L’Or du Son • January 2026
Dear friends,
I hope the holiday season treated you well, and I wish you and your loved ones a beautiful year 2026, filled with health, joy, and great music.
As always, this month’s edition of L’Or du Son brings together a carefully curated selection of articles, videos, and forum discussions that stood out to me over the past weeks: moments of insight, craftsmanship, and shared passion from across the analog world.
I hope you’ll find inspiration, useful discoveries, and perhaps a few sparks to fuel your own listening journey.
Enjoy, and thank you for being part of this community.
Gregory de Richemont
Before we dive in:
REVIEWS
Grimm Audio PW1
Grimm Audio’s PW1 phono stage, premiered at Munich High End 2025, impresses with innovative design and sonic performance in a compact package.
SOTA Onyx Turntable and EBI Khumar MC Cartridge | On the Road
The American-designed SOTA Onyx turntable paired with the EBI Khumar MC cartridge offers advanced engineering and craftsmanship, delivering high-performance analog sound.
E249: Hyper Analogue’s Sonic X4 Moving Coil Cartridge
An in-depth look at the Hyper Analogue Sonic X4, a new flagship moving coil cartridge designed to surpass all others through meticulous attention to every detail.
GEAR & SETUP
Best Hi-Fi Accessories 2025 | Buyers Guide 2025
pt.AUDIO’s 2025 Buyers Guide highlights top hi-fi accessories including vinyl cleaning tools, record weights, and isolation devices, emphasizing personal preference in gear selection.
Big Lift for 10-year-old Little Fwend
Lasse Gretland’s automatic tonearm lifter, originating from Oslo, has gained worldwide adoption for its practical design and reliability.
Audiophiles! Winter Tweakfest 2020 With Special 2025 Updates!
A comprehensive guide to audio tweaks including power cord conversions, turntable mats, record weights, and power conditioners to enhance system performance.
CF-1010 from Connected Fidelity
The UK-made CF-1010 is a 9-inch tonearm featuring a curved titanium arm, resonance-absorbing head shell, and Linn-compatible mounting, designed for precision and low resonance.
Stylus Cleaning: an Investigation
An investigation into stylus cleaning methods, including brushes and gels, with insights from Ortofon and Goldring to identify the safest cleaning practices.
MUSIC & MASTERING
UMe, Verve Label Group Announce 2026 Acoustic Sound Series Titles
UMe and Verve Label Group reveal their 2026 Acoustic Sound Series, featuring vinyl mastered from original tapes by Matthew Lutthans and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings.
UMe’s Vinylphyle Series First Release Quartet Are All Hits, No Misses
Joe Nino-Hernes leads audiophile mastering with UMe’s Vinylphyle Series debut, delivering consistently high-quality vinyl releases.
The 2025 Audiophile Editors and Writers Records of the Year and MUSE Awards
A concise reflection on fine audio’s passion for great recordings, presenting the 2025 audiophile editors’ and writers’ top records and awards.
FORUM THREADS
Tube Amps Do Something Special
A forum discussion exploring the unique qualities and appeal of tube amplifiers in audio reproduction.
Suggestions for foundational parts of a longer term vinyl setup
A forum thread seeking advice on essential components for building a durable and satisfying vinyl playback system.
VIDEOS
How to design a phono preamplifier
An educational video detailing the design principles and considerations involved in building a phono preamplifier.
How a Clearaudio MC Cartridge is made
A detailed video showcasing the manufacturing process of a Clearaudio moving coil cartridge, emphasizing precision and craftsmanship.
Turntable Unboxing Video: Pear Audio Kid Howard Blue
An unboxing video presenting the Pear Audio Kid Howard Blue turntable, highlighting its design and build quality for analog enthusiasts.
CULTURE & ESSAYS
Darling: Hollywood’s Hip Hi-Fi Restaurant
Chef Sean Brock’s Darling in West Hollywood combines wood-fired cuisine with a hi-fi listening lounge featuring vintage Tannoy speakers and Accuphase amplification playing 45-rpm records.
Global feedback: black or silver?
A poll reveals a consistent preference for black over silver finishes in hi-fi components, reflecting aesthetic choices beyond sound quality.
Spin Doctor #32: Good Vibrations
John Atkinson reflects on the Brinkmann LaGrange turntable and Rega’s design philosophy, emphasizing vibration control in analog playback.
NEWS & RELEASES
Genesis Simplicity Phono Preamplifier
Genesis Advanced Technologies launches the battery-powered Simplicity Phono, an entry-level preamplifier bringing high-end design principles to a more accessible format.
Michel Revolv Turntable
Michell’s Revolv turntable offers a precision-machined aluminum chassis and advanced technologies, positioned between their minimalist and fully suspended models for refined analog listening.
AAVIK R-X88 Phono Stage Series
Denmark’s Aavik introduces the R-x88 phono stage series, inspired by their reference model, delivering high-level analog performance for MC and DS Audio cartridges.
That’s all for this month’s edition. Happy listening!
Join The Analog Circle!
Subscribe to L’Or du Son Newsletter
Receive a monthly selection of the finest news from the analog world.
- Category
- News