Powerhaus M6 raises the sound barrier
Chord Company Powerhaus M6 distribution block Regular readers may remember me being very impressed with Chord Company’s Powerhaus S6, which I reviewed last May. It was one of those products that left a void, making it difficult to enjoy my system for a few weeks after it departed. Since my review, I have spoken to […]
Tubulus Concentus I2S
I2S – pronounced eye-squared-ess for those unfamiliar with the term – is a serial digital signal bus scheme originally intended for board-level IC-to-IC transfer (integrated circuit). Now, an increasing number of audio equipment manufacturers are specifying I2S as a digital interconnect for use, for example, between a CD transport or a streamer and an associated […]
The Townshend DCT Isolda advantage
Townshend DCT Isolda and DCT 300 cables Townshend has been producing the DCT Isolda speaker and interconnect cable since the ’90s. Over that time, changes to the product have been incremental, which suggests they got the basics right in the first place. This review followed a chat between the editor and I regarding cable characteristics. […]
Network Acoustics Muon USB Cable
Network Acoustics Muon USB Cable Network Acoustics made the Muon USB Cable because they are mad about noise, by which I mean they hate it. Their aim is to eliminate the noise from streaming systems and by doing so allow those systems to reveal the full glory of the music. Electrical noise on the AC […]
Best Hi-Fi of 2022
The best of the best that we have reviewed on the Ear over the last 12 months
Oephi Lounge
I would like to start this review with an apology to Joakim Juhl, the owner and chief designer of Oephi cables. He very kindly sent me a pair of the Lounge loudspeaker cables back in early August, followed shortly thereafter by a pair of the Lounge RCA interconnects. Now here we are in mid-November and […]
Atlas Arran
Despite knowing about cable manufacturer Atlas for many years, I only recently discovered that they are based just 25 miles away from me in Kilmarnock. It’s always inspiring to read about British success stories but local ones are even better. Founder and MD Kevin Kelly’s engineering background means the Ayrshire enterprise is very much science-led; […]
Tiglon TPL cables
Tiglon’s 47-year-old founder, Kentaro Okino, became fascinated with the sonic properties of magnesium during his mechanical engineering studies and, after using it to suppress vibrations in loudspeaker stands and component isolation platforms, obtained an international patent in 2009 for its use as an electromagnetic wave shield in hi-fi cables. The Japanese company has been making […]
Network Acoustics Muon Streaming System
If you want proof that noise is the enemy of good streaming sound put the Network Acoustics Muon filter and cable between a network switch and a streamer and press play. The sonic benefits are not in the slightest bit subtle, it’s up there with a significant DAC upgrade. Stopping noise getting into a streaming […]
Chord Company Shawline, Signature X & Sarum T
As a companion piece to my review of the Chord Company’s Powerhaus S6 mains block, I was asked to write about my experiences comparing the various cables that Chord sent to me to help get the best from it. Those who have read my piece on the Powerhaus will know I was initially concerned I […]
Atlas Eos Modular 2.5 and Eos dd
Atlas is first and foremost an engineering company, but one which directs its efforts towards making audio components which perform well and are built to last. Main man Kevin Kelly describes the thinking behind the Eos2.5 mains block thus: “We live in an electrically noisy soup, permeated by all manner of potential interference. The ‘household’ mains distribution blocks […]
Network Acoustics ENO USB Cable III
If there’s something that almost everyone thinks they can make in hi-fi it’s cables. Before I worked in reviewing I made cables of my own and they sounded better than the cheap ones I had at the time, but I didn’t feel the urge to go out and sell them to the world, maybe I […]