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 …
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 …
The sound of the piano is crystal clear. As if carved out with a scalpel. At the same time, the notes float weightlessly into space, creating a warm, almost organic atmosphere. Jan Gunnar Hoff’s otherworldly piano playing rarely sounds as good on vinyl as it does right now. Interestingly, it’s not because I’ve set up …
Bluesound Node is a small family of streaming receivers. We tested the fourth edition two years ago. But now the fifth incarnation has arrived, and it’s not called Node 5, but Node X. This is to mark the 10th anniversary of Bluesound. The Bluesound Node X has exactly the same dimensions and connections as its …
Many newbies get a surprise the first time they buy a turntable. When they plug it into their amplifier, they realise there’s something strange about the sound. What many don’t realise is that all turntables need to be connected to a special input, often called phono stage, RIAA stage or simply turntable input. Many amplifiers …
It almost makes one feel a bit stupid. When I’ve tested an amplifier with both power and resolution, I often use the words: “Can drive any speaker“. And I often add: “with conviction“. But what are these words really worth? There’s no doubt that you can have a lot of fun with a 120-150 watt …
Fortunately, streaming your favourite music is not just reserved for Bluetooth. Which is convenient enough when you’re on the move, but at home you want better sound than you get from wireless earbuds. Wireless streaming over the Wi-Fi network provides by far the best sound quality, and now more products are emerging with inbuilt streaming …
Receiver. Taste the word. It sounds a bit like Dad’s old Tandberg Sølvsuper, or Beomaster. A solid product with FM, MW, turntable input and a separate button labelled ‘Tape’. For the tape recorder. A receiver is almost the antithesis of hi-fi, a lowest common denominator, a product that brings together all the necessary functions in …
If I say that you should definitely take the chance to listen to something ineffective that gets very hot and doesn’t deliver much power, you might think that I have totally lost it. If, at the same time, I tell you it’s a valve amplifier, you’ll probably shake your head and smile with condescension. Because …
The massive McIntosh powerhouses have always been in the top class of amplifiers. The new MA9500 is no exception, but I wouldn’t have thought it would be audibly better than its predecessor. Not that there’s no precedent. The first really good and powerful integrated amplifier we tested from McIntosh, the MA7000 in 2008 – which …
A good pair of headphones needs an amplifier to drive them. We’re not talking about low-cost headphones for a hundred Euros or so – they’ll probably do fine with the headphone output of your existing amp, and you might even get acceptable quality from the output of a laptop. But more expensive headphones deserve better. …
This must be the quietest valve amp ever, I thought. The valves were glowing and reflected in the glossy black surface. The two Lexie valves in the middle told me the volume was 38. Still, it was quiet as the grave. No sound. At all. A quick look at all the connections gave me no …
Externally, the new Powernode looks like its predecessor: a black or white plastic box with rounded corners and a control panel on top. The panel is more advanced than before, as there is now a touch field for controlling volume, as well as five presets that can be programmed with internet radio stations or playlists. …
The superb Marantz Model 40n amplifier plays music with infectious commitment and immediately became one of my favourites in its price range. It didn’t take long, either. A few minutes with the Keith Jarrett Trio on a pair of Klipsch Heresy IVs (test in progress) was enough. I was hooked. For those who are thinking …
I must admit I was a little surprised. It’s not that I’m prejudiced against valve amplifiers, but I wasn’t expecting this. Let me explain… Many people I talk to have an inherent scepticism about valve amplifiers. That someone uses vacuum valves to get sound into speakers is not only an anachronism, it’s also foolish, they …