After massaging my soul with James Blake’s latest album, I felt for a break in style. Not because it was tiring to listen to Blake, but mostly because the mood was more towards pleasant background music. But when Brad Mehldau started Nick Drake’s Things Behind The Sun, solo on stage at Sumida Triphony Hall in …
Dutch & Dutch is Dutch – and so obviously proud of their heritage that they chose to mention it twice in the company name. The company, which is based in Rotterdam, has only one product on the program, a speaker. It is, in turn, brimming with interesting technical solutions. First of all, it is active …
The Elipson Prestige Facet 6B is the little brother of the Prestige Facet 8B, which we have previously tested. And just like on it, the workmanship is more exclusive than you would expect at the price point. The edges are rounded and the dark walnut finish is almost lifelike. The piano-lacquered front plate is thick …
British Q Acoustics is especially known for making good quality speakers at a reasonable price. And the Q Acoustics 3020i seems to be built according to the same no-nonsense recipe. The vinyl-covered cabinet has rounded edges, and the drivers, which appear to be of average quality, are surrounded by chrome-plated metal ornaments. It is not …
It was with some extra anticipation that I received the Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 for review. Wharfedale has made lots of excellent speakers over the years, but in this case the manufacturer emphasizes that they were developed by German Karl-Heinz Fink. Fink was also behind i.a. Q Acoustics Concept 500, but this is the first time …
Natural black pearls are far more sought after than white pearls. Real black pearls are far rarer and very exclusive, and are found just off the coast of Tahiti. They are called Pinctada margaritifera, and the pearls turn black if they develop near the black lips of the Tahitian oyster. They cost about 10 times …
As a hi-fi reviewer, you can sometimes get a little speed blind. Because while we test lots of speakers, most of them have four- or even five-digit prices. But cheaper solutions exsist. The Tangent Spectrum X4 belongs to a rare – and possibly extinct – breed: cheap passive speakers. Speakers in the very cheap price …
Actually, it should not be possible for something so small to be so tough. The speakers are not much bigger than a shoebox, and take up so little space that they almost disappear on the bookshelf. Normally such small speakers are full of limitations, and they are found here as well. There are only fewer …
Although the French hi-fi brand Elipson has been around for more than 80 years, where they have received awards in their home country for their often science fiction-like design, they have never been particularly well-known here, and in fact we have only tested one single product from them earlier, namely the compact speaker Prestige Facet …
Review: Sonus faber Minima Amator II I do not remember when it was, but it’s almost 30 years ago. At that time I owned the first editions of Sonus faber Electa Amator. A hand-built, medium-sized, two-way walnut speaker. A nice craftsmanship, and an exquisite sound quality. The speaker was a success and has since been …
Beosound A1 2. Gen is, as the name suggests, another version of the A1 Bluetooth portable speaker. However, it is the first with that name, as its predecessor was called Beoplay by first name, and was part of the defunct B&O Play brand. It also means that there are two Beosound products with the number …
Some people might make the mistake of rejecting the Phantom Reactor as a dinky little designer piece best suited for showing off in a trendy home. But Devialet is the company behind some of the most technologically advanced hi-fi products on the market; with their first Phantom speaker they pushed the limits of what we …
When you have grown from the Bluetooth speaker, or the old system has thanked you, the question is what to replace it with. A new Bluetooth speaker is the most practical solution, while a new system is the best solution. At least if you value good sound. But there is a middle ground. A good …