Mike Mettler

Analog Gear News
Fern & Roby Montrose Heirloom Turntable
Mike Mettler  |  Dec 11, 2023  |  First Published: Dec 11, 2023  |  2 comments

While looking over all the great gear that was on display at last month’s Capital Audiofest (CAF), we saw quite a number of products we earmarked for looking into further after the show beyond the coverage we already had planned for our various CAF show reports. One of them, Fern & Roby’s Montrose Heirloom turntable, is today’s deep-dive subject, so read on to see what this supercool ’table manufactured in Richmond, Virginia, is all about. . .

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BeatlesNews
Paul McCartney & Wings Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Band on the Run on February 2, 2024, With a 2LP Edition Featuring Previously Unreleased “Underdubbed” Mixes on LP2 and a Separate Half-Speed-Mastered 1LP Version of the Original 1973 Release
Mike Mettler  |  Dec 07, 2023  |  First Published: Dec 07, 2023  |  3 comments

The jailer man and Sailor Sam are at it again. Paul McCartney & Wings will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Band on the Run on February 2, 2024, with a 2LP edition featuring previously unreleased “Underdubbed” mixes on LP2, and a separate half-speed-mastered 1LP version of the original December 1973 release. Read on to see just what “Underdubbed” mixes entail, and if these new versions of Band on the Run

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Analog Gear News
DS Audio Grand Master EX Optical Cartridge
Mike Mettler  |  Dec 05, 2023  |  First Published: Dec 05, 2023  |  2 comments

So many great new products to be seen at the most recent Capital Audiofest (CAF), so little time. Well, that’s not entirely true, as our intrepid analog-centric editorial team spent quite a lot of time on the case at CAF 2023. That said, there’s some additional gear that was on display at CAF we wanted to take a deeper dive into, one of those items being DS Audio’s Grand Master EX optical cartridge. Read on to see what the impressively high-end Grand Master EX cart has to offer. . .

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Analog Gear News
Muarah MT-3 Turntable and MY-1/9 Tonearm
Mike Mettler  |  Nov 29, 2023  |  First Published: Nov 29, 2023  |  9 comments

Polish turntable and tube amp manufacturer Muarah launched their new MT-3 turntable and MY-1/9 tonearm at the recent, 25th edition of the Audio Video Show in Warsaw, so we figured they were both well worth a respective closer look. Read on to see more about the MT-3’s impressive specs and features. . .

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Analog Gear News
Record Doctor X Vacuum Record Cleaning Machine
Mike Mettler  |  Nov 28, 2023  |  First Published: Nov 28, 2023  |  11 comments

Pangea Audio has just announced the soon-forthcoming Record Doctor X, a new edition of their acclaimed Record Doctor vacuum record cleaning machines that simultaneously cleans both sides of a record in order to “sav[e] time and effort over current versions” (their words). Read on to see if the all-new RDX VRCM fits your own current and/or future record cleaning needs. . .

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Analog Gear News
Aavik Acoustics R-580 Phono Preamp
Mike Mettler  |  Nov 22, 2023  |  First Published: Nov 22, 2023  |  2 comments

“Scandinavian design with an international twist.” So says notable Danish company Aavik Acoustics about their R-580 phono preamp, so we figured we’d take a closer look at this cool unit before we head on into the extended holiday weekend ahead. Read on to get all the R-580 specs and feature details. . .

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Analog Gear News
Seen at Capital Audiofest: Turntables, Turntables, Turntables, and More!!
Mike Mettler,  |  Nov 20, 2023  |  First Published: Nov 20, 2023  |  3 comments

Last week, Capital Audiofest ruled large in the Washington, DC area, and 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 offered “a world of vinyl, gadgets, turntables, amplifiers, loudspeakers, and the mad audiophiles who love them,” Ken noted in a caption underneath the 16-minute video he posted for us on YouTube that you can now watch in the story below. . .

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AAA VinylAlbum Reviews
Steely Dan’s 200g 45rpm 2LP Aja Is the Pride of the Analogue Productions UHQR Neighborhood
Mike Mettler  |  Nov 18, 2023  |  12 comments

Aja is the fourth (and first non-sequential) entry in Analogue Productions' comprehensive 200g 45rpm 2LP Steely Dan UHQR reissue series — and it’s possibly the most anticipated of them all. Does the UHQR edition of Aja stack up favorably with and/or sound better than the previous LP editions from the label likes of ABC, Mobile Fidelity, and Cisco? Read AP editor Mike Mettler’s in-depth review to find out if the Aja UHQR is worth every bit of those cool 1,500 dime dances it’ll run you tp pick it up (a.k.a. $150, in normal dollars parlance). . .

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News
Rhino’s Hi-Fi Series Serves Up AAA 180g 1LP Sets for a Pair of Seventies Classics: The Doobie Brothers’ The Captain and Me, and Herbie Hancock’s Crossings
Mike Mettler  |  Nov 17, 2023  |  First Published: Nov 17, 2023  |  6 comments

Rhino just added two great titles to their ongoing AAA 180g 1LP High Fidelity series — namely, The Doobie Brothers’ March 1973 offering The Captain and Me and Herbie Hancock’s May 1972 effort, Crossings. Read on for all the AAA details. . .

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News
ARC, the Literal ARChive of Contemporary Music, Is Looking for New, Permanent Home to Continue Preserving More Than 3 Million LPs and Other Historical Recording-Related Materials
Mike Mettler  |  Nov 14, 2023  |  First Published: Nov 14, 2023  |  9 comments

ARC, the ARChive of Contemporary Music, consists of the world’s largest music collection — it contains over 3 million LPs and other historical recording-related materials — but it is now looking for a new, permanent home. Read on to see ARC’s plans for the ongoing preservation and housing of this truly important collection — and how you may be able to help keep it going, if you so choose. . .

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