The famous 845 power triode began life as a radio transmitting vacuum tube, with a physically huge anode dissipation of 75 watts and an anode voltage of 1,250V. Because the thoriated tungsten filament – which shined like a lightbulb – was powered at 10 Volts and 3.25 Amps, any transmitter running a large number of […]
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When Naim Audio released its first standalone digital-to-analogue converter towards the end of the first decade of the new century, it raised some eyebrows. The company stated that it wouldn’t be worthwhile to do one until it could provide something technically novel, which it did. The £1,995 Naim DAC was created with jitter in mind
Few could have predicted how popular the JBL L100 would become when it was initially introduced at CES 1970 in Chicago. It was a consumer version of the professional 4310/4311 monitors, with the same driver lineup and powerful Alnico V magnets. For the midrange and treble drivers, a basic crossover was used, with the bass
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Some may dismiss this as merely another of the many power amplifiers made by the Salisbury solid-state specialists over the years, but I believe it has something unique to offer in the grand scheme of things. Naim Audio rose to prominence with the NAC 32 and NAP 250, despite not being the company’s first preamp/power
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We’ve all heard about how fantastic the Leak Stereo 20 is. It was a superbly designed ‘do-it-all’ stereo valve power amplifier with enough power to drive most loudspeakers of the time when it was introduced in 1958. It was a development of the original mono TL12 Point One, using the same fundamental circuit as Harold
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It’s been a long time since Naim Audio Ltd. initially opened its doors in a Wiltshire backstreet in 1973, and since then, the company has grown in popularity and reputation. Julian Vereker, the firm’s founder, once stated that he started the company to manufacture hi-fi equipment that he and his friends would enjoy listening to.
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Back in 1995, the globe was a completely different place. We were assaulted by a slew of black pressed steel-cased transistor amplifiers and CD players in hi-fi; Audiolab’s 8000a reigned supreme on the showroom floor, and HDCD was the buzz of the day. Valve amplifiers were slowly re-entering the public consciousness, but they were still
Lee Taylor received BAFTA and Palme d’Or honors for his work in recording and mixing for television, music, and film prior to founding Leema, while Mallory Nichols had previously worked in the manufacturing of MAGTRAX monitors for recording studios and mastering firms since the early 1990s. It’s no surprise that the two men started their
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Etsuro Nakamichi, a tape magnetics research engineer, created the Nakamichi Corporation in Japan in 1948. In 1951, he began creating open reel decks for other hi-fi businesses to put their own badges on, as he was captivated by tape. It was a difficult business to be in, needing tight tolerances and precise alignment, as well
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The Cyrus CD transport, which was released in 2011 for £699, filled a much-needed vacuum in a hi-fi world that was suddenly seeing a drop in the number of silver disc spinners being produced. Linn had already announced that it would no longer offer Compact Disc players, and the major Japanese manufacturers — with the
