XLO Cables go global XLO Cables today announces the continued expansion and global availability of its comprehensive analogue and digital cable ecosystem, engineered to serve every level of high-performance audio system. XLO’s structured line-up (Pro, Ultra, Reference and Signature Series) reflects a unified engineering philosophy focused on signal purity, noise reduction and musical realism across […]
Burson Audio Stellar headphone amplifiers Australian-based head-fi innovators, Burson Audio, introduces its new Stellar Series of compact Class-A desktop components. Composed of the Conductor Stellar, a high resolution, DAC, Class-A headphone and desktop preamp in one, and the Soloist Stellar, that focuses purely on headphone amplification and preamp duties, this duo is designed to maximise […]
Solen amplifiers arrive in the UK French amplifier specialist Solen has appointed Replay Audio Distribution as its new UK distributor. Known for its meticulous engineering and refined aesthetic, Solen focuses on low-noise circuit architecture and robust power delivery, with an emphasis on transparency, dynamics and musical coherence. Each amplifier is designed and manufactured in Grenoble, France, reflecting the […]
Gold Note IS-1000 MkII Deluxe streaming amplifier Italian brand Gold Note have certainly been making waves over the last decade. From its beginnings back in 2011, this once-boutique brand now produces a full range of equipment that covers all bases, from vinyl and digital replay to loudspeakers. I also spotted some rather natty-looking racks in […]
ATC ATC is celebrating its 50th anniversary in style with the most elegant and sophisticated version of its active 50 loudspeaker yet. The EL50 has an elliptical profile cabinet and stands over 1.4m high in its curvaceous leather and walnut clad form. While the three drive units are much the same as the conventional SCM50 […]
An interview with Bugge Wesseltoft At the end of November this year, I was honoured, and privileged to spend more than an hour with one of Europe’s most uniquely prolific jazz piano players, Bugge Wesseltoft. His albums have been reviewed extensively over the past few years in The Ear, and his latest release has become […]
Choosing your first sound system with Richer Sounds Do you remember your very first proper audio system? If you’re anything like me you’ll remember the hi-fi that started your passion for audio with similar nostalgic feelings to those experienced when you think back on your first love. You remember that don’t you? The person who […]
Little Fwend Low Mk2 automatic tonearm lifter Back in the heyday of turntables and vinyl, let’s call it the ‘70s, there were many automatic turntables that lifted the arm when it got to the end of the record, they even stopped the platter spinning and only the diligent felt the need to put the vinyl […]
The musicians who created this album are New York based, yet Spark is homage to rhythms and sounds that are associated with rural Americana. Though it has its self-indulgent moments Spark is a gentle love letter to rhythms and styles that are associated with lazy afternoons spent reclining on a porch in a small town, […]