The Beatles’ 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono 180g 8LP Box Set Is Poised to Please Please Us All on November 22

I’m in love with The Beatles, and I feel fine — and I bet you’ll feel that way too after I tell you that a new 180g 8LP box set titled The Beatles: 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono is officially slated for release on November 22, 2024, via Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe. Read on to find out all the analog stats, details, and tracklisting info for all seven LPs (one of them is a 2LP set) in this truly Fab box. . .

Technics SL-1300G Turntable

Ain’t life grand? So is our appreciation for fine turntables, which leads us to zeroing in on the latest entry in Technics’ Grand Class series — namely, the SL-1300G. Read on to see all the specs and features of the SL-1300G table. . .

Pro-Ject’s T2 Super Phono Turntable Is a Super Performer, and It’s a Super Bargain Too

Pro-Ject Audio Systems, a cornerstone in the turntable industry, boasts a rich heritage spanning decades. Few audiophiles can claim a listening journey untouched by Pro-Ject’s influence — we here at AP very much included. Thus, we were eager to see what Pro-Ject’s new T2 Super Phono turntable, which is billed as the company’s “Audiophile Entry Level Turntable,” could do. Read Ken Micallef’s review to see if the T2 Super Phono table is up to the task of topping its quite affordable price class. . .

Visionary Armenian Composer/Pianist Tigran Hamasyan Takes Us All on a Progressive Spiritual Journey on His Expansive New 2LP Set, The Bird of a Thousand Voices

Trying to describe in simple words the sound and scale of a beautifully crafted new progressive rock work from a multi-disciplinary composer presents a number of journalistic challenges — but we’re up to the task. The work in question is a new 2LP deluxe box set by Armenian pianist Tigran Hamasyan titled The Bird of a Thousand Voices. A winner of many global music awards and the receiver of accolades from no less than the late Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and Brad Mehldau, Hamasyan takes the listener on quite an impressive journey on this far-reaching double album.

Primary Category: 
Category: 
Artist: 
Tigran Hamasyan
Album: 
The Bird of a Thousand Voices
Cred Label: 
Naïve Records
Cred Prod: 
Tigran Hamasyan
Cred Eng: 
-
Cred Mix: 
Nate Wood and Tigran Hamasyan; Udo Pannekeet, Nesrop
Cred Mast: 
Sander Van Der Heide

Trying to describe in simple words the sound and scale of a beautifully crafted new progressive rock work from a multi-disciplinary composer presents a number of journalistic challenges — but we’re up to the task. The work in question is a new 2LP deluxe box set by Armenian pianist Tigran Hamasyan titled The Bird of a Thousand Voices, which is both eye and ear popping in its presentation and sonic execution. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see how and why both discs of The Bird of a Thousand Voices are worthy of many multiple spins. . .

Jon Anderson Says Yes to Championing His Epic, Classic Ongoing Role as a True Vinyl Messenger

Some artists give great lip service to being humble, spiritual messengers of their artistic muse — and then there’s Jon Anderson. The eternal voice of vintage Yes just keeps on keeping on, with his instantly recognizable alto tenor at the forefront of True, a vibrant new album credited to Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks that was released in various 2LP forms — including transparent blue, gold, and black vinyl — by Frontiers on August 23, 2024. During a recent Zoom interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Anderson discusses how True came to be, what his favorite Yes tracks on vinyl are and why, and what Yes album Rahsaan Roland Kirk once told Jon he personally admired. . .

Hana SL Mk II MC Cartridge

Hana is back to doing what they do best, as they’ve just announced the upcoming release of their SL Mk II moving coil (MC) cartridge. The SL Mk II is considered to be an upgrade to their Hana S series cartridges. For the SL Mk II cart, master cartridge designer Masao Okada has implemented a new tapered aluminum cantilever with increased rigidity and effective mass reduction at the nude diamond Shibata stylus tip. Read on to see more about all the features and specs for the SL Mk II cartridge. . .

Zorin Audio TP-S5 Turntable

While it is indeed Labor Day, we here at AP have decided to recast the day under the “Labor of Love” banner so that we can take a look at some of the analog offerings from companies we didn’t get to spend much time with back at High End Munich 2024. One of those companies is Taiwanese manufacturer Zorin Audio, known for their fine lines of turntables, tonearms, and ION-generator static eliminators. Today, we’ve decided to zero in on their TP-S5 turntable. Whether you’re still laboring or totally relaxing today, read on to see specs and features of the updated TP-S5. . .

Review Explosion, Short Cuts Edition, Vol.16: A Top-Notch Trio of 180g Pablo Records LP Reissues, One Each From Count Basie & His Orchestra, Count Basie Big Band, and Duke Ellington and Ray Brown, All Courtesy of Analogue Productions

Released in the 1970s and ’80s by legendary jazz producer/impresario Norman Granz, albums on the Pablo Records label were often lush-sounding affairs — and now, all these years later, Analogue Productions has seen fit to reissue and remaster many of the label’s key titles as 180g LPs, all cut at QRP. Read Mark Smotroff’s Short Cuts combo review of a trio of Pablo titles — one each from Count Basie & His Orchestra, Count Basie Big Band, and Duke Ellington and Ray Brown — to see just how essential these three LPs are to have in your collection. . .

Diggers Factory Digs Deep to Deliver Limited-Run Vinyl Pressings That Are Nothing Short of Tres Magnifique

Who doesn’t love a great boutique vinyl shop that doesn’t break your cratedigging wallet’s heart? This is a story about Diggers Factory, an online record store that offers so much more than “standard” LPs — things like exclusive releases, color vinyl, merch, accessories, and, yes, even good old-fashioned cassettes. Read Shanon McKellar’s in-depth feature to learn more about how Diggers Factory do what they do, and check out her hands-on reviews on three top-tier current DF vinyl offerings. . .

The Wand Plus 9.5-Inch Tonearm

The Wand Plus 9.5-inch tonearm, as designed by Simon Brown, follows an aesthetic departure in tonearm design. Its imposing silhouette — a sharply truncated, horizontally oriented cylinder finished in a somber gray — evokes an industrial elegance reminiscent of high-end, minimalist architecture. Read Ken Micallef’s review to see just how well The Wand arm performs as a member of the just-under-$2K price class. . .

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