The Ear’s reviewers pick the best hi-fi of 2025 If you want to discover the best hi-fi of 2025, the audio products that really wowed our reviewers over the last 12 months, look no further. These components made a lasting impression, they are the ones reviewers would have held onto if they could and in […]
Hana Umami Red moving coil cartridge Hana was founded in 2021 by the Excel Sound Corporation which launched the brand in order to market the firm’s own moving coil cartridges to the public. Excel has a long history of cartridge manufacturing on behalf of third parties since 1964, so knows more than a thing or […]
Dynavector DV 10XA-L moving coil cartridge It’s amazing to reflect that the very first DV 10X cartridge from Dynavector was introduced almost 50 years ago, in 1978. It was their first cartridge and it caused a sensation at the time as it was the world’s first ever high-output moving coil cartridge. Dynavector’s use of ultra-thin […]
Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC cartridge One of the key aspects of vinyl replay is mating the cartridge to the most complementary arm (and turntable) in order to get the best out of the grooves which that poor stylus is asked to follow faithfully. It’s also interesting to note that in the various on-line forums there are […]
Skyanalog Ref moving coil cartridge You wouldn’t expect a hi-fi artisan to emerge from the farmlands of rural China, but that’s exactly where Skyanalog founder Jack Leung’s story begins. Growing up in the 1980s, in a place where electronic components were hard to come by, Jack’s fascination with sound and circuitry took root. Jack’s academic […]
Michell Orbe SE turntable Here’s a question, in which year did England win the World Cup? That’s right, it was 1966. I suspect that the majority of you reading this will have known the answer even though you were as yet not even a gleam in your parents’ eyes when it happened. Similarly, in what […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]