Mike Mettler

Mike Mettler  |  Mar 25, 2025  |  First Published: Mar 25, 2025  |  0 comments

We haven’t looked in on Vertere for a while since we saw their RG-1 and MG-1 MKII turntables firsthand at the most recent trade shows in Toronto and Munich, respectively, so we’re happy to report on what’s what with their latest offering, the DG X turntable. Read on to see all the cool specs and features of the DG X. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Mar 20, 2025  |  First Published: Mar 20, 2025  |  20 comments

How many times do we just “make do” in the moment when it comes to handling some of the finer points and little details as we’re tweaking our LP playback systems? More often than not, we default to using flashlights or other inferior light sources whenever we’re calibrating and/or tweaking our turntables. Canadian manufacturer Reliable has a much, much smarter LED task-light solution for doing all that — namely, their new UberLight Frame, which was specifically designed with the audiophile in mind. Read on to see how the UberLight Frame has helped us shine a brighter light upon our detail-oriented table-adjustment proclivities. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Mar 18, 2025  |  First Published: Mar 18, 2025  |  2 comments

Singer, songwriter, and folk-centric multi-instrumentalist Jesse Colin Young passed away at age 83 at his home in Aiken, South Carolina, on March 16, 2025. Young’s artistic legacy remains quite vibrant and most especially fruitful on vinyl, whether it be from The Youngbloods era on Sundazed’s 2010 reissue of 1967’s Earth Music and Impex’s 2023 180g LP reissue of 1969’s Elephant Mountain, or Young’s 2019 2LP solo album Dreamers. In this mega-expanded interview, Young and AP editor Mike Mettler discuss how The Youngbloods’ perennial favorite “Get Together” beat the odds to become an indelible hit, why he felt “Darkness, Darkness” is among his best-loved — and most covered — songs, and why his 2019 studio album Dreamers absolutely had to appear on 2LPs, and not just one. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Mar 17, 2025  |  First Published: Mar 17, 2025  |  4 comments

All hail the return of a classic cart! Or, as Ortofon puts it, “A classic, reimagined.” We’re talking about Ortofon’s MC 90X cartridge, which builds upon the legacy of the Danish company’s rightfully acclaimed MC A90 moving-coil cartridge that was released 17(ish) years ago in conjunction with the company’s 90th anniversary. Read on to see all the specs and features of the limited-edition MC 90X cart. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Mar 03, 2025  |  13 comments

Mercury Studios has seen fit to go all-in on Supertramp’s Live in Paris ’79, which they just released as a fully expanded, complete-concert 3LP set on February 28, 2025. Read Mike Mettler’s review to see if this version improves upon the original, somewhat truncated 1980 2LP version then more simply known as Paris. . .

Mike Mettler,  |  Feb 25, 2025  |  First Published: Feb 25, 2025  |  0 comments

Live from this past weekend’s Florida International Audio Expo 2025, Ken Micallef shows us turntables, reel-to-reel players, and more from the likes of Audio Note, Benny Audio, Clearaudio, Bergmann, J.Sikora, and Studer — plus, he has a bonus interview with VPI’s Mat Weisfeld, who walks us through all the ins and outs about the way-cool VPI Avenger Statement turntable. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Feb 24, 2025  |  First Published: Feb 24, 2025  |  4 comments

As we await all the reports from this past weekend’s Florida International Audio Expo (a.k.a. FLAX) to come into AP HQ for proper editing and posting, we wanted to take a closer look at a cool new turntable in the meantime — and we were struck by Serbian manufacturer Soulines and their relatively recently released TT9 turntable. Read on to see all the cool specs and features of the TT9. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Feb 21, 2025  |  First Published: Feb 21, 2025  |  2 comments

Ok, let’s see here — current weather in Tampa, Florida: 65 degrees, and sunny. Current weather in certain pockets of the East Coast: 23 degrees, with a chance of flurries. Hmm, where would you rather be? Looks like Tampa may win that bet, not just in terms of the weather, but also because the Florida International Audio Expo — a.k.a. FLAX — has officially gotten underway there today, February 21, 2025, and runs through Sunday, February 23, 2025. Some early, direct-from-FLAX notes follow forthwith. . .

Mike Mettler, ,  |  Feb 20, 2025  |  6 comments

Who are these children / Who scheme and run wild. . . No, that’s not a comment on the youth of today, but rather a piercing lyrical couplet of sorts that can only mean one thing — it’s time for us to dive deep into the just-released 200g 45rpm 2LP UHQR edition of Steely Dan’s March 1975 treasure of an LP, Katy Lied. Read Mike Mettler, Mark Smotroff, and Ken Micallef’s combo review to see if the UHQR version of Katy Lied meets and/or exceeds the standards set by its companion SD releases in this all-important reissue series. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Feb 19, 2025  |  First Published: Feb 19, 2025  |  3 comments

DS Audio has just announced the U.S. availability of the company’s TB-100 tube phono equalizer — and the first Stateside showing of the EQ production model will be at this weekend’s upcoming Florida International Audio Expo (a.k.a. FLAX) in Tampa, Florida, which is being held from February 21-23, 2025. Read on to see all the specs and features of the TB-100, and also find out what other amazing high-end gear it will be paired with for its FLAX demo debut. . .

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