Michael Fremer

AMG, whose Viella turntable became an almost instant international hit is back with the lower priced Giro G9 'table and 9W2 tonearm. Like the larger 'table, the new Giro is manufactured entirely in AMG's factory in Baviaria.

While analogplanet doesn't regularly review loudspeakers, the recent Vanatoo Transparent One speaker giveaway prompted us to have a listen.

2014 was a fantastic year for vinyl. 2015 looks to be an even better one. Analogplanet.com's editor Michael Fremer looks back on the year past and forward to next year on this "one take" video self-shot after a four day room-cleaning binge during which he discovered vinyl treasures hidden in plain sight.

Back in 1999 I reviewed in Stereophile the KR Audio VT 8000 monoblock vacuum tube amplifier. I wrote in the review: "Virtually every part in the amplifier is custom-made in-house or sourced from associated facilities, including the metal fabrication, the transformers, and the circuit boards. The internal wiring is Swiss in origin. And, of course, the vacuum transducers themselves are made in-house by hand, and that includes all of the tiny internal components, which are stamped out one at a time by hand on dies custom-machined in-house. Even the glass for the tubes is turned and formed by hand. If I hadn't seen all of this with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it."