photo above plugged into my VPI Classic turntable and Auditorium 23 step-up transformer. While... Read More »
Sulawesi-Kalosi & Stan Meets Chet
It's been storming with incredibly intense thunder showers here on the East Side of Washington State in the Pacific Northwest of the US, which makes it a perfect morning for staying inside, listening to music, and getting caught up on a little writing. On this rainy Sunday morning I'm drinking some fine Peet's Sulawesi-Kalosi coffee,... Read More »
Music to Stir Your Soul
I just bought a couple of new records that I thought you might be interested in, the first one being Sam Cooke's Night Beat. Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in 1931, Sam Cooke was the son of a Baptist minister and grew up singing and playing gospel music in church. Cooke was a talented vocalist and... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: The Gran Corona by Mark Coles
After hitting it out of the ballpark with The Robusto, Mark Coles has been busy in his laboratory designing a second AC power cord for the Sablon Audio lineup, the Gran Corona, which has just been announced as being available in a press release from Mark: "As promised a few weeks back, I'm delighted to... Read More »
DIY World-Class Interconnects for Peanuts - The Dark Matter IC
I get a lot of e-mail inquiries about the do-it-yourself (DIY) White Lightening Moonshine cables article I wrote for Six Moons way back in September of 2007, which has been second only to the interest generated by the Garrard Project articles (1, 2, 3) I started writing even further back in September of 2004. I... Read More »
Errata: References & Hi-Fi Crème & DIY
Errata 1: I just wanted to let you know I added a 'reference' tab to the top bar to pull up posts that are of ongoing usefulness so they will be easier to find. The bypass mod for the CS660P, system setup articles, and the CS600 & CS660P tube settings tables are there for now,... Read More »
Today's Fresh Catch: The Sophia Electric Royal Princess 300B Vacuum Tube
I'm way behind on posting about 'Fresh Catches' of cool audio gear that I've purchased, built, borrowed, or that is in for review at Positive Feedback Online, so over the next week or so I'll try to post - in the order I have received them - some updates on the latest 'Fresh Catches'. First... Read More »
Coffee and Miles
Nothing beats a little good music along with my Peet's coffee on a Saturday morning, and this morning with the sun breaking through the Pacific Northwest rain clouds I'm almost giddy about the music I'm listening to right now, the Miles Davis Quintet - Great Prestige Recordings 45 RPM box set that Chad Kassem did... Read More »
Danny Bar: Checking in from Cuba with some great photos!
Fellow photography (and Leica!) enthusiast, Danny Bar, sent me some absolutely awesome photos of his recent trip to Cuba, which really makes me wish travel to Cuba from the US was a whole lot easier politically. Thanks for sharing your photos with us, Danny, they are awesome - wow! If you click on the photos... Read More »
Travel & Photos: Long Island, New York
The last time I traveled to Long Island, New York, it was to visit Harry Pearson at his home in Sea Cliff for The Absolute Sound celebration party Harry hosted to celebrate the continuation of his magazine, which had been purchased by new owners, and whose influx of money helped rescue the magazine which had... Read More »
Stereophile Recommend Components - Leben CS600 Class A
The April 2011 issue of Stereophile arrived in my mailbox a couple of days ago, and if you haven't seen it already, the Leben CS600 integrated amplifier earned the coveted Stereophile Class A rating - way to go Leben! The Class A rating was the result of a very nice review that Stereophile writer John... Read More »
Japan Quake and Tsunami
If you're like me you've watched in horror the devastating result of Friday's earthquake and resulting tsunami on the nation of Japan. The first thing I thought about upon hearing the news was the safety of Mr. Yoshi Hontani (Leben & Acoustic Revive exporter), Mr. Ken Ishiguro (Acoustic Revive), and Mr. Taku Hyodo (Leben), and... Read More »
A Couple of Albums Worth Having in Your Collection
It's a chilly (-5 degrees Fahrenheit with windchill) but sunny Saturday morning here in Washington State in the Pacific Northwest of the US, so it's a great time to catch up on posts and listen to some music. By the way, I try to stay up on all the comments, so if I miss one... Read More »
A Little Jazz - 20 Favorites
A couple of weeks ago, while getting ready for a bicycle ride, I injured my lower back quite severely and so have been out of action, first flat on my back for almost a week, then followed by a week of physical therapy (with three more weeks to come), but now I'm starting to feel... Read More »
Behind the Scenes: Getting ready for the Acoustic Revive Chronicles Chapter 9 Article for PFO
I think most of you are familiar with my writings over the years about the superb Acoustic Revive Hi-Fi performance products from Japan, but just in case you're not, let me provide a quick introduction from an earlier article: "Those who have been following the Acoustic Revive Chronicles know all about Mr. Ken Ishiguro and... Read More »
Bringing in the new year with Ron, Cindy, and a trio of fine amplifiers!
My buddy Ron stopped by with three amplifiers from his collection for an afternoon of listening fun & games. The first one we listened to was Ron's vintage Harmon-Kardon Citation II that he fully restored - but not 'hot-rodded' - using Jim McShane's parts offerings. The vintage Harmon-Kardon Citation II sounded warm, rich, eminently musical,... Read More »
Apple TV Fun & Games
Just for fun I purchased an Apple TV to replace my the Roku box that I use to stream Netflix media. I hooked my new little Apple TV up via a Toslink connection to my Mhdt Labs Paradisea+ vacuum tube USB DAC. Toslink is not the best way to connect in the digital world, but... Read More »
Art in Print, Listener #95, "Critical listening has everything to do with music and nothing to do with sound."
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 »
Leben CS300X & CS660P Win High Fidelity Awards!
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 »
Yoshi San Checking In from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara
Yoshi Hontani, the Leben and Acoustic Revive exporter in Japan, is a kindred spirit to yours truly. Yoshi San enjoys fine music, audio, and photography, and I was delighted when I received an e-mail sharing some photos he took of the Japanese Fall during a recent hike he and his family went on in Nara.... Read More »
New Acoustic Revive Products Coming In December
I found out that there are a couple of new Acoustic Revive products being released towards the middle to end of December, the first being the RUI - 1 USB Isolator. The press announcement about the RUI-1 USB Isolator says, "The biggest problem in PC based audio is the huge amount of ‘noise’ generated by... Read More »
The 7th Annual Positive Feedback Online's Writers' Choice Awards for 2010
The 7th Annual Positive Feedback Online's Writers' Choice Awards for 2010 are now online for your reading pleasure - enjoy!
Travels in Turkey - Part 2
Istanbul is really an amazing city to visit with its kaleidoscopic display of culture and sights. Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, with current estimates putting the population at approximately 17 million, making it one of the largest cities in the world. It is located on the Bosporus Strait and covers both the European... Read More »
Kenneth Rexroth - An American Experience
While traveling through Turkey recently, one of the more frequent questions I encountered was about books, both as smalltalk in the "What have you been reading lately?" or the "What are your favorite books?" context, or at times with the much more interesting context of, "What books best describe the essence of your American experience?"... Read More »
LEBEN CS300XS WINNER OF DIAPASON GOLD MEDAL 2010
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 »
