Occasionally you get an illustration of the cyclical nature of life, Laurence Dickie must have felt that way when Vivid Audio, the company he designs loudspeakers for, moved into the facility where he was previously employed...
Google is fast becoming a fundamental part of everyday life, its tentacles reach into nearly every crevice of our work and leisure and this naturally includes audio entertainment. As well as a music streaming service on...
A hi-fi philistine once asked me why old guys buy great sound systems when their hearing has inevitably been impaired by the ravages of time. For once I came up with an answer without having to think for half an hour and...
Getting a turntable is the beginning of a beautiful journey into sound but like any other precision machine a turntable and the vinyl it plays benefit from careful treatment. Vinyl is a fabulous but fragile medium, one of...
What upgradable means in the context of a sound system is the option to improve sound quality by changing certain parts rather than replacing the whole thing, usually in a piecemeal fashion, eg one new component or cable at...
The power supply is the heart of any audio component, it pumps electrons rather than blood but without it amplification and processing can’t happen. One of the biggest differences between components is the quality of the...
At the Munich High End we grabbed PMC's head of design Ollie Thomas to find out a bit more about the first amplifier that the company has made.
Improving a streaming system depends on the nature of the system. The most basic and straightforward streaming system is a laptop and a DAC (digital to analogue converter). The audiophile approach is to use a dedicated audio...
Rega founder and designer Roy Gandy has often said that there are no other turntable designers who he can turn to do discuss the topic that is obviously close to his and our hearts. He feels that few if any of his peers...
The biggest thing you can do to improve the sound of a music system is to make changes to the room. The sound produced by a pair of speakers bounces off the walls, floor and ceiling and the nature of those structures has a...
It’s a nuisance that cables make so much difference and I can understand why some flatly refuse to accept that they do, it must make life a bit simpler. However, all it takes is a quick comparison in a reasonably revealing...
Contrary to the view that some people get, reviewing audio equipment is a ‘pastime’ that is fraught with dangers. For a start, the primary measuring ‘implement’ is a very personal, and individually flawed pair of ears....