Discover more about the amazing Ultrafide Audio U500DC power amplifier. British-made and very special.  

It's early 2023. And with the new year, a new amplifier has arrived at Tannoyista. And this time, it isn't valve-based. This 250wpc British-made amplifier is from a company with an excellent heritage in live sound & professional studio circles that some in the Hi-Fi world may not have heard of.

Nonetheless, it is a heritage that has been highly regarded in professional audio worldwide and has recently added a Hi-Fi arrow to its bow, Ultrafide.

Discover the Khozmo 'Shunt Relay' Passive preamplifier. The purist of audio.  

Discover what Entreq can bring to your system with the Tellus 2 Infinity line grounding box and Eartha cables.

The Entreq Tellus II Infinity Line is one of the most intriguing additions to the Tannoyista system I've ever had the pleasure of owning. It has no moving parts, no mains cable and is encased in beautifully finished solid wood.

Discover the Studer A80/R Master tape recorder. The most famous work-horse in music.

The Studer A80 Master Recorder is one hell of a beast. After previously owning a Studer A807 MKII, Nagra Kudelski, Revox G36 and a Pioneer RT-909, in 2018 I wanted to revisit an old friend with whom I was familiar back in the early '90s. 

The Studer A80/R is a 96.5kg machine. It was built for precision, performance and reliability. And after 50 years since its initial release, it's the transport and audio capability which is still regarded as one of the best. 

Abbey Road, for example, has always used the A80 and in most recent times an A80 was used for transferring 1/4" master tapes to digital for the Miles Showell 1/2 speed Abbey Road/Universal remasters.

Discover the improvements of the Sepea Audio stabiliser card for the Studer A80 master tape machine.  

The A80 stabiliser card is something you wouldn't think about upgrading. But Sepia Audio has made something really special which has to be experienced on such a legendary machine.

The Studer A80 is one of the most famous reel-to-reel machines in the world. Renowned for its delicate transport and amazing reproduction quality, its time on this earth is now legendary. 

From Pink Floyd, Paul Simon, Queen to My Bloody Valentine and beyond, the A80 is still being used to record with and to also remaster classic albums at Abbey Road.

The electronics inside the A80 is discreet but also wonderfully simple compared to the later more advanced machines such as the A820 or the smaller A807 and A810.

Discover more about the Thorens TD-124 MK2 Turntable - A true classic.  

The Thorens TD-124 is one of the most classic turntables. It has a wonderful sound and a celebrated history. This review is a look back at my experience of owning the TD-124.

In 2009, I bought a Thorens TD-124 turntable and since then it's become even more highly regarded and loved turntables. It's certainly earned its noted soubriquet 'legendary'. It stands out as one of the top audiophile decks in sound and design. 

Needless to say, this little deck consistently captures the hearts of many, including myself.

Discover the EL-34 Air Tight ATM-1 Valve Power Amplifier

One amplifier which came my way in 2021 was the AirTight ATM-1. This was a remarkable little amplifier which made a big impression as part of the Tannoyista system.

Air Tight had always been one of the manufacturers which I heard of but, alas, never found the time to take a look at. So when an ATM-1 came along, I thought, why not...

Discover the HDX-1 RCA Interconnect cables by Mark Grant

Back in 2010, I discovered that after ploughing through so many interconnect cables. The art of getting something sounding right together with robust reliability and cost differed considerably.

My main cables of choice for quite some time were by Chord. They were made well and sounded great but a change was in the air. So, I made it my task to find something which would tick all the boxes, but maybe for a more reasonable price tag.

On a recommendation from a member of The Art of Sound forum, the name Mark Grant had been bounced around and got some great comments from a plethora of different users with a wide range of systems. Having this wider user appeal had to be something I needed to try.

Discover the classic Pioneer PD-91 Compact Disc Player. Is it worth it?

The Pioneer PD-91 is considered a rare piece of equipment to own but in 2020, is it worthwhile owning such a classic piece of kit.

Discover the ALLO Revolution DAC with the USBridge

Discover the SPL Volume 2 Monitor Control for Studio and home use

Discover the Funk Firm Houdini and Achromat for your turntable.

Discover the ALLO Shanti Ultra Low Noise Linear Power Supply

Discover the compact Volumio Primo Music Streamer

Discover the fabulous ALLO Katana 1.2 DAC with Isolator

Discover the 90s classic Rotel RHC-10 Michi Passive Preamplifier

Discover more about the development of the Tannoyista Crossover for the Tannoy Monitor Gold Loudspeakers

Discover more about the ALLO Boss DAC with Piano 2.1, RPI, Sparky, Kali and Volt Amplifier

Discover more about the fabulous Tube Distinctions KT-150 Copper Power Amplifier

Discover the Croft Epoch Elite Pre-amplifier - Upgraded by the late Glenn Croft

Discover the history and sound of the original Trident Studios monitoring loudspeakers by Lockwood.  

Trident Studios was a recording studio in London. Opening in 1968, it remained open until 1981 and in that time, Trident Studios coined itself one of the most uniquely important recording studios in the world.

The legacy of this studio is now legendary but, alas, today the studio is no more, in fact, it's now a very upmarket townhouse which is sad to see. 

Since it's closure, the studio has operated under various names and although now in a different location in London, it's now 'Trident Sound Studios' and they specialise in sound recording and mixing for TV.

But the ghostly reverberations of the studio still ring loud in our music and culture today, and in many ways just as loud as Abbey Road. Within a small window of time from 1968 to around 1978, the control room at Trident included 4 Lockwood Major monitoring loudspeakers for hearing back mixes. 

That amazing 10 year window in time changed popular music forever and included some of the most prolific artists using the studio such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Queen, Lou Reed, T-Rex, Elton John, The Small Faces and others. This is the story of two of the actual loudspeakers used to make those amazing albums.

The Tannoyista system with the Trident Studios Lockwood Majors

Discover the Ex CTS Studios Lockwood Universal Loudspeakers

Discover the awesome black version update of the RT-909 Reel-to-Reel tape machine

This version is named the 'Swiss version' by Vlad Frincu, ‘the best’ update for the RT-909. This is ‘the works’, the best of.

Discover the classic QUAD 2 Power Monoblock Amplifiers upgraded by the late Glenn Croft

Discover the Awesome Chord CPM-2600, SPM-600 & SPA-1032 Power Amplifiers

In 2009 my amplification setup consisted of a Chord CPM2600 Integrated amplifier bi-amped with firstly an SPM600, and then the Chord SPA1032.

As you may know, Chord amplifiers are extremely high quality and the CPM 2600 working as an integrated alone is a wonderful package. The build quality is second to none with thick aluminium construction and very heavy.

Discover the classic Michell Gyro SE Turntable - An iconic turntable

Back in 2010 my turntable was the Michell Gyro SE. It was to be one of my statement turntables before I migrated to the Thorens TD124 MKII.

The Gyro SE is now, as was then, a legendary turntable. From its design to its performance, the Gyro SE stood out from the crowd. It certainly moved the goalposts. That is, it wasn't another ugly wooden orange crate box like the LP12 (controversial). This turntable for me brought it all together in design, looks and sound.