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Thailand 2017
Opening Day Coverage of Bangkok's What Hi-Fi? 2017 High End Show
Michael Fremer  |  Jul 28, 2017  |  9 comments
AnalogPlanet.com editor Michael Fremer is at the 2017 What Hi Fi? Bangkok Show taking place Thursday through Sunday July 27th through Sunday July 30th at the sprawling BiTech convention center.

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Thailand 2017
At Thai International High End 2017 VPI Debuts Cliffwood Turntable
Michael Fremer  |  Jul 27, 2017  |  1 comments
At What Hi-Fi?'s International High-End A/V 2017 show in Bangkok, Thailand VPI introduced the new Cliffwood turntable. The new turntable features a vinyl-wrapped plinth, an inverted ceramic ball topped bearing, an aluminum alloy platter and a new gimbaled bearing tone arm.

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Thailand 2017
What Hi-Fi?'s Thai International High-End A/V 2017 Show Begins Today
Michael Fremer  |  Jul 26, 2017  |  1 comments
It's early Thursday morning Bangkok time. Today is day one of the Thai magazine What Hi-Fi?'s big audio show (the magazine is not related to the U.K. magazine of the same name, started around the same time).

Unlike the previous hotel show I attended here, this one takes place in the sprawling Bi-Tec Exhibition Hall well away from downtown Bangkok.

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Tonearm ReviewsTurntable Reviews
The Pear Audio Blue Robin Hood SE Turntable and Coronet 1 Tone Arm (Speed Issue Explained)
Michael Fremer  |  Jul 24, 2017  |  20 comments
Editor's note: AnalogPlanet (and Stereophile) policy is to review products as sent to us unless they are broken and/or clearly defective. In this case the speed was "off" but the 'table was neither "broken" nor "defective" so we chose to review "as sent".

The importer wrote to say the unit was sent with "the wrong pulley" and as stated in the review, we allowed for the possibility that the 'table had been previously used for reviews or for some other purpose. However, without trying to sound too harsh, if you're going to send out a product for review, it's important to check out its functioning before shipping and that would include making sure it's running at the right speed.

As the importer points out, the Kid Thomas previously reviewed ran at the correct speed but clearly this one did not and it was what was sent so there was an obligation to review "as sent" just as there was an obligation to ship a properly functioning review sample! I know this might sound "harsh" but I'm always thinking of the consumer who buys and uses without checking speed accuracy and ends up listening at the wrong speed.

AnalogPlanet readers' thoughts on this are most welcome.

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Album Reviews
Off With the Man Buns and Kick Out the Jams With Run Out Groove's MC5 Compilation!
Michael Fremer  |  Jul 18, 2017  |  6 comments
The new reissue record label Run Out Groove recently launched with a limited to 2668 copy edition of a gloriously noisy, high energy MC5 compilation sourced from the group's Elektra and Atlantic catalogues. The Detroit-based group (The Motor City Five), which made music that was an invigorating amalgam of garage rock, punk rock and blues with a hint of progressive jazz thrown in, released but three full length albums during its less than a decade long run.

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Does Chasing the Dragon's "España" "Jump the Shark"?
Michael Fremer  |  Jul 18, 2017  |  2 comments
España is Chasing the Dragon's latest and most ambitious Direct-to-Disc record. It's difficult enough to record Direct-to-Disc a string ensemble, or a big band or a big band with vocalist, all of which the label has done successfully managed.

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Features
Tour SME With New CEO Stuart McNeilis
Michael Fremer  |  Jul 12, 2017  |  15 comments
Last year, Cadence Group purchased from the Robertson-Aikman family venerable SME, Ltd., appointing as its new CEO Stuart McNeilis. Mr. McNeilis, a veteran of the the aerospace industry, is attempting to maintain SME's exceptional traditional manufacturing quality while moving the company (gently) into the 21st century.

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News
After a 13 Year Hiatus, Korea's Machang Music and Pictures Again Pressing Vinyl Records
Michael Fremer  |  Jul 11, 2017  |  12 comments
Seoul, Korea based Machang Music and Pictures a few weeks ago began pressing records at a brand new facility after a 13 year break (the email said 18 so not sure which is correct). For now the company operates two brand new made in Korea presses,

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Album Reviews
John Patitucci’s Dark Samba (Now Includes 96/24 Audio)
Michael Fremer  |  Jul 09, 2017  |  9 comments
In the early 1960s Brazilian music washed up on American shores riding on an effervescent, sunlit wave of girls from Ipanema and up-tempo tunes like “Desafinado”, popularized by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd on the breakthrough album Jazz Samba.

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Book Reviews
"1967" Harvey Kubernik's Summer of Love Chronicle
Michael Fremer  |  Jul 09, 2017  |  4 comments
Anyone who thinks "The Summer of Love" was a media creation simply wasn't there. Like many baby boomers, Kubernik was there. Unlike many of us though, he was there with photographers Henry Diltz and Guy Webster among others, both of whom gave the rock culture chronicler access to their photos for this highly entertaining, image filled and recollection rich book.

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