Recent content by matthewpiano

Cables are always a difficult topic, with lots of views based on different experiences. I've got the Artera seperates, and I've tried them with different cables to different effects - not supportable by science. I find Chord Company too 'flat' sounding and QED too sterile sounding. I had...

Quad Electrostatics of some description. Failing that, some Audio Notes.

Morning all. I will shortly be moving into a 5th floor flat. There's nobody above and nobody on 3-sides, but I want to do everything I can to avoid issues with the neighbours below. I will be using either my Wharfedale Linton 85s on their dedicated stands, or stand-mounts on spiked Atacama...

I think you need to look more closely at the speaker/room interaction rather than the amplifier. The Elex-R is more than capable of controlling the MAs, and certainly more capable than the Brio in this respect. It may be more that the MAs are simply unsuitable for your room. How are they...

I'd be looking more towards the likes of the Naim Nait 5si for the ATCs, adding any other connectivity you need with an outboard DAC.

If they were hard work for Quad's current-dumping power amplifier, they'll certainly be a challenge for a budget integrated of any make.

My understanding is that the DAC in the Audiolab (very capable though it is) is not MQA-certified and is unable to 'unfold' the MQA encoding. If you use an analogue connection between the Node and the amp, the DAC in the Node will do the unfolding and you will benefit from whatever additional...

The AS-500 and AS-501 are very similar amps. I've had both, and actually preferred the 500 (slightly more organic sounding, though that may just have been my mood/ears at the time). They're both very good budget amps, and great value for money, and as always it comes down to what each listener...

As I've found to my cost, speaker/room interaction is one of the most significant contributors to how a system sounds. Those are big speakers you are considering, and will need to be well out from the rear wall and any corners to avoid bass boom. You'll also want your listening position to be...

I have been in contact with Decca about some of their releases, but they declined to comment. It's mostly classical box sets where this is an issue, but it's annoying that somehow any agreement between the record labels and the equipment manufacturers has drifted away.

I always find it interesting to see how warranty support has changed in other industries. In the car industry, affordable brands like Skoda were offering 3-year warranties in the days when bigger brands such as Ford were only offering 1-year warranties. More recently, even longer warranties...

Yes, hardware failure happens, but '...within days, weeks, months or years'???? That certainly is nonchalant, and an unacceptable attitude. It's not as if anything Arcam make is 'cheap'. Good hi-fi is no small investment, and we should be able to depend on long-term reliability. I have a...

The SU-V55A can sound very nice, and should work well with those Tannoys. Enjoy!

Finding a CD player that lasts is one of the biggest challenges of the format. I'd like to think any good hi-fi component, even with daily use, should last at least 10 years. I had a Arcam CD73T years ago. I purchased it brand new, and it was a lot of money for me then. Relatively early in...

I own the Bluesound PowerNode 2i (in my second system) and a Marantz PM6007. The PowerNode is great and the BluOS platform is massively superior to HEOS for streaming, but the Marantz is the better amp by some margin. It all depends where your priorities lie but I would be inclined to suggest...