Tom Evans Audio Design Mastergroove SR Mk4 phono stage In the rarefied atmosphere inhaled by hard-core vinyl enthusiasts such as the Ear Editor Jason Kennedy, the phono stages made by maverick Welsh Valleys designer Tom Evans are seen as the stuff of aspiration, of legend even. The company’s flagship Mastergroove phono stage, the SR Mk4, […]
Advance Paris A10 Apex integrated amplifier These are exciting times for Advance Paris. The company has gone from being an interesting organisation sniffing around the edges of mainstream acceptance to one on the cusp of becoming part of the established order. You can buy their products in a healthy selection of dealers, including a nationwide […]
Onkyo A-50 streaming amplifier The Onkyo A-50 stands out as a powerful, feature-rich, and great-sounding all-in-one amplifier, with only minor usability and connectivity drawbacks holding it back. Indelible association A quick search through the archives of The Ear reveals that the A-50 is the first Onkyo product to be reviewed on the site. For many […]
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 […]
Rega Aos MC phono stage Rumours had been circulating for a while about a baby Aura phono stage from Rega, a halfway house between the Aria MM/MC stage and the company’s range topper but it was still a surprise to see the Aos MC in finished form at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show in February. Rega’s […]
Primare Allt-i-Ett one box system Allt-i-Ett. No, not a secret keyboard shortcut to hack Elon Musk’s PIN number but, if you speak Swedish or Norwegian, simply ‘all-in-one’. After a 41 year run building some of the world’s sleekest Scandi-fi separates for both music and home cinema lovers, Allt-i-Ett is Primare’s long-awaited lifestyle concept album, the […]
Music First Audio LP103 LCR phono preamp I first got wind that Music First Audio (MFA)was working on its first phono stage a couple of years ago. I made sure I kept tags on progress until finally I got word in July that the new LP103 LCR was ready for production. The eagerly-anticipated first review […]
Modwright PH 9.0XT phono stage Modwright got its name from founder Dan Wright’s early work modifying digital products in an attempt to make them sound better in the days before high res and streaming. The company started in 2000 when Modwright upgraded a wide range of digital products using valves/tubes to enhance their sound, today […]
Cyrus 40 PPA phono stage Dispensing his version of the genre’s history, piano playing jazz dude Ben Sidran sang about the underrated importance of a good travel agent. It goes on a bit but it’s quite good, especially the slightly less long live performance (just over 13 minutes) from the 1986 LP On The Live […]
Tom Evans Audio Design Groove+ SRX Mk3 phono stage I have been using a MkII Groove+ SRX since this phono stage was launched in 2017 and I have found very few alternatives that could deliver more of the signal with less distortion, and virtually none that do so at the asking price of that design. […]
Accuphase C-57 phono stage Accuphase is a little different from many of the Japanese brands most people are familiar with. They say they are not interested in mass production and what they see as “its inevitable compromises”. Their philosophy is to produce smaller runs of components that “focus on sound quality and that are a […]
Michell Apollo phono stage It has been a while since Michell launched any electronics that weren’t directly related to controlling the speed of a turntable but the company’s history in this area dates back over 30 years to their first phono stage the Michell Iso. That compact but very effective preamp was designed for Michell […]