November 21st, 2023
MoFi Electronics MasterDeck Turntable Announced Today 11/21/2023 "reference grade" Allen Perkins designed turntable manufactured in Ann Arbor MIBy: Michael Fremer
Manufactured in Ann Arbor, Michigan in "small batches" to assure "the very highest level of quality control" the new Allen Perkins designed MoFi MasterDeck turntable packs high tech construction concepts and a rich feature set sure to attract vinyl fans desiring more than just a basic platter spinner but who don't want to invest five figures in new turntable.Design features include a three-phase brushless DC motor housed in an isolated... Read More
November 17th, 2023
Rhino High Fidelity Unveils Next Two Titles one rock, one jazz title strategy continuesBy: Tracking Angle
Rhino High Fidelity today announced the next two releases in its series of limited to 5000 copies, $39.98 reissues, again coupling one rock and one jazz title, this time with Herbie Hancock's Crossings (1972) and The Doobie Brothers' The Captain And Me (1973).Kevin Gray cut AAA lacquers directly from the original analog stereo master tapes. The 180g Optimal-pressed record are packaged in laminated Stoughton Press "Tip on" jackets and feature scans... Read More
November 2nd, 2023
Audio Technology Switzerland Delivers First Units of New Nagra HD PHONO Phono Stage four years of R&D produces pure Class A dual-mono 100% vacuum tube designBy: Tracking Angle
Romanel, Switzerland – Thursday November 2nd 2023. Following more than four years of R&D efforts, Nagra’s new ambitious phono stage is finally in production and first units are shipping worldwide.The HD PHONO is the ideal companion to the Reference turntable and Reference MC cartridge and when all three are combined they form the ultimate analog source. Nagra, the reference in analog tape reproduction now offers a reference playback solution for LP lovers.It is... Read More
October 24th, 2023
Vertere Introduces New MC and MM Cartridges XtraX MC and Dark Saber MMBy: Tracking Angle
Vertere founder and chief designer Touraj Moghaddam recently introduced two new cartridges that he says represent "significant improvements" over their predecessors, which will still be available and are priced below the two new ones.The $6499 XtraX MC (pictured at the top) explained in the press release bullets:The body is precision CNC machined from solid aluminium alloy and hard anodised.Threaded body to accept the supplied stainless steel thumb screws... Read More
October 24th, 2023
Pro-Ject Audio Systems Adds Three New Models to the "Pick it" Cartridge Line pictured is the Pick it MC9By: Tracking Angle
The three new Pick it models are the MC3, the MC9 and the Pick it Pro Balanced—a unique "True Balanced" MM design. Parts are sourced in Japan with the cartridges built in Europe. The MC9 uses a Pro-Ject specific "Special Elliptical" stylus and a cryogenically treated cantilever plus a "Telar 57 pure iron square cross coil around which is wound 6N linear crystal copper wire. Output is .35mV, with 1.8g optimal tracking. The body is black... Read More
October 17th, 2023
SAT Selects MIBS DIstro NA For North American Tonearm and Turntable Distribution SAT Parent Company Analog Solutions SL Established in SpainBy: Tracking Angle
Analog Solutions SL, Fuerteventura, Spain, October 16, 2023- Analog Solutions SL (formerly Swedish Analog Technologies AB) is thrilled to announce it has chosen MIBS Distro NA to manage all aspects of SAT's distribution, marketing and brand management in North America, effective immediately.SAT is among audio's most coveted and exclusive brands. Since the introduction of its original Pickup Arm in 2015, SAT has cemented its place at the pinnacle of the audio... Read More
October 12th, 2023
Well Made Music Adds Third Lathe—And It Has a History Dating Back to 1957 the Neumann AM32b once cut lacquers at SUMA studios where Pere Ubu and more recently in 2008 The Black Keys recorded albumsBy: Michael Fremer
Clint J. Holley III's Well Made Music mastering studio opened in Cleveland, Ohio in 2010 and began cutting lacquers. In 2021 the company moved from the birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll and home of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, to Bristol, Virginia, known as "the Birthplace of Country Music". The studio currently cuts on two restored Neumann VMS-70 lathes (the number refers to the year of manufacture). Both have been in service since the early 1970s. One was obtained in 2009 from somewhere in New Jersey. The second was shipped over in 2013 from The Netherlands.
