David Denyer PR & the reel-to-reel rambler
It seems quite the norm these days for audiophile recording labels to offer a sampler or demo tape that contains extracts from their tape library, and the UK’s Chasing The Dragon is no exception. Run by the husband and wife team of Mike and Françoise Valentine, Chasing The Dragon offers a wide range of classical … More Neville Roberts reviews Chasing The Dragon’s new Sampler Tape
Back in May I wrote a post about room acoustics. Long story short, the folks at GIK Acoustics had (some months prior) very kindly loaned me a bunch of acoustic panels to use in my Reel-to-Reel Rambler demo room at Hi-Fi Show Live. I was so impressed by them that, before returning them, I took … More In pursuit of sonic nirvana: the GIK Acoustics experiment continues – with much juggling of bass traps
There are moments in a music lover’s life when you know you’re in the presence of something very, very special. It may be at a live gig when the band is on fire and the crowd moves and sings together as one. It may be a chance discovery in a secondhand record store where you … More Bringing Pavarotti back to life: a very special collection from the maestro’s personal archive, from Hemiolia Records
Tape lovers, grab your copy of the September issue of Hi-Fi News magazine. In it, self-confessed tape junkie and hi-fi journalist extraordinaire, Ken Kessler, shares his hard-won wisdom on how to get your hands on some seriously good sounds. “For any format, whether new or revived, it is the availability of pre-recorded music that determines … More The reel deals: Hi-Fi News features Ken Kessler’s definitive guide to buying tapes, new and secondhand
Let’s face it, the past six months have been…. well, is there even a word for it? Several come to mind but few of them are printable! What can one say about the massive impact of a global pandemic on every single area of our lives? The virus itself, the effect of months of lockdown, … More STS Analog’s ‘Come Fly With Me’ – in which The Amsterdam Jazz Trio proves to be the perfect cure for lockdown-quarantine-pandemic fever
I first became aware of Italian label Hemiolia Records a few years ago at the Munich High-End Show. I had a quick flick through the selection of tapes they had on display, but at the time wasn’t familiar with the artists in their catalogue. Back then I was busy buying up all the favourites I … More A quick introduction to… Hemiolia Records
For some reason it seems that us audiophiles don’t tend to talk much about room acoustics. Which is odd when you think about it, since no professional recording studio or live music venue would be heard dead without a whole heap of serious acoustic considerations in place. In fact, when you really think about it, it’s … More We need to talk about room acoustics
You may remember that back in 2018, the Munich High End Show saw previews from two companies of the world’s first modern open reel tape decks, which were on their way to market after a couple of decades with no new production of tape machines. The first of the companies, Ballfinger, has since released several … More Introducing… the brand new Metaxas T-RX tape deck
“If, in 1999, you were told that vinyl would enjoy such a massive revival that in 2019 HMV would be opening a flagship store in Birmingham stocking 25,000 records, and that turntables and LPs would appear in mainstream TV ads for watches and life insurance, you’d have laughed in disbelief,” notes audio journalist and R2R … More Ken Kessler: still keeping it reel – for one reason alone
Between them, Dave Denyer and Neville Roberts have clocked up quite a few visits to London’s AIR Studios in the past year or so. And why wouldn’t you, given the opportunity! In this case the opportunities have been offered by Mike Valentine of audiophile record label Chasing the Dragon, whose live studio recording sessions are … More Review: ‘A Day In The Life’ by the Quentin Collins All Star Quintet – the latest release from Chasing the Dragon
