Mike Mettler

Mike Mettler  |  Oct 22, 2024  |  First Published: 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 17, 2024  |  First Published: Oct 17, 2024  |  2 comments

File this one under, “Reborn under a good sign.” Craft Recordings recently announced a Deluxe Edition release of In Session, the legendary December 1983 collaboration between the late, decidedly great blues guitar icons Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan, as an expanded 180g 3LP set on October 18, 2024 — as in, tomorrow! This historically important live performance — culled from King and SRV’s early-1980s joint TV appearance together in Canada — will be available in its entirety in various formats, but the best way to cue this one up is most definitely on vinyl. Read on to see AP editor Mike Mettler’s listening impressions of this new collection, what its three first-time-on-vinyl tracks are and how they sound, and what the SRP is for this new tri-gatefold set. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Oct 16, 2024  |  First Published: 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 10, 2024  |  First Published: Oct 10, 2024  |  8 comments

In our ever-expanding search across this ever-spinning globe of ours for all things of analog-oriented interest, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to drop this one on the AP faithful: Bay Area alt-punk progenitors Green Day have gone all-out punk personified with their Dookie Demastered project, billed as “the way it was never meant to be heard.” Dookie Demastered features 15 truly alternative format options if ever there were, including wax cylinder, X-ray LP, 8-track, music box, piano roll, and more. Read on to see why you should plop down an entry into the Dookie Demastered pool to get one (or more!) of them in hand for your own collection. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Oct 08, 2024  |  First Published: 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  |  First Published: 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 02, 2024  |  14 comments

In honor of Audiophile Day (October 2), I spent the balance of my afternoon and evening hours spinning some of my favorite LPs, both new and old alike. With that in mind, let me tell you a story about The Doors and the big beat of Analogue Productions’ new 200g 1LP UHQR edition of their April 1971 studio swan song with Jim Morrison behind the mike during his lifetime, L.A. Woman. Read on to see why this new Clarity Vinyl edition belongs on your turntable now. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Oct 01, 2024  |  First Published: 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 26, 2024  |  First Published: Sep 26, 2024  |  1 comments

What becomes a cult-favorite legend most? When it comes to onetime Bob Dylan tour manager, noted folk artist, songwriter, painter, and producer Bob Neuwirth, it seems quite befitting that a long-awaited reissue of the artist’s self-titled 1974 debut album is set to receive new life on vinyl with a 50th anniversary 1LP reissue on Sunset Blvd. Records on September 27, 2024. Read on to see why you might want to get your hands on Bob Neuwirth sooner than later. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Sep 23, 2024  |  First Published: 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. . .

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