Rega Planar 3 RS Edition for the joy of vinyl
Rega Planar 3 RS Edition turntable, arm & cartridge The turntable market is pretty well supplied with offerings at almost all price points, so why did Rega feel the need to create the Planar 3 RS Edition? I presume it’s because there is a pretty wide gap between the price of the standard Planar 3 […]
Blok Stax 2G an equipment rack with style
Blok Stax 2G modular hi-fi rack The primary job of a dedicated equipment rack is to provide a stable and isolated platform for our systems. This three-shelf design goes further in that it helps blend into modern living spaces while visually enhancing the equipment placed upon it. This rack has caught the eye of every […]
Best hi-fi of 2024
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 […]
Living Voice OBX-R80: a loudspeaker for music lovers
Living Voice OBX-R80 loudspeakers Living Voice was born out of desire to make loudspeakers that were suitable for the valve/tube electronics. Founder Kevin Scott got his start with Definitive Audio selling tube amplifiers and a small range of speakers that were suited to their relatively low power, but when such models as he considered of […]
Neat Momentum JS: simply delicious speakers
Neat Acoustics Momentum JS speakers A new loudspeaker from Neat Acoustics is always something I get excited about and none more so when it’s a two-way that draws on the company’s top-of-the range Ultimatum range. The Momentum Jet Series is born, of which the Momentum JS stand-mount is the only bookshelf model. Neat Acoustics In […]
McIntosh C55 pre blends looks and musical excellence
McIntosh C55 preamplifier McIntosh Laboratory Inc, to give the company its full name, has been designing and manufacturing high fidelity equipment in Binghamton New York since 1949, which means that when my family and I moved to Broome County (of which Binghamton is the largest town) in New York State in 1985, the brand was […]
The Monitor Audio Gold 500 6G raises standards
Monitor Audio Gold 500 6G speakers I had not long read Trevor Butler’s review of the Monitor Audio Studio 89 speaker in this publication when I was asked if I would take a look at the top-of-the-range model from the newly launched range. This request was timely, as it caught me pondering that I had […]
William Eikos cables, no plastic, no solder, just signal
William Eikos Terra Nova interconnect and Ultra Litz Field speaker cable Bill Funnell-Pilcher was a member of the Trichord triumvirate back in the nineties when it revealed that CD players could be significantly enhanced by upgrading the clocks within them, at the time the notion that clock quality mattered was a new one in digital […]
Perlisten S4b speakers must be heard to be believed
Perlisten S4b loudspeakers Few new speaker brands have enjoyed the universal acclaim of Perlisten, and after a cursory listen, it’s obvious the critical acclaim heaped on its £7,000 S4b flagship standmount isn’t merely generous encouragement for a fledgling brand from Wisconsin, USA. Founded by acoustical engineer Daniel Roemer and former M&K Sound president Lars Johansen […]
Newontech: just turn it on and play
Newontech DAC 08, Pre 08, Amp 10 Newontech’s founder, CEO and passionate music lover, Ole Nielsen, is clear about a mission that seems more like a declaration of obsession. It’s all about the sound (well, it always is) but he stresses that many thousands of hours are spent listening and trying out different components before […]
How much bang does the Wiim Ultra deliver for the buck?
Wiim Ultra streamer DAC preamp Wiim has taken the budget end of the audiophile streaming market by storm since the launch of the Wiim Mini three years ago. Followed by the Wiim Pro and Wiim amp range, these products have formed the basis of many entry-level and secondary streaming systems. The company is a subsidiary […]
Avid Evo Four small speaker huge dynamics
Avid Evo Four loudspeakers Since first hearing Reference Series loudspeakers from Avid I’ve wanted to try some of their designs in my own system. When the Evo range was launched the designs became more affordable and I was delighted to be offered the Evo Four two-way to audition the Avid sound. Turntables and more Avid […]