Read MoreOctober 11th, 2023
Schiit Debuts a $399 Balanced Discrete MM/MC Phono Preamp With Remote Control Skoll offers up to 70dBs of gainBy: Tracking Angle
Schiit Audio's new $399 Skoll MM/MC phono preamp features fully discrete, differential Class A zero feedback gain stages and a fully passive RIAA network. No op-amps are in the circuit. Skoll’s gain stage is a compound JFET-BJT pair running on "massive" 64V rails for enhanced linearity and freedom from overload. The result is over 100dB signal to noise ratio for 40dB of gain, and up to 70dB of gain available.Additional features are relay switched inputs... Read More
October 3rd, 2023
Wireworld Releases Four New RCA Plug Equipped Turntable Cables priced from $119 to $1200 for a 1m pairBy: Tracking Angle
Here's the press release: FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Wireworld Cable Technology, a long-standing leader in the audiophile and professional A/V cable industry, recently announced the release of four new cables for turntables with RCA plug connections. These four cables, named Solstice 8, Eclipse 8, Silver Eclipse 8 and Platinum Eclipse 8, feature Wireworld’s patented DNA Helix conductor geometry and Silver Tube RCA plugs, along with ultraquiet COMPOSILEX 3 insulation... Read More
September 20th, 2023
Technics Debuts New SL-1200GR2 Turntable sound in an untreated hotel room was smooth and pleasingBy: Michael Fremer
At a hotel adjacent to company headquarters, Bill Voss, Technics' American Business Development Manager, introduced the new $2199 "next gen" SL1200GR turntable featuring a revolutionary new Delta Sigma drive control technique said to produce smooth, accurate rotational stability and a new power supply similar to the one used in the top of the line SL-1000R, said to produce an exceptionally low noise floor. Based on the informal listening session... Read More
September 8th, 2023
Technics Introduces SL-1200GR2/SL-1210GR2 "Next Gen" Direct Drive Turntable includes "revolutionary new drive control"By: Tracking Angle
Technics just unveiled its "next gen" direct drive turntable, the SL-1200GR2 (silver) and the SL01210GR2 (black). According to the press release, the new turntable "...features a revolutionary new drive control technique for smooth, accurate rotational stability and a new power supply for an exceptionally low noise floor. "The newly upgraded turntable is equipped with standout audio and design features, including: · A new Delta-Sigma-Drive and a... Read More
September 6th, 2023
Pro-Ject Audio Systems Launches Extensive EVO Tonearm Line Displayed at Munich High End 2023 9,10 and 12 inch arms, straight and "S" shaped and fabricated from a variety of materialsBy: Tracking Angle
This press release lists prices in Euros only so not sure if this launch is simultaneously in Europe and the USA but it's newsworthy nonetheless. At Munich High End 2023 Pro-Ject Audio Systems launched an extensive "EVO" line of new tonearms in both standard and premium versions that occupied a rather large sized wall. This photo shows only some of the arms on that wall.Pro-Ject EVO arms at Munich High End 2023The lineup includes 9",10" and... Read More
August 29th, 2023
Agnew Analog Introduces A New Lacquer Cutting Lathe! the first new lathe in how many decades?By: Michael Fremer
(Photo credit: Sarah Beastman Hamilton [Lebeast Photography of Vancouver, BC, Canada])Greece-based Agnew Analog, recently introduced the Agnew Analog Reference Instrument Type 612, a brand new disk mastering lathe, now available to order. It's the first new "from the ground up" lacquer cutting lathe to be introduced in since 1966 which is when Neumann introduced its VMS 66 (L.J. Scully began making them in the 1930s for 78rpm record manufacturing). The... Read More
August 12th, 2023
Curated Used Record Seller AudiophileUSA Adds GrooveWasher Record Cleaning Accessories to the Mix you mean you have to clean records too?By: Michael Fremer
Online used record seller AudioPhileUSA offers a few accessories on its website including Mobile Fidelity Original Master Sleeve, but until now, the company, which was founded in the U.K. decades ago by online record selling pioneer John Turton, who brought it to America before selling it to the current owner Mark Hoover, didn't offer record cleaning accessories. That's now changed with the introduction of the GrooveWasher record cleaner line.While the basic... Read More
July 26th, 2023
Focal Naim North America Adds AVIDHIFI Turntables for North America Distribution AVID abandons its original "go it alone in America" distribution strategyBy: Tracking Angle
Montreal – July 26, 2023 – Focal Naim North America is excited to announce the addition of the highly reputable brand AVIDHIFI to its North America distribution network. With the incorporation of AVIDHIFI, Focal Naim North America adds a lineup of high-end turntables made in England to its current audio partners. “Focal Naim North America is proud to distribute AVIDHIFI with its exceptional build quality and outstanding sonic performance,” said Roman Vet, VP Marketing... Read More
July 25th, 2023
What Exactly Goes on at a "Making Vinyl" Event? here's some of what occurred at Making Vinyl Minneapolis the past JuneBy: Tracking Angle
During the past decade, consumer demand for vinyl outpaced pressing capacity, resulting in delays of as much as 10 months. But that changed in the past year when existing players on both sides of the Atlantic dramatically expanded volume capabilities by adding machinery, and new plants became operational. Moderator Eric Astor, whose Furnace Record Pressing recently sold a majority ownership stake to Metallica, discusses the topic with pressing newcomer Connie Comeau, COO of The ADS Group/Copycats Media, and two indie label execs jazz specialist Zev Feldman, and Andrew Rossiter, of reissue label Org Music.
Read MoreJuly 16th, 2023
From the Office of Audio Research CEO Valerio Cora this is the second press release since the new ownershipBy: Tracking Angle
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 13, 2023Audio ResearchFrom the Office of Our CEO: A Message from Valerio CoraMaple Grove, MN: Audio Research gains ground as new ownership makes strides towardaddressing customer questions about what, if anything, will be changing at ARC.First, existing and future customers should be aware that all Audio Research warranties – past,present, and future – remain intact and will be honored.Second, Audio Research has a stable and abundant supply... Read More