Ken Micallef

AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
The 200g 45rpm 2LP UHQR Edition of Steely Dan’s Katy Lied Sounds As Good As Any Vinyl World That It’s Welcome To
Mike Mettler, ,  |  Feb 20, 2025  |  0 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. . .

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Tonearm Reviews
Korf TA-SF9R 9-Inch Tonearm
Ken Micallef  |  Feb 04, 2025  |  First Published: Feb 04, 2025  |  10 comments

At High End Munich 2024, we were immediately enamored with Korf’s TA-SF9R 9-inch tonearm, so we just had to review it as soon as we could get one in hand — along with its companion HS-A02 ceramic headshell in tow. Read Ken Micallef’s review of the TA-SF9R arm to see if it performs on par with, or even surpasses, a classic, comparable Jelco arm. . .

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Turntable Reviews
Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 Turntable
Ken Micallef  |  Jan 21, 2025  |  First Published: Jan 21, 2025  |  9 comments

Legacy British company Cambridge Audio fully embraces vinyl playback with their latest offering, the Alva TT V2 turntable. Read Ken Micallef’s review to see how the Alva TT V2 table tracks in terms of how it handles detailed resolution, dramatic impact, and performance nuances alike. . .

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Miles Davis’ Birth of the Blue 180g 1LP Set From Analogue Productions Is an Astounding-Sounding Companion to His Seminal 1959 LP, Kind of Blue
Ken Micallef  |  Jan 17, 2025  |  7 comments

As noted in our coverage of the press event that happened in NYC back in December 2024, Miles Davis’ Birth of the Blue assembles, “in a single release, music recorded in 1958, one year prior to the landmark Kind of Blue.” Read Ken Micallef’s review to see if this AAA 180g 1LP release from Analogue Productions lives up to its advance billing. . .

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Cartridge Reviews
Rega Nd3 & Nd5 Moving Magnet Cartridges
Ken Micallef  |  Dec 30, 2024  |  First Published: Dec 30, 2024  |  7 comments

When the UK’s largest turntable manufacturer releases new moving magnet (MM) cartridges, analog geeks like us here at AP can’t wait to hear them. Read Ken Micallef’s review to see why Rega’s new Nd3 and Nd5 MM cartridges are both budget bargains worthy of your immediate attention. . .

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Album Reviews
Jazz Vocal Phenomenon Samara Joy Continues to Impress With Her Latest LP, Portrait
Ken Micallef  |  Dec 26, 2024  |  0 comments

Samara Joy, a mere 25 years old, has ascended to extraordinary heights in the jazz world — and rightly so. Raised in a family of gospel singers but nurtured on a diet of contemporary pop and jazz, Joy’s vocal prowess is astonishing. Her contralto-to-soprano range — soaring from hushed whispers to clarion calls — is as breathtaking as a hummingbird darting from flower to flower. Read Ken Micallef’s review to see how Portrait, her second LP on Verve, showcases her singular vocal talent on vinyl. . .

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AAA VinylFeatures
Listening Session Impressions of Miles Davis’ New Birth of the Blue 180g 1LP at All Blues in NYC
Ken Micallef  |  Dec 05, 2024  |  First Published: Dec 05, 2024  |  2 comments

Last night (i.e., December 4, 2024), a select group of journalists gathered at the All Blues listening bar in New York City’s Chinatown, and were treated to an exclusive preview of Analogue Productions’ special 180g 1LP edition of Miles Davis’ Birth of the Blue, which is set for release on December 13, 2024. Read Ken Micallef’s firsthand listening report to get a taste of what you can expect from this historic LP. . .

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Phono Preamp Reviews
Pro-Ject Tube Box DS3 B Phono Preamp
Ken Micallef  |  Dec 02, 2024  |  First Published: Dec 02, 2024  |  5 comments

Into the hi-fi audio fray strides the dual-mono Pro-Ject Tube Box DS3 B tube phono preamp — yet another high-value, smartly priced product from the brain of Pro-Ject founder Heinz Lichtenegger. Read Ken Micallef’s review to see if the DS3 B punches above its weight class. . .

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FeaturesShow Reports
Capital Audiofest 2024: Turntables? We Got Your Turntables!
Mike Mettler,  |  Nov 13, 2024  |  First Published: Nov 13, 2024  |  0 comments

Last week, Capital Audiofest ruled large in the Washington, DC area from November 8-10, 2024 — and, as always, I anointed our main product reviewer Ken Micallef to shoot as much video footage as he could of all the cool turntables and other analog-centric gear and goodies he came across at the show. CAF offers “a world of vinyl, gadgets, turntables, amplifiers, loudspeakers, and the mad audiophiles who love them,” as Ken has noted about the show in recent years, and CAF 2024 once again delivered on that promise in full. You too can see what Ken saw at the show in the 9-minute video we’ve just posted on our YouTube channel that you can also now watch in the story below. . .

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Album Reviews
Halloween Spooktacular Round Robin Review of Frank Zappa’s Apostrophe (’) at 50: Our Collective Reflections, Recollections, and Reconsiderations Revolving Around Its Newly Expanded 180g 2LP Yellow Snow Splatter Vinyl Reissue
Mike Mettler, ,  |  Oct 31, 2024  |  6 comments

If it’s Halloween, then it must mean it’s Frank Zappa time. Rather than don our respective Zappaween masks, we are instead here to scare up another tag-team review of an important reissue of one of FZ’s most cherished LPs — namely, the recently released Apostrophe (’) 50th Anniversary Edition 180g 2LP set. Read on to see how AP editor Mike Mettler, Mark Smotroff, and Ken Micallef collectively feel about this new pressing of FZ’s March 1974 solo cosmic classic, plus its included bonus material. . .

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