Mike Mettler

Mike Mettler  |  May 01, 2025  |  First Published: May 01, 2025  |  1 comments

We lost a true hero the other day. Mike Peters, frontman of the iconoclast Welsh alt-rockers The Alarm, passed away at age 66 on April 29, 2025, in Dyserth, Wales, following a three-decades-long battle with cancer. In a previously unpublished interview conducted in 2024, AP editor Mike Mettler and Peters discuss his favorite record shops he went to while growing up in Wales, the importance of understanding sleeve notes, and why early Alarm records were quieter on vinyl than they should have been. . .

Mike Mettler,  |  Apr 23, 2025  |  First Published: Apr 23, 2025  |  0 comments

Our in-depth AXPONA 2025 coverage continues! In today’s installment, AP’s chief product reviewer Ken Micallef shares video footage of as many turntables that he could get on camera at the big show — plus some new tonearms and cartridges, to boot — including cool new offerings from the likes of Well Tempered Lab, TriangleArt, TW Acustic, Vertere, AVM, and many, many more. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Apr 16, 2025  |  First Published: Apr 16, 2025  |  1 comments

Welcome welcome welcome to Part 3 of our AXPONA: First Impressions series. Today, we take a look at and a listen to some cool new TEAC gear, including their TN-5BB turntable, PE-505 phono preamp, and AP-507 power amp. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Apr 15, 2025  |  First Published: Apr 15, 2025  |  0 comments

Welcome back to Part 2 of our AXPONA: First Impressions series. Today, we take a look at some of the way-cool Clearaudio gear that was on display in the Quintessence Audio Ltd. vestibule area at the foot of the main escalators. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Apr 14, 2025  |  First Published: Apr 14, 2025  |  5 comments

It seems like only yesterday we were at AXPONA 2025 — well, actually, it was exactly yesterday, April 13, 2025, that we spent our last day at AXPONA, and what a deeply fulfilling show it was overall. To commence our recap of the show, the first installment of our AXPONA 2025 first impressions post features gear seen and heard from Grimm Audio and Revox. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Apr 10, 2025  |  First Published: Apr 10, 2025  |  8 comments

If there’s one product category we want to see in droves at AXPONA, it’s gotta be turntables. Luckily, we got an early look at a cool new table before heading off to the airport today — and since we promised to post a few new gear previews before we touch ground at the big show, here’s a look at SME’s forthcoming Model 8 turntable, thanks to Monarch Systems Ltd. . . .

Mike Mettler  |  Apr 09, 2025  |  First Published: Apr 09, 2025  |  0 comments

We’re a day away from wheels-up to AXPONA, but as I noted in yesterday’s show primer, I wanted to share a few cool new gear previews before heading off to the big event. Here’s one of them — namely, the second-gen Vinnie Rossi Brama preamp. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Apr 09, 2025  |  First Published: Apr 09, 2025  |  1 comments

As we get ready to head off to AXPONA in just a day’s time, we wanted to post a macro-level primer that sets the broader table for what we expect to see and hear at the show before we dial deeper into analog-centric minutiae in our firsthand show reports, so read on for all the fine AXPONA FAQ. . .

Mike Mettler  |  Apr 01, 2025  |  First Published: Apr 01, 2025  |  4 comments

I thought I was safe this time, but I should have known better.

Mike Mettler  |  Mar 31, 2025  |  First Published: Mar 31, 2025  |  6 comments

Nagra knows all about recording — and Nagra knows phono too. The venerable Swiss manufacturer, initially known for making top-shelf portable audio recorders as far back as 1951, have just announced the introduction of their latest hi-fi product, the Compact Phono preamp. Read on to see all the specs and features of the Nagra Compact Phono. . .

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