Auralic Altair G2.2 streamer DAC preamplifier With their very similar if precisely executed cases you could be forgiven for not noticing differences between Auralic components. The flagship G2.2 models all look very much alike in their two thirds width, black anodised aluminium chassis with a central display, the only differentiation is the presence or otherwise […]
Oephi Immanence 2 loudspeakers A red pill kind of speaker. Anyone who’s seen the film The Matrix probably won’t need further explanation but here goes anyway. Protagonist Neo is given a choice: take the blue pill and continue with the safe, unremarkable, comfortable life that’s being fed to you; take the red pill, though, and […]
Primare SC15 Mk2 streamer, DAC and preamplifier A few months ago I received a pair of Phonar Match Air WiSA-enabled wireless speakers to review and, on realising that the the supplied streaming units were holding back sound quality, I asked for a Primare SC15 Mk2, purely with the aim of achieving a better sound from […]
Cyrus 40 CD player UK audio manufacturer Cyrus has launched a new family of separates, the 40 Series. It’s a re-think of its existing popular range that at debut comprises just four products, but is likely to grow further. Aesthetically the new look is sleeker, some might say more up-to-date, with dark glass, TFT displays […]
Audia Flight FLS1/FLS4 pre/power amplifiers Italy is a beautiful country in parts, and the Italians are no strangers to the high life. I have never been brave enough to provide a home for any of the many exotic cars I often find myself drooling over, and their racing bikes tend to be too small for […]
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 […]
PMC active twenty5.22i loudspeakers Active or powered speakers are finally having their hay day, the demand for smaller wireless audio systems is largely why this is happening now but incorporating amplifiers and electronic crossovers into the speaker cabinet has advantages way beyond space and cost saving. The main advantage and the one for which active […]
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 […]
Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3 Signature Bowers & Wilkins have established a working pattern over the last decade or so that sees certain models from their upper ranges upgraded to Signature status after they have been on the market for a while. We saw this most recently with the 801 Signature and this year the […]
Atoll MS120 streamer Somewhat bizarrely, it was in an Austrian high street dealer, while sheltering from a torrential downpour, that I heard the Atoll MS120 streamer. It was clear that the unit has great qualities and, having enjoyed the brand’s integrated streaming amps, I wanted to try this mini version in my own system. French […]
Monitor Audio Studio 89 loudspeakers It was back I the ‘80s, I recall, when Monitor Audio launched its Studio Series of loudspeakers. Now, taking its name from that now fashionable time, the Studio 89 has launched and I was excited to put this compact two-way through its paces, especially as it borrows some technology from […]
Isoslice The Block & Turntable isolation platforms I met Isoslice owner Paul Mallyon at the UK Audio show in London last year, where he was exhibiting his Isoslice platforms. He had small pads for loudspeakers and a larger one for turntables. He explained that, as a professional musician and composer, and recording engineer of some […]