Unitra GSH-630 Fryderyk & GSH-801 Edmund Turntables

Continuing with our Munich 2024 catch-up tour, today we’re taking a closer look at another company we weren’t able to spend enough time with at the show itself — Unitra, a Polish manufacturer that offers a pair of intriguing turntables, the GSH-630 Fryderyk and GSH-801 Edmund. Read on to see what these two tables have to offer. . .

Munich 2024 Video Report: Turntables From Garrard, Acoustic Signature, Zavfino, Gold Note, and More

After a restful, and quite respectful, long weekend, there’s nothing quite like returning to the analog breach by looking at a wide selection of new turntables and other cool gear shown at Munich 2024 by way of a video shot at the show by esteemed AP contributor Ken Micallef. Read on to see onsite footage of new and current tables from the likes of Garrard, Acoustic Signature, Zavfino, Kronos, Gold Note, and many, many more. . .

Tom Verlaine’s Retrospective 4LP RSD Box Set Souvenir From A Dream Collects the First, and Quite Worthwhile, Phase of His Post-Television Solo Career

A new box set compiling the initial four solo album releases by tastemaking Television guitarist/vocalist Tom Verlaine is an ultimately wondrous affair. I’ve quite enjoyed exploring this timely 4LP assemblage from Rhino — titled Souvenir From a Dream: The Tom Verlaine Albums (1979-1984) — which celebrates Verlaine’s initial musical life beyond Television, his highly influential CBGB-era alt-punk band.

Primary Category: 
Category: 
Artist: 
Tom Verlaine
Album: 
Souvenir From A Dream: The Tom Verlaine Albums (1979-1984)
Cred Label: 
Rhino
Cred Prod: 
Tom Verlaine (original albums); Patrick Milligan, John Telfer (box set)
Cred Eng: 
Michael Ewasko, Robert Clifford, Ray Niznik, Dave Jerden, Mario Salvati, Howard Gray, Steve Brown
Cred Mix: 
-
Cred Mast: 
Remastered by Chris Bellman with Bill Inglot at Bernie Grundman Mastering; new album lacquers cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering

A new 4LP box set compiling the initial four solo album releases by the late, great tastemaking guitarist/vocalist Tom Verlaine, titled Souvenir From a Dream: The Tom Verlaine Albums (1979-1984), celebrates the artist’s initial musical life beyond Television, his highly influential CBGB-era alt-punk band. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see if Souvenir is worth adding to your collection. . .

High End Munich 2024 Show Report, Part 1: Turntables From Gryphon, Aries Cerat, Technics, Yuki Precision, Thorens, EMT, Clearaudio, Thales, and More

High End Munich 2024 made quite the statement. All throughout the show, the continuing importance of analog equipment and vinyl was emphasized through appearances of and discussions among analog proponents and producers — not to mention just the sheer number of turntables and other analog-associated gear seen at the show. Read Part 1 of Julie Mullins’ Munich show report to see new turntables from the likes of Gryphon, Aries Cerat, Technics, Yuki Precision, Thorens, EMT, Clearaudio, Thales, and more . . .

Munich 2024 Highlight Reel: An Onsite Discussion of Form, Function, and High-End Analog Gear Design

Our Munich 2024 coverage continues! In this installment, ace contributors Julie Mullins and Ken Micallef discuss their experiences in terms of the overall breadth of the show, and they also zero in on some of the high-end analog turntables and other related gear that's been "designed to be both beautiful and functional." Happy viewing. . .

Benny Audio Odyssey Turntable

So many companies, so little time. The AP team didn’t get to spend as much time with everybody at High End Munich 2024 as we would have liked to, so we’ve been doing some post-show follow-ups to cover as many analog bases as we can. The company we’re highlighting today is Benny Audio, founded in 2017 and based in Gliwice, Poland. Their new Odyssey turntable, which was a prototype in 2023, was on display at the show, and is now officially in production. Read on to learn all about the Odyssey’s features and specs. . .

