Due to consumer demand, Technics' feature-packed SL-1500C turntable will in May be available in a contemporary matte white finish. Nothing else about this popular direct drive turntable changes but with turntables now entering the serious mainstream, white fits better than silver or black into many home environments, so why not? The $1299 1500C-W includes a built in defeatable phono preamplifier and comes with an Ortofon 2M Red pre-installed as well as auto lift... Read More

AXPONA 2023 was by far the largest AXPONA show yet. Both industry participation and attendance were "off the charts". Plus, it was truly an international show, with visitors and company executives from around the world flying in to be part of a show that's now well more than a "regional event". Products were debuted in Chicago rather than being held until Munich. Many items debuted at last Munich's show made their first American... Read More

Convergent Audio Technology (CAT) has been producing top tier, triode preamps and amplifiers for decades, see what they brought to Axpona 2023

My dive into specially-manufactured Japanese CDs didn’t start so well, with the Sony Blu-spec CD2 format turning great recordings into fatiguingly bright, glorified white noise. But I’d already committed to trying those other Japanese CD formats too, so while still somewhat skeptical I hoped that these other CDs wouldn’t be a complete waste. Today’s feature centers around the SHM-CD, frequently used by the Japanese branches of Universal and Warner Music.

David MacRunnel's story about the hunt (and capture) of the almost mythical Lansing Iconic loudspeaker is part tech, part detective mystery and part audio-repairman diary. It's also a short history of high quality loudspeakers through the decades. If you didn't think an audio story could be nail biter, be prepared to change your mind. Also, read the short bio at the end.

Among the Rhino RSD releases is a 5 LP expanded "Nuggets" box set, originally curated by Lenny Kaye as a double LP set. I produced and recorded the original radio spot for Elektra Records way back then, that I sent to Lenny when the '90's expanded "Nuggets" CD set was released. I also included some of my parodies and the famous "Troggs tape", which has, since the internet, become readily available.

One of there most successful and well-regarded producers in the music business delivers a Zen-like curveball of a memoir that reflects on decades of witnessing creativity.

Yes. The Oracle Audio Delphi Reference Mk VII turntable is both a work of art and a record player. With an MSRP of $14,000, I wouldn’t think it strange for a non-audiophile who is an art and music lover to purchase an Oracle simply for its beauty and to play records. The Delphi Mk VII, however, is much more than a pretty face. As gorgeous as the Delphi (of any version) looks, its primary raison d’etre is to extract information. It's a precision instrument helping... Read More

Visiting the Montreal Audiofest for the first time was a similar experience to my 2022 visit to the Toronto Audiofest. While in very different cities, the two shows have two important things in common: show organizers par excellence, Sarah Tremblay and Michel Plante, and a friendly, easy-going Canadian vibe - with lots of French thrown in to flavor the proceedings.Further similarities to the Toronto (and Tampa shows) were my inability to take notes on the model... Read More

So far we've covered ska in Part 1, rock steady the singers in Part 2a and rock steady the groups in Part 2b. We now come to the deejays and how in the early 1970's they became Jamaica's most popular recording artists.Some of the most famous deejays got their start working for sound systems. As recounted in part 1 of our survey, these sound systems often consisted of a truck equipped with a turntable, speaker, cables and amplifiers. The owners,... Read More

Lana Del Rey delivers her best album yet; Black Country, New Road turn obnoxiously theatrical; Gorillaz' new one bores; Lil Yachty and Slowthai turn to rock

Let’s start with, would you buy an ethernet switch at all? If your music is all in the analog domain, you don’t need one unless it’s for your home theater set-up or for your household Internet and even then, you may be 100% wireless and not need one. And let’s continue with, why is any ethernet switch being reviewed on TrackingAngle.com? And let’s complete the questioning with why is that analog guy doing the reviewing? All good questions.Of course, vinyl records... Read More

This is probably the most costly cavitation based machine you can buy and it's also most likely the most ruggedly built and if not the most effective, among the most effective and easy to use. When you read "the most" or "the best" and the reviewer writing or saying that hasn't sampled every possible contender, whether it's a cleaning machine, or an amplifier or a turntable, or whatever, it's pure clickbait and nothing more. And... Read More

Long after the Western world moved to digital downloads and streaming, CDs reigned supreme in Japan; only now is Japan widely adopting music streaming. Western collectors value Japanese CDs for their nicer packaging and apparent sonic superiority, but even in Japan, imported American and European CDs are cheaper than their locally-made counterparts. To encourage domestic purchases, Japanese labels often add bonus tracks and/or nicer packaging, but they also flaunt their specialized, supposedly superior CD manufacturing technologies.

It was a long time coming, yet shocking nonetheless. Today, it was announced that Japanese innovator Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away on March 28th at age 71. The cause was rectal cancer.

Last month, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced its latest group of nominees for induction, a list which includes Willie Nelson, George Michael, the White Stripes, Joy Division, and other worthy candidates. (The Spinners seem to be a controversial choice, but since my first-ever concert was seeing those Motown legends, I'm rooting for those guys.)No one should be surprised that the Monkees were not included in this list of nominees. I'm pretty sure... Read More