Author Archives: realspin
Merry Christmas Everybody!
A huge thank you to all readers of this blog. This is a labour of love, and your support, comments and questions make it all the more worthwhile… Here’s looking forward to lots more weird, wonderful – or even downright silly – classic hi-fi
Merry Christmas Everybody!
A huge thank you to all readers of this blog. This is a labour of love, and your support, comments and questions make it all the more worthwhile… Here’s looking forward to lots more weird, wonderful – or even downright silly – classic hi-fi
Rega R200
For a short period in the late nineteen seventies, this was the best value tonearm money could buy. Thoroughly conventional, it was basically a cost-cut Acos Lustre arm without its height adjustment facility. The latter of course was a silkily
Akai GXC-310D
A true museum piece, this! It hails from a time when Akai was a highly respected Japanese tape recorder specialist, selling the world’s most popular open reel (the 4000DS, of course). The company also had designs on the fast-growing Compact
Akai GXC-310D
A true museum piece, this! It hails from a time when Akai was a highly respected Japanese tape recorder specialist, selling the world’s most popular open reel (the 4000DS, of course). The company also had designs on the fast-growing Compact
NAD 3030
Meet one of New Acoustic Dimension’s lost gems, the integrated amplifier that came before the product for which the company is most famous by far – the NAD 3020. Actually, in hi-fi terms, it’s not the barnstormer that its successor was,
NAD 3030
Meet one of New Acoustic Dimension’s lost gems, the integrated amplifier that came before the product for which the company is most famous by far – the NAD 3020. Actually, in hi-fi terms, it’s not the barnstormer that its successor was,
NAD D 3020
Just as the original NAD 3020 had ‘real world’ features and no gimmicks, so this new D version goes the same way. Any modern budget amplifier has surely got to work in Class D, because this mode of operation has lower power
NAD D 3020
Just as the original NAD 3020 had ‘real world’ features and no gimmicks, so this new D version goes the same way. Any modern budget amplifier has surely got to work in Class D, because this mode of operation has lower power
RipNAS Solid V3
It doesn’t win any prizes for build quality, looks, finish or indeed ease of use, but this £1,000 black box is one hell of a CD ripper. What it does, it does brilliantly – which is to convert your Compact
RipNAS Solid V3
It doesn’t win any prizes for build quality, looks, finish or indeed ease of use, but this £1,000 black box is one hell of a CD ripper. What it does, it does brilliantly – which is to convert your Compact
Audio Origami PU7
It’s amazing how many long lost hi-fi products have started reappearing on the market of late, reinvented and/or remanufactured. One of the first to start this trend was Glasgow-based company Audio Origami nearly a decade ago, which brought back the
Audio Origami PU7
It’s amazing how many long lost hi-fi products have started reappearing on the market of late, reinvented and/or remanufactured. One of the first to start this trend was Glasgow-based company Audio Origami nearly a decade ago, which brought back the
The Crusaders – Street Life
By the time of this album’s release at the end of the nineteen seventies, disco music was fast becoming an artistically spent force. Saturday Night Fever was now yesterday’s news, and the genre was becoming the province of cynical pop
The Crusaders – Street Life
By the time of this album’s release at the end of the nineteen seventies, disco music was fast becoming an artistically spent force. Saturday Night Fever was now yesterday’s news, and the genre was becoming the province of cynical pop
JBL Everest DD67000
Horn loudspeakers and I have had a tortuous relationship. My first real contact with the breed came only relatively recently, a decade or so at the Munich High End Show. I remember venturing into one room to see a group of gentlemen
JBL Everest DD67000
Horn loudspeakers and I have had a tortuous relationship. My first real contact with the breed came only relatively recently, a decade or so at the Munich High End Show. I remember venturing into one room to see a group of gentlemen
the Nakamichi story
Compact Cassette, launched back in 1963, is not famous for being a respectable high fidelity music carrier. Thanks to its low (1 7/8 ips) tape speed and tiny track width, it never wowed the world with shimmering sonics, although the
the Nakamichi story
Compact Cassette, launched back in 1963, is not famous for being a respectable high fidelity music carrier. Thanks to its low (1 7/8 ips) tape speed and tiny track width, it never wowed the world with shimmering sonics, although the
Vivid B1
Vivid design supremo Laurence Dickie is a loudspeaker engineer with the enthusiasm of a child in sweet shop, happy to romp through the wonderland of speakers old and new in search of the best solution. He’s not your average ‘on-message’ corporate
Vivid B1
Vivid design supremo Laurence Dickie is a loudspeaker engineer with the enthusiasm of a child in sweet shop, happy to romp through the wonderland of speakers old and new in search of the best solution. He’s not your average ‘on-message’ corporate
