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Album Reviews
Tom Verlaine’s Retrospective 4LP RSD Box Set Souvenir From A Dream Collects the First, and Quite Worthwhile, Phase of His Post-Television Solo Career
Mark Smotroff  |  May 24, 2024  |  1 comments

A new 4LP box set compiling the initial four solo album releases by the late, great tastemaking guitarist/vocalist Tom Verlaine, titled Souvenir From a Dream: The Tom Verlaine Albums (1979-1984), celebrates the artist’s initial musical life beyond Television, his highly influential CBGB-era alt-punk band. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see if Souvenir is worth adding to your collection. . .

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Munich 2024
High End Munich 2024 Show Report, Part 1: Turntables From Gryphon, Aries Cerat, Technics, Yuki Precision, Thorens, EMT, Clearaudio, Thales, and More
Julie Mullins  |  May 23, 2024  |  0 comments

High End Munich 2024 made quite the statement. All throughout the show, the continuing importance of analog equipment and vinyl was emphasized through appearances of and discussions among analog proponents and producers — not to mention just the sheer number of turntables and other analog-associated gear seen at the show. Read Part 1 of Julie Mullins’ Munich show report to see new turntables from the likes of Gryphon, Aries Cerat, Technics, Yuki Precision, Thorens, EMT, Clearaudio, Thales, and more . . .

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Munich 2024
Munich 2024 Highlight Reel: An Onsite Discussion of Form, Function, and High-End Analog Gear Design
Mike Mettler, ,  |  May 22, 2024  |  0 comments

Our Munich 2024 coverage continues! In this installment, ace contributors Julie Mullins and Ken Micallef discuss their experiences in terms of the overall breadth of the show, and they also zero in on some of the high-end analog turntables and other related gear that's been "designed to be both beautiful and functional." Happy viewing. . .

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Munich 2024
Benny Audio Odyssey Turntable
Mike Mettler  |  May 20, 2024  |  8 comments

So many companies, so little time. The AP team didn’t get to spend as much time with everybody at High End Munich 2024 as we would have liked to, so we’ve been doing some post-show follow-ups to cover as many analog bases as we can. The company we’re highlighting today is Benny Audio, founded in 2017 and based in Gliwice, Poland. Their new Odyssey turntable, which was a prototype in 2023, was on display at the show, and is now officially in production. Read on to learn all about the Odyssey’s features and specs. . .

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Album Reviews
Could T Bone Burnett’s New Solo Album, The Other Side, Be One of the Best Acoustic-Oriented LPs You’ll Spin This, Or Any Other, Year?
Mark Smotroff  |  May 17, 2024  |  6 comments

Joseph Henry Burnett III is not exactly a household name for most people these days, and that’s a shame. Under his T Bone Burnett sobriquet, he’s turned in a lifetime of work that has placed this legendary musician, composer, and producer in the crosshairs of the likes of Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Los Lobos, Robert Plant, and Alison Krauss (to name but a few). He’s also just released a new solo album, The Other Side, that’s one of the best LPs we’ve heard so far this year. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see why both sides of The Other Side belong on your turntable. . .

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Analog Gear NewsMunich 2024
TechDAS Air Force V Premium Turntable
Mike Mettler  |  May 16, 2024  |  5 comments

We’ve still got plenty to report about what we saw and heard at High End Munich 2024, so let’s continue on that tract. Today, we’re going to delve into the TechDAS Air Force V Premium turntable, which was part of an impressive demo system put together by Swedish amplifier designer Engstrom. Read on to see all the specs and features of one of the top-shelf tables from TechDAS. . .

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Analogue Productions’ UHQR 200g 45rpm 2LP UHQR Version of Steely Dan’s Gaucho Finally Actualizes the Near-Perfection and Soulful Grace Lurking Amidst the Grooves of Its Clinically Clean, Grammy Award-Winning Original 1980 Vinyl Edition
Mike Mettler  |  May 15, 2024  |  7 comments

Gaucho is the fifth entry in Analogue Productions' comprehensive 200g 45rpm 2LP Steely Dan UHQR reissue series, and this one has been sourced from a 1980 analog tape copy originally EQ'd by Bob Ludwig, who also mastered the original album itself. Read AP editor Mike Mettler’s in-depth review to find out if the new Gaucho UHQR improves upon the original release’s Grammy-winning sonics. . .

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Analog Gear NewsMunich 2024
Luphonic R2 Turntable
Mike Mettler  |  May 13, 2024  |  3 comments

High End Munich 2024 is officially in the books, but our coverage continues onward. Today, we take a look at Luphonic’s R2 turntable. The R2 is the German manufacturer’s just-introduced, more affordable alternative to their top-tier R3 model. Read on to glean the R2’s feature set and SRP options. . .

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Album Reviews
Pearl Jam’s New Studio LP Dark Matter Is a FIne Collection of Undeniably Great Songs, But Does the Vinyl Edition Meet Our Audiophile Standards?
Mark Smotroff  |  May 10, 2024  |  3 comments

Pearl Jam’s first studio album in four years, Dark Matter, is chock full of the kind of hard-edge songs that made the band great when they first burst onto the rock scene in the early 1990s. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see if the Dark Matter LP passes audiophile muster. . .

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Analog Gear NewsMunich 2024
Technics SL-1200M7B Special Edition Lamborghini Turntable
Mike Mettler  |  May 09, 2024  |  5 comments

High End Munich 2024 is in full swing, and we’re all over it. Today, we’re taking a look at a stunningly cool collaboration between Technics and Lamborghini that’s resulted in the SL-1200M7B limited edition turntable. Read on to see how these two iconic international brands came together to create such a striking table, as well as what the cool extras that come with it are. . .

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