Rhino Records today announced a new "audiophile grade" limited to 5000 copies reissue series of rock and jazz classics mastered by Kevin Gray using the original master tapes, plated and pressed at Optimal in Germany and available only on the Rhino website. (However, as of the press release launch time, Friday May 19th at 9 A.M., neither of these records appears on the Rhino website).The first two titles are The Cars, the group's 1978 debut and... Read More

In March, I wrote a rave review of Cécile McLorin Salvant’s "Mélusine", her second release on Nonesuch and the most unusual album that she (or any other singer on a major label) has ever produced: a series of songs adapted to a 14th-century fairy tale about a half-woman/half-dragon and the revenge she wreaks on a man who looks where he shouldn’t. Some of the songs were written centuries ago; others were Broadway showtunes, vaudeville ditties, or Salvant... Read More

[Minneapolis, May 17, 2023] - We are thrilled to announce that Valerio Cora, Founder and CEO of Acora Acoustics Corporation, will be at the helm of a new independent corporation dedicated to guiding the Audio Research brand toward a future that will grow its strengths and legacy. This strategic vision and process aims to uphold the visionary and uncompromised principles laid down by the esteemed William Z. Johnson, the founding father of high-end audio and the visionary behind ARC.

Looking to get away from the same old, same old? Yearning for a new view? Perhaps you’ve got a hankering for some exotic spices that you’ve never tasted before. Well, you could zip around the internet and book a trip to a distant and far-off locale. Or, you could simply broaden your musical horizons by buying something new for your turntable that has the ability to transport you to a place - or time - that you’ve never visited. After all, what starts as simply a... Read More

Lehmannaudio's original Black Cube, introduced in the late 1990's and still in production, set a high bar for what a moderately priced phono preamp could accomplish. Since then the Cologne, Germany-based company has added a top of the line Silver Cube in 2002 (now costing $4699) and over time filled in the price points in-between with the Decade in 2005 (celebrating the company's 10th anniversary), the Black Cube Statement a year later (among other... Read More

One of the most fanatical groups of record collectors to emerge in the past decade are the (primarily western) devotees of a genre of Japanese popular music from the late 1970s and 80s, dubbed retroactively as ‘City Pop.’ City Pop, or in Japanese Shiti poppu (no I am not making that up), comprises a musical collective of soft rock, soul, R&B, funk, and disco artists whose rise in popularity and output mirrors the economic boom of the late 70s that transformed... Read More

As post-pandemic supply chain issues continue and the vinyl market shifts towards younger buyers with tighter budgets, slightly expanded $50-60 commemorative packages have taken focus over the elaborate anniversary box set. The 10th anniversary edition of Daft Punk's inescapable Random Access Memories, retailing at $50, includes a newer lacquer cut of the original album plus a new bonus disc with 35 minutes of “unreleased demos and outtakes.”

I leave for Germany this evening, first attending Clearaudio's 45th anniversary celebration outside of Nuremberg, then motoring to Munich for High End 2023. A lot planned there, then taking a train to Switzerland to visit CH Precision in advance of a review of the company's new P10 phono preamplifier. Trip planning for that began in February. Now's the time to plan your trip to Seattle for Pacific Audio Fest Last year's debut show was a big... Read More

Reissue annotator Thomas Conrad just about backs into his praise for this lesser known Gil Evans album but he gets the vehicle parked without incident and by the time you've finished reading, if you peruse the notes before playing the record, you'll be anxious to hear it, especially if like Conrad and many other Evans fans (count me in) you can't get enough Evans on record— whether he's covering Hendrix or arranging so many classic albums with... Read More

From the press release: Mitchell was joined on stage at the Newport Folk Festival by a star-studded band led by Carlile, the 9x GRAMMY®-winning singer/songwriter. Other performers included Carlile’s bandmates Phil and Tim Hanseroth, Wynonna Judd, Marcus Mumford, Celisse, Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, and more.Mitchell delighted the audience, blending her voice with the other singers on stage on classics like “Big Yellow Taxi,” “A... Read More

Within the musical landscape of the 70s, the Ramones came out of the woodwork like a brutal attack. Their style of downstroked three-barre-chord songs about sniffing glue, sedation and lobotomies was the antithesis of the overproduced pop and self indulgence prevalent at the time. The band’s first several albums released from 1976 to 1978 (Ramones, Leave Home, Rocket to Russia and Road to Ruin) are, as far as I know, the punk rock bible that every future punk band... Read More

Maple Grove, MN. May 10th, 2023—TrackingAngle.com Exclusive! Audio Research Corporation founded in 1970 by William Z. Johnson and most recently owned by TWS Enterprises, a company formed by former ARC employee Trent Suggs, no longer exists, but a new Audio Research Corporation has been created that will keep the company running as it has been for more than 50 years and at its current Maple Grove, MN headquarters. For all intents and purposes, customers, dealers, suppliers, employees and everyone doing business with, and loving the old Audio Research Corporation should not notice that anything has changed. The new owners will be announced Monday May 15th

This is a years-in-the-making saga, but it’s not as long as Design Build Listen has been manufacturing The Wand tonearm. Inventor Simon Brown introduced it in 2011. A sample arrived here more than a few years ago and a review commenced, but shortly thereafter, the New Zealand built arm’s American distributor exited, orphaning the review. Unbeknownst to me, a short time later a new distributor entered and delivered a The Wand arm to my dear, late friend Art Dudley, who... Read More

Don’t let the blues get you down. In fact, sometimes, a good blues session can be an uplifting experience, perhaps even cathartic, if you like. The blues aren’t played to make us feel bad, on the contrary, they exist to remind us that we’re not alone with our troubles, and while we may not find the answers we need, sometimes misery loves company and that companionship can be very valuable especially when it comes in the form of a well-pressed piece of vinyl.Such is... Read More

In 1961, John Lee Hooker recorded "Burnin’", an album accompanied by an early version of Motown's legendary Funk Brothers band for Vee Jay Records in one session, probably four hours in length. Vee Jay was an independent label based in Chicago, owned by an African American married couple, Vivian Carter and James Bracken, which had achieved considerable success selling R&B, blues, gospel, and jazz records to Black audiences. Hooker had been recording... Read More

Soundsmith this week announced a series of new products timed for introduction just before Munich High End 2023. After a long hiatus, the company will again participate with a sound booth in Hall 3, stand N06/P07 and show these newly developed products.The picture at the top is of two TI (transimpedance phono preamp compatible) cartridges: the Hyperion MKII ES-TI and Sussurro MKII ES-TI. They are designed got be used with Soundsmith's new MCP-5 transimpedance... Read More