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The Nagaoka MP-200 moving magnet cartridge is the step-up model in the company’s long-running MP range. Unpacking this cartridge sends a wave of nostalgia over us, as distinctive colour aside, it looks just like the highly-rated MP-11 we craved in the early ’80s. But, appearance aside, this is a significantly more capable cartridge than that much-loved budget favourite. Design >The technical highlights here are the use of a low-mass boron cantilever combined with a superfine polished elliptical diamond stylus tip. The cartridge’s internal generator is based around a powerful samarium-cobalt ma..

Calling all audiophiles! Wharfedale elevates its iconic Linton speaker to “Super” status with refined upgrades to its drive units, crossover, and cabinet design.A Heritage ReimaginedOriginally one of Britain’s top-selling speakers from 1965 through the late 1970s, the Linton made its celebrated return in 2019 as part of Wharfedale’s Heritage series. This modern incarnation, crafted with cutting-edge technology, surpassed expectations, quickly becoming Wharfedale's best-selling speaker and a global favorite. Its blend of classic aesthetics and exceptional sound has inspired a wave of nostalgic ..

This hyper-robust deck SL-1300G from Technics takes classic design to the audiophile tier. Technics doesn’t just make a turntable, it makes the turntable. For decades, there hasn’t been a DJ worth their salt, or a venue worth its alcohol license, that doesn’t rely on Technics SL-1200 turntables to get the party started and keep the party going, night after night. Tricks of the TradeSmooth, accurate rotation, goes the thinking, leads to smooth, accurate sound. By deleting the motor’s iron core, rotational instability (or cogging, as it’s more generally known) can be reduced to virtually nothing..

If Meze headphones have a house sound, and I were pressured to identify it, I would describe it as breathy, caressingly smooth, and nanodetailed. I am writing this story because that description applies equally to Meze's flagship Elite and Meze's new 109 Pro. But when the lights are out, and I lay on the floor in my pile of pillows, I want sound that directs my attentions toward dream realms—toward the beautiful and psychedelic. Meze's 109 Pro excelled at that task. With every amplifier, the 109 exhibited a perfect right-brain/left-brain balance; beautiful sound and musical insight were celebr..

An exceptionally well-designed and engineered streaming digital transport, the LUMIN U2 transport has a feature set that accommodates a wide variety of digital musical sources and DACs. IntroductionThe LUMIN U2 is a dual-mono streamer designed to stream music files from sources such as a music server, NAS, Roon Core, etc., downstream to an audio system. As there is no built-in DAC, the U2 functions as a digital music file transport, and an external DAC must be used with the U2. It is designed for customers with the need for music streamer functionality, but wish to have the option of using a D..

From Norway, an internet thing > The Hegel H400 combines the functions of an integrated amplifier, DAC, and streamer.Designed in Oslo, Norway, and assembled in China, it connects to the wider world by wired Ethernet. It keeps a foot planted in pre-streaming hi-fi with plenty of other wired connections, digital and analog. It includes a line amp (source selection, a volume control) and a powerful class-AB amplifier. It can comfortably replace a previous-era integrated amp or receiver, lacking only a phono preamp and tuner to be complete—but who needs a tuner in the age of the internet radio? He..

The LUMIN U2 MINI streamer handles resolution very well, although it's hard to accuse it of going for surgical precision.On the other hand, it is certainly a less rounded, less homogenized presentation than in older machines from this stable. I remember perfectly well both the Lumin U1 Mini and the Lumin T2 streamer, that although the presentation captivated with its coherence, it often, especially with complex, fast pieces, asked for a slightly sharper separation between sounds. This is exactly what we got in the new model. But the designers were able to combine fluidity with precision. In ca..

Born in the swinging sixties, QUAD’s famous 33 preamp and 303 power amp return in fresh, revitalised form to delight a new generation of music lovers seeking a retro-modern twist Cambridgeshire, England – One of the most celebrated amplifiers of all time – the 33/303 two-box pre/power amp system from QUAD, Britain’s original high-end hi-fi brand – makes a triumphant return 57 years after it first recalibrated expectations for transistor-based sound. Teased in prototype form at the High End audio show in Munich in May, the reimagined QUAD 33 preamplifier and QUAD 303 stereo power amplifier are ..