It’s a black plastic box 140 mm x 140 mm x 42 mm. After reading the impressive measurement result on Audio Science Review, I bought it through Amazon Australia for NZ$377 inc. shipping and tax, and it arrived here in New Zealand just four days later. It’s another of the growing number of fair-priced high-performance […]
I first read about Dr Paul James’ book Experiencing Gigli with Quality Audio: Exquisitely Beautiful Singing (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2022) on Jeff Day’s Jeff’s Place website, and more recently Rafe Arnott’s interview with him on his Resistor Magazine website. Dr James is a longtime audiophile, music lover, and philosophy scholar. I knew it was another […]
They’ve got melodies, rhythms, and dynamics, at some points sounding more like Pink Floyd than they do. A very fine instrumental jazz-rock-fusion-prog first album from this Polish duo and musical friends, with exceptional drumming and excellent sound quality. Already a very firm favourite, and I look forward to hearing their next recordings. If I had […]
There’s so much attention given to the sound quality output performance of recordings reproduction equipment, that the sound quality of the input sources sometimes get relegated. The “Circle of Confusion” that Bob Katz discussed on the Stereophile website in 2017 is the situation where the sound quality of an audio component can’t be judged using […]
The Montaudio team has developed another impeccably styled audio system enhancement product – a grounding device that’s an engineering unit made to compliment a home audio system, so it does a worthwhile job and also looks good. The fully passive Wanaka Noise Reduction Ground Reference Unit incorporates a proprietary multi-stage process of frequency-tuned noise reduction, […]
The first in the PS Audio series The Art of Hi-Fi is now available at Octave Records. Each recording in the series will showcase a different aspect of high-quality audio reproduction, and Paul McGowan is in the recordist/mixer seat. These are new recordings, not recycled back catalogue. Volume 01: Bass has a variety of musical […]
I’m sharing the link to this excellent article because I’m a big fan of Janis Ian’s music, and this music blog is outstanding. I found it when she shared the link to her Facebook page. https://billymwb.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-light-at-end-of-line-janis-ian.html
I’ve been reading Paul Theberge’s chapter The Sound of Nowhere: Reverb and the Construction of Sonic Space in Fink, Latour & Wallmark’s book The Relentless Pursuit of Tone (Oxford University Press, 2018). This is his account of the recording of an album that I was introduced to as a classic audiophile recording. That was in […]
This is a developed version of the Les Davis Audio 3D² Constrained Layer Damping product (I reviewed them for TNT-Audio in 2017). With the original discs proven to be effective, the Entropic Isolator has been engineered for heavy components. Five layers of flexible 3D² material are sandwiched with a Maple wood core, an Aluminium metal […]
Michael Lavorgna doesn’t like the idea of reviews being equipment tests. He’s happier that they provide opinion. That didn’t seem right to me. I resorted to consulting my Oxford Dictionary. There are two most commonly used (assumed) meanings of “opinion”. An opinion is a judgement or belief based on grounds short of proof – views […]
A golden rule for enjoying healthy recorded music listening is “keep the noise down!” And there’s a huge market for tweaks that can bring your noise control in-house to turn it down so you can turn up the music. Thus, I was delighted to find a small firm that has developed apparently elegant means to […]
Objective, subjective ….. conclusions and opinions ….. a lot about personal taste. So what’s a review worth? It depends on who does it. https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/roger-skoff-hobby-and-gear/
It seems my investigator interest is at odds with their seller interest. I never see independent reviews of their extensive and growing range of budget audio products (Nobsound, Douk, and other brandnames), only customer feedback comments, and I get asked if they are good quality and high value. Discussion in forums is scarce and mixed. […]
My many posts go back to 2012, and are a mix of sharing links to articles, comments on hi-fi and music, diary bits and pieces on what I’ve been doing, music recommendations, and my product reviews (user experience reports). By far, the most viewed posts are the system performance enhancement product reviews. Tweaks and accessories […]
When a school friend’s dad played Dark Side of the Moon on his posh stereo soon after it was first issued, something happened to my mind. It just happened again. Today, I stumbled across Mary Fahl’s music, and her 2011 album From the Dark Side of the Moon. It’s her reimagination and update of Pink […]
