Musical Fidelity A1 integrated amplifier “Have you fried an egg on it yet?” asked an industry friend upon spying the new Musical Fidelity A1 amplifier. Well you could. Mine reached just short of 73°C, more than the 70°C needed to cook an egg properly. Even for Class A that’s hot. The original A1 was based […]
Luxman L-509Z integrated amplifier My first introduction to the venerable Japanese audio brand Luxman was way back in 1981, when I could finally afford my first ‘proper’ hi-fi system. A very good salesman at a shop in Tottenham Court Road, London, the name of which has long since disappeared from my over-crowded memory bank, recommended […]
Fischer and Fischer SN70 loudspeakers I was very excited to hear that renowned German loudspeaker brand Fischer & Fischer has new UK distribution. The move was mooted when I met MD Thomas Fischer at the Dutch Audio Event last autumn and admired his small monitors with their external crossovers, which were managing to create a […]
Network Acoustics eno2 streaming filter system The eno was a lockdown project between Richard Trussell, an ex-IT professional who is a qualified electronics engineer, and Rob Osbourne, who previously worked as a publisher, filmmaker and DJ. Dissatisfied with the sonic results they were hearing from their music streaming systems, they worked together and came up […]
Merason Reuss DAC The name of Merason’s mid price DAC is pronounced royce I am told, but that takes some remembering. I have enjoyed both iterations of the Merason DAC1 which sits at the top of the range, especially the original with its stainless steel and acrylic casework, and the UK distributor is of the […]
QED Supremus Zr loudspeaker cable When The Ear was offered one of the first samples of the new flagship QED Supremus Zr loudspeaker cable, we couldn’t resist. I personally was very keen to see what this British cable pioneer could do with this “no compromise” newcomer. Owned by Armour Home since 2004, cables and accessories […]
Pachanko Labs Constellation Mini SE server/streamer Made in La Réunion is not something I have seen on anything before let alone a high end audio component, and yet Pachanko Labs is based in the French Department in the Indian Ocean thousands of miles from the nearest hi-fi retailer. Apart from the active volcanos and persistently […]
Chord Company Epic Digital Tuned Aray cable The Chord Company has been revising its Epic range of cables these last few months. Keen readers may remember my review of the Epic X interconnects last year. I still owe them a big thank-you for coming to the rescue and supplying me with an Epic AES/EBU earlier […]
Dali Rubikore 2 speakers Dali, or Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries, has something of a cult following judging by their crowded rooms at hi-fi shows. So popular is the brand that it’s often impossible to find space at these events. I was therefore very excited to be offered their latest two-way bookshelf to try in my […]
Rega Nd5 moving magnet cartridge The Nd5 is the second of three moving magnet cartridges announced by Rega at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show, the first new examples from the company in over a decade. It resembles and is in almost all respects identical to the Nd3 entry level cartridge that we reviewed last earlier in […]
Burson Audio Soloist Voyager headphone amplifier The days when it would have been fair to characterise Burson as one of the best-kept secrets in the UK and European audio scene are rapidly receding in the rear-view mirror as the Australian brand steadily gains traction here. Burson was founded 28 years ago and now from its […]
Buchardt Anniversary 10 wireless active speakers Danish company Buchardt made a good impression with the S400 passive two-way that I reviewed last year so when the active Anniversary 10 became available it didn’t take long to get a pair in. Key features, alongside the onboard amps, are the use of the much-talked about Purifi woofers, […]