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Welcome to the September issue
“Spending a grand on something a few centimetres long, a few grams in weight and that, by the simple expedient of how it works, will eventually wear out, is something that needs a little mental fortitude to do.”

That’s a quote from Ed Selley’s Group Test, which pits half a dozen high-end phono cartridges against one another to discover – if you are minded to shell out on the grooviest ‘cart’ your money can buy – what’s your very best bet?

Quite apart from having to get over the ‘never mind the quality, feel the width’ mindset of handing over a four-figure sum for something so small, your choice is also likely to depend on the type of vinyl you prefer spinning on your platter. Some believe that nothing south of 180g will deliver a satisfactory sonic experience. Others swear that what they call the ‘new stuff’ can’t hold a candle to the richness and ‘soul’ of original pressings and even eulogise the character emanating from the fizzes, pops and crackles they hear issuing forth from a well-loved ‘used’ LP.

Me? I lurk somewhere between the two, so Ed’s Group Test is a welcome guide to where my next cartridge upgrade ought to take me.

Elsewhere in the issue you’ll find an investigation into Spatial Audio and the story of a new recording buried deep in the soil on the Isle of Orkney.

Enjoy the issue.