Heed Elixir integrated amplifier I can’t speak for you of course, but for me Heed is one of those brands that I have been aware for a long time, mostly from encountering them at various audio shows over the years but to which I have never paid great attention. Happily, their UK presence was boosted […]
Gold Note IS-10 streaming amplifier Having visited the Gold Note headquarters, near Florence, to see the company’s new integrated streaming amplifier being designed, built and tested, it was with a degree of excitement that I opened one of the very first units to be shipped to the UK. The IS-10 is sold as an all-in-one […]
Trilogy 921 integrated amplifier Trilogy have been making high quality audio electronics since 1990 and yet remain mysteriously under the radar. This is probably because they have always focused their energies on engineering and design rather than sales and marketing. Trilogy started out building valve or tube amplifiers but now has a range of electronics […]
Roksan Attessa Streaming Amplifier Roksan has been around since 1985 when it was founded by two chaps of Persian heritage, Tufan Hashemi and Touraj Moghaddam. The company name draws on their cultural background, after Roxana, daughter of King Darius. It was Touraj who set things in motion after obtaining his doctorate through Imperial College London. […]
Atoll SDA300 Signature streaming amplifier Having thoroughly enjoyed the French Atoll SDA200 Signature streaming amp, and making it one of my 2022 Products of the Year, I was excited to hear the newly-launched SDA300 Signature at the Warsaw high-end show. My patience was rewarded when a unit, in very smart matt-black milled aluminium, arrived for […]
The Ear picks the best hi-fi of 2023 2023 has been a tough year for the hi-fi industry but that has done nothing to stem the flow of first class products coming to market. In fact there are even more extraordinary audio components to choose from than there were last year, with advances made in […]
Soulnote A-2 integrated amplifier Soulnote came to my attention when speaker design guru Karl-Heinz Fink used their amplifiers to launch the Epos ES14N at the Munich High End show last year, this demonstration and the one in the Soulnote booth suggested that they know a thing or two about making an engaging sound. Both systems […]
Hegel H600 streaming amplifier & DAC We were teased with news of a “very exciting” and “earthshattering” new product from Hegel well over a year ago. Then appeared a new CD player from this burgeoning Norwegian brand, not the news I was waiting for. But that was simply because the real force majeure was delayed […]
Kleio K135 integrated amplifier You might be thinking to yourself as you land on this review: What, another UK-made integrated amplifier, aren’t we already spoiled for choice? I must confess that when approached about reviewing the Kleio K135 I agreed but with some trepidation. However, having hosted a pre-production K135 in my system for a […]
Ayre EX-8 2.0 integrated amplifier & CX-8 CD player The Ayre EX-8 2.0 and CX-8 are innocuous looking components, they do not inhabit heavy, machined aluminium cases and nor do they have much in the way of ornamentation, in black they look very restrained indeed. Yet beneath the plain exterior are electronics that ensure all […]
NAD C3050 LE streaming amplifier Over the past four years I have been lucky enough to have several pieces of NAD equipment to review, and without exception I have enjoyed using them and admired their sound quality. I have also found that they represent excellent value for money, when taking into account sound quality, features, […]
Moon 250i V2 integrated amplifier If first impressions count, then Moon’s new 250i V2 integrated amp makes a huge impact right from the start. It looks like a solid, well-constructed bit of kit from the Canadian company, and it’s classy to boot. What I like the most about it is that it instantly comes across […]