Analog Gear News

We’ve always loved the level of craftsmanship that goes into the making of all the various turntables and tonearms that emerge from the mind and hands of Helmut Brinkmann and how well they consistently perform on the bench and in listening tests, but we’ve never given proper due to the German company’s best-selling Taurus turntable — until right now, that is. Read on to see how the Brinkmann Taurus ’table and its optional RöNt Mk III vacuum tube power supply go together like (insert your own perfect analog-oriented analogy here). . .

It was a fine time to be in the Washington, D.C. metro area for the most recent Capital Audiofest (CAF) that was held November 10-12, 2023, at the Twinbrook Hilton in Rockville, Maryland. A growing show, CAF has expanded to encompass a reported 114 exhibit rooms across more than four floors in addition to conference rooms throughout the hotel. Read Part 1 of Julie Mullins’ comprehensive show report to see a fine selection of the best analog gear CAF 2023 had to offer. . .

Best Sound

People always like to talk about spring cleaning, but we here at AP like to do it year-round — especially when it comes to making sure our records are as clean as they can be before we put them on our turntables. CleanerVinyl has a similar philosophy, and the company’s flagship ProXL record cleaning system and UC-3360 multi-frequency ultrasonic cleaner are clearly tailor-made for this all-important LP maintenance task. Read on to see how CleanerVinyl may have the literal solution for your own regularly scheduled record cleaning needs. . .