Back in 2021 on my "previous endeavor"'s website, I published a story with images about a stubborn residue found by WAM Engineering LLC (WallyTools) on styli cleaned using the Onzow Zerodust. The report said "An analysis of the residue shows it is not silicone but rather a polymer of some sort. Further material analysis is forthcoming and will be reported here as soon as it's available".

The vinyl resurgence has thankfully brought with it many years of necessary and important reissues. However, it has also presented label owners with a challenge: that is, they must continually unearth high-quality music in need of a fresh remaster. They must also have the attention of the eager ears of the modern record-buying public. While some releases are wholly familiar to music lovers - even if they weren’t well-received upon their original release - other... Read More

After the "room" video posted (now with more than 91,000 views!) viewers asked why I didn't show any cartridges, so here goes. You'll see close up, some of the phono cartridges I've bought and collected over the years, but not all of them. This was not the place to discuss specs, so it's more just an overview, not a technical overview. I may have had the Audio Technnica AT-MC2022 in the system so I don't think it's in the video... Read More

At long last, I’ve reached the last stage of my exploration into specialized Japanese CD pressings. After testing Sony’s Blu-spec CD2 and JVC Kenwood’s Super High Material (SHM) CDs, we’ll now dive into the Ultimate Hi-Quality CD, or UHQCD.

An ultra high-end system consisting of Audio Research electronics, Wilson Audio speakers, dCS digital, a Clearaudio vinyl rig sporting a new HANA cartridge may have been the best sound at AXPONA 2023.

As AXPONA has grown, it has now become simply impossible to cover everything in two and a half days. Rooms get missed, time spent in each room is less than you would like to devote, and I always feel rushed. Exhibitors worldwide come to get exposure and to be heard here, along with the introduction of new products. In the next few years, AXPONA may have to expand to three and a half days, much like the Munich Show.Several distributor friends at the show mentioned how... Read More

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AXPONA 2023 was an international event that puts the show and finally America on the world audio stage. The Consumer Electronics Show once was that event but high performance audio is no longer a meaningful part of that show. Founded in 2009 by then retailer Steve Davis, AXPONA (Audio Expo North America) for many years was a regional show, the sparsely attended 2011 Atlanta show being a good example. Shows were also held in New York City, Jacksonville, Florida and... Read More

On Wednesday April 19th I moderated a MusicWatch sponsored webinar titled "Fundamentals of Vinyl Record Care". The panelists were Spinclean's Mark Mawhinney, Finesound's Jeff Coates and Kirmuss Audio's Charles Kirmuss Each represented one of the three basic record cleaning methodologies: manual wet-vat, "velvet lip" vacuum and cavitation. Finesounds imports and distributes Pro-Ject record cleaning machines. The two others are... Read More

Supersense, Vienna-based purveyors of custom cut lacquer versions of iconic LPs recently announced a new reissue program featuring a "picture disc" on lacquer side one and a cut-from-tape track on side two, in this case Nina Simone's version of "I Put a Spell on You".According to the website:"This edition is super strictly limited to only 99 pieces and comes in a handmade, all analog printed Slim Case, especially developed for our picture... Read More

HiFiction, manufacturer of the X-quisite cartridge line introduced today the new VORO cartridge. As with previous models, the VORO features a one piece patented ceramic/Armco cantilever/coil former. The new VORO features a high-efficiency double-layer iron core. The generator is covered by a skeletonized ceramic sculpture, giving it an "organic" look, according to HiFiction.Other VORO particulars include "4 nines" copper coil wire, a FGS (Fritz... Read More

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