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 …
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 …
Anyone who streams music from their phone knows just how quick it is to get some tunes playing. Most folks stick with Bluetooth because it’s so simple, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Playing music over the Wi-Fi network can be just as easy, but in that case you’ll need a better solution for streaming. …
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 …
CD sales are on the rise, according to figures from the Recording Industry Association of America – RIAA . The figures are nowhere near the peak years of 1995 to 2005, and interestingly, vinyl sales are higher. But the point is that interest in CDs is actually growing. In addition, millions of households around the …
Audio-Technica, please put this turntable back into production! It’s viable, it looks great, and it plays really well. There’s nothing to worry about. Audio-Technica has only built 3,000 copies of the transparent acrylic turntable. Created for Audio-Technica’s 60th anniversary, it’s completely sold out. Unopened boxes of the AT-LP2022 are already going for double the price …
As someone with all of Beethoven’s symphonies and piano concertos on my shelf, I took the news of an Ortofon pickup bearing the composer’s name with a shrug. According to the press release that came out in 2020, they had taken a perfectly good 2M Black and added an exclusive pin. Big deal. Besides, it …
You don’t need to break the bank to achieve high-quality sound, even if you have a discerning ear. This became clear to us during our testing of the Wiim Mini last year. This unassuming, plug-and-play music streamer delivers high-resolution audio, making it an excellent option for those seeking an elevated listening experience without a hefty …
If you know Reloop at all, it is in most cases for their turntables for DJs. In other words, turntables where robustness and longevity matter more than sound quality. Therefore, when they launched their first turntable for home use, it was met with a slight shrug of the shoulders. They called it the Reloop Hi-Fi …
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 …
Actually, there was nothing wrong with the player from Technics. When we tested it as recently as 2020, we concluded that there weren’t many players like it on the market, certainly not with the qualities it possessed. Technics may not have been satisfied after all. Because now they have upgraded the player to this version …
The Primare player is basically similar to the Technics SL700M2 and Marantz SACD 30n, except that it does not have audio input and support for SACD playback. Like the other two, it’s solidly and convincingly built, with a quiet CD mechanism (from TEAC), and it combines CD playback with high-resolution streaming of most formats. Except …
The benefits of combining streaming with an amplifier are obvious. You have everything in one place, no cable clutter, and one remote control for everything. Another alternative to a separate music streamer is CD streamers. There aren’t many, but they exist and they’re targeted at people with a CD collection that’s still in use. This …
The earlier versions of Auralics Aries and Altair were long among the best music streamers. Therefore, we had certain expectations for the new Altair G1.1, which is an Aries with built-in DAC and analog outputs. We were not disappointed. The player looks similar to its predecessor, but the aluminium grey base plate hints at something …
Despite having no buttons or screen, the Naim player is one of the best choices in this price range. As a music streamer, it lacks almost nothing else, and even though it’s in its fifth year since the launch of the ND5 XS 2 in 2019, it’s still better than most in its class. Behind …