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Turntable Reviews
Pro-Ject’s T2 Super Phono Turntable Is a Super Performer, and It’s a Super Bargain Too
Ken Micallef  |  Sep 09, 2024  |  4 comments

Pro-Ject Audio Systems, a cornerstone in the turntable industry, boasts a rich heritage spanning decades. Few audiophiles can claim a listening journey untouched by Pro-Ject’s influence — we here at AP very much included. Thus, we were eager to see what Pro-Ject’s new T2 Super Phono turntable, which is billed as the company’s “Audiophile Entry Level Turntable,” could do. Read Ken Micallef’s review to see if the T2 Super Phono table is up to the task of topping its quite affordable price class. . .

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Album Reviews
Visionary Armenian Composer/Pianist Tigran Hamasyan Takes Us All on a Progressive Spiritual Journey on His Expansive New 2LP Set, The Bird of a Thousand Voices
Mark Smotroff  |  Sep 06, 2024  |  1 comments

Trying to describe in simple words the sound and scale of a beautifully crafted new progressive rock work from a multi-disciplinary composer presents a number of journalistic challenges — but we’re up to the task. The work in question is a new 2LP deluxe box set by Armenian pianist Tigran Hamasyan titled The Bird of a Thousand Voices, which is both eye and ear popping in its presentation and sonic execution. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see how and why both discs of The Bird of a Thousand Voices are worthy of many multiple spins. . .

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Interviews
Jon Anderson Says Yes to Championing His Epic, Classic Ongoing Role as a True Vinyl Messenger
Mike Mettler  |  Sep 05, 2024  |  4 comments

Some artists give great lip service to being humble, spiritual messengers of their artistic muse — and then there’s Jon Anderson. The eternal voice of vintage Yes just keeps on keeping on, with his instantly recognizable alto tenor at the forefront of True, a vibrant new album credited to Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks that was released in various 2LP forms — including transparent blue, gold, and black vinyl — by Frontiers on August 23, 2024. During a recent Zoom interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Anderson discusses how True came to be, what his favorite Yes tracks on vinyl are and why, and what Yes album Rahsaan Roland Kirk once told Jon he personally admired. . .

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Analog Gear News
Hana SL Mk II MC Cartridge
Mike Mettler  |  Sep 03, 2024  |  3 comments

Hana is back to doing what they do best, as they’ve just announced the upcoming release of their SL Mk II moving coil (MC) cartridge. The SL Mk II is considered to be an upgrade to their Hana S series cartridges. For the SL Mk II cart, master cartridge designer Masao Okada has implemented a new tapered aluminum cantilever with increased rigidity and effective mass reduction at the nude diamond Shibata stylus tip. Read on to see more about all the features and specs for the SL Mk II cartridge. . .

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Analog Gear News
Zorin Audio TP-S5 Turntable
Mike Mettler  |  Sep 02, 2024  |  4 comments

While it is indeed Labor Day, we here at AP have decided to recast the day under the “Labor of Love” banner so that we can take a look at some of the analog offerings from companies we didn’t get to spend much time with back at High End Munich 2024. One of those companies is Taiwanese manufacturer Zorin Audio, known for their fine lines of turntables, tonearms, and ION-generator static eliminators. Today, we’ve decided to zero in on their TP-S5 turntable. Whether you’re still laboring or totally relaxing today, read on to see specs and features of the updated TP-S5. . .

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Album ReviewsShort Cuts
Review Explosion, Short Cuts Edition, Vol.16: A Top-Notch Trio of 180g Pablo Records LP Reissues, One Each From Count Basie & His Orchestra, Count Basie Big Band, and Duke Ellington and Ray Brown, All Courtesy of Analogue Productions
Mark Smotroff  |  Aug 30, 2024  |  0 comments

Released in the 1970s and ’80s by legendary jazz producer/impresario Norman Granz, albums on the Pablo Records label were often lush-sounding affairs — and now, all these years later, Analogue Productions has seen fit to reissue and remaster many of the label’s key titles as 180g LPs, all cut at QRP. Read Mark Smotroff’s Short Cuts combo review of a trio of Pablo titles — one each from Count Basie & His Orchestra, Count Basie Big Band, and Duke Ellington and Ray Brown — to see just how essential these three LPs are to have in your collection. . .

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Album ReviewsFeatures
Diggers Factory Digs Deep to Deliver Limited-Run Vinyl Pressings That Are Nothing Short of Tres Magnifique
Shanon McKellar  |  Aug 28, 2024  |  4 comments

Who doesn’t love a great boutique vinyl shop that doesn’t break your cratedigging wallet’s heart? This is a story about Diggers Factory, an online record store that offers so much more than “standard” LPs — things like exclusive releases, color vinyl, merch, accessories, and, yes, even good old-fashioned cassettes. Read Shanon McKellar’s in-depth feature to learn more about how Diggers Factory do what they do, and check out her hands-on reviews on three top-tier current DF vinyl offerings. . .

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Tonearm Reviews
The Wand Plus 9.5-Inch Tonearm
Ken Micallef  |  Aug 26, 2024  |  8 comments

The Wand Plus 9.5-inch tonearm, as designed by Simon Brown, follows an aesthetic departure in tonearm design. Its imposing silhouette — a sharply truncated, horizontally oriented cylinder finished in a somber gray — evokes an industrial elegance reminiscent of high-end, minimalist architecture. Read Ken Micallef’s review to see just how well The Wand arm performs as a member of the just-under-$2K price class. . .

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Album Reviews
Pat Metheny’s 1976 Debut LP, Bright Size Life, Sounds as Fantastic, Fresh, and Futuristic as Ever on Its Truly Outstanding ECM Luminessence Series Vinyl Reissue
Mark Smotroff  |  Aug 23, 2024  |  8 comments

Pat Metheny burst onto the scene in the mid-1970s as basically a fully formed, guitar-slinging compositional prodigy — and his official debut album, 1976’s Bright Size Life, has just been reissued as part of ECM Records’ vaunted Luminessence series. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see just how good this audiophile-grade LP edition of Bright Size Life is, and why you need to get a copy of it ASAP. . .

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Analog Gear News
Auris MYSTiK Turntable
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 22, 2024  |  0 comments

When I began looking into the new Auris MYSTiK turntable to see what it was all about, the soundtrack in my head immediately kicked into Neil Peart’s distinct percussive opening to Rush’s “Mystic Rhythms,” which seemed to be quite the logical and appropriate vibe for how to best appreciate the noted Serbian company’s new table. While nature seems to spin, read on to see all specs and features of the MYSTiK. . .

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