Moonriver 505 Hybrid phono stage Regular readers may recognise the Moonriver brand name from two earlier reviews which I submitted for the company’s 404 integrated amplifier, in January 2021 and its more powerful sibling the 404 Reference integrated amplifier, in June of last year. To save you scrolling back through the archives let me summarise […]
Leema Neutron & Graviton pre & power amplifiers Leema Acoustics launched its Quantum range of entry level electronics late last year, the first to come our way are the Neutron, an analogue and digital preamplifier bristling with input options and boasting onboard DAC and MM/MC phono stage, and the matching Graviton is a 150 Watt […]
Mola Mola Lupe phono stage At a retail price just shy of £7,500 Mola Mola’s Lupe phono stage can hardly be characterised as entry level, but neither can it be classified as overly expensive if we consider the broader market. At the risk of losing readers struggling to square the sometimes quite ridiculous cost of […]
SPL Phonos MM/MC phono stage German company SPL is one of a small coterie of brands that produce components for both audio enthusiasts and professional studios. There aren’t many other electronics companies whose products are used extensively in both worlds, this is more common with loudspeakers where the demands are not so different but if […]
Avid Integra integrated amplifier Avid Hifi made its name with turntables, solidly engineered and superbly finished examples of the breed. Having built models to suit a wide range of pockets the Huntingdon-based company started building a range of electronics and speakers in order to be able to offer full systems to its customers around the […]
Michael Fidler Spartan 5 & MC Pro phono stages It’s rare that I get to enjoy two phono stages at the same time but Michael Fidler thought that this would be a good way to get a handle on his products. The MC Pro supports MC cartridges, and the Spartan 5 MM cartridges, both units […]
Whest 60Se Pro phono stage Spoiler alert. The Whest 60Se Pro phono stage has had its tweakability minimised. No, it’s not a one size fits all’, but it’s been designed absolutely with sound quality and listening as the first priorities. For that reason, if you want to swap cartridges out at a frantic pace you’re […]
Vertere DG-1S, Sabre & Phono-1 record player Where would we be without turntables like the Vertere DG-1S? Think of all those tons of historical vinyl pressings that would be useless if we were unable to access what’s stored in those tiny grooves. As a result, many people have taken very innovative and different approaches to […]
Zinamp valve phono stage MM/MC edition The Zinamp phono stage is designed for vinyl enthusiasts of both traditional varieties. The ‘I have one and that’s fine for me’, and the ‘I like tweaking so have three turntables and five cartridges and four arms which I like to mix and match’ camp. There seems to be […]
The best of the best that we have reviewed on the Ear over the last 12 months
Marantz SACD 30n & Model 30 With the Marantz SACD 30n this classic brand has its eyes firmly set on the quality conscious consumer, the people who are prepared to pay more for things that are well built and well designed. We’re talking upper end BMWs and Audis, Apple products and Santa Cruz mountain bikes […]
Every once in a while Lady Luck dressed in DHL courier garb brings a particularly notable product to the front door. I had no intention of evaluating the Nash phono preamplifier by Italian design house M2Tech until our Editor Jason Kennedy invited me to take a look at the sample he had received. He’d visited M2Tech in […]