Equipment Reviews

How about starting a cartridge review with comments from YouTubers who have listened to it? Well, sort of. Last December I posted a video of the $20,000 Black Diamond DLC mounted on the Ortofon AS-309R arm ($3469), which was mounted on the OMA K3 prototype direct drive turntable ($360,000) driving the $70,000 CH Precision P10 phono preamplifier.Yes, it’s an outrageously costly “front end” chain with a $20,000 first link. Usually, these kinds of stunt videos attract... Read More

Got warped records? Warped records are a problem, though I have to say I really don't get too many of them. In fact, finding a warped record to flatten was not that easy for me. Finally one came along as a gift—a 180g Japan-pressed reissue of Happy End's Kazamachi Roman. Sometimes warped records come directly from the factory as a result of insufficient cooling time, but many a well-pressed record warps as a result of bad handling by the usual suspects:... Read More

Technics has a turntable problem most turntable manufacturers would be happy to have. The company’s SL-1200 introduced in 1972 and in continuous production until the “death of vinyl” in 2010, only to return to production with the “resurrection of vinyl” in 2016, is iconic. More than 3.5 million were sold and many are still in use.Because it’s iconic and instantly recognizable, Technics wisely chose to maintain the turntable’s oft-copied basic looks and even keep the... Read More

Needle Clinic is a Northern California company that offers retipping and repair of moving-coil cartridges, including upgrades.

Technics introduced these new $299.00 earbuds early last December to a group of editors, journalists and influencers at a Kyoto, Japan press event. The big launch was earlier this week at CES. Other than me and I think a writer from What Hi-Fi in the U.K. the "audiophile press" was absent. I travel a lot —I am a million miler on United and I always bring music and headphones. I've got multiple pairs of small "in ear" models from various... Read More

Reviewing, or judging the sound of audio gear at hi-fi shows is a fool's errand. I've written that before and I'll never stop writing it as long as some reviewers insist upon doing so in lousy sounding hotel rooms, I don't care the size. Sometimes good sound does happen and of course it should be pointed out and lauded and there are some exhibitors who know how to work around bad acoustics and bad electricity to achieve acceptable sound (High Water... Read More

Ortofon has long marketed a tonearm made in Japan to its specifications. For the recently introduced 12" AS-309R, the latest revision to Ortofon's tonearm, Ortofon provides few specifics other than "130 redesigned components.... crafted with unparalleled mechanical precision and advanced engineering". The company doesn't divulge what any of those parts are, or how and why they were redesigned.The additional 'boilerplate" marketing... Read More

With "retro" industrial design having been a "thing" in audio for the past few years, especially in loudspeakers and receivers, I've been wondering why VPI hasn't stepped up to the audio plate and knocked one out of the nostalgia Ozone Park with a re-imagined vintage VPI turntable (yes I do spend my spare time thinking of such things). Well here it is— a new and improved take on the venerable HW-19, proving there's VPI life beyond... Read More

This was a difficult piece to write. I had to do more than my usual amount of listening, swapping gear, and thinking about how best to convey the Audio Note UK sound if such a thing exists. Many thanks to Peter Qvortrup and Adrian Ford-Crush of Audio Note for their help and patience.Audio Note has been on my radar for quite some time. I’ve read a bit about the origin of Audio Note Japan and, later, Audio Note UK - it’s an interesting and somewhat usual story. I’m not... Read More

Costly, exotic phono cartridges are fun to write about and of course to listen to and own but they represent a tiny fraction of the business for large, "industrial grade" producers like Audio-Technica. Though most of the company's cartridge output centers on "bread and butter" models like the AT and VM 95 series, maintaining high precision, manufacturing excellence requires exercises in forward thinking design and execution.... Read More

On October 28th Rega company owner and sole director Roy Gandy gave away all of his shares to a trust established to protect the company in the future. He created an EOT (employee owned trust) and effectively gifted Rega to its workers. The reason given is that this move will “protect our culture and decades of hard work. Becoming an EOT prevents the company being sold and potential buyouts (by dreaded investors) whilst providing all staff with job security going... Read More

Each year, I dedicate one review to exploring the often contentious world of audio cables, selecting what I believe to be a significant product in this category. This year's choice will surely spark lively discussions in the comments, given its price point and the technology used. My annual exploration allows me to delve into a subject that consistently ignites passionate debates among audiophiles and casual listeners. I always look forward to readers sharing... Read More

In the spring of 2021 a few years into my journey as an audio writer, I was on the hunt for my dream turntable. I'd previously owned some very nice ones : a VPI Scout 1.1, a Rega Planar 3, and a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon to name just a few. But at last I decided I was ready for the big leagues, and wanted to step into the true high-end. There were assuredly some great contenders out there at the time. The Technics 1200G was very appealing for both its sonic... Read More

In 2012, I had the opportunity to meet Jeff Wells, the talented designer and owner of Wells Audio. He walked into the audio store I was managing, carrying an amplifier under his arm, and asked if I would like to hear an amplifier surpassing anything I had in the store near its price point. Bold indeed! I immediately thought back to 1983 when John Iverson walked into our store with an Eagle 2 amplifier under his arm and made a similar proclamation. That day, John left... Read More

The choice of a hi-fi component is an extraordinarily personal decision depending on the needs - and wants - of the consumer. Of course this is a bit of an obvious take, but in regards to every hi-fi review, it’s important to keep in mind: just because something is right for you, doesn’t mean that it’s the correct choice for someone else. So, perhaps the way to begin this article is by readers taking a personal inventory of what they want out of a hifi component.... Read More

In the recent review of the Pro-Ject EV0 12 AS I promised a follow up covering the straight pipe carbon fiber, aluminum sandwich EVO CA arm and here it is. There's no point in repeating here all of the background information and all of the variables related to these two arms, so please read the review at the above hyperlink.But it makes sense to repeat a bit of it: Both of the 12" arms under review have an effective length of 304.8mm and a 291.6mm pivot to... Read More

Until recently I’ve had no personal experience with DS Audio’s cutting-edge optical phono pickups, whereby the signal is generated from a pair of infra-red LEDs that shine onto photo detectors, completely dispensing with magnets and coils, moving or stationary. In their place, between the LEDs and the detectors, is a very lightweight shade, plate, or, to use DS’s parlance, “shading plate” attached to the cantilever; this shade modulates the amount of light from the... Read More

Most companies introduce new product lines. At High End Munich a few years ago, Pro-Ject introduced a new product wall— of tonearms. The variety appeared overwhelming until closely examined, after which the proliferation made well-organized sense. There were a few basic models, but available in three lengths and in a variety of finishes. A bit blurry, taken from a video but you get the idea! These are but a fewAs for why Pro-Ject decided to introduce a separately... Read More