Analog Gear News

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Mike Mettler  |  Nov 14, 2024  |  0 comments

Here at AP, when it comes to gear coverage, we try to balance our admitted high-end proclivities with some more affordable options for the analog newcomer and budget-minded alike. Today’s serving comes from the more affordable side of the menu, thanks to Andover Audio. Read on to see all of what the Boston-based company’s new SpinBase 2 turntable speaker system has to offer, including its implementation of their patented IsoGroove technology. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Nov 04, 2024  |  5 comments

In our humble opinion here at AP, turntables are forever. VPI Industries clearly agree with that statement, as they’ve just announced the Model One turntable, the first entry in their new Forever series. Read on to see all the features and specs of the Model One, along with its cool new 10in S-shaped tonearm. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Oct 23, 2024  |  9 comments

The music you make is equal to the console you make it on — or something like that. To that end, mega online gear retailer Reverb has just announced that the EMI TG12345 recording console used by The Beatles to record September 1969’s seminal Abbey Road LP is going up for sale through MJQ Ltd., their official artists partner, starting on October 29, 2024. Read on to see how you might be able to get your hands, and ears, on a true piece of recording history. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Oct 22, 2024  |  6 comments

Good things come in threes — or, in this case, in III. What I mean by that is, Revox have seen fit to announce their new B77 MKIII reel-to-reel stereo tape recorder, and we couldn’t be more pleased to hear all about it. Read on to see all the specs and features of the mighty Revox B77 MK III. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Oct 16, 2024  |  5 comments

The O.G. has returned to the fold — or rather, to the spindle. In conjunction with BBC engineers in London in the late 1960s, Keith Monks developed the first commercially produced electric device to clean records in order to meet the “exacting standards” of FM radio broadcasting — and thus, what we now refer to as a record cleaning machine (RCM) was essentially born. Fast-forward to the modern era, where the late company founder’s son Jonathan Monks has just seen fit to introduce the company’s latest RCM model, the ReduxTwo. Read on to see all the features and specs for the ReduxTwo RCM, and when it will hit the marketplace. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Oct 08, 2024  |  8 comments

Many of us use platter mats to dampen resonances and minimize other vibrations whenever we play our LPs. For those not entirely in the know, these mats are typically “waffer-thin,” to borrow the enunciation of a quite specific Monty Python bit, and they go directly underneath the LP that’s spinning and in turn reside right on top of the turntable platter beneath it. Seeing how I’ve been getting, shall we say, a bit restless with my current mat rotation, I wanted to take a fresh look at and listen to something new, and that led me to the Mat Chakra Limited — a cool, current platter mat from the Italian manufacturer Sublima Audio Research. Read on to find out more about company founder Alessandro “Alex” Cereda’s philosophy behind the design of the Mat Chakra Limited, and how this platter mat just might work for enhancing the performance of your own LPs. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Oct 07, 2024  |  2 comments

We love Goldring for their top-tier phono cartridges, their Ethos SE moving coil cartridge and E4 moving magnet cart being but two relatively recent introductions of note. Today, we’re even more chuffed (to use some British parlance) to see the stalwart company announce the GR3, their first new turntable in more than 20 years. Read on to see all specs and features of the new GR3. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Oct 01, 2024  |  2 comments

If anybody knows how to make turntables and tonearms right, it’s SME, the stalwart British company who’ve been manufacturing high-quality high-end gear since 1959. Recently, SME updated their vaunted Model 15 turntable to MK2 status, and that’s the version we’re looking further into today. Read on to see all the features and specs for the Model 15 MK2 table. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Sep 23, 2024  |  7 comments

We’re all about seeking out affordable cartridges, which is but one reason why coming across Le Son’s SL1 MKII MC phono cartridge is such a fine sight to see. Read on to see all the features and specs of the Shanghai-based company’s new SL1 MKII MC cart. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Sep 19, 2024  |  2 comments

It’s been a minute, but AVID have announced their first new turntable since 2018 — and it’s a beauty dubbed the Acutus Dark Iron, which takes the place of the prior Acutus Dark Limited Edition model to now serve as the new entry point in their top-line Acutus series. Read on to see all the features and specs for the Acutus Dark Iron table. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Sep 10, 2024  |  3 comments

Ain’t life grand? So is our appreciation for fine turntables, which leads us to zeroing in on the latest entry in Technics’ Grand Class series — namely, the SL-1300G. Read on to see all the specs and features of the SL-1300G table. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Sep 03, 2024  |  3 comments

Hana is back to doing what they do best, as they’ve just announced the upcoming release of their SL Mk II moving coil (MC) cartridge. The SL Mk II is considered to be an upgrade to their Hana S series cartridges. For the SL Mk II cart, master cartridge designer Masao Okada has implemented a new tapered aluminum cantilever with increased rigidity and effective mass reduction at the nude diamond Shibata stylus tip. Read on to see more about all the features and specs for the SL Mk II cartridge. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Sep 02, 2024  |  4 comments

While it is indeed Labor Day, we here at AP have decided to recast the day under the “Labor of Love” banner so that we can take a look at some of the analog offerings from companies we didn’t get to spend much time with back at High End Munich 2024. One of those companies is Taiwanese manufacturer Zorin Audio, known for their fine lines of turntables, tonearms, and ION-generator static eliminators. Today, we’ve decided to zero in on their TP-S5 turntable. Whether you’re still laboring or totally relaxing today, read on to see specs and features of the updated TP-S5. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Aug 22, 2024  |  0 comments

When I began looking into the new Auris MYSTiK turntable to see what it was all about, the soundtrack in my head immediately kicked into Neil Peart’s distinct percussive opening to Rush’s “Mystic Rhythms,” which seemed to be quite the logical and appropriate vibe for how to best appreciate the noted Serbian company’s new table. While nature seems to spin, read on to see all specs and features of the MYSTiK. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Aug 19, 2024  |  2 comments

Every year, EISA, the Expert Imaging and Sound Association, gives out Hi-Fi awards for the very best gear on the market in a wide range of product categories, as voted upon by their Expert Group members. Read on to see what analog-centric gear garnered EISA 2024-2025 awards, and why. . .

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