Category Archives: DDPR news & musings

DDPR news & musings, Decent Audio, Timestep, Transfiguration

Timestep EVOke turntable and Transfiguration Proteus cartridge bag Hi-Fi World Product of the Year Awards 2016

It’s been a good end-of-the-year for both the Timestep EVOke turntable and the Transfiguration Proteus MC phono cartridge. The former has just featured in The Vinyl Factory’s 15 Best Turntables of 2016, while the latter was recently put through its paces by Jason Kennedy for Hi-Fi Plus and earned a glowing review.

Once again, these two high performers have been honoured by audiophiles-in-the know, this time by the discerning team of buffs at Hi-Fi World magazine.

Each year the magazine’s expert review team tests hundreds of the world’s finest hi-fi products to tease out the best from the rest. “Inevitably, some shine just a little brighter than others – be it for sheer sound quality, great innovation or simply outstanding value for money.” Those bright-shiners are the 11 gems that you’ll find in this year’s Hi-Fi World Product of the Year Awards.

Continue reading Timestep EVOke turntable and Transfiguration Proteus cartridge bag Hi-Fi World Product of the Year Awards 2016 →

DDPR news & musings, Decent Audio, Transfiguration

“At a level that few cartridges can match”: Jason Kennedy reviews the newly-enhanced Transfiguration Proteus for Hi-Fi Plus

Japan-based Immutable Music has long been renowned for its small but outstandingly formed range of Transfiguration phono cartridges, whose revolutionary design completely restructures the conventional moving coil (MC) concept. Now, the range is undergoing a number of enhancements and first to arrive in the UK in 2016 was the company’s flagship model, the Proteus.
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Clearaudio, DDPR news & musings, Sound Fowndations, Timestep

Clearaudio Innovation Basic & Timestep EVOke in The Vinyl Factory’s 15 best turntables of 2016

“2016 was dominated by turntables,” writes Paul Rigby in online magazine TheVinylFactory.com. “The year began with the news that Amazon had sold more turntables than any other home audio product over Christmas. While these decks aren’t the kind you’d wish on your worst enemy, it’s clear the appetite was there.”

Indeed – and it shows no sign of abating. According to new data just revealed by the Entertainment Retailers Association, more money was spent on vinyl album sales than digital album downloads in the UK last week” (see full story: Vinyl is killing the MP3 industry).

So if you’re a digital die-hard who’s finally considering a foray over to the vinyl side, or a turntable toe-dipper who bagged an Amazon cheapie but now hankers after an upgrade, you’re in luck. “Turntable manufacturers of all stripes have been busy and very proactive, releasing a swathe of top quality designs that will suit all budgets,” notes Rigby. But how do you choose between them?
Continue reading Clearaudio Innovation Basic & Timestep EVOke in The Vinyl Factory’s 15 best turntables of 2016 →

DDPR news & musings, DS Audio, IsoTek, Sound Fowndations

DS-Audio & IsoTek: worthy winners of Hi-Fi Plus ‘Product of the Year’ Awards

Well, it’s that time of year again – when we sit back with a glass of something mulled and mull over the year’s highs and lows. To say that it’s been an ‘interesting’ year would be something of an understatement and so perhaps it’s best to focus our attention firmly on the world of hi-fi, where most news tends to be good news and hence where 2016 can go down as a year of positive change and innovation.

The December issue of Hi-Fi Plus magazine does just that, highlighting the best products of 2016 and rewarding those that stand out among them in the magazine’s annual ‘Product of the Year’ Awards.

Continue reading DS-Audio & IsoTek: worthy winners of Hi-Fi Plus ‘Product of the Year’ Awards →

Clearaudio, DDPR news & musings, Sound Fowndations

‘It really was the sweet spot.” Clearaudio Concept turntable goes head-to-head with Pro-Ject and Linn on Channel 5’s The Gadget Show

Due to be aired on Channel 5 this Wednesday 16th November, the latest episode of The Gadget Show turns its attention to turntables and asks the question, just how much should you spend on a new deck?

Continue reading ‘It really was the sweet spot.” Clearaudio Concept turntable goes head-to-head with Pro-Ject and Linn on Channel 5’s The Gadget Show →

Audio Analogue, Clearaudio, DDPR news & musings, Decent Audio, Sound Fowndations

Clearaudio’s flagship turntable & Audio Analogue’s anniversary amp among Hi-Fi News’ ‘Best of 2016’

Well it’s that time of year again. The air chills, the days shorten and we retreat indoors for a glass of something fortifying and to reflect on the year’s highs and lows. And what better way to do it than with a copy of the Hi-Fi News Yearbook 2016 with its round-up of “the hardware that turned our heads and the music that stirred our souls” over the past 12 months. This year’s bumper 172-page issue features a real “feast of audio dreams”.

Continue reading Clearaudio’s flagship turntable & Audio Analogue’s anniversary amp among Hi-Fi News’ ‘Best of 2016’ →

Clearaudio, DDPR news & musings, Decent Audio, Exposure Electronics, Magnepan, Sound Fowndations

Clearaudio, Exposure and Magnepan among The Absolute Sound’s 40 greatest bargains in high-end audio

It’s a common conundrum. You covet the superior sound of a high-end audio system, but you’d rather not have to take out a second mortgage to fund it. Thankfully, you don’t have to, as there are plenty of superb-sounding hi-fi components that won’t break the bank.

Bewildered by the choices on offer? Fortunately help is on hand with The Absolute Sound’s Buyer’s Guide To Affordable Audio 2016, created to help maximize your purchasing power and your hi-fi system enjoyment.

Continue reading Clearaudio, Exposure and Magnepan among The Absolute Sound’s 40 greatest bargains in high-end audio →

Clearaudio, DDPR news & musings, Sound Fowndations

Is this some kind of record? Clearaudio Concept bags its sixth What Hi-Fi? Award

The 2016 What Hi-Fi? Awards have now been revealed. There are 102 individual winners across 27 categories, showcasing the best hi-fi, home cinema and portable audio products on the market.

“Who would have thought that four decades after What Hi-Fi? was founded in 1976, vinyl would still be going strong?” asks the magazine’s Andy Clough.

And who would’ve thought that, in 2016, one little turntable would be celebrating its sixth win…
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DDPR news & musings, Gamut, Sound Fowndations

“This chair isn’t leaving — I bought it.” Part-Time Audiophile reviews Gamut’s Lobster Chair, designed for hi-fi listening

“The Gamut Lobster Chair is billed as ‘the world’s first audiophile chair’. I will respectfully defer — ‘firsts’ don’t really matter to me as much as ‘awesomeness’, and this chair is awesome,” writes Scot Hull of US-based e-zine, Part-Time Audiophile.

Continue reading “This chair isn’t leaving — I bought it.” Part-Time Audiophile reviews Gamut’s Lobster Chair, designed for hi-fi listening →

DDPR news & musings, Decent Audio, Gamut, Magnepan, Raidho, Sound Fowndations

Gamut, Raidho & Magnepan in The Absolute Sound’s Buyer’s Guide to Loudspeakers 2016

The Absolute Sound (TAS) has just published its brand new and biggest ever Buyer’s Guide to Loudspeakers. The 2016 edition covers all types of speakers, from floorstanders, stand-mounts and desktops to planars and horns, across a range of price brackets.

The magazine’s review team has mulled over the world’s top models and picked out a select few to provide audiophiles with an easy-to-navigate PDF guide, available as a free download.

Continue reading Gamut, Raidho & Magnepan in The Absolute Sound’s Buyer’s Guide to Loudspeakers 2016 →