When viewed from the front, the Argon Audio SA2 looks exactly like its predecessor, the SA1. The two amplifiers have exactly the same dimensions and weight, and with nothing but ‘Argon Audio’ on the front, it’s impossible to tell the difference. Unless you’ve chosen the blue version of the SA2. Because in addition to black …
A retro wave is currently sweeping over us. Suddenly, speakers and amplifiers need to look old again and vinyl sales have surpassed CD sales. And now, years after LP sales have picked up again, now it is the turn of cassettes. It still takes effort to find new cassette tapes, although recently music has started …
Competition in the budget segment is fierce. There are many players vying for attention, and it’s not difficult to find an affordable turntable. But it’s harder to find a really good turntable that doesn’t cost a fortune. For most people, the best bet is to find a player from Rega, Pro-Ject or Argon. They come …
Sometimes products come along that we just have to surrender to. The small wireless streamers from WiiM are among those products. They give you streaming with a sound quality that far surpasses what we are used to in the budget class. Now they have taken the successful streaming platform one step further and combined it …
In recent years, JBL has been getting back to its roots – and they’re still digging. Since the JBL L100 Classic really kicked off the nostalgia, JBL has launched dozens of new models in retro designs. Often with “Classic” or “Authentics” woven into the name to emphasise that we have returned to the original virtues. …
While analogue vinyl albums are becoming more and more popular year after year, the CD medium has gone the other way. Since its peak in 2000, sales have dropped by around 95 per cent. Should you want to expand your music selection, you can often pick up entire CD collections for free in your neighbourhood. …
Few people have any expectations of a compact all-in-one system. It has to work, play well enough and preferably not take up too much space. It’s nice if the price isn’t a deterrent, right? At Pinell in Norway, they’re not satisfied with good enough. Ever since they made their breakthrough with a remarkably good travelling …
Once upon a time, a CD changer was something that many people could see the benefit of. With five or more CDs in a drawer – or in a compartment – you could keep the music going for hours without touching the player. CD changers became popular both in the home and in cafés and …
Playing records doesn’t easier than this. Even those with ten thumbs and an aversion to touching anything technical can play music with a fully automatic turntable. Put on the record, press start and sink into the sofa. And enjoy. No frills and no hassle. You may need to dust the record with a record brush …
From a cynical point of view, one could argue that perhaps it was time for a successor. After all, the Hegel H190 is their oldest amplifier, and seven years after its debut, perhaps it’s time for a sequel? It’s definitely coming, just not any time soon, but this one will. The Hegel H190V is not …
When I was a young, lanky nerd (now I’m only a nerd), my boyhood dream was a nice stereo system with a robust amplifier at its centre. That was many years ago, and the classic stereo amplifier was for many years an endangered species. But like the turntable and vinyl records, the stereo amplifier is …
No one has a larger selection of turntables and turntable accessories than the Austrian company Pro-Ject. They make players in all price ranges, pickups, tonearms, record brushes, cleaning equipment and, of course, phono cartridges. Not one or two, no. They have more phonostages than I can count. Need a turntable input? Pro-Ject has an affordable …
JBL’s compact turntable combines wireless streaming to headphones, Bluetooth speakers – or earbuds – with simple operation and great sound. The JBL Spinner BT is a great place to start for anyone who has bought their first LP and has plans for more albums. It’s not where you’ll find the ultimate in budget sound quality. …
With the CD 50n, Marantz is well on its way to renewal. It is the third CD player – and the seventh product – with the characteristic design and familiar Marantz qualities. The player is positioned between the excellent Marantz SACD 30n with SACD CD and network and the simpler CD 60. Which is a …
So you want an amplifier? Should it be for hi-fi or home cinema? Although both applications should, in principle, be about good sound, the lines are drawn very clearly. So much so that in many hi-fi forums, mentioning the word “surround” can be cause for banishment. The Marantz Stereo 70s may be a bridge between …