Official Reviews
Real Hifi reviews written by real Hifi enthusiasts.
Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a (£2,475)
vs Sound Artist LS3/5a (£600)
Review by Martin Virgo
Introduction
A couple of years ago I decided that I needed a better pair of speakers for my near-field system and naturally my thoughts turned to the BBC LS3/5a. I then noticed that the Chinese manufacturer...
Perfect Sound Forever, All Else is Gaslight
These phrases greeted the introduction of domestic digital music to consumers in 1982.
I immediately went out and bought a Philips CD104 player.
I played the sampler disc and WOW. No crackles, no clicks, no pops. An even frequency response with...
Introduction
A number of months ago our erstwhile editor, George47, asked me to give Roon ‘a go’ and write my impressions. I agreed and parked it in the to-do pile. Without short-circuiting this write-up that was a mistake.
In the following review, I will be examining Roon used in a Nearfield...
Introduction
Hardly the newest DAC on the block I was enthusiastic to hear the DAC3 as I haven’t heard a Benchmark DAC since the originally released DAC1. At that time, I bought the Benchmark rather than the Chord DAC64, which I felt was equally as good but rather more expensive. The comments...
A HiFi WigWam review by Richard Bowles
Improving on perfection?
I had the pleasure of living with Audio Note’s Meishu Tonmeister for some time. From the very first occasion I switched it on in my system here, I knew it was something special, particularly in its uncanny ability to extract the...
OSV HT 50 Amplifier
Review by George Sallit
When Trevor at Guildford Audio asked me whether I would like to review an interesting amplifier from Poland I jumped at the chance. One because I trust Trevor’s judgement and two because I am interested in audio originating from what was called...
Eclipse TD307 Mark III (£600)
Review by Mr Underhill
Introduction
Eclipse speakers look like something of a vision of the future in a 1960s film. I love the look. As with all small speakers their form presents a physical constraint, there is going to be little in the way of deep impactful...
Andrew Eastham.
Review: Rose RA180 Integrated Amplifier
Design and Features
From the outset, the Rose RA180 seemed intriguing. The industrial design is beautifully executed: though photographs suggest a highly complex visual appearance, in the room it demonstrates a more subtle and...
Project CD Box RS2T and Pre Box RS2 Digital
Kevin Fiske
At a price of £2,200 and £1,900 respectively, Vienna-based Project Audio System’s CD Box RS2T transport and Pre Box RS2 Digital DAC are undoubtedly pushing at the upper limits of what many audiophiles are prepared to pay in order to...
Have you heard a quarter of a million-pound system?
I suspect most of us have, but generally in a space set up in a dealers or a hotel room to accommodate a large-ish number of people; so, hardly an ideal listening environment. My experience is that attention to detail really matters, and that...
HIFI ROSE RS150(B)
There are three words that spring to mind on initial impressions when listening to the Hifi Rose RS150(B). Focus, transparency and finesse. Those initial impressions are still correct over a lengthy review period.
After having the baby brother of this unit, the RS250 in...
Sonus faber Lumina 1 (£799)
Speakers
Reviewed by Mr Underhill
Introduction
What wonderfully dinky little speakers. Love the look and the sound, but can they defeat the devil that is physics?
These made in Italy speakers come nicely packed with a layer of thin foam between the face and...
Chord Electronics Choral Etude Review
Chord Electronics Choral Etude
£4,500
150W into 4 ohms
33.3 (W) x 7.1 (H) x 15.4 (D) cm
230VAC
3.45kg
Black or Silver
Inputs: 2xXLR (balanced); 2xRCA (single ended)
Outputs: Pair WBT speaker terminals
Chord Electronics: https://chordelectronics.co.uk/...
Pro-ject Tube DS2 (£699)
Phono Stage
Reviewed by Mr Underhill
Introduction
The little phono stage arrived well packaged and immediately appealed to me. Its straight-forward design has well labelled controls making the use of a manual almost superfluous. Design follows function.
Two...
Thrax Audio Ares Integrated Amplifier
Review by George Sallit
About a month ago I reviewed the Thrax Enyo valve/tube amplifier. https://www.hifiwigwam.com/forum/threads/thrax-enyo-integrated-amplifier.109701/ It would be true to say I was impressed with this upbeat amplifier and it certainly...
HiFi Rose RA 180 Integrated Amplifier
George Sallit
It is fair to say that the looks/aesthetics of this amplifier has caused some controversy. It has a mixture of looks with a dash of Nagra and a soupcon steampunk and a pinch of modernity. The controversy over the volume control certainly got...
Hifi Rose RS250
The temptation of anything aesthetically appealing is to be swayed to make a judgement based on that .There has been loads of stunningly beautiful hifi over the years where the sound somehow doesn’t live up to the looks. There has also been the proverbial dogs dinner that...
icOn PRO 4 Balanced Preamp
George Sallit
icOn 4 PRO Unbalanced
icOn 4 PRO Balanced (Taller Preamp)
Earlier this year I wrote a review about the icOn4 control unit https://www.hifiwigwam.com/blog/icon-4-passive-preamplifier.30/ and right at the end I mentioned there would be a further...
Thrax Enyo Integrated Amplifier Mk 1
George Sallit
One of the great benefits of the internet has been access to a huge amount of data, a lot that is useful for audiophiles. In addition, the internet is a great gateway for audio products that come from less well-known paths. Of course...
Benchmark HPA4 (£3,499)
Pre Amp
Reviewed by Mr Underhill
Introduction
A few months ago I had the pleasure of spending time with the Benchmark AHB2 power amp. This was a superbly transparent amplifier that I found especially impressive in my near field system.
The power amp includes the...