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.
Patrick Dillon explores the concept of doing a complete system rewire with cables from a single manufacturer. “The theory, if we may call it such, is that the true benefit of cable changes are found when one employs the same manufacturer’s cables for the complete rig rather than cherry picking different cables for different components.” The results? Read on…
“My relationship with headphones and associated equipment has been pretty hit-and-miss over the years. Headphone listening has always been a definite second choice…” John Reekie goes in search of a more enjoyable listening experience with headphones, and settles on the little-known USB-powered Fostex HP-A3 DAC and headphone amplifier.
After encountering the Harbeth P3ESRs at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, Patrick Dillon had to hear them again on his home turf. Here he takes a pair through their paces. “There is something ineffably right about these speakers… If someone told me now that I had $2k to spend on speakers and I would have to live with my choice for years without chance of exchange, I’d buy these Harbeths on the spot.”
“In the world of high-end audio, ‘computer audio’ is now almost as common as a CD player. Software applications that bypass a computer’s native OS audio process and provide their own method of processing an audio file are referred to as music players.” Sonic Studio’s Amarra was one of the first such players on the market. Joe Quinn reviews Amarra 2.3.
“This review has been a long, long, long time in the making,” writes Thad Aerts of this review of the Sonist Concerto 3 loudspeaker. While designed for use with single-ended triode (SET) amplifiers, Thad exercises it with the AMC hybrid push-pull amplifier. “They have the ability to seduce you away from what you are doing and get you to sit down in front of them to listen to music.”
“I have also grown tired of many components being connected by many wires in a large jumble in my living room.” Jake Montzingo explores joys of simplicity and high-fidelity with the Grant Fidelity W-30GT integrated amplifier… “an amplifier that I could enjoy listening to every day for the rest of my life; and that’s better than perfection.”
Harmonic Technology is a cable company that’s built up a reputation for itself slowly since its founding in 1998 by Jim Wang in San Diego. Patrick Dillon takes a listen to their “Magic” HDMI cable.
“This smallish, heavy, elegant box offers you an on-ramp to musical enjoyment without the hassle of multiple purchases and match-making.” The new Audiant 80i from New Zealand’s Perreaux, offering an upsampling DAC, a MM phono stage, and connections for USB and TOSLINK, is put through its paces by Patrick Dillon.
“It is, hands down, the best tonearm I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing…. This tonearm is one of the few that are handmade specifically to meet the requirements of the cartridge that will be attached to them.” Thad Aerts continues his review of the Pete Riggle Engineering “The Woody” tonearm, with an update on the Anti-Skate Measurement System, and his listening impressions.
In part one of his review, Thad Aerts discusses the design concepts and installation of Pete Riggle’s Stringtheory “Woody” tonearm. These attractive and cleverly simple tonearms are handmade specifically for each owner’s cartridge, and feature vertical tracking angle and azimuth adjustments as a record plays.