They’ve spent the last decade embracing the streaming revolution, but now here’s a sign of the times…: Naim have just unveiled the first turntable in their 50-year history. And just look at the depth of that platter! The Solstice Special Edition turntable is so-called becuase it was launched on the summner solstice – and becuase Naim’s HQ is just a few miles from the most … Continue reading Naim’s new turntable – 50 years in the making
Now arriving online and on the high street – at the much-loved and ever-resilient Richer Sounds – are a new series of headphones and Airpod-competing earphones from new LA-based business Ausounds. They’re a new name to us but their pedigree includes the engineering team behind products from Beats, JBL, Bose, and Sennheiser, as well as a former Rihanna… Continue reading Headphone Brand Ausounds Arrives in the UK
You’ll need to pay a pretty penny for the world’s most accomplished loudspeakers… The Sasha DAW is hand-built in Utah, USA and finished in Wilson Audio’s automotive-class paint facility. The speakers trace their lineage back to the legendary WATT/Puppy – the best-selling loudspeaker above $10,000 in the history of audio. Oh and ‘DAW’? It stands for ‘David Andrew Wilson’, Wilson Audio’s founder, who passed away earlier … Continue reading Wilson Audio’s Sasha DAW: “amazing levels of sonic detail…”
Jason Kennedy extols the virtues of a refreshingly engaging turntable from Pro-Ject’s growing range… The X1 is the latest addition to Pro-Ject’s burgeoning range of turntables; the company appear intent on covering all price points below the excessive in an attempt to corner the market, and they are doing well. The X1 is a bit different to the majority of the company’s models by virtue … Continue reading Pro-Ject – X1: “refreshingly engaging…”
These wondrous tech-heavy towers of power offer hi-end audio at a price… We have before us a mighty speaker system with a stylish turn of heel, packing in a mass of technology including four 8″ RDT II bass drivers, twin 4″ RDT II mid-range drivers and an MPD transducer. That’s a Micro Pleated Diaphragm high-frequency transducer designed specifically for the Platinum series and a patented … Continue reading Monitor Audio Platinum’s PI500 II: “greater sound accuracy…”
New turntables may have been a little thin on the ground at one of the UK’s biggest hi-fi shows, but there was still plenty of audiophile gear catching the ear and tempting our wallets in Bristol. John Pickford reports… Back in February, we visited the Bristol Hi-Fi Show, the biggest event of its kind in the UK, to check out what’s new in vinyl replay. … Continue reading Show Report: Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2020
While the rest of the planet seemed to lose its collective mind in 2019, we’re pleased to report it was business as usual in the wonderful world of hi-fi engineering… It was impossible to ignore the existing giants of the turntable industry in 2019, notably Rega, who consolidated their position as heavyweight champions with notable additions to the range such as the sublime Planar 10. … Continue reading The Top 8 Turntables of 2020
This plug-and-go, twin-speed turntable is aimed at the lifestyle market… For some, Fluance seems to have popped into existence from nowhere, but the company has actually been around since 1999. Set up by Deepak Jain in Niagara Falls, Canada, Fluance began by offering home theatre products, but vinyl fans have now begun to notice its range of turntables. There are six in all, ranging from … Continue reading Fluance – RT81: “does well in a face-off…”
John Pickford runs the rule over a pair of full-bodied speakers Having been most impressed with Q Acoustics’ small 3010i bookshelf speakers, I was delighted to take a look at the largest pair in the company’s affordable 3000i range, the 3050i floorstanding speakers. Sporting twin 165mm coated paper mid/bass drivers sandwiching a 22mm decoupled soft dome tweeter, the speakers have a wide-band frequency response, reaching down to … Continue reading Q Acoustics’s 3050i: “fast and detailed…”
These floorstanding speakers offer state-of-the-art performance and a luxurious look and feel. The hairs on the back of John Pickford’s neck are suitably impressed. Back in issue 22, I tested Monitor Audio’s sleek and compact Studio loudspeakers with their smart bespoke stands. Now I have before me the much larger floorstanding Gold 300, which heads up the company’s Gold range, incorporating most of the technology … Continue reading Monitor Audio’s Gold 300: “the forefront of cone technology…”
