Mike Mettler

Interviews
Janis Ian Sheds Some Inner Light on Following Her Analog Roots When Mastering New Music for Vinyl
Mike Mettler  |  Feb 02, 2023  |  First Published: Feb 02, 2023  |  2 comments

“It’s nice to talk analog. You’re speaking my language.” That’s Janis Ian, iconoclast singer/songwriter who’s made a lifetime-slash-career out of breaking barriers and forging new paths when it comes to making music that is equal parts folk, country, rock, and all points in between. And she’s very much speaking our language too, of course. Read on to see what Ian and AP editor Mike Mettler discussed when they got on the phone recently to delve into the making of Light, the importance of evaluating test pressings, and how she applies analog-oriented principles to catalog reissues regardless of the format. . .

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Analog Gear News
HRS’s Next-Gen E1X Isolation Base Minimizes Noise-Related Complications for Turntables & Amplifiers
Mike Mettler  |  Jan 31, 2023  |  First Published: Jan 31, 2023  |  5 comments

You can have the best gear in the world in your system ready to play all those new and/or vintage LPs in your collection, but if any piece of equipment in the playback chain is not properly stabilized — especially when it comes to fortifying your turntable and/or amplifier(s), for example — then you’re just asking for unnecessary noise-related complications. With that in mind, the E1X Isolation Base from HRS might make for quite the good, stable option. Read on to get all the E1X base details. . .

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Analog Gear News
Vincent Audio’s PHO-701 Is a Classy Hybrid Two-Chassis MM/MC Phono Preamp Option
Mike Mettler  |  Jan 26, 2023  |  First Published: Jan 26, 2023  |  6 comments

Vincent Audio knows from phono preamps, and the company’s PHO-701 MM/MC hybrid two-chassis model now emerges in the wake of its vaunted PHO-700 predecessor. How does it stack up? Read on to get all the PHO-701 spec details. . .

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Analog Gear News
Victrola Stream Onyx VPT-2000-BLK-ATE Turntable Coming in February
Mike Mettler  |  Jan 23, 2023  |  First Published: Jan 23, 2023  |  16 comments

Is there a more storied, historic company name when it comes to the history of the turntable than that of Victrola? Well, the company that’s been manufacturing audio gear since 1906 is still going strong, having recently announced at CES 2023 that their next-gen turntable, the Stream Onyx VPT-2000-BLK-ATE, will be coming our way in mid-to-late February. Read on to find out about the Stream Onyx’s feature set, pricing, and connectivity options accordingly. . .

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News
Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon Receives 50th Anniversary Box Set Treatment on March 24, and This Super Deluxe Collection Includes 2LPs and a Nice Pair of Replica 45s
Mike Mettler  |  Jan 19, 2023  |  First Published: Jan 19, 2023  |  20 comments

As a matter of fact, it’s all dark. Well, let me clarify that — Pink Floyd’s seminal March 1973 The Dark Side of the Moon album is getting a much-anticipated, and quite appropriately lavish, 50th anniversary super deluxe box set release via Pink Floyd Records/Columbia on March 24. A nice pair of 180g LPs and two replica 7-inch singles are included in the box set alongside 2CDs, 2BDs, 1DVD, a 160-page hardback with rare photos, a 76-page music book, and other related paraphernalia. Find out all the vinyl-related Dark Side box set stats and specs — and which one of the two LPs will be released separately and concurrently with the box set — by reading on. . .

