LATEST ADDITIONS

Continuing with our mission this week to help audiophile newbies join us here in the analog-centric listening family without breaking the bank, we now turn our attention to looking at cartridge-upgrade options — and who better to do that with than Grado Labs? Read on to find out how the Brooklyn-based company’s Prestige Red3 cartridge is yet another good entry point for the budding analog-loving audiophile that also serves as a good option for the longstanding AP faithful to consider as well. . .

Right from the opening notes, Green Day’s new Saviors LP sure sounds like it could be the kind of record for today’s generation that balances strong social sentiment with catchy songwriting. But just how good does it actually sound on vinyl? Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see if Saviors makes the LP SQ grade. . .

Introduced in 1979, the Technics’ SL-1200MK2 turntable soon became both the company’s standard bearer and the DJ’s vinyl spinner of choice. The 1200 went through endless iterations, entering the home and studio — and, in its latter variations, the 1200 also became a turntable audiophiles could love. Fast forward to today, where we now have the Technics SL-1200GR2 direct drive turntable, a quite formidable new entry in this venerable series. Read Ken Micallef’s review to see if the GR2 delivers the goods in terms of resolution, speed, textural information, and spaciousness. . .

Musician, composer, singer, and producer Zach Condon has somehow found a way to mesh the sounds of pump organs, real acoustic horn sections, ukuleles, drum machines, world-beat oriented percussion, and synthesizers into a distinctive blend that is immediately identifiable as the group called Beirut — a sound that bears a genuinely international flair processed through adventuresome recording situations. Read on to find out why ace reviewer Mark Smotroff feels Beirut’s new album Hadsel may be Condon’s most complete statement to date and why it’s so well-suited to spinning it again and again on vinyl. . .