I've been hard at work over the weekend writing up my review of the superb New Valve Order SPA one phono equalizer ($4250 USD). The SPA one is a honey of a phono equalizer that'll make you want to go out and buy more albums - a good thing for sure!

I'll tell you what, my Hi-Fi rig is sounding so good right now it's freaking scary! As I was finishing up a section of the review, I was listening to the the 40th anniversary edition of the three LP album set of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Will The Circle Be Unbroken on Capital that I just bought from Acoustic Sounds ($60 USD).

What an album! Who could have known in August 1971 when the long-haired hippy country-rock band kids Jimmie Fadden, Jeff Hanna, Jimmy Ibbotson, John McEuen, and Les Thompson of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band met with elder American music traditionalists Mother Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Roy Acuff, Merle Travis, Jimmy Martin, Vassar Clements, Junior Huskey, Norman Blake, and Pete Oswald Kirby to record Will the Circle Be Unbroken that upon its release in 1972 that it would end up as one of the most important albums in American music.

Like Out of the Cool that I reported on in my last edition of Today's Fresh Catch, Will the Circle be Unbroken is great music performed by awesome musicians, using extremely good production values, and a broad range of acoustic instruments, which makes it wonderful to listen to, and a treasure for evaluating Hi-Fi gear.

One of the first things you’ll notice about The Circle when the stylus touches down on its surface is its huge sense of recorded space, and I was certainly impressed by the way it filled my listening room with the recorded acoustic – it really grabbed my attention.

The Circle has an orchestra-like collection of musicians that will challenge your Hi-Fi's musical chops to let it all hang out. I was hearing pinpoint imaging; a wide, deep, and naturally tall soundstage; a magnificent soundspace; a high level of transparency, and all done so artfully that it made the music come to life in my living room. The Circle's balance of sonics & music is about as perfect as it gets!

I probably shouldn’t admit to this, but it’s true: I loved the way The Circle played loud evoked such tremendous feeling, without ever making my ears want to shut down. Baby, I cranked it up until my windows were bulging from the sound pressure out of my big Westminster Royal SEs, and I felt like I was in the middle of the band jamming at full tilt! Man, The Circle is fun to listen to - woo hoo!

If you haven't got a copy of this LP set you'll want to be sure to add it to your collection, it's a really terrific album!

Well it has been a long day of writing about audio so it's time for me to sign off and enjoy a nice cool beer on this hot August night!

Happy listening and thanks for stopping by!