Category Reviews
REVIEW: Mutec MC-3+ USB: clocking the best way to improve your digital audio
German pro-audio company proves that, for the best possible sound, timing is everything That’s the problem with being interested in audio: just when you think you have your system completely sorted, along comes something to challenge your assumptions and show you there’s still room for improvement. The problem is doubled (at least) when you make […]
REVIEW: Neat Iota Alpha – not a speaker to be overlooked
The innovative little floorstanders from Neat Acoustics are here: and they’re every bit as magical as first demonstrations suggested I was very taken with the little Neat Iota floorstanding speakers when first I encountered them at the Bristol Show in February: they didn’t even have a name, but they proved quite a talking-point – not […]
REVIEW: Naim Mu-so Qb
Things weren’t promising the first time I heard the new Naim Mu-so Qb in action: after being introduced to the technology, the initial taste of what it could do, in an unfamiliar listening room, playing far too loud for the space, put me in mind of the window-rattling bass boom I’d heard from a pimped-up […]
REVIEW: Marantz HD-AMP1 is a classic in the making
New Marantz HD-AMP1 combines retro style with a specification that’s right up to date – and a superb sound
REVIEW: Astell & Kern AK500 system
Nothing looks quite like the extraordinary Astell & Kern AK500 system ‘stack’ – but if you’re expecting it to be style over substance, think again… The Astell & Kern AK500N is unusual enough: a high-end CD ripping/storage/network player, all housed in a near-cube with styling apparently inspired by the Matterhorn, powered by internal batteries and […]
REVIEW: AK Jr – Astell & Kern’s new kid on the block
It may be designed as an entry-level addition to the acclaimed digital music player range, but this £399 machine is has serious intentions – and it’s now available in red, too! UPDATE: The sleek little Astell & Kern AK Jr. digital audio player is now available as a limited edition in red. Selling for the […]
REVIEW: Network music and more – with a Gramofon. Or two. Or…
The Gramofon is small, inexpensive, and can deliver music from your network or streaming services to wherever you have an audio system – simple as that Regular readers will know that I’m thoroughly sold on the benefits of wired networking for music: no, I’m not going to claim sonic benefits, but for stability and reliability, […]
REVIEW: AK Jr – Astell & Kern’s new kid on the block
It may be designed as an entry-level addition to the acclaimed digital music player range, but this £399 machine is has serious intentions – and it’s now available in red, too! Click here for the updated AK Jr. review
REVIEW: Arcam A49 – a transatlantic triumph
Designed in the UK, made in the USA, Arcam’s A49 amplifier is a thrilling-sounding exercise in effortless power OK, I admit it: I haven’t been the greatest fan of some recent Arcam amplifiers. Rather as I find some Cyrus designs overbright and forward-sounding, so the amps from the near neighbour in Cambridgeshire have been […]
REVIEW: Technics R1 and C700 systems tested
I’ve now had a chance to review both the Technics C700 Premium system and the Reference R1 set-up, and the results are very promising So, almost a year since I first heard the beginnings of the Technics revival, the boxes started arriving containing the review samples. And having now listened to both the R1 Reference […]
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