At the recent High End show in Munich, Mark Levinson introduced a new “integrated audio media player” called the No. 5101. Expected to launch in the fourth quarter of 2019, the No. 5101 is a CD/SACD player with built-in network streaming capabilities, digital inputs and outputs, and a “PrecisionLink II” DAC section derived from the company’s 5000 series integrated amplifiers. The new player is expected to sell for $5,500, making it one of the least expensive products in the current Mark Levinson lineup. Read on to learn more.

Bowers & Wilkins 603 floor-standing speaker is a culmination of trickle-down technology and ideas from their cutting-edge flagship designs. The 603s are their least-expensive floor-standing speaker at $1,800/pr, but don't let its entry-level status fool you; there is some intensive R&D invested in these things that come from decades of engineering refinement. Read our full review of the 603 loudspeakers to see what Bowers & Wilkins can do at such an accessible price bracket.


SW1X Audio Design™ DAC III STD Performance Level 3 D to A Converter. "Re-experience the legendary classic TDA1541 DAC powered by valves at its full glory, re-incarnated by SW1X Audio Design™. DAC III builds upon the refinement of the SW1X DAC II and adds additional level of organic & analogue envelope to the sound.  The sonic character becomes indistinguishable from analogue playback when combined with analogue sounding digital transport. Signature version of the DAC III is available on custom built to order basis only."

SW1X Audio Design™ DAC III Features:
  • Specially selected and harmonically matched component & material quality
  • NOS (Non oversampling –zero digital domain filtering) design
  • Based on 1x TDA1541 – the most analogue sounding DAC chip ever made directly connected to CS8414 S/PDIF receiver
  • Dynamic Element Matching (DEM) of the TDA1541 is driven by an asynchronous EF180 valve clock with EAA91 valve rectified power supply
  • Active I/V conversion via a single specially selected Silicium (or Germanium on request) transistor (with less than 10 Ohm input impedance) with the shortest signal path directly connected to the tube grid
  • Anode follower, zero feedback, 6N6P double triode valve output stage
  • Output stage signal decoupling capacitor options a) Bosch PIO or b)  Jensen/ Audio Note Copper Foil in Oil capacitors
  • 5C4M directly heated tube rectified CLC (choke filtered) tube output stage power supply
  • Custom Germanium transistor based shunt voltage regulated power supplies for the TDA1541 and active I/V conversion
  • Supports 24Bit/96kHz digital coaxial S/PDIF signal input
  • 110/115/230/240V AC mains transformers


Back to the Midwest-SR In late January 2019, over the MLK holiday weekend no less, I ventured north by northwest from Florida to the wilds of exurban Indiana to pay my close audio bud, Greg Weaver, a long-overdue visit. I made a similar trek a year earlier to hear his then reference setup, namely Audionet's... Read More »

The post The New Apartment Lounge: Two Memorable Winter Road Trips appeared first on Positive Feedback.


Our Analog Editor Richard H. Mak is more than happy about his iconic McIntosh amplifiers being restored: "All 4 units of McIntosh MC3500 restored, all new Mundorfs and other capacitors. Alive, kicking ass, and singing, thanks to Murray Allen who did such a fine job restoring them!! All tubes matched to perfection."

"Frequency Extension is so much better, Bass is now rock solid, putting most solid state amps to shame! The Mighty MC3500, indeed the finest Mac Amp ever built in my book, and certainly my favorite of all the Mac stuff I bought from Mike @ Audio Classics!!"



And an electric mix for John Williams and Anne-Sophie Mutter fans. Above video plays Yoda's Theme / From "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back... "In the midst of his work on Star Wars’ Final Episode IX John Williams has created and conducted a complete album with Anne-Sophie Mutter and in mutual admiration.

It presents his personal selection of iconic themes as well as rediscovered gems from more than 40 years of his music for film."

"Recorded at the iconic Sony Pictures scoring stage in Los Angeles where many of the great film scores were recorded, including those of The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, An American in Paris, E.T. and Schindler’s List, among many, many others.

“That’s the wonderful thing about John’s music – it exists even without the film.” – Anne-Sophie Mutter"

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