Audiophiles usually have to choose: the warmth of tubes or the precision of transistors. But what happens when the most famous transformer manufacturer in Europe, Toroidy, builds a transistor amp using their legendary ‘Double Mono’ iron? The Fezz Audio Torus 5060 is disrupting the mid-range Hi-Fi market by offering flagship-level power delivery and a built-in…
Veni, vidi, vici. That perfectly describes the impact the Soulnote A-2 made on us. It’s rare for a solid-state amp to captivate so completely and so quickly, especially under €10,000. But here we are. Soulnote, a boutique Japanese brand that many in Europe and North America are just discovering, has delivered something genuinely special. Born…
Denon is a name carved into the very foundation of audio history. Founded in 1910 as Nippon Columbia, the Japanese company has spent over a century obsessively refining the art of sound reproduction. To celebrate its 110th anniversary, Denon released a series of special-edition components, each tuned to perfection, hand-assembled in Japan, and built to embody…
The world of high-fidelity audio often asks you to make a choice: do you want modern features like music streaming, or do you want the pure, uncompromised sound quality that comes from specialist gear? What if you didn’t have to choose? This is the promise of the Hegel H120, an integrated amplifier from the Norwegian…
Leak stereo 230: We felt the first breaths of fresh wind from the past when the famous British brand Leak, after a half-century hiatus, introduced a couple of new components—the Stereo 130 integrated amplifier and the CDT CD transport. This wasn’t just a nostalgic gesture; it felt like a revival as the designers skillfully blended…
Hegel H590 Review: This number in advance: 300. Namely 300 watts. Sine. per channel. And at 8 ohms. The power output of the new Hegel H590 is unusually high and is easily 100 watts more than most of the other “big” integrated amplifiers in this class. With 300 watts at 8 ohms, Hegel’s new flagship…
Elac EA101EQ-G – the traditional manufacturer from Kiel could hardly have called its new integrated amplifier more cryptic. The name behind the abbreviation EA is far more catchy: Element Amplifier. This already indicates that the EA101EQ-G is primarily aimed at hi-fi beginners or those switching over, which is also underlined by its sales price of…
A decade ago, the Naim Nait XS amplifier established itself as a benchmark, offering improved sound and greater grunt than its predecessors from a similarly slimline package. Now, it has been revised for a second time by Naim’s engineers, and the result is the Naim Nait XS 3. While it looks familiar, the revision is…
The Swabian speaker, direct seller Nuber,t is always good for a surprise. Of course, it was clear that Schwäbisch Gmünder would soon bring an integrated amplifier. After all, the loyal Nu fan community has been calling for this for a long time. Now it’s here: its full name is Nubert nuConnect ampX – that fits…
At NAD, too, most of the new amplifiers are somehow digital. But only most. With the NAD C 316BEE V2, the inventors of the budget amp are once again presenting a classic, purely analog entry-level amplifier – even with a phono input. And with an unbelievably juicy, aromatic, and substantial sound. There are hi-fi testers…
