HifiZine publishes independent reviews of a range of audio equipment. We don’t impose budgetary constraints – equipment is reviewed at the interest of our reviewers.
“Over several decades of listening to and buying audio gear I’ve learned that price is only mildly correlated with sonic quality.” Patrick Dillon examines the new low-cost offering from Von Schweikert Audio, the VR-22. Available only factory-direct, Patrick concludes that they are “a great introduction to the qualities of high-end speakers.”
“I needed to come up with a recommendation for a USB audio interface for people interested in doing acoustic measurements”, writes John Reekie in his review of the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. He tests out the Focusrite for this purpose on Windows and Mac, and concludes that the performance, ease of use, and reasonable price make the 2i2 well worthy of consideration.
No tubes, no transistors, no bells, no whistles and no power cords because there’s no power. If less is more, than this is a whole lot of less, er… or more. Thad Aerts delves into Luminous Audio’s new and improved offering to the passive preamp world with their Axiom II, and concludes, “I highly recommend the single-input Axiom II.”
Perhaps because it’s not a part of the system per se, the price of a basic measurement setup can be something of a barrier to audiophiles. So it’s good to know that there’s an inexpensive alternative to professional-grade measurement microphones, in the form of these mics calibrated by Cross-Spectrum Labs. John Reekie measures one up.
“Of all the exciting new products, innovations, and breakthroughs in audio science that are claimed for 2012, BSG’s qøl Signal Completion Stage will be the most talked about by year end. Already the subject of numerous reviews, mostly positive, skeptics are having a field day with this unique component.” Patrick Dillon investigates in depth.
“For his new line, Rick marshalls the intricacies of magnetic forces in a way that is far less hazardous to limbs and much more attractive to the eye,” writes Patrick Dillon in the review of Rick Schultz’ new cables. The technology may be obscure, but the result is clear: “the new High Fidelity Cables do something that others I have tried do not, they simply enable my system to reproduce music as well as I’ve ever heard in my room.”
“It’s a funny thing, being an audiophile. We are constantly chasing elusive goals…” The Aktimate Micro brings it all back down to earth for John Reekie, who explores getting the most musical enjoyment from this budget all-in-one desktop hifi system. “Overall, the Micro presents a compelling, inexpensive package that is undoubtedly ‘greater than the sum of its parts’.”
Oliver Masciarotte, a member of the team that brought out the Amarra music player, has penned his thoughts in this new book on how to set up a Mac as a music server. Detailed and wide-ranging, this book is a “must buy,” according to John Reekie.
“A confession: I’ve always preferred full-range speakers,” writes Peter D’Amario in his review of the Vienna Acoustics Haydn. He explores the realities of real-sizing with these small monitor louspeakers, and concludes: “Buy some stands, ensure that you have adequate amplification, and you will find that these are speakers with which you can live happily ever after.”
“The last two pairs of speakers that I reviewed are tube-friendly designs. So tube-friendly, in fact, that their designers would go so far as to suggest that it be preferable to drive their speakers with just one, solitary tube per speaker.” Thad Aerts goes in search of more “oomph” than SET, and discovers the Eastern Electric M88 integrated amplifier.