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 …
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 …
Wipe dust off the record. Pour a glass of wine. Alphabetise your record collection. But don’t sit and stare at the LED lights in the front. That will only frustrate you. When switching on the Copland amplifier, you will need a saint’s patience. Because it takes a while for the sound to become smooth. But …
A glowing blue light and a red-hot amplifier sounds like an upcoming emergency, but the little amplifier blazed through the test without a hitch. It wasn’t always like this. The tiny Musical Fidelity A1 was once known for its beautiful sound, but the first amplifiers launched in 1985 gained a reputation for frying the output …
With increasing opportunities to stream music in the highest quality, it’s more important than ever that every link maintains the same high quality. That’s why the market for amplifiers with built-in streaming is growing. For the record, we’re not talking about Bluetooth, but streaming over your home network. While Bluetooth is practical in headphones, earbuds …
I’ve always been fascinated by valve amplifiers. Although the use of valves in amplifiers is basically an anachronism, there is something about the sound from them that I never cease to be excited by. That’s probably why valve amplifiers are still being made and sold. The sound, that is, that can have some organic qualities …
When we get a new NAD amp in for testing, we usually remark that it has the same grey and unadorned design that NAD has had for decades. This is actually not entirely true. NAD, like its competitors, has continually tweaked its design in line with changing fashions and technologies. Today’s NAD amplifiers may be …
Danish company Tangent makes hi-fi equipment at prices that everyone can afford. And although the price is on the small side, we’ve been pleasantly surprised by the sound quality on several occasions. However, it came as a surprise when Tangent launched the PreAmp II and PowerAmpster II in early summer. Partly because they launched the …
The Marantz NR1200 is a full-sized network amplifier with more connectivity and features than any other in its class, including five (!) HDMI inputs and an HDMI output with audio return. This is where you connect your TV, so you can include your stereo in your TV entertainment. There are also a couple of digital …
The smallest amp in the test is from NAD and is called Amp1. That doesn’t mean it is less capable. With Chromecast streaming over Wi-Fi, it supports the vast majority of music services, and they’re controlled in the usual way from their native apps. Connecting the amp to the network is super easy: just open …
The Citation family from Harman Kardon consists mainly of wireless speakers and soundbars with built-in streaming, but the Citation Amp is an amplifier designed to drive a set of traditional speakers. That means you can blow the dust off your old favourite speakers and include them in the modern home. Many people think it’s difficult …
NAD has recently had success with small but serious amplifiers, where you only need a pair of speakers to get a complete system. At the more expensive end we have the M10, which has everything you need in one box, including the streaming platform BluOS – which is the same as in Bluesound’s products. Including …
Citation is the name of Harman Kardon’s family of speakers and amplifiers with built-in music streaming. But where other multi-room manufacturers like Sonos and Bluesound use their own locked technology, Harman Kardon uses standardized streaming technologies like Google Home and Apple AirPlay 2. This allows you to connect Citation products with other streaming products using …
I15 Prisma is Primare’s most affordable power amplifier. It has a small and practical footprint, but still oozes quality with a metal cabinet and a front in anodised aluminium. Where the big brothers are built around the Swedish manufacturer’s own Class D amplifier technology, called UFDP 2, the choice in I15 has is built over …