In recent years, Capital Audiofest has continued expanding to encompass exhibit rooms across more than four floors in addition to dozens of other exhibitors in conference rooms and halls throughout the hotel — 125 rooms, and 50 booths in all — including vinyl and accessories sellers in the atrium. We here at AP figured we’d approach things a bit differently this year and post multiple, short-form analog-centric highlights from the show across several brief installments — so, without further preamble, here’s Part 1 of Julie Mullins’ show report, featuring gear from Belleson, Rega, Linear Tube Audio, Volti Audio, and Anticables. . .

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers’ November 1982 LP Long After Dark was not exactly everyone’s immediate favorite back in the day, for various reasons. Thankfully, a newly expanded 180g 2LP set dubbed Long After Dark – Deluxe Edition goes a long way to improve on the core album as a listening experience, start to finish, with powerful bonus tracks and more sympathetic mastering. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see why this new Long After Dark – Deluxe Edition has reignited our passion for this album, especially in its newly expanded form. . .

There are landmark LPs, and then there is Kind of Blue, Miles Davis’ indisputable August 1959 masterpiece on Columbia. As much as we truly love and can’t live without that historical album, we are beyond thrilled to hear that Analogue Productions is set to release Birth of the Blue — a 180g 1LP collection documenting the transformative first session held in 1958 by the same band that would go on to record Kind of Blue the following year — on December 13, 2024. Read on to see more about the new BotB LP and when/where you may be able to hear it firsthand before its official release. . .

Here at AP, when it comes to gear coverage, we try to balance our admitted high-end proclivities with some more affordable options for the analog newcomer and budget-minded alike. Today’s serving comes from the more affordable side of the menu, thanks to Andover Audio. Read on to see all of what the Boston-based company’s new SpinBase 2 turntable speaker system has to offer, including its implementation of their patented IsoGroove technology. . .

Last week, Capital Audiofest ruled large in the Washington, DC area from November 8-10, 2024 — and, as always, I anointed our main product reviewer Ken Micallef to shoot as much video footage as he could of all the cool turntables and other analog-centric gear and goodies he came across at the show. CAF offers “a world of vinyl, gadgets, turntables, amplifiers, loudspeakers, and the mad audiophiles who love them,” as Ken has noted about the show in recent years, and CAF 2024 once again delivered on that promise in full. You too can see what Ken saw at the show in the 9-minute video we’ve just posted on our YouTube channel that you can also now watch in the story below. . .

As we take a brief pause to honor all who have served here on Veterans Day, I did want to take a moment to note that we will soon enough be posting extensive coverage of this past weekend’s Capital Audiofest, which was held in Rockville, Maryland, this past weekend (November 8-10, 2024).

The phrase “auspicious debut” is often overused when discussing many an upstart band’s first album — but when it comes to Talking Heads, it’s a phrase that certainly fits the bill whenever you’re both discussing and listening to the fledgling punk/new wave NYC quartet’s first LP, September 1977’s Talking Heads: 77. And now, this important debut album gets its full box set due today, November 8, 2024, with Rhino’s 4LP + 4 7-inch singles-comprised Talking Heads: 77 – Super Deluxe Edition box set, with the original album therein remastered AAA all the way. Read AP editor Mike Mettler’s review to see why 77 is another vital vinyl box set to add to your collection — plus see his suggestion for the official, more affordable alternate option of half the box’s contents if your bankbook is currently lacking. . .

Phil Lesh, co-founding bassist of the Grateful Dead, sadly passed away at age 84 on October 25, 2024, and he will be remembered by millions of fans for the brilliant, inspiring music he made over the course of his incredible career. AP editor Mike Mettler asked our resident Deadhead Mark Smotroff to put together a proper tribute, and he enlisted three other fellow Dead experts to help bid Phil a proper fare thee well. Read on to see what their respective choices are for Lesh’s finest moments on vinyl. . .

We’ve officially entered into the homestretch of our in-depth three-part Toronto Audiofest 2024 show report. Read Shanon McKellar’s final TAF 2024 installment to see what she heard with turntables from the likes of Thorens, TW-Acustic, Pure Fidelity, Well Tempered Lab, and more. . .

In our humble opinion here at AP, turntables are forever. VPI Industries clearly agree with that statement, as they’ve just announced the Model One turntable, the first entry in their new Forever series. Read on to see all the features and specs of the Model One, along with its cool new 10in S-shaped tonearm. . .