LATEST ADDITIONS

AXPONA Day 1 is officially in the books! We’ll have our first full in-depth report up in a day or so, so stay tuned. In the meantime, here are more than a few in-the-room photos to whet your analog whistle, including cool new gear from Luxman, Thorens, Vertere, SAT, and Manley. . .

One day closer to AXPONA means we still have time for at least one more product preview, and today’s subject is the noted Lithuanian company Aidas and their Mammoth Gold Tusk Limited Edition cartridge — a.k.a., the Tusk. Read on to see more about this fine-looking and truly limited edition cart. . .

The first question we asked ourselves when contemplating the newly unearthed 1953 concert recording of Nat King Cole duly dubbed Live at the Blue Note Chicago — which is earmarked for release on the next upcoming Record Store Day, April 20 — is why would audiophile-leaning vinyl enthusiasts and jazz fans alike want it in their collections? The combination of great performances, of-era sound quality, and pricing topped our requirements list, and, fortunately, Live at the Blue Note Chicago has enough of all three to satisfy our listening/collecting needs — but what about yours? Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see if Nat King Cole’s Live at the Blue Note Chicago belongs on your RSD must-have list. . .

With AXPONA a little over a week away, we wanted to get an early jump on looking at some of the cool new products we expect to be checking out firsthand at the show. First up, we’re already quite intrigued by French manufacturer Analog Audio Design’s TP-1000 reel-to-reel player, which is finally making its stateside debut after being introduced in Munich last year. Read on to see all the cool features and specs of the TP-1000. . .