Opinion

When Jim Lesurf bought his turntable in the 1970s he didn’t expect to still be using it some 50 years later – proof that lasting enjoyment should be considered when judging the ‘cost’ of hi-fi

I was particularly interested to read the recent review of the Technics SL-1200GR2 [HFN Sep ’24]. This is because for a very long time I’ve owned and been happily using a much earlier example of the direct-drive breed. I can’t now recall exactly when I bought it, but I’ve had a Panasonic/Technics SL-1500 turntable and arm with a Shure V15 series cartridge since about 1973. And it has continued to deliver good performance for about half a century!

The main sign of the SL-1500’s age after so many decades of use is that the small rotary potentiometer, which tweaks the rotation speed, has developed a ‘burn spot’ just at the place that sets 33.33rpm. This means that, nowadays, I have to let the deck run for about a quarter of an hour before use and then check if the speed has settled down correctly, or needs a slight tweak.

British trumpet player Enrico Tomasso on stage at the Felpham Village Memorial Hall in West Sussex. During lockdown Tomasso bought the microphones and equipment needed and taught himself how to stream his music from scratch

When the Covid lockdown made traditional music concerts a no-go, artists and venues turned to live streaming over the Internet. But first, says Barry Fox, they had to master the technology...

Jim Lesurf remembers a former HFN stalwart as he battles with the poor ergonomics and insufficient printed manual of a new audio purchase – before sending it back for a refund.

Many years ago I saw a poster which showed a young woman in a wheelchair at the top of a flight of stairs that led down to a public washroom. The point being made was simple: she wasn’t disabled by being unable to walk. The problem was that whoever installed the facility had ignored the existence of people who found the stairs a barrier.

Walk into any hi-fi show and you'll spot towering horn-loaded loudspeakers, says Steve Harris, but 'big' speakers in the UK have typically gone down another route, as he explains...

Not so long ago the idea of a hi-fi system costing a million pounds would have raised eyebrows and hackles. Such systems might exist, we thought, but only in the secret hideaways of a few eccentric billionaires. But today you can have a good chance of hearing a million-pound sound just by walking in to a hi-fi show.

An electric shock from an antique valve amp finally sends the rose-tinted glasses flying from the face of Barry Willis. Vintage gear? You can keep it, because the golden age of audio is happening now...

Barry Willis believes a subwoofer can bring a performance boost to your hi-fi system as long as you take the time to calibrate it - so look out for models with remote/app control

A properly setup subwoofer can add enormously to your musical satisfaction. Improperly setup, it can be an annoying nemesis.

Many subwoofers are designed for maximum dynamic impact with multichannel movie soundtracks. While they may excel at making explosions sound convincing, they may not contribute much to your enjoyment of music. Truly musical subwoofers are rare.