Audio shows have personalities. For example, AXPONA has a business-like atmosphere. I typically feel rushed, like I am thirty minutes late for an appointment. When I go into a room to listen, I feel like I am on a timer. Don't get me wrong; it is a fantastic show that exposes many brands not seen at other shows, and I wouldn’t miss it, but "relaxed" is not the term I would use to describe the show's overall vibe.The Florida Audio Expo offers... Read More

The Clearaudio Signature is a special edition of the new Concept Signature, exclusively for the US market. It represents advancements in high-end performance with exceptional value. The Signature turntable celebrates Clearaudio’s 46 years as the leader in vinyl playback and Musical Surroundings 331/3 years in analog distribution.The Signature combines the technological and material science advancements from the entire Clearaudio turntable line, highlighted by the AiR... Read More

It is only fair to give you an "apples to apples" comparison. So, here's the same Bill Cunliffe Live at Bernie's Direct-to-Disc track recorded twice: once with the SAT CF1-12/Lyra Atlas Lambda SL combo into the just reviewed van den Hul The Grail SX and again with the Supatrac Blackbird/Lyra Atlas Lambda SL combo into the van den Hul The Grail SX.The only variable this time is the tonearm. It's now "C" and "D".BUT: This... Read More

About a year has passed since publication of the KLAUDIO ultrasonic cleaning machine review so now's a good time to tell you how it's been working and how well it cleans records. Also, this is a good time to again cover some basics because there's so much online nonsense and misinformation, though it's also true that well-informed opinions sometimes differ.This machine has had, as you can imagine, a great deal of use. Daily use. Not... Read More

This comparison was more for entertainment value than anything especially since the cartridges mounted in each arm were different! Let's start there. The comparison was between a $4395 cartridge and one costing $14,295 and an arm costing around $3700 versus one costing around $60,000. The phono preamp was the the $28,995 van den Hul The Grail SX (review will shortly be published). I could not use the CH Precision P10 because it is across the way installed for use... Read More

On June 27th, 1982 electric bass genius Jaco Pastorius and the Word of Mouth Big Band featuring special guest Toots Thielemans performed at New York City's Avery Fisher Hall as part of George Wein's Kool Jazz Festival. The performance was recorded to 24 track analog tape using the Record Plant's mobile truck and mixed to two track analog tape, but this Deluxe, triple LP, 45rpm 200g edition is the first release cut using a direct copy of the original... Read More

Los Angeles, CA (March 1, 2024)–Acclaimed archival label Light in the Attic (LITA)proudly announces The Power of the Heart: A Tribute to Lou Reed. The star-studded album celebrates the pioneering singer-songwriter’s enduring influence‒as well as the timeless appeal of his songs‒through performances by Reed’s closest friends and biggest fans, including Keith Richards, Rosanne Cash, Lucinda Williams, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, The Afghan Whigs, Bobby Rush, Maxim Ludwig & Angel Olsen, Mary Gauthier, and Automatic. Blending generation-defining hits (including “I’m Waiting for the Man,” “Walk on the Wild Side,” and “Perfect Day”) with lesser-known gems, the collection spans the artist’s five-decade-long career: from his earliest days with The Velvet Underground to his groundbreaking solo work.

Los Angeles, CA (February 6, 2024)—Craft Recordings proudly announces the launch of Bluesville Records—a new reissue series that celebrates America’s bedrock music genre, as well as the trailblazing musicians that contributed to its rich traditions. Inspired by the original Bluesville imprint (launched by Prestige Records in 1959 to preserve the hallowed genre and capture its most important living figures), the series is intended to appeal to blues enthusiasts of all... Read More

Here's coverage of days 2 and 3 of the Florida International Audio Expo. This truly was an international Expo as you'll see. Products were on display from everywhere from Latvia to the U.K. to France, Canada, Finland, Austria, Czech Republic, Vietnam and Denmark.Product prices were equally wide-ranging. There was something for everyone at the show, though there was less analog and vinyl than hoped for.Loudspeakers were as usual an important part of the show... Read More

As reported in our previous RSD listing, this year's Record Store Day will be filled with many worthwhile treasures covering every genre. Best of all for some of us, Record Store Day, April 20th this year, does not conflict with AXPONA, which this year is April 12th-14th. The above hyperlinked article lists the Chet Baker/Jack Sheldon release below, and references another pair of Zev Feldman Cannonball Addlerley releases not included, for one reason or another,... Read More

John Marks comes clean about his former indifference to the music of Gustav Mahler!

Press release: In the trio format he’s favored throughout his career, the guitarist and composer Bill Frisell has always projected an orchestral scope through his remarkably complete sense of harmony, a unique gift for melodies that remain with you long after a performance, and a keen feel for how dynamic range can be used to convey emotion. But on his new double album Orchestras, which comes out April 19 on Blue Note Records, he makes those symphonic evocations a... Read More

Romanel, Switzerland – 23 February 2024—The Swiss company announces the introduction of a new turntable. The Reference turntable joins the limited edition Reference Anniversary turntable in Nagra’s flagship Reference line of products. Nagra Reference turntable highlights are:· Massive 25lb. Swiss made CNC machined, dual decoupled, super-cap motor drive system· Spheroidal graphite iron shaft/bearing housing · Maintenance free sintered bronze, high temp/pressure oil... Read More

After some constructive feedback, Tracking Angle is excited to implement a new reader comments formatting system. Our comments section now supports Markdown, an incredibly easy markup language that anyone can quickly learn. With this formatting system, your multi-paragraph comments section essays might help draw an audience, rather than being a massive wall of text that elicits the response of “too long; didn’t read.” Here’s a simple guide to using Markdown when writing comments:

"The sourcing for the vinyl was mastered digital files. This was necessary as this release was a compilation of masters from various album releases. The Sources for the creation of the files were the original analog masters, where the recordings were analog, and Digital masters, where the original recordings were digitally recorded. The remastering was done by Bob Ludwig at Gateway mastering, with some additional mastering done by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman mastering. Chris also did the disc cutting. The vinyl is being pressed on 180g at GZ/Memphis."

Twenty three Verve/Impulse series titles coming this year from Acoustic Sounds. Some of these have previously been issued by Analogue Productions as double 45s (and decades ago by Classic Records at 33 1/3) but others, like the Kenny Burrell and Gerry Muliigan are new. An altogether great year's worth of releases