Loading...

I've been reviewing a ton of LPs over the last few years, and to enhance my review process, I set up a dedicated, all-analog system in one of my audio rooms. That system features dual turntables from ProJect and Rega, a PS Audio Stellar phono preamp, a PrimaLuna tube integrated amp, and a pair of... Read More »

  WAY Cables Poetry X Analogue XLR interconnects   Despite having access to a pretty wide range of very enticing gear, I really try to avoid the marry go round of constantly swapping gear in and out of my reference system. I made big changes about 3 years ago and before that it had been over... Read More »

Silvestrov, Postludium No. 3. Matt Haimovitz, cello; Nadia Shpachenko, piano. Pentatone Music PTC5187305 (digital single). TT: 4.53. It's been two years since Russia invaded Ukraine, and Pentatone has chosen to mark the date with this single track of music by Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov. (To have labelled the release as "A Celebration of Ukrainian Culture," however, is... Read More »

I've had the immense pleasure of being able to evaluate a number of Impex Records' excellent LP releases over the last year or so, with results that have been uniformly superb. That list includes unexpectedly great albums, like Barbra Streisand's triumphal Live at the Bon Soir and the truly magnificent Al Di Meola/John McLaughlin/Paco De... Read More »

Playing vinyl is some of the most fun you can have in this hobby. Sliding a record out of its sleeve and setting it on the platter, throwing a switch and watching a turntable to come up to speed, cueing down a tonearm and hearing that satisfying sound of when the stylus contacts the record.... Read More »

My old friend and former roommate, Dave, suggested that I write about my Leni Okehu record. What a cool idea. The music is a boatload of fun, it's beautifully recorded, and Dave and I used to love the way it sounded on his ADS L880 speakers. The album's title is Hawaiian Holiday (International Award Series... Read More »

To paraphrase Lawrence Welk: there are more new turntables than ever to choose from, good and bad, and this is certainly one of them. That's actually how a lot of reviews seem to go these days, and who can blame the poor writers? With seemingly every audio (and audio-adjacent) brand either getting into the turntable... Read More »

Craft Recordings has announced the first group of new titles for 2024 in their Original Jazz Classics (OJC) reboot, featuring three albums that were released within months of each other in 1962. Those include the classic Cannonball Adderley with Bill Evans session, Know What I Mean?, along with the equally classic Art Blakey & the... Read More »

The Rhino High Fidelity Premium Vinyl Series continues with the release of two new titles, and as with the previous group of offerings, the selections are eclectic. The one constant is that Rhino has again chosen both rock and jazz titles, featuring Marquee Moon (1977, Elektra Records) from art-punk darlings Television and avant-garde saxophonist Ornette... Read More »

A Swiss Digital Fuse Box (SDFB for short) is a $395 device that replaces the generic $2 power fuse in high performance audio gear. Yes, you read that right. It is also potentially the most disruptive audiophile add-on since…what?…the subwoofer?… the power conditioner? Sorry, but your THC gummies don't qualify. So let us first consider... Read More »

On March 1st, Craft Recordings is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the eponymous debut record from folk/punk pioneers Violent Femmes with a new box set, Violent Femmes: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition. Craft is offering expanded reissues of the band's groundbreaking first album with multi-disc box sets available in a variety of formats. My supplied review... Read More »

Craft Recordings celebrates the 30th anniversary of southern alternative rockers Collective Soul with their reissue of the band's 7even Year Itch: Greatest Hits 1994-2001, available for the first time in the LP format. The Stockbridge, Georgia band's debut album, 1994's Hints, Allegations and Things Left Unsaid, was a surprise hit that took them from absolute... Read More »

It's time for a confession: I enjoy the album Calcutta! (Dot DLP 25359) by Lawrence Welk (1903-1992). Honestly, there's an awful lot to like on this LP. It has incredible sound, incredible musicianship, and memorable tunes that'll make your body move. The stereo imagery is on a par with the best of Martin Denny's exotica... Read More »

A great new listening experience for this well loved performance, perhaps the greatest performance of Mahler's Third Symphony in the catalog. Mahler Symphony No. 3, R. Strauss Death And Transfiguration, Jascha Horenstein LSO, recorded by Jerry Bruck. HDTT 1970 2024 (24/192k 4.0 Surround and Stereo) HERE We all know this famous Horenstein Mahler Third Symphony... Read More »

Since my move to South Carolina, I've been in the process of slowly refining and (hopefully!) finalizing my seemingly ever-evolving audio systems. With regard to the analog system, the recent addition of the PS Audio Stellar phono preamp has gotten me very close to the end-game for the room. The Stellar has inputs to service... Read More »

For the last few years I've been audio lucky. Fat and happy while discovering new music on Qobuz augmented by the convenience of Roon, or listening to CDs and LPs. My system was delivering the goods and communicating the music. All my compatriots who came over to listen agreed. I was consistently contented and not... Read More »

Mid last year, I reviewed the Topping E70 Velvet DAC, which is a Delta-Sigma design that in my view offered astounding performance at a surprisingly low price point. Most of my love of the E70 Velvet revolved around its very cool implementation of the recent new production AKM chipsets, and its use of AKM's Velvet... Read More »

We've all heard horror stories of stereos destroyed by electrical storms and events. Towards that end, many of us use surge protectors or power conditioners, and if you're like me, you take it a step further and when lightning is present, you unplug your system. Unfortunately, you can't always be there when a major surge... Read More »

Bob Witrak of HDTT keeps mining the hills for superb vintage recordings on both tape and LP to release in high resolution digital. And new recordings from the master tapes, as well. It is amazing that the flow continues in virtually a never-ending flood of superb music. The skill with which Bob makes these transfers... Read More »