The Beatles EP box set rounds up all of the various Beatles EPs containing the singles tracks not found on the U.K. albums up through "Magical Mystery Tour". I show all the great jackets and then play "The Inner Light" and "Baby You're A Rich Man" in stereo at 45rpm. The sound is spectacular. Enjoy! Read More

This Track Du Jour features a 1A pressing of the "Bridge Over Troubled Water". Significant because according to engineer/producer Roy Halee, shortly after the record's release, the master of the title tune was replaced with a not particularly good copy of the song, so every subsequent reissue has the less than outstanding title track. The 1A pressing guarantees the title tune is the original master tape. Also, "The Only Living Boy In New York"... Read More

Here's the Supremes' 1964 #1 single "Where Did Our Love Go" in stereo from the album of the same name. Most people heard this as a 45rpm mono single on the A.M. radio but Berry Gordy, Jr. was an audio enthusiast and so recorded this and all Motown albums of this era in real stereo. The sound on this record is very good!I bought it at Sam Goody over the summer of 1964 in the special very small stereo rock section. After thinking about the Neil Innes... Read More

LOS ANGELES, CA — May 20, 2026 – Interscope-Capitol Records today announces that seven titles from its acclaimed Definitive Sound Series (DSS) will arrive at independent record stores nationwide June 26, marking the premium audiophile line’s first expansion beyond direct-to-consumer. The initial wave of titles, released in succession since last fall, spans genres and generations, underscoring the breadth of the series. Titles arriving at indie retail stores include:... Read More

Track Du Jour day two is a bit off the beaten track. I'll be back with more rockin' stuff tomorrow but I'm testing the waters with this Neil Innes tune to see if you appreciate it. Neil was a founding member of the Bonzo Dog Band and of course The Beatles satire, The Rutles. Here he parodies Elton John and Bernie Taupin with "Godfrey Daniels", which is also an expression some curse-repressed/and or religious people use for "G_d Damn"... Read More

Today's "track of the day" is "Tempted" by the great, sometimes overlooked British band Squeeze featuring Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook who specialized in "octave singing" plus Paul Carrack on keyboards, Gilson Lavis on drums and John Bentley on bass. The Difford/Tilbrook team took lyric wordplay to sophisticated heights and the two wrote great hook-filled tunes. Paul Carrack sings "Tempted". I should write... Read More

Reference Recordings and Decca Pure Analogue release new recordings in tandem of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony aimed squarely at the audiophile market. Separated by 54 years, one of an orchestra with a lineage dating back136 years to Mahler himself, the other of a contemporary orchestra that is essentially a pickup group, albeit an extraordinary one. The resulting comparisons yield far from predictable conclusions.

This video explains the difference between lacquers and acetates for those who don't know, and then you'll hear a 20+ year old 45rpm lacquer of what was supposed to be side 3 of "Tommy" but was never released. it's been played dozens of times around the world. There's been no editing, or fixing noise and/or pops and clicks. Just a straight 96/24 transfer. I hope you enjoy!!!!!! Read More

At 2023's AXPONA I spoke with this gentleman about record cleaning: cavitation, surfactants, the molecular charges of water and vinyl and all kinds of interesting facts related to record cleaning. Along with being a chemical engineer, he's an audiophile and a record collector. This was published on YouTube in an AXPONA video but Charles Kirmuss asked me to find and send it to him and I think now is a good time to run it separately. Why? Because I read all of... Read More

It’s been a while since I reviewed a large batch of titles from Deutsche Grammophon’s Original Source series. The success of the label which once took us all by surprise has now become a juggernaut with over 40 releases under its belt, including its first foray into DG’s massive opera catalog with the brand new release of Das Rheingold reviewed by our own Mark Ward just recently. With the launch of Decca Pure Analogue and Analogue Productions new 45rpm Living Stereo... Read More

UMe's Vinylphyle series presses on with a series of releases, one surprising, the others in the "audiophile pocket". All follow the gatefold, paper on cardboard jacket, tape box picture, annotated booklet, OBI strip, cut from tape by a single mastering engineer format and sold direct on the company store website, pioneered by Rhino—and no reason to criticize that. It's a winning formula, with the talented Joe Nino-Hernes doing the cutting at... Read More

In 1982, Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi—taking a break from Yellow Magic Orchestra at the group’s artistic peak, which closely followed their initial height of mass popularity—established the Alfa Records sublabel Yen Records. Yen lasted for precisely three years and released a series of fascinatingly odd albums, some of which have been out of print for decades until these recent Sony Japan reissues.

LOS ANGELES – Rhino High Fidelity (Rhino Hi-Fi) continues its premium audiophile series with a trio of celebrated albums from Dusty Springfield, Cher, and Joni Mitchell. The latest installment of the limited-edition vinyl reissue series features Dusty in Memphis, 3614 Jackson Highway, and Court and Spark.

May 14th – Salina, KS – From October 15-18, 2026, Acoustic Sounds will host the inaugural Vinyl Summit, a landmark gathering at the center of the analog universe, inviting audiophiles, vinyl collectors and dealers into an immersive, four-day experience at the helm of high-fidelity sound. Featuring a behind-the-scenes look at Acoustic Sounds production scale, record fair, hifi show, and world-class live performances in multiple venues, The Vinyl Summit marks 40 years of Acoustic Sounds, celebrating the past, present, and future of audio excellence. Watch the exclusive interview with Chad about this event.

STOW, OH, May 6, 2026 — Audio-Technica is expanding its acclaimed VM95 Series lineup with the introduction of the AT-VM95EBK Dual Moving Magnet Cartridge and the AT-VM95EBK/H Headshell/Cartridge Combo Kit. Featuring the same high-performance design as the popular AT-VM95E and AT-VM95E/H models, these products join the pre-existing AT-VMN95EBK stylus in a refined black finish for a cohesive, polished look.The AT-VM95EBK brings the proven VM95 Series engineering into a... Read More

Press Release: UberLight™ Launches “The Light Behind Great Listening”[Toronto, Canada] – Reliable Corporation is proud to announce the launch of “The Light Behind Great Listening”, a new global campaign for the UberLight™ Frame, the premium task light designed specifically for vinyl enthusiasts and high-end audio systems. Over the next six months, Reliable will partner with some of the most respected brands in the audio industry, including SME, Thorens, Clearaudio,... Read More

For several decades, JS Audio has been a leading purveyor of stereo equipment in the Washington, DC area. The JS refers to the late Joe Stromick, who originally founded the store and was an impassioned and unforgettable figure. It is now owned and run by an intrepid band of brothers—David, Steven and Jason Kennedy—who regularly hold events featuring new gear. This Saturday they invited their customers to a new one that held a special promise.It featured Daryl Wilson,... Read More

The vinyl faithful show up in large numbers when Chad Kassem comes to town to play records at an audio store. They know they are in for good music, good sound and inimitable Chad stories. ZZ Top's Tres Hombres just released as a UHQR will be a highlight but Chad will be bringing a whole lot of other records to Dallas' Audio Concepts on May 16th, including some probably not yet released and he'll be playing those too.I participated in one of these Chad... Read More