My hi-fi hobbying began in 1972 and I’ve been a committed vinyl record player to this day. I’ve owned several turntables and tonearms, beginning with the humble high performing Connoisseur BD1 and progressing to a Linn Sondek LP12 and beyond, and have used many pickup cartridges. Today, I have two turntables, three arms, and five […]
Graham Reid looks back to the beginning of classical-rock connections and the concept album. Interesting historical perspective, as my album awareness awakened around late 1972! https://www.elsewhere.co.nz/absoluteelsewhere/6248/british-prog-1970-75-2022-yes-but-is-it-rock/
Great sounding albums are balanced for maximum musical impact between excessive (‘hot’) dynamics and insufficient (‘flat’) dynamics. Listening to them is neither wearying nor boring. Dynameter shows the difference. It’s the difference between peak and loudness that is an indicator of dynamics. This VST plug-in reveals how dynamic a recording is, providing a visual and […]
At the time of writing, I count well over a dozen notable albums in the growing catalogue of Octave Records. Having followed the story since pre-launch of the establishment of the PS Audio label and studio in 2019, the label launch in June 2021, the installation of some classic equipment, the opening of Octave Studios […]
You know that feeling that you should have done something a lot sooner? I found Perfect DeClipper 3.01. I’m a committed PC-based digital audiophile, with my whole CD library ripped to lossless files, and a growing collection of downloaded albums (I remain anti-streaming). For years, the clarity and punch of some recordings has disappointed me, […]
I’ve never been to Connecticut, but I listen to this recording and I can feel the music being played in the barn. This is characteristic sound quality from Barry Diament’s Soundkeeper Recordings. It’s notable that the recording method encourages a careful choice of music and venue. And attentive listening takes you there and then. There’s […]
I’ve have never felt comfortable with the attitude that home audio or music listening are competitive activities. In other words, when I listen to recorded music through a reproduction system, I’m not seeking the best of anything, or a show-off opportunity. Right is right, in my view. Sufficient satisfies. When I listen to music, does […]
To consider the aesthetic is to pay particular attention to the (possibility of) beauty in something. This article by Dr. Jules L. Coleman (audiophile, reviewer, and Yale law professor) examines the nature and value of the (hi-fi) music listening pursuit. What is the basis for our response to our listening experience. He points out the […]
As a devoted fan of the Puffin, I enjoyed reading this comprehensive account of its capabilities. Both the review and the Puffin are highly recommended. https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/the-parks-audio-puffin-phono-stage-etc-etc-etc-etc-etc/
It’s already more than a year since local Pinenut Records issued Chris Thompson’s live album, and I’ve finally got an opportunity to have a listen to the CD version of this unique record of his performance at Donald McLeod’s 60th birthday celebration in 2020. The 19-song album was recorded digitally using a single Shure KSM8 […]
A reviewer of an amplifier listed these “sound dimensions”: When we first encounter a sound reproduction system, it is natural to evaluate it in various dimensions: “Is the bass extended?” “Is it dynamic?” “How do voices sound?” In the spirit of defining these qualities more precisely, I have come up with eight Sound Dimensions that comprise what […]
A lengthy musical and technical assessment of this very special ‘must hear’ album. https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/the-best-version-of/the-best-version-of%E2%80%A6-john-martyns-solid-air-r1076/
Even with highly sensitive measurement equipment, only a negligible difference among tubes was detected. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/tube-rolling-does-it-make-a-difference.28583/
What would an audiophile recording of a jazz combo sound like if the team who conceived and supervised the recording sessions were audiophile specialists? It happened back when Stereophile was more frequently issuing recordings. This was the first jazz album, from 1999. Discogs currently lists 30 releases, from the early 1990s into the 2000s, the […]
Under test, they show very similar electrical performance, and that’s interesting when one brand retails at TEN times what the other costs. All of these cables are transparent for audio. The distinguishing feature is the appearance and feel! When I sit listening to music, I can barely see any of the interconnects in my audio […]
Music & Hi-fi Appreciations 