The Quad II is one of the most well-known British power amplifiers, with a legendary reputation and a definite and iconic valve design. It was first released in 1953, and a corresponding preamplifier – the QC 22 – was added in 1959, just as stereo microgroove recordings became available. However, the early Quad IIs were […]
Despite costing only a few hundred pounds more than its predecessor, the 2019 8300CDQ was sleeker and more complex in terms of build, finish, and functionality – plus it had MQA, which Audiolab thought was a useful new feature. This should help the player remain future-proof, but DSD playback, which is finally gaining traction among
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The £400 Q-DAC was released in 2013 to capitalize on the success of the award-winning M-DAC from a year or two before. It’s essentially a ‘low calorie’ M-DAC, with a lot of the same wonderful things under the hood but at a lower price point to appeal to a more budget-conscious clientele. Let us not
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The metal-cased Brennan hard disk music server, which was released in 2008, included a hard drive, slot-loading CD player, and 60W per channel amplifier that was designed to work with the optional BSB50 loudspeakers (£59), although it could also be used as a hi-fi source component. The 320GB hard disk was large at the time,
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Bowers & Wilkins has established itself as one of the most innovative loudspeaker manufacturers in the United Kingdom since its founding in 1966. It quickly became known for technologically fascinating products that pushed the boundaries of design. With the introduction of the DM70 in 1970, this became clear. It contained two cabinets per speaker, one
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Few other Japanese names were as intimately connected with tape as Aiwa, save from Nakamichi. Sony, JVC, and Pioneer all made excellent specimens of the breed, but there were other outstanding models as well. Aiwa produced a wide range of equipment, including some unusual and unusual items such as the LP-3000 turntable and AT-9700 tuner,
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The £400 NP30 network music player was released in 2011 and was an inexpensive yet competent network music player. It supports 24-bit WAV and FLAC files (as well as normal 16-bit), but not Apple Lossless. MP3, AAC, WMA, and OGG Vorbis are also supported. It has direct access to music streaming services such as Rhapsody
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Although Compact Cassette was first introduced in 1963, it was not until the 1970s that the format properly matured. It was still quite low on the evolutionary scale at the start of the decade, being the domain of small mono cassette portables that found their way into cars, toilets, children’s bedrooms, and gardens. It’s even
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Hugo is a new portable DAC by Chord Electronics, which was unveiled four years ago. Because there were – and still are – so many of these products on the market, from Cambridge Audio to Oppo, it didn’t immediately catch the attention of many audiophiles. However, Chord has previously built some excellent household hi-fi systems,
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The M-301 microsystem was “refined to the essence of hi-fi perfection,” according to Aiwa’s 1980 brochure. It went on to say, “The 35 Watt System: Refinement, Ingenuity, and Performance.” It’s easy to chuckle at the marketing hype, but once you get past that, it’s a very astounding piece of gear. This is largely due to
