Mike Mettler

Analog Gear NewsFeatures
The Analog-Centric Winners of the EISA Hi-Fi Awards for 2024-2025
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 19, 2024  |  First Published: 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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Analog Gear News
DS Audio DS-E3 Optical Phono Cartridge
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 14, 2024  |  First Published: Aug 14, 2024  |  3 comments

We loved seeing DS Audio’s top-tier Grand Master EX optical cartridge deployed in a number of system demos at both High End Munich 2024 and AXPONA 2024 — and we’re equally pleased to see the recent emergence of a third-generation model, the DS-E3. Read on to see all the features and specs of the new DS-E3 cartridge, and its companion EQ/phono preamp. . .

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Analog Gear News
Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT Turntable
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 13, 2024  |  First Published: Aug 13, 2024  |  4 comments

Affordable turntables are always a good thing in our book, especially if they help usher audiophile newbies into the fold. That’s one of the main reasons why we’re going to take a look at Audio-Technica’s AT-LP70XBT fully automatic wireless belt-drive turntable today. Read on to see all features and specs for the AT-LP70XBT table, and why you can recommend it as a potential starting point for the budding audiophile(s) in your life. . .

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Album ReviewsFeatures
Let’s Spin! Celebrating National Vinyl Record Day With a Few of My Favorite Current LPs (and a Cool New 45)
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 12, 2024  |  First Published: Aug 12, 2024  |  5 comments

The official National Calendar says today, August 12, is National Vinyl Record Day, so I cued up a few of my favorite new vinyl offerings — including the latest 2LP studio set from a longtime favorite, a 4LP box set with an album I’ve been waiting decades to get on vinyl, and a brand-new-to-2024 throwback 45 — to celebrate the theme of the day. Read on to see what they are, and feel free to chime in about your own favorite LPs you were spinning on your own turntable on this most hallowed of days. . .

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Interviews
Deep Purple’s Roger Glover on the Teamwork Behind Capturing the Band’s Vintage Sound on Their New 180g 45rpm 2LP Set Dubbed = 1, Plus Taking Stock of 50-Plus Years of Machine Head
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 08, 2024  |  First Published: Aug 08, 2024  |  3 comments

Bassist Roger Glover is the secret sauce of Deep Purple. His pub-rock roots fuel the sonic elixir that gives Purple’s musical bouillabaisse blend of rock, classical, and progressive the extra oomph it needs — and it’s something that’s well in evidence on Deep Purple’s latest, and 23rd, studio LP, the 180g 45rpm 2LP set named/numeraled = 1, which was released by earMUSIC/Edel on July 19, 2024. On a recent Zoom call with AP editor Mike Mettler, Glover discussed his instinctual connection with drummer Ian Paice, which version of the band’s classic 1972 LP Machine Head is his favorite, and what vintage Deep Purple albums he’d like to remix himself. . .

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Analog Gear News
Dual CS 529 Turntable
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 06, 2024  |  First Published: Aug 06, 2024  |  0 comments

One of the many affordable turntables that impressed us at High End Munich 2024 was Dual’s CS 529, which features a twin gimbal tonearm and a pre-mounted Ortofon 2M Red cartridge (among other things), so we felt it was time to give the German company’s latest a closer look. Read on to see all the features and specs of the Dual CS 529 table. . .

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Analog Gear News
Pro-Ject Debut PRO B Turntable
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 05, 2024  |  First Published: Aug 05, 2024  |  2 comments

We loved it when Pro-Ject debuted their commemorative Debut PRO turntable three years ago in conjunction with the company’s 30th anniversary, and we also love that they’ve just introduced the upgraded version of that very cool table, the Debut PRO B. Read on to see all specs and improved features of the Debut PRO B. . .

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AAA VinylALBUM RELEASE NEWS
Rhino’s High Fidelity Series Continues to Sizzle Here on August 2 With ZZ Top’s From The Top: 1971-1976, an AAA 180g 5LP Box Set Available Exclusively at Rhino.com
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 02, 2024  |  First Published: Aug 02, 2024  |  1 comments

Have mercy! Rhino High Fidelity (a.k.a. Rhino Hi-Fi) does it again with today’s special box set release — namely, ZZ Top’s From The Top: 1971-1976, a limited-edition vinyl reissue collection containing the first five LPs from that little ol’ band from Texas — ZZ Top’s First Album (1971), Rio Grande Mud (1972), Tres Hombres (1973), Fandango! (1975), and Tejas (1976). Read on to learn about the source materials, the SRP, and where you can get From the Top exclusively. . .

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FeaturesNews
Diggers Factory Review Preview
Mike Mettler,  |  Jul 29, 2024  |  First Published: Jul 29, 2024  |  0 comments

When it comes to vinyl, we’re all about passion — and we here at AP absolutely love the passion that fuels the French boutique label, distributor, and online record store, Diggers Factory. Check out Shanon McKellar’s sneak peek videoclip as she previews some of the Diggers Factory releases she plans to review. . .

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Interviews
RIP John Mayall: A Deep Conversation With the Late, Great Father of the British Blues Movement of the 1960s, Whose Lifelong Mission Was to Keep the Blues Real, Especially on Vinyl
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 24, 2024  |  First Published: Jul 24, 2024  |  3 comments
John Mayall, the undisputed father of the British blues movement, passed away at age 90 in California on July 22, 2024. Mayall emerged in the heyday of the ’60s blues-rock scene in Britain, and over the ensuing years, he shepherded the ace guitar-slinging likes of Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor. In an updated and expanded interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Mayall discussed why he preferred to cut his tracks in as few takes as possible, what specific factor he based his sequencing choices on, and how his 1966 Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton LP truly opened up a new avenue of recording. . .

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