Could T Bone Burnett’s New Solo Album, The Other Side, Be One of the Best Acoustic-Oriented LPs You’ll Spin This, Or Any Other, Year?

Joseph Henry Burnett III is not exactly a household name for most people these days, and that’s a shame. Under his T Bone Burnett sobriquet, he’s turned in a lifetime of work that has placed this legendary musician, composer, and producer in the crosshairs of the likes of Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Los Lobos, Sam Phillips, Roy Orbison, Brandi Carlisle, Grace Potter, Elton John, Leon Russell, Robert Plant, and Alison Krauss (to name more than a few).

Primary Category: 
Category: 
Artist: 
T Bone Burnett
Album: 
The Other Side
Cred Label: 
Verve Forecast
Cred Prod: 
Colin Linden, Michael Piersante, T Bone Burnett
Cred Eng: 
Cred Mix: 
Michael Piersante, at The Village Studio Z, Los Angeles
Cred Mast: 
Gavin Lurssen and Rueben Cohen, at Lurssen Mastering, Burbank, CA

Joseph Henry Burnett III is not exactly a household name for most people these days, and that’s a shame. Under his T Bone Burnett sobriquet, he’s turned in a lifetime of work that has placed this legendary musician, composer, and producer in the crosshairs of the likes of Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Los Lobos, Robert Plant, and Alison Krauss (to name but a few). He’s also just released a new solo album, The Other Side, that’s one of the best LPs we’ve heard so far this year. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see why both sides of The Other Side belong on your turntable. . .

TechDAS Air Force V Premium Turntable

We’ve still got plenty to report about what we saw and heard at High End Munich 2024, so let’s continue on that tract. Today, we’re going to delve into the TechDAS Air Force V Premium turntable, which was part of an impressive demo system put together by Swedish amplifier designer Engstrom. Read on to see all the specs and features of one of the top-shelf tables from TechDAS. . .

Analogue Productions’ UHQR 200g 45rpm 2LP UHQR Version of Steely Dan’s Gaucho Finally Actualizes the Near-Perfection and Soulful Grace Lurking Amidst the Grooves of Its Clinically Clean, Grammy Award-Winning Original 1980 Vinyl Edition

Welcome to Gaucho, amigos! In its original vinyl form as released on MCA in November 1980, Gaucho served as the seedy, somewhat gritty, expertly engineered sundown on the initial Steely Dan era, as the two principal Dans — Walter Becker and Donald Fagen — then took an extended break from each other for a full decade-plus following its release.

Primary Category: 
Artist: 
Steely Dan
Album: 
Gaucho
Cred Label: 
MCA/Geffen/Analogue Productions
Cred Prod: 
Gary Katz (original LP); Chad Kassem (UHQR edition)
Cred Eng: 
Roger Nichols, Elliot Scheiner, Bill Schnee, Jerry Garszva; plus 10 assistant engineers (original LP)
Cred Mix: 
Cred Mast: 
Bob Ludwig (original LP); Bernie Grundman (from a 1980 analog tape copy originally EQ'd by Bob Ludwig); plated and pressed at QRP

Gaucho is the fifth entry in Analogue Productions' comprehensive 200g 45rpm 2LP Steely Dan UHQR reissue series, and this one has been sourced from a 1980 analog tape copy originally EQ'd by Bob Ludwig, who also mastered the original album itself. Read AP editor Mike Mettler’s in-depth review to find out if the new Gaucho UHQR improves upon the original release’s Grammy-winning sonics. . .

Luphonic R2 Turntable

High End Munich 2024 is officially in the books, but our coverage continues onward. Today, we take a look at Luphonic’s R2 turntable. The R2 is the German manufacturer’s just-introduced, more affordable alternative to their top-tier R3 model. Read on to glean the R2’s feature set and SRP options. . .

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