Clearaudio, DDPR news & musings, Sound Fowndations

Clearaudio Concept deck in T3 magazine’s Top 10 ‘Best Tech’ for home entertainment

“No matter who you are, where you are, what you do or how you do it, here are a stack of ideas on how tech can make it better,” says gadget and technology magazine T3. In its May issue, T3 offers Top 10 recommendations for ‘Best Tech’ in home entertainment, home office, fitness, gardens, the smart home, getting around and pastimes and passions. Clearaudio’s Concept turntable package features high on the home entertainment list.

Continue reading Clearaudio Concept deck in T3 magazine’s Top 10 ‘Best Tech’ for home entertainment →

DDPR news & musings, RX Reels

“Among the mechanically best I’ve ever seen”: Ken Kessler tests the quality of tape reels from RX Reels

Ken Kessler knows a thing or two about open-reel tape, having amassed nearly 1,800 commercial pre-recorded tapes from the 1950s to the early 1980s, as well as a tape deck or three. As the tape revival continues, a trickle of manufacturers of new support gear emerges, including RX Reels: “makers of new 10″ reels, which I was driven to try, as plastic reels at that size lack precision”. 

Continue reading “Among the mechanically best I’ve ever seen”: Ken Kessler tests the quality of tape reels from RX Reels →

DDPR news & musings, Kerr Acoustic

“A remarkable achievement”: Kerr Acoustic’s K320 Mk3 loudspeaker earns an Editor’s Choice badge from The Ear

Jes Kerr is an audio designer / engineer to watch, believes The Ear’s Jason Kennedy. Most of the people who really appreciate good sound and make good sounding equipment grew up in the heyday of hi-fi in the 50s, 60s and 70s, he writes. “But there are a few exceptions and Jes Kerr is one of them.” Kerr started Kerr Acoustics in his mid-twenties and is not yet 30, yet his distinctive loudspeakers were already gracing the kind of professional studios that produce chart-topping records before he expanded into home audio a couple of years ago. 

Continue reading “A remarkable achievement”: Kerr Acoustic’s K320 Mk3 loudspeaker earns an Editor’s Choice badge from The Ear →

DDPR news & musings, MBL, Stranger High Fidelity

Editor’s Choice: Hi-Fi News reviews MBL’s “incredible” Radialstrahler 101E MkII loudspeakers

Few loudspeakers are as instantly recognizable as German brand MBL’s Radialstrahlers. “At every international hi-fi show their appearance draws crowds while the all-encompassing sound keeps visitors rooted to their seats,” writes Hi-Fi News editor Paul Miller. MBL has finally reached UK shores via specialist retailer Stranger High Fidelity, and Miller can’t wait to explore its wares “inside and out, Hi-Fi News style”. “It was worth the wait,” he finds.

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Dan Clark Audio (formerly MrSpeakers), DDPR news & musings, Electromod

“Get a listen if you can”: Hi-Fi World enjoys Dan Clark Audio’s Aeon 2 Open headphone

Dan Clark Audio’s “sporty-looking” entry-level Aeon 2 planar magnetic headphone is available in both open-backed and closed-back versions. Hi-Fi World’s Martin Pipe takes the former for a test drive and finds it as “fast as the sports car its lines were inspired by”.

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DDPR news & musings, Exposure Electronics

“A must-hear silver disc spinner”: HiFi & Music Source reviews Exposure’s XM CD

Simon Wilce finds much to enjoy in Exposure’s award-winning ‘spinner’, whether partnered with the brand’s own matching half-width XM5 integrated amplifier or used as a CD transport with an external DAC. “For anyone still excited by CD this is a must-hear without a doubt,” he concludes.

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DDPR news & musings, Decent Audio, Scansonic HD

Finesse with a smaller footprint: Hi-Fi Choice tunes into Scansonic’s compact M20 floorstanding loudspeaker

If your listening room is your living room, or indeed any room within a standard modern home, you’ve no doubt pondered the abiding debate: should you go for small standmount speakers or the full floorstanders? “Fortunately for the space conscious there’s a good choice out there of compact floorstanding speakers, of which the Scansonic M20 is a prime example,” says Hi-Fi Choice.  Continue reading Finesse with a smaller footprint: Hi-Fi Choice tunes into Scansonic’s compact M20 floorstanding loudspeaker →

Clearaudio, DDPR news & musings, Sound Fowndations

Ultra convenience meets sonic elegance: What Hi-Fi? reviews the Clearaudio Concept Active MM turntable

“The Concept Active MM is a pretty unusual concept: turntables with these features aren’t two-a-penny in the affordable market, but they are even rarer at this more expensive end,” says What Hi-Fi? magazine in its recent review. But “if any high-end turntable can do that convincingly, it is likely to be one derived from a five-star, former What Hi-Fi? Award-winning model.”

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DDPR news & musings, Furutech, Sound Fowndations

“Real sonic improvements”: Hi-Fi Choice recommends Furutech’s NCF Booster-Signal-L cable and connector holders

Since their first appearance in 2017, Furutech’s NCF Booster series of cable and connector holders have been both award-winners and best-sellars, thanks to the marked and utterly consistent difference they can make to the performance of an audio system. Hi-Fi Choice gives a five-star verdict. Continue reading “Real sonic improvements”: Hi-Fi Choice recommends Furutech’s NCF Booster-Signal-L cable and connector holders →