Mike Mettler

Analog Gear News
Schiit Audio Stjarna Phono Preamp
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 21, 2025  |  First Published: Jul 21, 2025  |  comments

It’s time to get into some really good. . . stuff. And what I mean by that is, it’s time to see what the mighty amp manufacturer Schiit Audio has been up to of late — and we’re happy to report that the 15-year-old company has a new phono preamp, the Stjarna, for us to, er, dig into. Read on to see all the features and specs of the newly dropped Schiit Audio Stjarna phono pre. . .

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Analog Gear News
Music First Audio LP 103 LCR Phono Preamp
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 17, 2025  |  First Published: Jul 17, 2025  |  comments

British manufacturer Music First Audio, long known for their stellar preamps and the transformers that are found within them, have announced their latest phono preamp, the LP 103 LCR. Read on to see all the specs and features of the sleek-looking LP 103 LCR. . .

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New Wax Wednesday
Robert Plant Sows the Seeds for New Saving Grace LP to Sprout Forth on September 26
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 16, 2025  |  First Published: Jul 16, 2025  |  comments

Well, he can’t sit still, and you know that he’s moving again. I’m speaking about, of course, the perpetual wanderer known as Robert Plant, who earlier today just announced the release of his latest solo LP, Saving Grace, which will arrive on vinyl via Nonesuch on September 26, 2025. Read on to see who comprises this new Saving Grace collective, and what the vinyl offerings for Plant’s tall cool new LP shall be. . .

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Interviews
Howard Jones on Live Aid at 40, Plus Creating New Songs and Melodic Compositions for His Latest Limited Edition 180g LP, Piano Composed Ivory
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 13, 2025  |  First Published: Jul 13, 2025  |  comments

To say Live Aid altered the course of many an artist’s career exactly 40 years ago today on July 13, 1985, would be an understatement of epic proportions. One such artist got to do so with one single solitary solo performance — keyboardist/vocalist Howard Jones. Forty years on, Jones continues to create new and vital work, in addition to touring his long-loved hits. To cover all of the then and now bases, Jones and AP editor Mike Mettler got on the horn together across the Pond to discuss his compositional thought processes behind what appears on the vinyl version of his new limited-edition 180g LP Piano Composed Ivory, his most vivid recollections of performing at Live Aid, and which two British uber-superstars got a truly private performance backstage of a song Jones didn’t get to perform for the gathered Live Aid masses. . .

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New Wax Wednesday
David Bowie’s Massive Late-Period I Can’t Give Everything Away (2002 – 2016) 180g 18LP Box Set Is Destined for Release on September 12
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 09, 2025  |  First Published: Jul 09, 2025  |  comments

Let’s face the music and dance, shall we? And what I mean by that is a new, and quite big, David Bowie box set is a-coming. It’s titled (number included!) 6. I Can’t Give Everything Away (2002 – 2016), and it will be released in a massive 180g 18LP collection via Parlophone on September 12, 2025. Read on to see which key twilight-era Bowie albums are on it, in addition to what comprises its formidable amount of previously unreleased-on-vinyl contents. . .

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Analog Gear News
Cyrus Audio 40 PPA Phono Preamp
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 08, 2025  |  First Published: Jul 08, 2025  |  comments

Cyrus Audio continues to fill out the formidable 40 line with their latest offering, the 40 PPA phono preamp. Read on to see all the specs and features of the venerable British company’s 40 PPA phono pre. . .

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Analog Gear News
Orange O Turntable
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 07, 2025  |  First Published: Jul 07, 2025  |  comments

Orange knows amplifiers, and Orange also knows turntables. The venerable British power merchants (if you will) are once again turning their gear-manufacturing prowess toward analog playback with the introduction of their new — and quite appropriately, succinctly named — O turntable. Read on to see all the features and specs of the O, and its inherent availability. . .

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Interviews
Robin Trower Looks Back on His Rich Legacy With For Earth Below 50th Anniversary Edition 180g 2LP Set, Then Explores the Present With New Come and Find Me LP
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 03, 2025  |  First Published: Jul 03, 2025  |  comments

Robin Trower is an unabashed guitar master. After he left British proto-prog rockers Procol Harum in 1971, he quickly established himself as an axeslinger/songwriter to be reckoned with via early albums like March 1973’s template setting Twice Removed From Yesterday, the perennial April 1974 FM favorite Bridge of Sighs, and February 1975’s eternally rifftastical For Earth Below, the latter of which was just released as a 180g 2LP 50th Anniversary Edition on June 27, 2025. In a recent interview, AP editor Mike Mettler and Trower discussed the differences between the 1975 and 2025 Earth mixes, the vibrancy of his new album Come and Find Me, and the key reason why his music simply sounds better on vinyl. . .

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AAA VinylNew Wax Wednesday
ZZ Top Continue to Salute Their Legacy With From The Top: 1979–1990 AAA 180g 5LP Box Set on July 4
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 02, 2025  |  First Published: Jul 02, 2025  |  comments

If I blow my top, will you let it go to your head? Put a pin in your answer for now, please, and let’s instead focus on the, er, explosive related box set announcement at hand. Getting a jump on the holiday weekend, ZZ Top have just confirmed that From The Top: 1979–1990, a limited-edition 5LP collection from Rhino High Fidelity (a.k.a. Rhino Hi-Fi), will be released just two days from now on July 4, 2025. Read on to see which albums from the pivotal mainstream-success era of that little ol’ band from Texas constitute this box, and what the source material for each 180g LP in it is. . .

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ALBUM RELEASE NEWSNew Wax Wednesday
The Cranberries Unveil No Need to Argue 30th Anniversary Limited Edition 3LP Set on June 27; 2LP and 1LP Versions Available August 15
Mike Mettler  |  Jun 25, 2025  |  First Published: Jun 25, 2025  |  comments

What’s in your heh-ed, in your he-ehh-ehh-ed? If that deliberately enunciated lyrical refrain instantly brings to mind a certain chilling but ultimately cathartic song by Irish alt-rockers The Cranberries — “Zombie” — then you’ll be eternally pleased to learn that a trio of 30th anniversary vinyl editions of the album that song is from, October 1994’s No Need to Argue, will be released in spurts on both June 27, 2025, and August 15, 2025. Read on to see which version is coming out on wax when, and what tracks each edition contains. . .

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