The rumours of Onkyo’s death were greatly exaggerated. And this even though they were brought to light by Onkyo themselves! When the 76-year-old Japanese hi-fi brand Onkyo filed for bankruptcy with the Osaka District Court on Friday, it triggered a storm of stories about the brand’s demise. From mainstream to niche The story, which appeared … Read more
The traditional High End fair in Munich – the biggest event of the spring for us audiophiles – is finally opening its doors again after being cancelled for two years in a row. Here, some of the world’s most important high-end manufacturers come to present their most extravagant sound creations. Often with a correspondingly extravagant … Read more
[UPDATED: WHILE JAPANESE ONKYO HAS CLOSED SHOP, THE BRAND LIVES ON!] Onkyo shuts down. The once-honoured Japanese hi-fi brand has gone bankrupt. Thus ends a chapter in audio history that has lasted since 1946. With debts of 3.1 billion yen (about 23 million euros), Onkyo could no longer make ends meet. And on Friday, the … Read more
About time, some would say, and we are inclined to agree. Because the Rega Elicit MK5 is actually the very first amp from the Brits to feature a built-in digital audio converter (DAC). It allows for greater flexibility now that you can also connect digital audio sources to the amplifier. The DAC circuitry was not … Read more
Swiss Wattson Audio has been working hard during the pandemic to get their Madison network player ready. It’s small, but has built-in DAC and “true high-end architecture and signal processing”. Including carefully selected and tuned low tolerance components. Roon users will be pleased to know that the Madison is Roon Ready, as well as supporting … Read more
They are quite small, but as we’ve experienced in previous reviews, even small Klipsch speakers can punch above their weight. These are hardly an exception, for the Heritage ProMedia 2.1 comes with a subwoofer in addition to the two small two-way speakers with Klipsch’s well-known Tractrix horn tweeter. The speakers are active, meaning that the … Read more
Pro-Ject is one of the obvious choices for a budget-friendly turntable. Now the Austrian manufacturer comes up with a new turntable in three versions, all in the low price range and basically pretty similar. The E series has always been Pro-Ject’s budget range, but they’re not usually stingy with quality. Nor are they this time, … Read more
For years, it has been possible to control Sonos by voice, using voice assistants from Google, Apple and Amazon. But soon you’ll be able to talk to your Sonos on its own home turf. On June 1, Sonos will introduce its own voice assistant, aptly named Sonos Voice. So writes technology magazine The Verge. That … Read more
To enter the competition, you must follow these steps: Find out which product is pictured Find the test on our website Write “Happy Easter” in the comments field for the test of the product Write “Participated” in this comment field Hint: A small Easter detail has been added to the cover image of the test … Read more
In an audio world dominated by digital wizardry and high-efficiency Class D amplifiers with three- or four-digit power outputs, high-end manufacturer Audio Note is something of an anomaly. Here, they hold on to technologies that had their heyday in the middle of the last century. Old-fashioned? No, simply because they believe the classic design principles … Read more
Scandinavia has no shortage of loudspeaker designers. Both when it comes to separate loudspeaker drivers and finished loudspeakers in all price ranges, the Nordic countries are at the very top of the global ladder. However, none has been as original as the Swede Stig Carlsson, who for five decades shaped and provoked the audio world … Read more
Many have contributed to the development of hi-fi, and some have become justly famous for their discoveries. Where would we be without the likes of James Lansing (JBL), Peter Walker (Quad) and Mark Levinson? One of the lesser-known hi-fi creators is German-born engineer Oskar Heil, who is best remembered by gray-headed hi-fi geeks. But had … Read more
Sustainability is in the spotlight these days, and with the two new models Boo and Boo Tip, Urbanears takes another step towards their goal: to prioritise sustainability at every stage from production to sales. The company aims to become circular and carbon neutral by 2030. Emelie James, Sustainable Design Manager at Urbanears, said: “As we … Read more
The legendary Technics SL-1200 turntable is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and Technics has created a limited edition where the turntable will be available in seven colours in a limited edition of 12,000 units. The SL-1200 was launched in 1972 and since then over 3.5 million units have been sold. All the new turntables have a … Read more
An update to the McIntosh MX100 home cinema processor gives it support for integration and control with Control4. Which is a control protocol where connected products are integrated into the sound, heat and light control of a smart home. The McIntosh processor is a pure home bioprocessor and if you do not have the very … Read more