Opinion

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Barry Willis  |  Dec 01, 2018
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...
Steve Harris  |  Dec 01, 2018
We have a hundred more record shops than we did in 2009, thanks to the efforts of those who run the stores and events like Record Store Day. But don’t celebrate just yet, warns Steve Harris
Barry Willis  |  Nov 15, 2024
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.

Barry Willis  |  Mar 13, 2025  |  First Published: Jan 01, 2025
Can a good hi-fi demo count as art? Barry Willis discovered the crowd-pleasing nature of high-quality music reproduction – and some ‘interesting’ systems – at San Francisco’s MOMA
Christopher Breunig  |  Sep 12, 2024
Now remastered several times, Britten’s War Requiem was recorded by the composer in 1963. Christopher Breunig recalls its Coventry premiere and, later, his cheeky cub reviewer’s account

Reissued last November on vinyl and in digital formats, Benjamin Britten’s Decca recording of his War Requiem was produced at Kingsway Hall by John Culshaw, and engineered by Kenneth Wilkinson, in January 1963 – eight months after its Coventry Cathedral UK premiere.

Barry Willis  |  Jul 09, 2025  |  First Published: Jul 01, 2025

Whether through hardware or software, there are ways to tweak your system sound. But, asks Barry Willis, what’s the appeal in adding vinyl-style artefacts to modern, digital productions?

Mike Mettler  |  Mar 07, 2026  |  First Published: Apr 01, 2026

Aided by the resurgence in vinyl, it appears that anyone can put their music out on wax these days. Mike Mettler approves of enabling artists, both young and old, to pursue their dreams

Jim Lesurf  |  Jul 28, 2025  |  First Published: Aug 01, 2025
Having made one amplifier upgrade to his listening set-up, Jim Lesurf immediately pondered another – but then discovered he was happy to leave old and new hardware working together

Jim Lesurf  |  Nov 15, 2024
When an FM/DAB tuner supports only one antenna, you'll achieve better performance from both types of transmission using a VHF aerial, says Jim Lesurf. But which type, and where to put it?

A few decades ago, FM radio transmissions - particularly those on BBC Radio 3 - were an excellent way to hear music with a very high level of sound quality. Sadly that has been eroded over the years due to a number of changes, which have occurred for various reasons.

Barry Fox  |  Jul 28, 2025  |  First Published: Aug 01, 2025
Armour Home’s Q2 Cube wanted to ‘forever change the way people interact with radio’. Fifteen years later it’s been rendered obsolete by a third-party tech change. Barry Fox is flippin’ angry
Steve Harris  |  Mar 07, 2026  |  First Published: Apr 01, 2026

Steve Harris on why modern versions of classic amplifiers sensibly make use of new technologies, leaving reborn turntables as the best place to get your genuinely authentic vintage fix

Christopher Breunig  |  Jun 19, 2025  |  First Published: Jun 01, 2025
If you collect LPs, a vinyl record cleaner might be considered as much a part of your system as a tonearm or cartridge. Christopher Breunig has recently put three different methods to the test
Barry Willis  |  Jul 30, 2024
Barry Willis has turned some impressive profits reselling vintage audio gear, but these are the exceptions that prove the rule. In fact, much of the time he’s left counting the cost..

An enduring bit of wisdom cautions against extravagant purchases – the must-have new car, for example, that loses 20% of its value the moment it’s driven off the dealer’s lot. Something similar happens with high-end audio, but worse, because were you to try selling your latest cost-be-damned amplifier or ultra-performance DAC two weeks post-purchase, you’d be dismayed to learn that you might recover only 50% or so of what you paid.

Barry Fox  |  Apr 25, 2025  |  First Published: Apr 01, 2025

Barry Fox heads along to Ronnie Scott’s in London to find out how the legendary live music venue has revamped its sound system, and why it’s in a ‘war of attrition’ with drummers...

Peter Quantrill  |  Jul 28, 2025  |  First Published: Aug 01, 2025
A new documentary film about Herbert von Karajan’s Bruckner cycle sheds revealing light on both the technology of the recordings and the interpretations, finds Peter Quantrill

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