Somehow I have never managed to experience one of the great BBC loudspeaker designs like the LS3/5a or the LS5/9. Although I have heard many speakers that claim to come close to these originals from the likes of Harbeth, Rogers and Spendor. So when the chance to lay my hands on a pair from a […]
Norway is not the first country you think of when looking for manufacturers of great audio equipment. But it is home to companies that are well known all over the world. Some will remember Tandberg, famous in the seventies and eighties for tape recorders and receivers, these days they only make pro gear. Of course […]
The RP10 is Rega’s latest and most ambitious turntable aside from the as yet to be finalized Naiad. It features many of the ideas developed for Naiad yet costs considerably less than the £20k expected price of that model. It is a bargain in both technological and sonic terms. The RP10 is built around a […]
Released into the wild in September 2013 the Loki is Schiit’s first dedicated DSD-capable USB DAC. As DSD is essentially a sub-niche within the existing niche of high resolution audio. While it remains to be seen whether DSD will achieve – and more importantly maintain – a meaningful toe-hold in the marketplace, the recent trend […]
An almost cubic DAC with a knob on it, from Bulgaria, with my reputation? Not half. Turns out that Antelope Audio has its origins in the US but all the R&D and marketing comes from Sofia, so Bulgarian enough then. I tried the first Antelope converter (now dubbed Zodiac 192 kHz) when the digital streaming […]
The mu-so is Naim’s first foray into the world beyond separates hi-fi. An all in one wireless sound system designed to sit on the sideboard of music lovers who want quality without clutter and the ability to play tunes straight from their mobile phones. It’s a brave move for a company that’s steeped in less […]
The Naim Unitiserve is a dedicated music server made by a company with a track record for high quality and back up, Naim is also renowned for offering power supply (PSU) upgrades for its preamplifiers and source components. Thus far however it has not made one for the Unitiserve, which is supplied with an inline […]
A long, long time ago I had a teenage urge to become a DJ and built myself a mixing console. Unable to work with electronics I made a passive version with some sliding pots, I was too young to understand that a passive preamp or console changes more than the volume when moving the sliders. […]
Ask most people the question: “Does size matter?” And the answer will be: “Yes it matters; loudspeakers should be small, preferably invisible”. The sonically sensitive however, have no concern about size at all and could live happily with anything from a Bose Acoustimass to a Focal Grand Utopia. But to deal with domestic circumstances we […]
The term all signing and dancing gets bandied around rather a lot when it comes to audio electronics but in the case of the NAD D7050 it would appear to be appropriate. The sheer amount of badges shown on its web page gives you some idea of its capabilities; these include Bluetooth aptX, Apple Airplay, […]
California-based Schiit Audio was established in June 2010 by industry stalwarts Mike Moffat – digital audio specialist and founder of Theta – and Jason Stoddard – former chief amplification engineer at Sumo. Their ambitious mission was to bring high-end performance and superior design and build quality to audio products, manufactured locally in the USA, and […]
Look around any audio shop or AV outlet in any country and you find loudspeakers all over the place. In all sizes, from very cheap to extremely expensive, some are painted while a lot are veneered or look like they are covered in real wood. So why in the world would anyone start another brand […]