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Features
Best of Beck: Guitar Iconoclast Jeff Beck’s Legacy on Vinyl Reflects an Artistic Vision Like No Other
Mike Mettler  |  Jan 12, 2023  |  First Published: Jan 12, 2023  |  3 comments

Jeff Beck, an innovative guitarist of the highest order, passed away in his native England on January 10 at age 78, following a brief illness. Beck — who bent notes and wrangled chords like no other guitar player could — made his initial mark as a member of The Yardbirds in the mid-1960s before branching out on his own with the Jeff Beck Group and other ensuing solo ventures. Blow by Blow and Wired, Beck’s million-selling instrumental-driven albums of the mid-1970s, merged the finest tenets of fusion, funk, and rock into a genre unto itself that I’m calling Beckism — in turn shaping the template for vocal-less releases by artists of all walks of musical life for years to come. Naturally, the balance of Beck’s vaunted recording career can be appreciated on vinyl via LPs and 45s both vintage and new. Read on to get our take on a number of Beckism highlights on vinyl that define the legacy of this truly unique guitarist for the ages. . .

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News
The Songs of Bacharach & Costello 4CD/2LP Super Deluxe Box Set and Separate 140g 2LP Edition Tapped for Release on March 3
Mike Mettler  |  Jan 11, 2023  |  First Published: Jan 11, 2023  |  2 comments

The vinyl gods have indeed given us strength with the announcement that The Songs of Bacharach & Costello, a comprehensive collection of the creatively fruitful, decades-long aural collaborations between Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach, is set for release as a wide-ranging 4CD/2LP super deluxe box set from UMe on March 3. Additionally, a separate 140g 2LP edition comprised of the 2023 original-tape remasters of September 1998’s Painted From Memory and six bonus selections from their unreleased Taken From Life musical will be released concurrently. Read on to find out what each version entails, and whether you should plan to get either or both of them for your listening pleasures. . .

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Analog Gear News
CES 2023 News: Harman to Offer JBL TT350 Classic Turntable and Bluetooth-Enabled JBL Spinner BT Turntable in Q2 and Q3 2023, Respectively
Mike Mettler  |  Jan 09, 2023  |  First Published: Jan 09, 2023  |  6 comments

If it’s January, it must be time for CES. This also means we’re still sifting through all the new gear announcements that have emerged from the big show in Las Vegas this past week to see what’s coming our way in 2023 that would be of the most interest to the AnalogPlanet faithful. First up: the Harman Luxury Audio Group has just announced a pair of new turntables, the JBL TT350 Classic and the Bluetooth-enabled JBL Spinner BT. Read on to learn more about these two new ‘tables and when they’re slated to be released. . .

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Interviews
David Crosby Wants You to Feel the Overtones of Musical Freedom by Listening to the Broad Spectrum of His Long and Storied Catalog on High-Grade Vinyl
Mike Mettler  |  Jan 05, 2023  |  First Published: Jan 05, 2023  |  15 comments

David Crosby has the voice of an angel. Not only can you hear his distinctive vocal tone coming across pure and true all throughout his most recent studio album, For Free — one of AnalogPlanet’s Top New LP Releases of 2022, in fact — but you can hear his long-entrenched instinct for beautifully layered harmonies on David Crosby & The Lighthouse Band’s Live at the Capitol Theatre, currently available in a 1CD/1DVD package via BMG, but (hopefully) coming soon on vinyl. Croz got on the line with AP editor Mike Mettler to discuss the importance of overtones all throughout his recording career, why having Miles Davis cover one of his most heartfelt songs is a career highlight, and why his very first solo album — February 1971’s If I Could Only Remember My Name — remains an audiophile benchmark LP to this very day — and, of course, much, much more. . .

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Analog Gear News
Insider Report: The C-Dur Turntable Brings European Audio Team’s High-End Design and Performance Principles to the North American Market
Mike Mettler  |  Jan 04, 2023  |  First Published: Jan 04, 2023  |  5 comments

What better way to kick off the first week of 2023 than to think about getting a new turntable? That’s where EAT and C-Dur come into the picture. To wit: The C-Dur turntable by EAT — the acronym for noted Austrian manufacturer European Audio Team — is here, and it’s being distributed in North America by VANA, the distributor that recently brought noted German handmade Rekkord turntables to our shores. Read on to find out more about how you too can EAT well with this finely crafted platter-player, if you so choose. . .

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