The joke lede was going to be "This is one double 45 UHQR no one is going to complain about having to get up and turn over 3 extra times because once it starts, listeners are not going to be able, or want to sit down!" But that opener's dead because within a few seconds of where I started (side 3's "Jammin'") sitting down and listening became mandatory! More than a few still born Bob Marley & The Wailers reissues have been... Read More

Take a deep dive into what it takes to achieve superb piano sound on record, from the way an instrument is voiced to how it is recorded.  The great Italian virtuoso Maurizio Pollini set down this iconic set of Chopin’s Polonaises in 1976, and with this stellar reissue Emil Berliner Studios have once more set the bar at its highest level for bringing lifelike sound into your listening room.

It’s funny. When you have a large record collection, people always want to hear the obscure, professorial selections when dropping by for an impromptu listening party. And I’m into that for sure. But there has always been a part of my brain that thinks, “Let’s just crack a beer (or several) and listen to Fair Warning!” The problem, as many of you already know, is that Van Halen always sounded way better played over a crappy car stereo or blasting out of Radio Shack... Read More

The post-WWII landscape of Japanese high-performance audio represents one of the most fascinating chapters in the story of recorded sound: a remarkable convergence of engineering precision, artistic sensibility, and cultural reverence for craftsmanship. What began as an industrial recovery effort blossomed into something far more profound: a multi-faceted ecosystem where technical innovation and aesthetic refinement achieved rare harmony.The narrative typically begins... Read More

Rhino Records' new Reserve series, sold direct from the Rhino online store are cut from original master tapes by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering and pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing in Oxnard, CA. Most are not in the sonic realm of the "High Fidelity" series but most musically surely are, including this one, which can be ordered now but drops this June 27th.They cost $31.98, which, when taking inflation into account, means these sell for... Read More

Continuing this video series produced by Emil Berliner Studios that takes you behind-the-scenes of the Original Source Series.It's been just over two years since Deutsche Grammophon launched its series of AAA vinyl reissues mastered directly from the original 4 and 8-track master tapes of treasured recordings from its 1970s catalogue. In response to collectors' numerous questions concerning every aspect of this important audiophile reissue series, Rainer... Read More

“These are what I listen to when I want to know what I’ve recorded, Roy Halee told me, standing in front of a pair of the original Wilson WATTs (Wilson Audio Tiny Tots). That’s what I listen to for pleasure,” he added, pointing to the Infinity IRS monoliths dominating his large, vaulted-ceilinged Connecticut listening room. Mark Levinson electronics juiced the WATTs. Big Jadis tube amps powered the panels. It was early 1987 and Halee was still relishing his Graceland... Read More

This is no ordinary record.  The Quartet for the End of Time is unlike anything else out there, in any genre, given a compelling performance by an ensemble led by one of the giants of classical music, Daniel Barenboim.  In its Original Source reissue, this becomes not only a riveting, and very moving, musical experience, but a sonic roller coaster that will reveal every virtue and flaw of your sound system.  It may not be an orchestral blockbuster, but this is the record to take to hi-fi shows and see whether what they’re selling cuts the mustard.  I also explain why this might be the record for those of you who are more reticent about exploring classical music.

(press release): Erlangen, Germany 2nd June 2025 – for immediate release: German analogue audio specialist, Clearaudio has launched Compass: a new entry-level turntable designed to make high-end audio quality and performance accessible, without compromise. Compass is a ready-to-play turntable featuring a new T1 tonearm - a smaller version of Clearaudio’s acclaimed Satisfy tonearm - and the newly developed N1 MM cartridge. The compact model comes in sleek black or... Read More

Ortofon''s Leif Johanssen runs through the new MC-X moving coil cartridge line, explains the design goals and provides all of the details. At appx. 14:35 Andy Whittle, who has resurrected and upgraded the London/Decca cartridge line, shows and tells all, then at 21:10 in the hallway Whittle encounters Johanssen and shows him all of the original London/Decca blueprints—like two kids in a candy store! At 21:43Studer/Revox veteran, HSE Swiss designer/inventor... Read More

When discussing music some Boomers are quick to pull the “music was better in the 1960s” card. It’s a clichéd and cringy statement, but the decade’s musical impact is undeniable. It’s astounding to imagine an audience that welcomed boundary-pushing innovations by artists that dominated the decade, though what they really did was draw from influences that date back centuries. The fact that those bodies of work transcend decades and generations to touch both new artists... Read More

The author tells the long and winding tale of getting his Kuzma arm and Lyra cartridge to surrender their potential.

Above photo credit: Ana GibertShow business is packed with success stories born not just from talent, but also by being in the right place at the right time—backed up by a relentless work ethic. That’s how Joe Chiccarelli got his audio engineering start, setting him on a path to become a Grammy-winning producer. As the story goes, when Frank Zappa’s regular engineer couldn’t make a Sheik Yerbouti session Joe was called in as the backup and grabbed on to the... Read More

Recording a big band album live to analog tape in the studio Frank Sinatra had Bill Putnam build for him when he started Reprise Records, then Western Recorders, now East/West, engineered by Steve Genewick--long time Al Schmitt associate (etc.)--and mixed to 1/2" tape at 30 IPS on an Ampex ATR-100 at The Village Studios and then lacquer cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from that tape two months later is no guarantee of great sound. Well, come on, unless... Read More

It's been just over two years since Deutsche Grammophon launched its series of AAA vinyl reissues mastered directly from the original 4 and 8-track master tapes of treasured recordings from its 1970s catalogue. In response to collectors' numerous questions concerning every aspect of this important audiophile reissue series, Rainer Maillard and Sidney C. Meyer of Emil Berliner Studios take you behind-the-scenes of every aspect of the Original Source. This is... Read More

Believe it or not, I think that the Falcon Loudspeakers F50 (to me, “F50” sounds like the name of a not-yet-built US fighter jet), and which, at $2,495, is loosely in the same sub-$3,000/pr. price tier as the Philharmonic Audio BMR Monitor I reviewed last time out, really is a respectable alternative to the much larger, three-way BMR Monitor ($1,900/pr. and up, depending on finishes; but, currently out of stock, because of a few great reviews). Despite the F50’s having only a (nominal) 5" woofer. And, even if the F50 costs more. It all depends upon which virtues are more important to you, and which vices are less important to you.

Press release): (May 30, 2025 – Los Angeles, CA) Rhino High Fidelity (Rhino Hi-Fi) continues its acclaimed series of limited-edition, high-end vinyl reissues with the solo debut from Stevie Nicks and the first album from Wilco. Stevie Nicks’ Bella Donna (1981) and Wilco’s A.M. (1995) are available now exclusively at Rhino.com and internationally at select WMG stores. Each release is limited to 5,000 individually numbered copies and priced at $39.98. Available while... Read More

Deutsche Grammophon mines its archives for an extraordinary sequence of live performances from 1965 by one of its most revered artists, carefully restored and beautifully packaged.  This is Beethoven for the Ages…