LATEST ADDITIONS

Analog Corner
Analog Corner #115
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 29, 2019  |  First Published: Feb 01, 2005  |  2 comments
Shelter 90X
This was supposed to be my report on analog gear at Home Entertainment 2004 West. The San Francisco show was canceled because of a hotel-workers’ lockout, but my column wasn’t! Fortunately, I’d gotten an early start on what was to be next month’s column because I wanted to actually get ahead on the audio-reviewing assembly line. No such luck.

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Cartridge Reviews
You Would Pay $99 For This Cartridge
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 28, 2019  |  29 comments
The cartridge featured "blind" in the recent post titled "How Much Would You Pay for This Cartridge?" pictured above is "The Vessel" A3SE, which sells for $99.00.

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Analog Corner
Analog Corner #114
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 28, 2019  |  First Published: Jan 01, 2005  |  0 comments
Graham Phantom tonearm

The prospect of a four-day fall break at a rustic, dog-friendly ski lodge in Vermont had me scrambling for an audio system. My Apple iPod was an obvious choice, but what about an amplifier and speakers? I considered schlepping a vintage Scott tube amp and a pair of ADC 404 loudspeakers I got at a garage sale, but that seemed like too much of a hassle.

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AXPONA 2019Interviews
A Chance Encounter at AXPONA 2019 With Sonic Presence President And Industry Veteran Russ Hamm
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 26, 2019  |  1 comments
At AXPONA 2019 Western Electric's Charles Whitener introduced me to Russ Hamm, president of Sonic Presence, a company that manufactures the VR15-USB Spatial Microphone™ a headphone-like in-ear microphone system that turns your head into a virtual "dummy head", which for some of us is easy! While that was interesting, it was Mr. Hamm's earlier experience as president of Gotham Audio in New York that got my interest.

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Cartridge Reviews
How Much Would You Pay For This Cartridge?
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 26, 2019  |  35 comments
The picture purposely obscures this moving magnet cartridge installed in the Rega Planar 8 tonearm plugged into the Graham Slee Accession. That's because I don't want you to know its identity. Rather, please listen to the file and tell everyone how much you'd be willing to pay for it and how you think it sounds.

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News
HD Vinyl Update: A Planned 7" 45rpm Record "Some Time Mid 2019"?
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 26, 2019  |  9 comments
"Making Vinyl" Berlin is a week away (May 2nd and 3rd). AnalogPlanet editor Michael Fremer will attend and moderate a few interesting panels. No doubt there will be news and an update on the progress being made to realize the promise of HD Vinyl. However, at last fall's "Making Vinyl" in Detroit there was HD Vinyl news that got "caught in the cracks" and was never published.

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Phono Preamp Reviews
Graham Slee's $1449 Accession Raises the MM Playback Bar
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 25, 2019  |  29 comments
For almost two decades now British phono preamp manufacturer Graham Slee has been designing, producing and selling specialized high quality phono preamplifiers. His latest is the $1449 Accession, an unusually versatile model that includes a volume pot, which means the Accession can be used as preamplifier to drive a power amplifier. If all you plan on doing is playing records using one turntable and a moving magnet cartridge (or a high output MC or moving iron), the Accession obviates the need for a separate preamplifier.
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Phono Preamp Reviews
Pro-Ject's Versatile DS2 USB MM/MC Phono Pre Sounds Good And Digitizes Too
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 24, 2019  |  6 comments
Pro-Ject’s DS2 USB combines in one chassis a versatile MM/MC phono preamplifier and a high resolution A/D converter capable of digitizing at up to 192/24 bit PCM or 128 DSD (A/K/A “double DSD”). It’s a feature-packed unit that includes 2 independently adjustable phono inputs and a line input and both USB and optical TOSlink digital outputs as well as an analog output. An outboard 18V “Wall Wart” powers it.

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News
The Annual WFMU Record Fair Is This Weekend!
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 24, 2019  |  5 comments
The annual WFMU Record Fair comes to the Brooklyn Expo Center this Friday through Sunday featuring 28,000 square feet of records, 45s, CDs (?), books, collectibles and the usual gang of idiots plus live bands and broadcasts. This is always a great show just like they used to make them except that with the Internet prices are more uniform (though there are still bargains from vendors who don't know certain "stuff").

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News
TechDAS Air Force Zero Debut at Audio Salon—First Impressions Stun Listeners
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 24, 2019  |  31 comments
Let's just say I went into the TechDAS Air Force Zero's recent debut at The Audio Salon in Santa Monica with a great deal of skepticism. A big, lumbering turntable featuring an enormous and massive multi-layer platter system seemed like a prescription for over-damped, ill focused sound. What we heard those two evenings was anything but! By the way, what you see towards the bottom of the platter is not a reflection. That is the lower part of the platter!

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