It’s Memorial Day here in the States, which is about remembering soldiers who have died during military service, and was enacted after the American Civil War (1861-1865). This morning I’ve been working on my review for Positive Feedback Online of the Acoustic Revive speaker cables, RCA interconnects, and RCI-3 cable insulators. Coincidentally, I just ordered [...]

I feel a certain affinity for Hendrix, with him having been a fellow Washington State resident, and wanted to get back in touch with his music. So a few weeks back I ordered a batch of records from Acoustic Sounds that included Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland. The version I ordered was the new special edition [...]

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 [...]

I signed up for the Seattle stop of Leica’s North American Road Show so I could get a look at all the Leica lenses, the new Noctilux in particular, and learn some tips from the pros that would be there, Justin Staley and Chris Weeks. Below is a view of the city of Seattle with [...]

I love to read, much in the same way I love music. I’ve been reading through one of the classics of ancient China, The Analects of Confucius. There’s lots of versions of these writings, and I bought a copy of The Analects of Confucius – A Philosophical Translation by Roger T. Ames and Henry Rosemont [...]

The North Cascade Highway (SR 20) from the Skagit Valley to the village of Winthrop in the North Cascade Mountains of Washington State is considered to be one of the most scenic drives in the USA. SR 20 is usually closed from November to April due to heavy snowfall, but I was able to do [...]

Quite a few years ago I bought an Acoustic Sounds test pressing of You Get More Bounce With Curtis Counce and I have really enjoyed it. The test pressings used to be offered cheaper than the regular versions of the LP because they didn’t have any cover art, so I bought them whenever I could [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]