Reviews

Quad 909 Review

Quad has typically catered to rich, (small c) conservative people who value quality but aren’t willing to spend exorbitant prices for it. Perhaps this explains why the 909 power amplifier is essentially a gently revised and rehoused 405 – the company’s award-winning, high-capacity transistor power amplifier that was introduced in 1975. There’s nothing wrong with

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Sonab C 500 Review

The range and depth of hi-fi in the 1970s were enormous. We’ve all heard of the emergence of the major Japanese labels, but there were lots of smaller continental European names developing as well, amid the last gasps of British brands like Garrard and Leak. Bang & Olufsen was arguably at its pinnacle at the

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Nakamichi 480 Review

It’s easy to dismiss Nakamichi as a seller of exorbitantly priced esoterica. The company earned legendary status thanks to its well-known Dragon and MusicLink lines. Its marque, like Luxman, MacIntosh, Revox, or Goldmund, had guilt-edged, twenty-four-carat gold-plated assurance. Isn’t it true that Nakamichi’s odds of doing anything even substantially affordable were slimmer than seeing flying

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Quad ESL-57 Review

This legendary electrostatic still has a magical quality to it fifty-seven years after development began. In comparison to other loudspeakers of the time, the ESL-57 provided excellent clarity because to its mix of superb sound quality and attractive appearance. Its outstanding transparency and speed drew the attention of BBC engineers, who quickly adopted it as

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Sony CDP-101 Review

This machine has recently received a lot of attention, and it is quickly becoming collectible. Of course, it has every right to be, as the world’s first commercially available CD player and not only Sony Corporation’s first silver disc spinner. It was first released on October 1, 1982, at a cost of Y168,000, but only

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NEAT IOTA Review

NEAT Acoustics has been a full-fledged loudspeaker producer for several decades, although North East Audio Traders has long since ceased retail operations. Bob Surgeoner, the company’s founder, is a fascinating and amiable individual who is also a talented and prolific musician. It’s no wonder, then, that his speakers are consistently delightful to listen to. This

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Quad Vena Review

Quad’s Vena features a totally new, high-quality Class AB amplifier with a strong 45W RMS per channel on the inside (quoted). It features a Cirrus Logic CS4398 DAC, which is also used in Quad’s Platinum series CD players, as well as aptX Bluetooth connectivity, making it ideal for users who have music stored on their

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Raidho C1.1 Review

It’s difficult to be a little standmounter at the best of times, but it’s even more difficult when you’re worth £10,900. Who would be Raidho’s C1.1, a small speaker with a price tag that rivals practically every huge one? It can only justify its price by sounding really excellent in a variety of ways –

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