What are the characteristics of the perfect hi-fi equipment? When we test products at the highest level of the scale, ostentatious design usually goes hand in hand with impressive sound. And usually also price. But not everyone is equally lavish. The Lyngdorf TDAI 3400 almost looks like a piece of laboratory equipment designed by Philippe …
NAD’s Masters series are the products where engineers are given free rein to make the best equipment they can. We have tested a number of products from the series, among them the integrated amplifier M32 and the media server M50.2. The newest member of the family, the NAD M10, does not look like his older …
Italian Gold Note is a brand that we have not tested before, but we have seen them at hi-fi fairs, where they piqued our curiosity. The company is based in Florence, and the people behind it have been designing hi-fi for 25 years. In the first years as an OEM supplier to other brands, but …
NAD has an almost cult-like status when it comes to hi-fi equipment at reasonable prices. Just about everyone in a design that would make a sparrow look boastful. The NAD C338 is the smallest in the company’s New Classic series of amplifiers. As you would expect from a device called “Classic”, there is a full …
American SVS is primarily known for its subwoofers, which quite literally deliver impact for the money in the home theater. However, the company also makes equipment for stereo use. Prime Wireless Soundbase is a compact integrated amplifier with all analog and digital inputs. It’s a little bigger than Sonos and Bluesound, but still not bigger …
The sound from my records sounded freshly washed and revitalized. It did not matter which pickup I used. An affordable Audio-Technica delivered sound quality I associate with more expensive pickups, and with an expensive Rega pickup it opened up even more, and a Ortofon pickup kicked open the door to a higher analog sky. All …
In the space of just a few years, French manufacturer Devialet has gone from being an obscure producer to being a name on all hi-fi enthusiasts’ lips. As a sort of hi-fi answer to Tesla, they’ve challenged accepted truths and sought new, intelligent ways of making great hi-fi. Their advanced SAM technique that adapts the …
When the green light came on, I knew music was coming out of the radio. Then the pipes behind the fabric grille were warm and the radio filled the living room with sound. Warm, soft and comfortable sound. My parents’ tube-based radio receiver was later replaced with a Japanese transistor receiver, which, even with two …
Over ten years ago, Sonos came on the scene with user-friendly, wireless speakers that provided sound in every room. It was super easy, and changed the hi-fi market forever. After getting the taste of user-friendly multi-room, it is probably difficult to persuade people to return to traditional stereo. But what if you can get both? …
Let’s just admit it: even for an (experienced) old stereo fan, there is not always time and desire to make a ritual out of listening to music. Sometimes you just want to press a button and move on with what you are doing. The answer to that question is usually a multi-room speaker. Put it …
If you look at what people do on social media, it looks like many have dumped the CD collection a long time ago. It is more convenient to use your mobile phone when playing music. It’s almost free, the music is always available, and the sound is perfectly fine. With the music in your pocket, …
It is big, powerful and has endless powers. It is perhaps the most useful amplifier they make, regardless of whether you need all the power. For McIntosh’s most powerful stereo power amplifier, it has no flaws whatsoever. Apart from being quite expensive, there is nothing to fault on the McIntosh MC462. Of course, it does …
The reason why Hegel has ranked high with us regarding their amplifiers is due to their understanding of what creates high quality sound. Namely, the absence of noise and distortion. The amplifier’s task is simply to amplify the electrical music signal coming from the audio source, neither more nor less. This is much harder to …
People generally don’t favour a lot of bulky crates for their amp solution, but this doesn’t mean there’s any less interest in the really good stuff. On the contrary! It’s just that the market seems to be gradually moving away from separate solutions with pre and power amps towards a single hefty integrated amplifier. It’s …
American Emotiva is known for its often very large and massive amplifiers at surprisingly affordable prices. Here we have embarked on the Emotiva BasX TA-100, which in terms of weight and power is in the lighter layer of the company’s product line. This is something as rare as a stereo receiver – ie amplifier and …