Fresh From the Bench: Sumiko Phono Cartridges and RS78 78 rpm Stylus

Longstanding audioXpress author Gary Galo reviews the latest Sumiko Olympia and Wellfleet phono cartridges, and RS78 78 rpm stylus. The new RS78 is Sumiko's first 78 rpm solution, meeting the needs of many vintage recording enthusiasts and can be installed on many of the brand's cartridges. In this review, Gary discusses the merits of these versatile and high-quality cartridges while exploring his personal collection of 78 rpm recordings. This article was originally published in audioXpress, October 2022.

Based on key topics raised during an Iron Mountain Entertainment Services (IMES) and Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing (P&E Wing) co-hosted 2021 summit “Protecting Legacies: The Art, Science and Value of Music Archives,” IMES, the P&E Wing and the Audio Engineering Society (AES) developed a survey to assess current practices and challenges in audio archiving. The survey was sent to approximately 4,000 members of the P&E Wing and 11,000 members of the AES.

Tascam announced the re-launch of the original CD-A580 Cassette Recorder/CD Player/USB Flash Drive Recorder, which in 2017 finally replaced the CD-A500MkII, the successor of the original CD-A550. By combining a cassette recorder, CD player and USB flash drive recorder/player into a rack-mountable unit, the CD-A550/580 was designed to be a playback device for installed sound applications. Gradually, it was in fact adopted by people who just needed something to playback their old cassettes and their old CDs, and wanted to copy those to a digital file.

The AES announced the ascension of Nadja Wallaszkovits to the office of President, taking on the role as of January 1, 2019. "Having worked with Nadja for many years as part of the AES team, we look forward to having her serve in the role of president, as the Society continues our mission to promote science and education in the field of audio engineering. Nadja’s knowledge of audio engineering technologies and experience within the AES will be a valuable asset in the coming year," states AES Past-President David Scheirman.

In this edition, audioXpress pays tribute to one of its most esteemed and prolific writers, Ron Tipton (1936–2018). In our cover feature, Scott Dorsey details his fascinating visit to the Library of Congress National Audio-Visual Conservation Center. Tom Perazella concludes the construction of his flagship Egg Speakers, Andy Lewis explains more about Back EMF, Peter Lehmann shares his time-alignment design for a two-way speaker, and Ethan Winer shares his experience with the affordable LabNation SmartScope USB oscilloscope. And that's just the start of another great edition, now available in print and online.

The 2018 Audio Engineering Society International Conference on Audio Archiving, Preservation & Restoration will take place in Culpeper, VA, June 28-30. This conference will present an opportunity to bring researchers and practitioners together for three days to discuss critical preservation issues and focus on strategies that will support and encourage collaboration and interoperability between industry and the preservation, restoration and archiving communities.