The Wand Plus 9.5-inch tonearm, as designed by Simon Brown, follows an aesthetic departure in tonearm design. Its imposing silhouette — a sharply truncated, horizontally oriented cylinder finished in a somber gray — evokes an industrial elegance reminiscent of high-end, minimalist architecture. Read Ken Micallef’s review to see just how well The Wand arm performs as a member of the just-under-$2K price class. . .
Hand-built in Kent, England, Classic Audio’s MM PRO by Michael Fidler phono preamp is a pint-sized bruiser that packs a real punch. This little box — no bigger than a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold phone tucked into a Band-Aid tin — is a serious piece of kit hiding inside a sandblasted aluminum frame. Read Ken Micallef’s review to see if Fidler’s MM PRO makes the grade in terms of clarity, separation, and broad soundstage performance. . .
We’ve long dreamt about a true mid-fi revolution wherein affordable gear can perform at a top-tier level — and, as if right on cue, the Gold Note T-5 turntable arrived for a hands-on evaluation. Read Ken Micallef’s review to see how and why the T-5 consistently delivers great sound well above its price point. . .
The veneer wrap of products from the Japanese manufacturer Aurorasound greatly resembles that of a 1975 Lafayette integrated amp — but that’s certainly no reason to discount this fabulous machine of theirs we see here before us today, the MkII phono preamp. Read on to see how well the Aurorasound VIDA MkII fared when our ace reviewer Ken Micallef cued up a number of his favorite LPs in order to hear just what it could do. . .
After a restful, and quite respectful, long weekend, there’s nothing quite like returning to the analog breach by looking at a wide selection of new turntables and other cool gear shown at Munich 2024 by way of a video shot at the show by esteemed AP contributor Ken Micallef. Read on to see onsite footage of new and current tables from the likes of Garrard, Acoustic Signature, Zavfino, Kronos, Gold Note, and many, many more. . .
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. . .
Rekkord Audio carries the torch of meticulous German craftsmanship, so we wanted to see if their flagship M600 high-end manual subchassis turntable backs up that claim. Read Ken Micallef’s review to see if the M600 is capable of delivering music with energy, drive, focused imaging, and bass lucidity. . .
Our in-depth AXPONA 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, including cool new offerings from the likes of Audio Note, TriangleArt, EMT, MoFi, Garrard, and many, many more. . .
Every now and then, we come across a product that truly defies description — and today’s special featured piece of gear is the ever-loving, AI-living proof. Please welcome the triumphant return of the always estimable Dr. Loof Lirpa, who has given AP exclusive access to his brand-spanking-new Lirpa Labs Noah’s Arc turntable. Read on to see what the M&M team — Mettler and Micallef, that is — think of this one-of-a-kind AAA (as in, absolutely amazing analog) marvel. . .
Audio Note have long been revered for their turntables, tube amps, DACs, and speakers, and our review subject today happens to be one of their current turntables, Namely, it’s their the TT-One Deluxe table, which has been paired here with the British company’s own AR One/II tonearm and IQ I MM cartridge for maximum Audio Note magnificence. Read Ken Micallef’s review to find out what the Audio Note TT-One Deluxe table is made of, and how it fared come listening/evaluation time. . .