Moor Amps Ascalon-8: audiophile credentials
Moor Amps Ascalon-8 loudspeakers Moor Amps is a small, family company derived from a shared passion for music and dedicated to high-quality, British-built audio equipment. At its helm are Tim and Ruth Narramore with relations also involved, making this a real family affair. Behind the brand is a passion for music along with a desire […]
Best hi-fi of 2023
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 […]
Audio Physic Classic 8 brings the bass
Audio Physic Classic 8 loudspeakers With new UK distribution, via Cyrus Audio, the German loudspeaker brand Audio Physic is set for increased prominence on our high streets. What better time to try one of these highly thought of transducers which have a long and distinguished pedigree. Cyrus selected the 2½-way design that is the Classic […]
Proac Response D2R for the joy of ribbons
Proac Response D2R standmount speakers Since enjoying the Proac Response DB3 speakers around a year ago I have been eager to try some of the brand’s more up-market products having enjoyed them at various hi-fi shows. When the opportunity arose to listen to the D2 in my own system I jumped at the chance, even […]
Dali Epikore 11: epic by nature
Dali Epikore 11 speakers Dali is not a name that is associated with high end loudspeakers but that’s because they have been so strong at the other end of the market for so long, there has been at least one boundary stretching model in the range for much of the company’s 40 history and of […]
Fyne Vintage Five: a very good year
Fyne Audio Vintage Five speakers I first saw the Mini-Me Vintage Five from Scottish company Fyne Audio at their launch during the Bristol hi-fi show at the start of the year. The looks and build quality appealed at once, even though the units were not playing when I visited their room. It was at the […]
Neat nails Mystique Classic
Neat Acoustics Mystique Classic speakers A new loudspeaker from British stalwart Neat Acoustics is always an exhilarating moment and I was excited when the new Mystique Classic arrived to try in my own system. I had seen a prototype of the compact floorstander at the Munich High End show in May and knew that it […]
AE1 Active blows us away
Acoustic Energy AE1 Active Since I got involved with this reviewing malarkey some years ago now, I have been privileged to host some very fine components in my system. Included in that list are at least two pairs of Acoustic Energy floorstanding loudspeakers. I thoroughly enjoyed them and wrote about them with enthusiasm. Thus when […]
Sonus faber Duetto: style without wires
Sonus faber Duetto wireless speakers With a four-decade pedigree of Italian-designed loudspeakers, Sonus faber has produced its first streaming active speaker system, following the success of its Omnia wireless speaker. The Duetto is clearly an effort to make inroads into a new market segment for an audience demanding high quality with as few boxes as […]
B&W 801 Signature goes the extra mile
Bowers & Wilkins 801 Signature The engineers at Bowers & Wilkins research and development department have been taking their jobs home with them again. It only seems like yesterday that the 800 series was launched in D4 form (apparently it was 2021) yet this summer they unveiled two Signature versions of the smallest and biggest […]
Prodigy5: small box = great sound
PMC prodigy5 speakers PMC started out in pro audio and their official name is Professional Monitor Company so it’s hardly surprising that they are as heavily involved in the music production side of the business as the listening side where we sit in our comfy chairs. PMC’s ethos is that you can use the same […]
Alta Alec scales the heights
Alta Audio Alec loudspeakers Alta Audio is a classic boutique brand. Based in Long Island, New York, Alta is run by Michael Levy who makes a small range of distinctive looking loudspeakers of which the Alec is the smallest floorstander. It stands 39 inches (99cm) high before you add an inch and a half of […]