SEASICK STEVE: Interview

Kicked out of his family home at the age of 14, Steve became a genuine hobo, hopping freights all over America. Always travelling with his guitar – having been taught a few chords as a kid by Delta bluesman KC Douglas, an old pal of the legendary Tommy Johnson – in the ’60s he began […]

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CONVERSATIONS WITH COLIN / ELSDON – WONFOR: Boutique brand, or mass-market?

Hi Colin. First. Congratulations on rising phoenix-like from a difficult time with difficult people! From what I have read my impression is that you are intent on keeping Elsdon Wonfor Audio small; a boutique-brand if you will. However for the sake of conversation, or curiosity or whatever, if you wanted to, could the company be […]

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AUDIO RESEARCH: How they got it both right, and wrong

Paul McGowan writes: Starting in the late 1960s and gaining popularity in HIFI circles in the 1970s, the ubiquitous IEC 320 (shortened from 60320) was immediately embraced by manufacturers; not because it is better (it isn’t), but because it permits the use of multiple cable types without change to the hardware. Once manufacturers began shipping […]

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SONUS FABER: Interview with Sonus Faber Livio Cucuzza

Mono & Stereo exclusive interview with Sonus Faber main designer Livio Cucuzza. An open view into his and company approach to design not only regarding Sonus Faber speakers, but also Audio Research and Waida. We looked into what is 21st century is going to bring for company and customers. How did all started for you at […]

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SUGDEN: Their LS21 loudspeaker but …… discontinued!

They say ….. The LS21 is a tuned quarter wave design and uses a treble and mid/base driver ported through the plinth. The cabinet is compact but not compromised, being domestically acceptable at less than 1m tall and less than 23cm wide. The cabinets are manufactured in-house by our highly skilled cabinet maker. This includes […]

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CONVERSATIONS WITH COLIN: Equipment break-in. Fact or fiction or a combination of both?

Hi guys. Is there or will there be an ‘official’ Elsdon Wonfor Audio policy on this. Here’s my view. I’m an adherent to the psychological theory of so-called break-in; it’s simply one’s brain adjusting to a new piece of audio equipment. I also like to compare it to the ancient therapy of acupuncture; break-in apparently […]

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ARCAM: The rPHONO – observations

They say ….. Designed specifically to replace an in-built phono amplifier or to add a turntable connection to your existing amplifier, the rPhono is the latest addition to the rSeries. The rPhono benefits from Arcam’s more than forty years of analogue audio expertise and uses the finest quality parts in a layout that is optimised […]

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WALTER TROUT: Battle Scars (CD)

Deluxe edition digipack with extended booklet and 2 bonus tracks. Joyful, energized guitar-and-vocal performances frame the dozen original songs that narrate his hard-won, life-or-death struggle waiting for, and ultimately receiving, a life-saving liver transplant. With bristling energy, unflagging virtuosity and lyrics that cut to the core of human hope and willpower, Walter Trout’s new album, […]

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KOETSU: Best arm for a Koetsu Rosewood ?

Having sold many kosher ones from Ricardo and avoiding the clever copies, I used mine on a Gyro with a Breuer 8-Dynamic arm for many years. That arm was hard to obtain and so I had to find alternatives for my customers. They and I achieved excellent results via: Syrinx PU2 Syrinx PU3 Sumiko MDC-800 […]

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CONVERSATIONS WITH COLIN: Ideas are stolen everyday by people that could not imagine nor design anything new

Dear Colin, Can you tell us a little – or a lot if you wish – about the Integrated Amp design you are most proud and why please? The Claymore come to mind – the Inca Tech Claymore – it was designed on a whim for a US based company that never came back to […]

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CONVERSATIONS WITH COLIN: External power supplies

Hello Colin. I seem to have read somewhere that you feel that external power supplies for audiophile equipment Is really an irrelevance if the original power supply design has been correctly implemented. Have I got that right? If not, can you put your views to us? Thanks in advance, Nigel Okay, I did say that […]

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APOGEE / KRELL: Their golden era. The KSA 80 and the pursuit of RMS quantity over RMS quality. And in passing, the Boothroyd Stuart Meridian 107

  Dear Howard, I purchased a Benchmark DAC Pre from you some time ago – it is the best purchased I have ever made. My question relates to power amplifiers. Can you suggest power amplifiers which will be suitable for Apogee Scintilla loudspeakers which present a 1 ohm load. I should be grateful for any […]

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Quill

SURPRISING, BUT MAYBE NOT AS MUCH AS YOU’D THINK: 10 pre-owned vintage CD players under £40 each compared

In this, my latest experiment, I decided to buy as many pre-owned / low cost CD players as I could afford for the investigation and NONE over £40 each from the major auction sites. PART 1: I wanted to determine if via my reference system #1 (£100 in total), I could (a) hear any worthwhile […]

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