“Why tape still matters”: DJ Kerri Chandler’s new documentary on touring Recording the Masters’ factory

December 23, 2024

Depending on your musical tastes, you may or may not know American DJ and record producer Kerri Chandler. Either way, he’s often referred to with adjectives like ‘legendary’ and ‘pioneering’, having been one of the key movers and shakers in house music for some 30+ years. These days, he refers to tape as his ‘most … More “Why tape still matters”: DJ Kerri Chandler’s new documentary on touring Recording the Masters’ factory

United Home Audio’s Ultima Apollo tape deck wins a Product of the Year Award 2025 from The Absolute Sound

December 20, 2024

Greg Beron of United Home Audio’s Ultima5 tape player won in 2023 and in 2025 it’s the turn of his $55,000 Ultima Apollo deck. The Absolute Sound’s Jonathan Valin writes that it sounds completely different from any of his earlier Ultima decks, with its entirely new EQ circuit and a beefed-up gain stage. The Awards … More United Home Audio’s Ultima Apollo tape deck wins a Product of the Year Award 2025 from The Absolute Sound

Better then Black Friday: The Audiophiles Clinic big tape deck sale!

December 5, 2024

Here’s a brilliant opportunity for anyone in the market for a tape deck. It may be ‘Black Friday’ today but that’s not what this is – the date is pure coincidence and besides I suspect this is a far better deal! Petronel Butuc of The Audiophiles Clinic is selling off a large proportion of his … More Better then Black Friday: The Audiophiles Clinic big tape deck sale!

Revox acquires Horch House

November 26, 2024

This just in from the folks at Revox and Horch House over in Germany: “In the last 15 years, Horch House has developed into the world’s leading company within the analog master tape industry. The brand Horch House, headed by Volker Lange, stands for an uncompromising approach towards quality. “Recently, Revox announced the return of … More Revox acquires Horch House

RX Reels sale now on

November 8, 2024

If you’re a subscriber to Kevin Root’s newsletter over at RX Reels you’ll know this already. If not, read on. “While we can’t change the global economy, we can do our part with some sale items,” says Root in his latest mailout. There are 4 types of sale items currently on offer – details below. … More RX Reels sale now on

Introducing ‘purist’ label Base2 Music – with a review of Bach’s Suites for Cello on tape

October 28, 2024

Based in West Sussex, UK, Base2 Music is likely one of our more niche creators of reel-to-reel recordings – so I guess that makes them almost a niche within a niche, in mainstream terms. The benefit of going super-niche is of course super-specialism and so, as a lover of musical recordings that are superbly well … More Introducing ‘purist’ label Base2 Music – with a review of Bach’s Suites for Cello on tape

Revox launches brand new B77 MkIII tape deck and Analog Master Tapes Collection

October 22, 2024

Around this time last year I ran a blog about Revox offering newly-refurbished editions of their classic B77 MkI and MkII tape decks. In the year since then, there have been some even more exciting developments in the pipeline, which have now finally come out and hit the headlines… (In the meantime there was of … More Revox launches brand new B77 MkIII tape deck and Analog Master Tapes Collection

New tape label Analog Tone Factory: a review of ‘Vintage’ album and a chat with co-founder Jerome Sabbagh

August 16, 2024

A couple of months back I posted a blog about a new New York City-based all-analogue label, Analog Tone Factory. ‘All-analogue’ in the sense that all of the label’s recordings will be captured exclusively on reel-to-reel tape. The resulting albums will then be available in multiple formats including R2R tape (quarter inch, 15ips, IEC/CCIR), AAA 180g … More New tape label Analog Tone Factory: a review of ‘Vintage’ album and a chat with co-founder Jerome Sabbagh

Golden Ear Awards for United Home Audio and Analog Audio Design tape decks from The Absolute Sound

August 13, 2024

The September issue of US audio magazine The Absolute Sound is out, featuring their annual Golden Ear Awards, in which each member of the editorial / review team selects a handful of their favourite hi-fi separates, whether longstanding references or brand new favourites. Jonathan Valin, who writes frequently about reel-to-reel tape, has included two tape … More Golden Ear Awards for United Home Audio and Analog Audio Design tape decks from The Absolute Sound

“Zut alors!” The Absolute Sound reviews Analog Audio Design’s TP-1000 reel-to-reel tape deck

July 22, 2024

The July/August 2024 issue of US audio magazine The Absolute Sound features a four-page review by Jonathan Valin of French company Analog Audio Design’s TP-1000 R2R tape player. Valin admits to having overlooked French high-end audio as a whole for much of his career (I’m not sure why since there’s plenty there to appreciate) but … More “Zut alors!” The Absolute Sound reviews Analog Audio Design’s TP-1000 reel-to-reel tape deck