Few people have ever seen or heard of this piece of Plexiglas perfection, which first debuted in the mid-1970s. It was allegedly designed and constructed by IMF Electronics, and a deeper examination reveals why… The deck featured an electronic speed controller to drive the split-level podule platter through a fine rubber belt, which was unusual […]
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Arcam has a track record when it comes to digital-to-analogue converters. In reality, the Black Box was the first ‘offboard DAC’ (as they were known at the time) when it was released in 1989. The idea of removing the DAC from the CD transport was revolutionary at the time, but it’s now commonplace, so what
The more Japanese-dominated hi-fi became in the 1970s, the more flamboyant it became. Despite the fact that the mass market was flooded with big, brushed aluminum-fronted steel boxes adorned with knobs and flashing lights, some more discerning purchasers gravitated to Bang & Olufsen, and it was this product that won many over. It was a
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With its transport, DAC, clock, and upsampler, the flagship four-box dCS Vivaldi system is a magnificent thing. It is, however, exorbitantly expensive and difficult to set up, and it necessitates a considerable quantity of living space. The Debussy entry-level model, which shares most of its technology, is a simpler, slimmer, single-box design that doesn’t sound
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For audiophiles of a particular generation, the term “direct-drive” conjures up images of a whole generation of cheap, poor Japanese turntables that swamped mass market retailers like Laskys and Comet in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The British hi-fi press did not have much good to say about them at the time. There was
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Arcam began to redefine itself a few years after Linn’s Classik came by launching a line of sleeker, less specialized music-making equipment. The Solo was the first, and it was a sort of ‘next gen’ Classik, with cleaner and leaner lines than the Linn, a lovely finish, and a host of extra features. A year
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The BBC’s ‘monitoring loudspeaker type LS3/5a’ has gone down in history. Some say it possesses unique features not found in any succeeding speaker, while others believe it is exaggerated and unfairly revered. Whatever your opinion is on this small box, there’s no doubting that it’s a major product in its own right… The performance of
There was a time, between the early 1970s and the late 1990s, when every well-equipped British home included a respectable audio system. Possessing high-quality hi-fi equipment, whether you were an audiophile or not, was a sign of your discerning character, similar to having good furniture or a high-end car. By the 1990s, many of the
These inexpensive portable Swedish cans are compact and light, with a simple design (59g). Considering their low price, build quality is excellent – easily as good as anything from Sennheiser at or anywhere near their £50 retail price. Their design is also semi-foldable (with two folding joints), making them ideal for portables, whilst they’ll be
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Ariston was previously one of the most prestigious hi-fi brands. It was the proud moniker on one of Scotland’s best turntables, and it was adored by many a well-heeled audiophile in the 1970s. The brand is now a shell of its former existence, long gone and nearly forgotten, and the RD11 tale is still mired
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