Creek Destiny
Starting with the classic CAS4040 back in the early nineteen eighties, Creek Audio has an illustrious history of producing affordable but musical sounding transistor amplification. Launched in 2009, the Destiny was the company’s flagship product and took it very much into the
Creek Destiny
Starting with the classic CAS4040 back in the early nineteen eighties, Creek Audio has an illustrious history of producing affordable but musical sounding transistor amplification. Launched in 2009, the Destiny was the company’s flagship product and took it very much into the
Japan – Tin Drum
By the time Tin Drum was released on November 13th 1981, Japan had reached its creative zenith. Four years earlier, they had assaulted an unsuspecting pop music world with a striking fusion of glam rock and punk. Twenty year old peroxide
Japan – Tin Drum
By the time Tin Drum was released on November 13th 1981, Japan had reached its creative zenith. Four years earlier, they had assaulted an unsuspecting pop music world with a striking fusion of glam rock and punk. Twenty year old peroxide
STAX SRS-4040 Signature
STAX only makes headphones, and they’re all supremely comfortable – these weigh just 295g plus cable, which is a brilliant ‘wearability’ enhancer. The SRS-4040 Signature package comprises SR-404 headphones (“earspeakers” in STAX speak) and the SRM-006t Driver Unit (amplifier). The latter’s champagne
STAX SRS-4040 Signature
STAX only makes headphones, and they’re all supremely comfortable – these weigh just 295g plus cable, which is a brilliant ‘wearability’ enhancer. The SRS-4040 Signature package comprises SR-404 headphones (“earspeakers” in STAX speak) and the SRM-006t Driver Unit (amplifier). The latter’s champagne
Rega Brio R
One instinctively knows when something is right. And so it was when I first discovered the Rega Brio five or so years ago. Costing just £328, Rega described it as a “simple, high performance, integrated amplifier”with the company’s characteristic understatement, and that’s
Rega Brio R
One instinctively knows when something is right. And so it was when I first discovered the Rega Brio five or so years ago. Costing just £328, Rega described it as a “simple, high performance, integrated amplifier”with the company’s characteristic understatement, and that’s
Wharfedale Linton 3XP
It was in his humble Yorkshire home in Ilkley that Gilbert Arthur Briggs built his first ever loudspeaker in 1932. Located in the valley of the river Wharfe, in an area known as Wharfedale, he was to make the name famous
Wharfedale Linton 3XP
It was in his humble Yorkshire home in Ilkley that Gilbert Arthur Briggs built his first ever loudspeaker in 1932. Located in the valley of the river Wharfe, in an area known as Wharfedale, he was to make the name famous
North West Analogue
There’s something highly personal about moving coil cartridges, and they lie very deep in an analogue addict’s affections. When they wear out, they’re not easy to replace. There are some excellent modern designs from a number of manufacturers, but sometimes people
North West Analogue
There’s something highly personal about moving coil cartridges, and they lie very deep in an analogue addict’s affections. When they wear out, they’re not easy to replace. There are some excellent modern designs from a number of manufacturers, but sometimes people
Naim DAC-V1
2013 saw the launch of Naim’s DAC-V1/NAP 100 DAC/preamplifier/power amplifier combination. The £1,250 DAC-V1 was arguably the more interesting of the two half-size boxes, as well as being the Salisbury company’s second ever digital converter. It was a neat piece of design,
Naim DAC-V1
2013 saw the launch of Naim’s DAC-V1/NAP 100 DAC/preamplifier/power amplifier combination. The £1,250 DAC-V1 was arguably the more interesting of the two half-size boxes, as well as being the Salisbury company’s second ever digital converter. It was a neat piece of design,
IsoTek EVO3 Mosaic Genesis
If mains leads can improve the sonics of a system, then what about the mains itself? When I lived in London, this was a big issue for me and I struggled to get my hi-fi to sound good, trying anything
IsoTek EVO3 Mosaic Genesis
If mains leads can improve the sonics of a system, then what about the mains itself? When I lived in London, this was a big issue for me and I struggled to get my hi-fi to sound good, trying anything
Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus
When Cambridge Audio’s first ever DACMagic was launched in 1995, it surprised the world. John Westlake – of Pink Triangle DaCapo and Audiolab M-DAC fame – designed it and put the brand on the map for seriously good, affordable digital converters. In 2009, the company launched
Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus
When Cambridge Audio’s first ever DACMagic was launched in 1995, it surprised the world. John Westlake – of Pink Triangle DaCapo and Audiolab M-DAC fame – designed it and put the brand on the map for seriously good, affordable digital converters. In 2009, the company launched
zStereo 