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 […]
Dynavector XX-2A moving coil cartridge Dynavector has a strong pedigree and reputation for producing high-quality and well-respected cartridges and when I heard there was a brand new XX-2A model making its debut, I was straight on the phone to secure a sample. Dynavector was founded in 1978 by Dr Noboru Tominari, who was previously a […]
Hana Umami Blue moving coil cartridge Hana is a relatively new name, but parent company Excel Sound Corp. has been making phono cartridges for reputable companies for over 50 years, (including their own Urushi brand) accumulating vast experience in design and manufacture along the way. Hana, which draws on that expertise, is the brainchild of […]
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 […]
Vertere MG1 MkII, Imperium, Mystic and Phono 1 MkII L record player Hello again dear readers. Those of you who have been with us for a while may pick up on the fact that this is my third review of the Vertere MG1 MkII Magic Groove record player and the second of the MkII version. […]
Dynavector DV-10X5 MkII L MC cartridge Readers might have the feeling that they have read about the Dynavector DV-10X5 MkII L cartridge before on The Ear, in fact quite recently. They are not wholly wrong. There are now two versions of the Dynavector DV-10X5 MkII. In April last year my colleague Chris Kelly wrote about […]
The best of the best that we have reviewed on the Ear over the last 12 months
Radical styling is not something one associates with moving coil cartridges, there are some brands that use exotic woods and semi-precious stone to imbue their creations with special properties but I don’t recall a mass produced example that looks as radical as the AT-ART20. Their first ART series model, the AT-ART1000 is exotic in tech […]
2021 may not have been the year that many of us had hoped for, there was only one hi-fi show in the UK and not many more elsewhere, but that hasn’t stopped manufacturers both large and small who have produced some absolutely outstanding audio components in that time. Our best of the year round up […]