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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The original Spendor SA1 loudspeaker was released soon before the BBC LS3/5a in the early 1970s, and many people thought it sounded better than its more popular competitor. The SA1 you see here, on the other hand, is a distant cousin that has evolved much since then. Only the dimensions (305x165x190mm) and the usage of
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This was one of the swankiest British turntables at the time, having been released in 1978. The STD 305D was an attempt to bring comfort and ease of use to the high end – without sacrificing the beautiful sonics of the finest British decks – in a sea of Japanese direct drives that worked with
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This monstrous integrated amplifier, which cost £3,499 when it was first released a decade ago, was a Sugden A21a on steroids. The IA-4 set out to provide that crystalline Class A sound to a larger audience, with significantly increased power and additional features. The biggest difference between it and its smaller A21a S2 sibling was
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The story begins with the advent of Linn’s Ittok LVII tonearm toward the end of the 1970s. In an analog scene dominated by the SME 3009S2, which existed on practically every turntable motor unit at the time, it put the cat among the pigeons. There was also the Grace G707, which had been Linn’s preferred
Other manufacturers’ top-of-the-line designs look little and feeble in comparison to one of the most remarkable things ever to make a noise. This device, the monarch of Tannoy’s Prestige Range, is simply amazing in every way. Aside from its intimidating physical presence, Tannoy’s design philosophy is evident in its longevity. While fashions come and go,
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Sony CEO Akio Morita travelled to the United States in the early 1960s in an attempt to persuade Americans to listen to little transistor radios, as he relates in his brilliant autobiography Made In Japan. The consumer electronics business in the United States was initially skeptical that anyone would want to listen to something smaller
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The Technics SP-10 broadcast turntable introduced the technology in 1970, and it blew people’s minds. Without the use of idlers, pulleys, or belts, direct drive accomplished exactly what it stated on the tin: it moved the platter from its center. It had numerous advantages, including the ability to adjust the platter speed to an unusually
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The DVP-S7000 was one of the most famous and thrilling first generation DVD players, having been released in March 1997 in Tokyo, Japan, and arriving in the UK six months later. It was outrageously overengineered, like with Sony’s ‘first’ ever product – CDP-101 CD player, TCD-D3 DAT player, etc. With just one glance inside, you’ll
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This Tellurium Q power amplifier, another example of a great British hi-fi ‘what-if,’ debuted on the scene in 2012, promising so much. This newish British startup isn’t prone to exaggeration; rather, the excitement sprang from the fact that it was designed by Colin Wonfor, formerly of Inca Tech and one of the industry’s many eccentric
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