AVM CS 8.3 Black Edition one box high end
AVM Ovation CS 8.3 Black Edition AVM Ovation CS 8.3 Black Edition is a long name for any piece of kit but this particular piece is both multifunctional and sits at the top of the tree in AVM’s streaming amplifier tree, so it has earned the moniker. AVM make more streaming amplifiers than most, it […]
Ansuz Darkz S2t & T2 resonant waves
Ansuz Acoustics Darkz S2t & T2 When I visited the Audio Group Denmark last year Ansuz Darkz S2t resonance controllers were one of the first things they demonstrated to me, and they made a deep impression. The guys at Ansuz have done a lot of research into the resonant characteristics of different materials, specifically metals […]
Sivga SV023: luxury for less
Sivga SV023 open-backed headphone Using a headphone like the Sivga SV023 on the move is not something I do anymore but back in the late ‘80s and the pre-iPod years of the ‘90s I was regularly involved in work-related long haul travel, and my trusty Sony Walkman and then Discman were always in my hand […]
Linear A does exactly what it says on the tin
Tom Evans Audio Design Linear A Mk3 The Linear A been a long time coming. Tom Evans has been making the Linear A and B power amplifiers for 16 years now and as a long-time fan of his work, his CD player clock upgrades of the ‘90s made that format musical for the first time, […]
Kudos Titan 606 for the long run
Kudos Titan 606 loudspeakers I have enjoyed a number of the Kudos loudspeakers during my tenure with the Ear so the opportunity to hear the Titan 606, the largest model yet to grace my listening room, was one I jumped at with enthusiasm. Regular readers may recall the positive impression that the C20 and the 10A […]
ZuperDAC Max: big sound, small box
Zorloo ZuperDAC Max USB-DAC High Quality portable listening solutions like the ZuperDAC Max are arguably more important to the hi-fi industry than many of us appreciate. The industry needs to convert a certain percentage of young music lovers, who often start listening via YouTube or Spotify, into future buyers of pricier equipment. My day job […]
Eclipse TD307MK3 desktop delight
Eclipse TD307MK3 compact loudspeaker If you are going to enjoy your music while you work there are plenty of good reasons to use a speaker like the Eclipse TD307MK3. Eclipse makes single drive unit speakers, it always has and always will. The Japanese company likes this approach because you get a genuine point source, that […]
Blumenhofer Fun 13 Mk2 for real energy
Blumenhofer Fun 13 Mk2 floorstanding loudspeaker I was introduced to Blumenhofer Acoustics exactly a year ago when I reviewed their Tempesta 20, a rousing hybrid-horn that lingered so vividly in my memory it was impossible to ignore eleven months later when it was time to nominate The Ear’s Best of 2022. Keen to hear more, […]
Vertere DG-1S: magic vinyl sound
Vertere DG-1S, Sabre & Phono-1 record player Where would we be without turntables like the Vertere DG-1S? Think of all those tons of historical vinyl pressings that would be useless if we were unable to access what’s stored in those tiny grooves. As a result, many people have taken very innovative and different approaches to […]
Audionec Evo 2 for great tube sound
Audionec Evo 2 AS loudspeaker Audionec Evo 2 is the second tier of a rather well conceived modular loudspeaker range. The Evo line is based on three cabinets and a frame, from these building blocks Audionec offers four models all but the most ambitious of which can be upgraded. An Evo 1 consists of the […]
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 […]
Naim New Classic and the rhythm divine
Naim NSC 222, NPX 300 & NAP 250 The Naim New Classic range marks the beginning of an era for the Salisbury based electronics brand, a company that celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. It is the first change to Naim’s core product line since the introduction of Naim Classic in 2002. The Mu-So and […]