Jico Clipper headshell and cartridge Who has most fun with hi-fi? Not, I suspect, those for whom building the perfect system through the application of ever escalating funds is the destination. While potentially hugely satisfying, the process probably has more in common with an episode of television’s Grand Designs than the joy of casually messing […]
Avid Altus V2 and Nexus V2 tonearms Without pick-up arms, where would we be? Unable to play and enjoy our favourite records. And without well-engineered and high quality pick-up arms we’d never be able to enjoy the huge amount of analogue information stored in those minute grooves. Inevitably, any looseness in the mechanical retrieval system […]
Luphonic R2 turntable & arm The vinyl revival is in full swing and turntables sales are on the up. If you needed evidence, just look at how vinyl and indeed turntables have suddenly been given front-of-house status in HMV stores with CDs relegated to the back of the showroom, if you can find them at […]
Project Audio Stereo Set E1 system I have been listening to music via digital mediums exclusively since the mid-nineties. Prior to this, I was an avid record collector, albeit on a schoolboy budget. My migration to CD was forced by circumstances, namely that until recently I had neither the space nor suitable room in which […]
Dynavector DV-20X2A moving coil cartridge It never ceases to amaze me how technology and processes used to good effect in other industries can be adapted to hi-fi applications to achieve improvements in the sound quality of a product. A great example is the annealing process applied by Japanese manufacturer Dynavector to the key iron parts […]
Rega Planar 3 RS Edition turntable, arm & cartridge The turntable market is pretty well supplied with offerings at almost all price points, so why did Rega feel the need to create the Planar 3 RS Edition? I presume it’s because there is a pretty wide gap between the price of the standard Planar 3 […]
The Ear’s reviewers pick the best hi-fi of 2024 If you want to know the best hi-fi of 2024, the audio products that really wowed our reviewers this year look no further. These components that made a lasting impression, they are the ones reviewers would have held onto if they could and sometimes did. There […]
Audio Creative Groovemaster 4 tonearm I love tonearms. To me they are the access point for getting that magical stuff called music out of the grooves in a vinyl record in such a way that we can become immersed in it. I know that the turntable and cartridge are integral parts of that process, but […]
Gold Note Da Vinci & Giotto cartridges Gold Note has risen to prominence in recent years with an extensive product offering that includes turntables, cartridges, phono stages, amplifiers, CD players and DACs, the company is rapidly gaining a well deserved reputation for good sound quality. The company was founded in Italy by Maurizio Aternini. He […]
Skyanalog P-1M & P-1G MC cartridges Cartridges are right at the sharp end of groove information retrieval, in every sense of that phrase. Whether it’s a wax cylinder, 78rpm shellac disc or a vinyl record, the cartridge is where the music starts. Stylus tip shape is an often-debated subject too, and many engineers have spent […]
Tangerine Audio Revolver LP12 platter Those of you who have been kind enough to read any of my pieces for The Ear over the past few years will know that vinyl is my favourite music replay medium and that, unless there is a guest turntable in the house, I use a Linn Sondek LP12. You […]
Rega Nd7 moving magnet cartridge The Nd7 is the most ambitious of Rega’s radical new moving magnet cartridge range. We enjoyed the entry level Nd3 a couple of months back, got some excellent results with the Nd5 not long ago and have arrived at the Nd7 to top of the trio. All three cartridges share […]