Part 2 - Ceremonial and Occasional MusicBeyond the Coronation, I turn now to music written for other Royal ceremonial occasions (like funerals) and special occasions. I begin with more 20th Century music.Britten: Gloriana and Tippett: Suite for the Birthday of Prince CharlesMichael Tippett (l.) and Benjamin BrittenWe turn now to the two most prominent British composers of the generation after Walton, Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976) and Michael Tippett (1905 - 1998),... Read More

Part 1: Coronation MusicWith the Coronation of King Charles III nearly upon us, the British monarchy is preparing to "put on a show” the likes of which only those who were around for Elizabeth II’s Coronation in 1953 will have seen before. Royal weddings are all very well, but the Coronation ceremony is on a whole other level of pomp and circumstance, to borrow the title of Elgar’s five glorious marches celebrating King and Empire. And music will play a major... Read More

Is rock ’n’ roll about the music, or getting thrown off a ferry? Brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher probably never settled that argument (and likely never will), but Oasis’ legacy surrounds the music first and foremost, rock n roll antics and sibling rivalry second. While their rise represented a dated sense of 90s populist optimism, the tunes live on; nothing will desecrate the legacy of Noel's songwriting and Liam's distinctive voice on the first three albums.

At every AXPONA Cool Cleveland's Thomas Mulready asks attendees a question about the show. This year he asked about "diversity" in the audio industry. I thought it was a legitimate question and answered it earnestly and honestly as you'll see in this video, but many of his YouTube followers thought otherwise. Thomas's circling video shoot style might make you dizzy!

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.

"No serious vinyl fan wants an automatic turntable", or so they say. Whoever "they" are. Why is that? Back in "the day" whenever that was, many serious vinyl fans owned serious automatics from storied companies like Dual, Miracord, P-E and even Garrard, which for a while took an auto backseat to the superior German designs. You could ignore the stacking feature and simply play one at a time knowing that in your zonked out condition, at... Read More

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

To reserve your spot click on: this link Read More

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

Two new LPs from Yarlung Records offer great sound and even greater performances.

Live albums aren’t always my preferred format. Sure, there are certain tracks that I’ve grown accustomed to hearing performed in the live vein, but I’m not often excited about the prospect of an album “captured” in a live setting, or of a particularly excellent live recording. I’m primarily interested in music that’s created in the studio; that’s what I consider the recording artist's ultimate canvas. However, Hungarian guitarist Gabor Szabo is one of my... Read More

ECM is arguably the most influential jazz label since the heydays of Blue Note and Impulse!. The German label recently announced Luminessence, its first ever audiophile vinyl reissue series. The two first releases, reviewed here, are Kenny Wheeler's Gnu High and Nana Vasconcelos' Saudades.

Ducks aren't an endangered species but in 2023 feedback drenched, electric guitar driven 4/4 rock music so popular in the 1970s seems to be just about over, Jack White and a few others notwithstanding. While Crazy Horse is Neil Young's best known live collaborator, the Ducks prove they are equally worthy on this adrenaline producing 3 LP live set recorded summer, 1977, Santa Cruz, California—and the sound recorded by Tim Mulligan is remarkably hi-fi... 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