Mike Mettler

News
Vinyl Sales Are Up 21.7 Percent in the First Half of 2023, According to New Report From Noted Entertainment Data Company Luminate
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 25, 2023  |  First Published: Jul 25, 2023  |  9 comments

The well-respected entertainment data company Luminate recently released their Midyear Music Report, which confirms vinyl sales are on the rise yet again. Therein, Luminate reports that vinyl sales saw a 21.7 percent increase in the first half of 2023. Read on to see more about how our favorite format is doing this year to date, along with some other key vinyl-specific data stats of interest. . .

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Analog Gear News
ELAC Miracord Series Turntables
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 24, 2023  |  First Published: Jul 24, 2023  |  5 comments

Venerable German manufacturer ELAC returned to LP-spinning form in 2016 by shoring up their turntable line with the Miracord 90 Anniversary ’table, one that ultimately garnered a well-deserved EISA Award in 2017. While the properly feted 90 Anniversary and its subsequent “regular 90” version are no longer available, the Miracord series lives on with a trio of turntables that continue to make good on the ELAC name. Read on to learn more about what’s what with the current Miracord turntable series. . .

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News
Five Tom Waits Island-Era Albums Christen New LP Remaster Series From UMe, With Three 180g Black and Color-Vinyl Options Coming on September 1, and Two More Emerging on October 6
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 19, 2023  |  First Published: Jul 19, 2023  |  4 comments

Tom Waits hit a new creative stride in the 1980s, starting with his acclaimed September 1983 masterstroke Swordfishtrombones — a breakthrough “junkyard orchestral deviation” (his words) — that culminated four LPs later with November 1993’s The Black Rider. Starting September 1, Island/UMe is re-releasing all five of these key Waits midperiod Island Records LPs via 180g black vinyl and limited-edition color variants with the first three titles slated for September 1, and the remaining two to follow on October 6. Read on to find out more about which specific Waits Island-era titles are forthcoming, and what they each entail. . .

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Analog Gear News
Origin Live Sovereign-S MkV Turntable & Enterprise MkIV Tonearm
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 18, 2023  |  First Published: Jul 18, 2023  |  7 comments

Cool gear from Origin Live just happened to be shown and demo’ed in the Millercarbon room at Pacific Audio Fest (a.k.a. PAF 2023) back in June, so we thought it would be well worth tracking down the, er, origin of said products by going directly to the Origin Live team in the UK to learn more about it all firsthand. Read on to find out what’s what with the company’s Sovereign-S MkV turntable and Enterprise MkIV tonearm respectively. . .

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Analog Gear News
SME M2 Series Tonearms
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 13, 2023  |  First Published: Jul 13, 2023  |  8 comments

We’ve long admired SME’s turntable-and-tonearm combos, but often wondered if/when we’d be able to get any of the Sussex, England-based manufacturer’s fine M2 Series tonearms separately here in North America. Their management and distribution teams must have been tuned into our thought patterns here, seeing how SME and Bluebird Music distribution have just announced four M2 Series tonearms are now becoming standalone product offerings on this side of the Pond. Read on to find out more about the quartet of SME M2 Series tonearms that are being offered, and what their respective SRPs are in both the U.S. and Canada. . .

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Interviews
Peter Frampton Tells Us Why the All-Analog Route Is the Only Way to Go When It Comes to Reissuing His Catalog on Vinyl
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 12, 2023  |  First Published: Jul 12, 2023  |  6 comments

You can’t keep a good man down, especially when his name is Peter Frampton. It’s no accident Frampton’s current 27-date summer tour is titled — semi-tongue-in-cheek, mind you — Never Say Never. While Frampton continues touring, he is also on the cusp of the release of a historical new box set on July 28 via Intervention Records — namely, the all-analog Frampton@50: In The Studio 1972-1975 180g 3LP numbered, limited edition box set that tops out at 2,500 copies. During a recent Zoom interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Frampton discusses his hands-on approach with the test pressings for what ultimately went into the Intervention box set, how he’d like to see his iconic 1976 double-live album Frampton Comes Alive! make it back to vinyl, and the one album in his catalog he’d rather not be reissued on vinyl at all. . .

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Analog Gear News
Triangle Art Maestro & Anubis Turntables
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 10, 2023  |  First Published: Jul 10, 2023  |  9 comments

Triangle Art had such an impressive active room display at the recent Pacific Audio Fest (a.k.a. PAF 2023) that we here at AP felt it was worth shining today’s gear spotlight on a pair of the truly amazing turntables being shown there — especially considering lead designer Tom Vu was on hand to demo them and discuss how they came to be. Read on to see why Vu has every right to be especially proud of Triangle Art’s Maestro and Anubis ’tables accordingly. . .

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News
AP Exclusive Premiere: Dale Watson Shares an Acoustic Gem, “Streets of Gold,” From His Upcoming Starvation Box LP
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 07, 2023  |  First Published: Jul 07, 2023  |  1 comments

Texas-raised alt-country singer/guitarist Dale Watson likes to keep things authentic, and that’s exactly what’s he done with the 12 songs on his upcoming gutbucket-rockin’ Starvation Box LP on Cleopatra Records. AP has been asked to exclusively premiere “Streets of Gold” from the upcoming LP edition of Starvation Box which is set to be released as a 140g LP, so read on to get a taste of Watson’s patented deep baritone in action. . .

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Analog Gear News
Pangea Audio Turntable Wall Mounted Premier SE Shelf MKII
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 06, 2023  |  First Published: Jul 06, 2023  |  2 comments

Those of us needing sturdy wall-mount options for our turntables always have to look quite carefully at shelving-gear specs to ensure these products are truly capable of accommodating the weight of our favored ’tables. To that end, Pangea Audio has upped the ante with their just-announced Turntable Wall Mounted Premier SE Shelf MKII. Read on to see if the new Premier SE Shelf MKII might suit your own particular turntable-shelving needs. . .

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Analog Gear News
Hagerman Audio Labs Cornet MM Phono Preamp
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 04, 2023  |  First Published: Jul 04, 2023  |  1 comments

If it’s Independence Day, it must also mean it’s independent gear news update time — and thus, we’re putting our patriotic spotlight on Hagerman Audio Labs today. To wit: The company’s fourth-generation Cornet MM phono preamp is now available. Read on to find out how the 4th-gen Cornet MM sings accordingly. . .

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