Loading...

For almost two decades now, my reference preamplifier was the Bryston BP-26 powered by the Bryston MPS-2 DC regulated power supply. I was perfectly happy with the performance of this combination and the vast connectivity options that it offered. When Bryston introduced its new BP-19, I was impressed by its specifications, and I have to... Read More »

Rhino continues their High Fidelity Premium Vinyl Series with a pair of classic new reissues of albums that were both released within the same year, 1974. Including Yes' seventh studio album and their first in the aftermath of Rick Wakeman's departure, Relayer (Atlantic Records), along with Bad Company's hard-rocking eponymous debut, Bad Company (Swan Song... Read More »

Craft Recordings' continues to crank out new releases in the second group of reissue titles for 2024 in their Original Jazz Classics (OJC) franchise reboot. This time, featuring their latest, The John Wright Trio's 1960 neglected classic, South Side Soul on Prestige Records. When I originally saw the list of the four albums being made... Read More »

Early this year, Vera-Fi Audio main-man Mark Schifter messaged me to gauge my interest in a new product line he was then representing from Thai manufacturer Puron. I'd told Mark that even though I had a pair of AudioQuest Niagara Low Z, AC power conditioning units in place at the new home in South Carolina,... Read More »

Back in February's Issue 132 (HERE) I wrote about the remarkable improvement in my system from replacing a couple pricey audiophile fuses with first one, and then two Swiss Digital Fuse Boxes. At that time there remained a couple of unresolved issues—first was the impending arrival of a rhodium-plated tellurium copper "Super-Duper-Sluggo" (the actual metal... Read More »

Rhino Entertainment has just launched their Sounds of the Summer LP series, which features a slate of 24 limited edition LP releases, with most of them being offered in deep sea blue colored-vinyl versions. The multitude of releases traverses a broad range of genres and artists, and includes catalog album reissues, greatest hits packages, and... Read More »

I've spent decades searching my butt off for interesting and well-recorded albums, all while some albums, including some really good ones, were just sitting in my path. Just Turn Me Loose (Epic BN 26037) by actor-singer George Maharis (1928-2023) is a prime example of an album that was just sitting and waiting for me to... Read More »

Rhino Entertainment has just released the Super Deluxe Edition of progressive rock titans Yes' fourth studio album, 1971's Fragile. Now available in an expansive multi-disc box set, Fragile: Super Deluxe Edition (SDE) offers media choices that will satisfy all listeners. The unusual package design features an LP-sized gatefold jacket that matches the band's recent SDE... Read More »

Dire Straits Live 1978-1992 Let me get right to the point! The sound quality of each and every reissue in this box set is absolutely magnificent! There are many reasons, but three are extremely important. All of the vinyl was mastered by Andy Walter at Abbey Road and cut by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman... Read More »

It's been a little over eight years since I last reviewed an amplifier by Southern California's ampsandsound (HERE). In the intervening years, Justin Weber has taken his little, almost hobbyist endeavor into the world of being a serious full-fledged business manufacturing extremely high quality boutique products. His lineup currently includes six amplifiers designed for driving... Read More »

Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue*; An American in Paris; Cuban Overture. Ivan Davis, piano*; Cleveland Orchestra/Lorin Maazel.  Copland, Appalachian Spring; Fanfare for the Common Man. Los Angeles Philharmonic/Zubin Mehta. London Jubilee  417 716-2.  TT: 71.17 For me, as a professional musician and a professional listener, life doesn't always allow much time for repeat listening. But I find it instructive... Read More »

Over the last two years, I have been on a determined mission to find a standalone phono stage for my system. I have been experimenting with both solid state and tube phono stages at several different price points. I have posted a few reviews, but not for everything that has entered my listening room. The... Read More »

Fifteen or more years ago I purchased a John Curl/Jack Bybee Signature Pro power conditioner, and still use it to this day. The Signature Pro used two power cords, each one connected to a bank of four outlets, one bank labeled Digital and the other Analog. Each bank utilized three Bybee Quantum Purifiers. You may... Read More »

With some of the best sonics you will ever experience, I'd like to introduce you to six recently released Pure DSD256 recordings from Eudora Records, Hunnia Records, and Yarlung Records. All of these albums are originally recorded directly to DSD256 and not to analog tape and then transferred to DSD. If you value the ultimate... Read More »

Rhino Entertainment continues the superb Joni Mitchell Archives Series with their latest installment, The Asylum Albums (1976-1980), which presents newly remastered versions of Joni Mitchell's final four albums for David Geffen's Asylum Records. Including the studio recordings Hejira (1976), the double album Don Juan's Reckless Daughter (1977), and Mingus (1979), along with Joni's double live... Read More »

Impex Records is well known for their extraordinary reissues of albums that are perhaps underappreciated, but nonetheless quintessential. Their latest is Duke Ellington's seminal 1958 session, Ellington Indigos, which Impex has just taken to the next level with a new 65th anniversary, 45 rpm two-LP edition. A relatively neglected jewel in Duke Ellington's catalog of... Read More »

Elton John and Bernie Taupin, "Friends" 50th Anniversary Edition. The Original Soundtrack Recording. Paramount 3555744. Pinky Vinyl Edition. Sourced new from eBay. $26 For those who look at the title Friends you should know this is definitely not the soundtrack of the famous and still wildly popular sitcom. This album is the soundtrack for a... Read More »

David Bowie: Rock 'N' Roll Star! is a new box set from Rhino Entertainment that chronicles the iconic star's journey from the formulative beginnings of the Ziggy Stardust era through its conclusion. The heavy box contains a plethora of wonders, not the least of which are the contents of the 5 CDs and the BluRay... Read More »

Of all the elements that make up a high-end audio system, few are embroiled in the kind of controversy that surrounds cables. By and large, audiophiles seem to align with one of three primary belief systems when it comes to the impact of cabling on a system's sonic signature: those who profess that wire, generally... Read More »