Vintage hits: Hi-Fi News reviews four ‘new’ open-reel decks (new in 1978, that is!)

February 4, 2021

Each month, Hi-Fi News magazine raids its vault to bring you an article from its vast archive of features and reviews from yesteryear. The December 2020 issue ran a review from way back in June 1978, in which Martin Colloms put four ‘new’ top-quality open-reel decks to the test. Ah, those were the days eh. … More Vintage hits: Hi-Fi News reviews four ‘new’ open-reel decks (new in 1978, that is!)

Ken Kessler’s surprising support of cassettes (and no-one’s as surprised as Ken himself!)

December 27, 2020

Hoist on my own petard, I closed a previous column (back in the early days of COVID-19!) with the words, “Next Month: The Surprising Sounds of A Crap Format”. Well, COVID-19 and back problems delayed the column in question, but here’s the essence of it: my own, odd, support of cassettes. Let’s not mince words. … More Ken Kessler’s surprising support of cassettes (and no-one’s as surprised as Ken himself!)

R2R is ‘most wanted’ format for a comeback: Hi-Fi Choice

December 10, 2020

Which audio format would you most like to see making a comeback, enjoying success again? This was the question Hi-Fi Choice magazine recently put to its readers, and the results are…. R2R comes out on top! 38% of Hi-Fi Choice readers picked R2R as their preferred format  for a comeback. Gotta be happy with that! … More R2R is ‘most wanted’ format for a comeback: Hi-Fi Choice

Neville Roberts reviews ‘Yuko Mabuchi plays Miles Davis’ from Yarlung Records

November 30, 2020

The audiophile recording label Yarlung Records is all about helping young musicians. Once such musician – Yuko Mabuchi – has just released another album for jazz aficionados; this time, as a homage to Miles Davis.  Yarlung offer their recordings in a variety of formats, including superb quality copy-master tapes. The album ‘Yuko Mabuchi plays Miles … More Neville Roberts reviews ‘Yuko Mabuchi plays Miles Davis’ from Yarlung Records

Discovering Alena Baeva with UltraAnalogue Recordings: part 2 – Beethoven & Mozart

November 10, 2020

In part 1 of Discovering the amazing Alena Baeva you found me tugging at UltraAnalogue Recordings’ Ed Pong’s coat tails like an over-excited kid, dying to get my hands on five tapes of virtuoso violinist Alena Baeva performing in Toronto. Having seen her perform live in the UK twice, and having had the immense pleasure of meeting … More Discovering Alena Baeva with UltraAnalogue Recordings: part 2 – Beethoven & Mozart

New recording on master tape from Tone Pearls

October 4, 2020

Laszlo Gaal of Tone-Pearls Records in France dropped us a line to share news of a new recording on master tape. Tone-Pearls Records is a really interesting sounding venture. It’s a non-profit collective of music researchers and music lovers devoted to recreating the original experience of live concerts. They produce ‘true analogue recordings’ on master tape, … More New recording on master tape from Tone Pearls

Discovering the amazing Alena Baeva with UltraAnalogue Recordings: part 1

September 30, 2020

I’m casting my mind back to August 2018. I’ve been exchanging emails with Ed Pong about his Toronto-based label UltraAnalogue Recordings, which specialises in making superb recordings of chamber music in natural settings, on analogue tape. One day Ed asks me if I’m based anywhere near London. Turns out he’s going to be visiting with … More Discovering the amazing Alena Baeva with UltraAnalogue Recordings: part 1

Neville Roberts reviews Chasing The Dragon’s new Sampler Tape

September 21, 2020

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

In pursuit of sonic nirvana: the GIK Acoustics experiment continues – with much juggling of bass traps

September 16, 2020

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