The real reason HiFi in the new millennium sucks: Record producers, sound engineers and many many musicians don’t care about how their music sounds on recorded medium. I came to this conclusion last night while listening to a 1950’s recording of the Oscar Peterson Trio. It was stunning – the performance, the sound and the […]
AUDIO: Ask us
A dialogue between audiophile enthusiasts
Found 571 results
As much as I enjoy my Thorens one day I would like to buy a new one, now I’d hate to shell out £xxx and it not be as good, so the question is:- What is the best sound for pound T/T plus cartridge out there in your opinion(s). MORE
Paul McGowan writes: As designers, we want nothing but the best in our creations—the finest capacitors, connectors, power supplies, and wiring. Yet there’s an obvious problem with that. Not every product can be cost-no-object. Otherwise, few among us could afford to buy equipment for our music systems. And thus the art of intelligent compromise comes […]
Said one forum member: I’ve seen this before and the only point the article makes is that because we can’t scientifically measure something, the writer pours scorn on the hearing of those who choose to follow certain paths. He speaks for no-one but himself and those who choose not to hear or for that matter, […]
Hello all, I have a bad case of upgrade fever…I have just recently rebuilt my 2ch system with Vandersteen 3Asigs, ARC LS25 pre and ARC VTM100MKII. All Cardas Gold reference cables. Next piece to go for is CD player. Currently using my Rega Planet 2000. I welcome your thoughts, I am impressed with the […]
I have come across a number of, what i would term grey import pre amps , apart from the lack of any warranty which applies to any, or should i say most used kit. How difficult is it to get kit repaired without going through the importer and paying the premium for owning gray import […]
Not sure If this will take off but I will start. I’m not always sure with hifi whether £££’s gets you a better sound, better quality product -yes… In most cases My best ever budget buy was a pair of Tannoy mercury v4’s (not V4i’s). These were unbelievably good speakers, absolute party animals too. I […]
Hello there, am in the running for a new preamp, cost is no object. Would appreciate to hear comments from you out there. Thinking about Lyra Connoisseur 4.2 SE among others. Poweramp is Tenor 150, speakers are Eidolon diamonds. Thanks for your help and experience. 141 suggestions HERE
The thread starts as follows: This could lead to a hysterical thread. How many audiophiles have come home with an expensive amp/preamp/and told their wife they bought it for practically nothing? Only to have paid 3-4K they had in their private stash? How many audiophiles have secretly installed a new “toy” in their audio system […]
Paul McGowan: I was surprised at the search results I got when I Googled Digiphobic. One of the first things that comes up is a website called Digiphobia with but one page that reads -noun a persistent irrational fear of all things digital. I figured I thought the term up to explain a loathing of […]
About time. An intelligent, passionate, all-out attack on the whole ‘blind test’ ideology. Contained in Dudley’s column in the ‘Stereophile.’ (Nov 2014). Lot’s of real examples of the ‘results’ such tests achieve (including the infamous Pepsi ” Blind taste” test.) A flavour of Dudley’s broadside can be gathered from the following: ”time and time again, […]
Paul McGowan writes: I’ve heard it said more than once. “Vinyl has soul. Digital does not.” I can relate to what’s being expressed in that statement and I don’t disagree. If we think of soul not as an immortal entity but rather as the essence or embodiment of a certain quality—as in the soul of […]
The thread starts: I don’t generally write reviews on my kit; A, because I’m not very good at it and B, because most of my kit is at the decidedly lo -fi end of the hi – fi spectrum, so not of great interest to others. This phono, however, has surprised me so much that […]
Ian M writes as follows: I have been trawling my way through the MDAC threads because I have it in my mind that I might get a SBT and an MDAC. I am coming to the conclusion that it might be more trouble than its worth. It seems to be a young persons game, my […]
“I listen to some old historical classical recordings now and then and I recently picked up an old London LP in excellent condition from the early to mid 50’s of Ernest Ansermet conducting Stravinsky. I usually only buy the newer reissue LPs or CDs of these historical recordings because they don’t distort nearly as bad […]
From our archives I’ve been thinking of digitising all my vinyl — somewhere around 350-400 LPs so not a task to be taken lightly. I’d like to use WAV files on the home systems and also convert to 320kps MP3 for the car. So to the questions: Has anyone any recommendations on an affordable ADC […]
Quite so! MORE
Some of you may be aware that I scratched a long-term itch a few weeks ago and staggered home from the Tonbridge Audiojumble under the weight of a mighty Yamaha Centennial Series CX-10000 preamplifier. Now, it was a good price (although Mrs. B. disagrees…) but I was aware that it had “a few issues”. And […]
I’ve been looking at various items on ebay, valve amps etc, for stupidly low prices. What exactly is the deal with this. Is the price doubled or tripled with import duty? Is the case work filled with pebbles instead of transformers? My head tells me to avoid but am I wrong. There must be […]
There are a few threads running at the moment that have rekindled a quandary that has long frustrated and bemused me .Why are one man band maverick designer manufacturers often ridiculed by the audio press and vocal public(us on forums) these people often move completely away from accepted norms in audio and make unique products […]
Despite a few dissenting voices, Valves were History. Indeed, the ‘comeback’ of the valve amplifier (which in the UK started with the Michaelson and Austin TVA-1 integrated) was something quite remarkable and virtually without precedent. For while there were a few diehard listeners who preferred 78s to LPs, or Mono to Stereo, there was never […]
Every time I read hifi reviews – and I subscribe to a couple of mags, so I do read a few – I get surprised that they do not review stuff in a way that seems terribly meaningful to me. I start from the perspective that basically all hifi kit is pretty good. There […]
“Ok, here’s my situation: my listening room is nigh untreatable, due to room issues and wife factors. The room itself is 30′ x 15′, with windows on one side and it opens up into the kitchen halfway down the other wall. The back wall partially lofts into a 18′ x 15′ bedroom. The ceilling is […]