Category: Hi-Fi

Hearing Experiment: Vinyl, CD or MP3? Musik Express magazine decides

A few months ago we were asked whether we could do an experiment for the music magazine Musik Express: three different test candidates listening to different pieces of music in succession in each case on record, CD and MP3 and exclusively on the basis of listening to check out in which order the different formats have been played. The article is now available in the current issue of the magazine to read to the experiment, but we also have some impressions recorded in words and pictures.

Our High End Amplifiers: Accuphase E-600, Mark Levinson No. 585 and Musical Fidelity NuVista 800

Three different manufacturers, three times absolute high-end sound: let's take a look into three major intergrated amplifiers currently in our collection and see what can be compared. We want to consciously avoid long explanations with respect to the high-quality processing which should be a matter of course in this price range, as well as on extravagant sound analysis, prefering instead want to specially present the relatively different concepts. Should you feel inclined please don't hestitate to join us for your own live hearing test where you can discover your own preferences among theses great devices.

NPR Quiz On The Theme of Audio Quality

The American radio station NPR (National Public Radio) has created a small quiz which uses applications of various audio formats and includes compression levels to guess expertly listen to. Have fun quizzing! Click here to reach NPR

Our Digital Vinyl Set: PS Audio Sprout — Project RPM 1 Carbon — Dali Zensor for 1,499€

Anyone who has read our report on the PS Audio Sprout, the expected 1 Carbon and Dali known already occur censor 1 in combination with Pro-Ject RPM. The more incidental during our tests compilation has inspired us to a small but elegant set, that sounds great, is reduced to the bare essentials and simultaneously possesses enough flexibility to easily commute between analog and digital playback.

PS Audio Sprout – The Mighty but Tiny All-In-One Amplifier

Admittedly, the concept of Sprout is not new: shrinking hi-fi components to a convenient size and reducing them to the essentials to keep up with the digital zeitgeist is an established strategy. Nevertheless, we find that the small all-rounder of PS Audio has earned itself a special mention amongst our bespoke products.

Listen to the KEF Blade Two at HiFi im Hinterhof

As of yesterday the wait is over: for the first time and with great pleasure, we unpacked the new KEF Blade Two and set them up. We've written some first impressions for you, along with some accompanying photos of the beauties.

“Cheesecake for The Ears”

For once we aren't annoucing a new addition to our invantory or delving into deep into our technical Know-How, rather we'd like to draw your attention to an article from the Berlin newspaper Der Tagesspiegel, which deals with the ever fascinating question of why we appreciate music. The article reminds us that the phenomenon of music still has mysteries and why we are still marvelling at its magic. Cheesecake for the ears even. Homo musicus - How Music Generates Our Emotions  (in German from Der Tagesspiegel)

Amplifiers: A Guide From Class A, Class B, Class AB to Class D

Throughout product descriptions, articles and discussions we find ourselves talking about again and again about the so-called amplifier classes which are in place to demarcate the operation of the respective circuit. But how can we really classify them? How does the ordering really work? Why are there different different classes at all? And what are the advantages and disadvantages does each bring with them? We’ve taken the best known of examokes from across the board – Classes A, B, AB and D – viewing them in more detail so that we can take this question head on.

The All-In-One and HiFi? Naim Mu-So put to the test

When heritage British manufacturer Naim presented its new release, Mu-so at this year's High-End electronics fair in Munich, it was met with great interest. Naim, now a renowned Hi-Fi specialist has been booming for years but at the same time the industry has been neglecting to those manufacturers specialising in streaming-complete systems. As high as the expectations were, Naim would manage to balance between flexible compact solutions and high quality sound. We take a closer, considered look at whether that such high expectations for the Mu-So were fulfilled.

Streaming For The Hi-Fi System – An Overview

The ongoing evolution of music shifting out of the physical sound storage medium, coupled with the way to many modes and formates of music data of storing data on your computer, laptop, smartphone or server has altered the classic job profile of hi-fi equipment. Without question, this profile can be all together further questioned thanks to the possibility of streaming entirely online, it is theoretically possible to forgo a locally-stored library all together. In response to these changes in the market, countless solutions are now available to ensure the seamless integration of the digital sphere. In addition to the special accessories there are also those products which combine what were once orginally seperate equipment categories. It's very easy to loose track, so we're going to take you through slowly, showing you several examples of components that really matter.