Hi-Fi Choice September 2020

“Sitting in a room, alone, listening to a CD is to be lonely. Sitting in a room alone with an LP crackling away, or sitting next to the turntable listening to a song at a time via 7in single is enjoying the sublime state of solitude.” These are the wise words of Henry Rollins and I’m sharing them with you because I was wondering if anyone else felt the same way about record players as I do. I’m not talking about the allure of vinyl here; the warmth, depth and humanity that explains its appeal over the digital delivery of music has already been well and passionately documented. What I’m talking about is the player itself; the tonearm, the plinth, the actual act of placing the platter on the deck…

“Sitting in a room, alone, listening to a CD is to be lonely. Sitting in a room alone with an LP crackling away, or sitting next to the turntable listening to a song at a time via 7in single is enjoying the sublime state of solitude.” These are the wise words of Henry Rollins and I’m sharing them with you because I was wondering if anyone else felt the same way about record players as I do. I’m not talking about the allure of vinyl here; the warmth, depth and humanity that explains its appeal over the digital delivery of music has already been well and passionately documented. What I’m talking about is the player itself; the tonearm, the plinth, the actual act of placing the platter on the deck and…

PRICE: £450-£800 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: LEAK-HIFI.CO.UK ACTIVE IN THE renovation business, Chinese company IAG (International Audio Group) – owner of Audiolab, Wharfedale, Luxman, Mission and Quad – has announced the relaunch of much-loved British franchise Leak. Founded in 1934 by Harold Joseph Leak, the brand was a trailblazer in the field of high-performance audio equipment. Among its firsts were the Point One series of valve amplifiers (1945) which were the first to reduce total harmonic distortion to 0.1 percent, and the ground-breaking Trough-Line FM radio tuner (1955) still considered one of the finest FM tuners ever. Leak’s Sandwich speakers (1961) heralded true-piston cone action by sandwiching polystyrene foam between outer skins of stiff aluminium foil. And the Stereo 30 all-transistor amplifier (1963) spearheaded the use of transformerless transistor output stages…

PRICE: £450-£800 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: LEAK-HIFI.CO.UK ACTIVE IN THE renovation business, Chinese company IAG (International Audio Group) – owner of Audiolab, Wharfedale, Luxman, Mission and Quad – has announced the relaunch of much-loved British franchise Leak. Founded in 1934 by Harold Joseph Leak, the brand was a trailblazer in the field of high-performance audio equipment. Among its firsts were the Point One series of valve amplifiers (1945) which were the first to reduce total harmonic distortion to 0.1 percent, and the ground-breaking Trough-Line FM radio tuner (1955) still considered one of the finest FM tuners ever. Leak’s Sandwich speakers (1961) heralded true-piston cone action by sandwiching polystyrene foam between outer skins of stiff aluminium foil. And the Stereo 30 all-transistor amplifier (1963) spearheaded the use of transformerless transistor output stages over thenstandard…

PRICE: £280-£700 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: ELIPSON.COM ELIPSON HAS ANNOUNCED details of its new Chroma turntable range, which consists of the entry-level 200 models, the step-up 400s and the flagship Chroma Carbon. The Chroma 200 is strictly analogue, the 200 RIAA incorporates a built-in preamp, while the 200 RIAA BT comes with preamp, USB output and aptX Bluetooth. The turntables all have a matte-black finish and are constructed using PVC for the chassis with an aluminium tonearm and pre-fitted Ortofon OM10 cartridge. The 400 models include the Chroma 400, Chroma 400 RIAA and Chroma 400 RIAA BT, which features a stylish lacquered PMMA finish, carbon lift arm – which is higher quality than the 200’s aluminium one – and comes with a choice of glossy black, white or red plinth. These models also feature…

PRICE: £280-£700 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: ELIPSON.COM ELIPSON HAS ANNOUNCED details of its new Chroma turntable range, which consists of the entry-level 200 models, the step-up 400s and the flagship Chroma Carbon. The Chroma 200 is strictly analogue, the 200 RIAA incorporates a built-in preamp, while the 200 RIAA BT comes with preamp, USB output and aptX Bluetooth. The turntables all have a matte-black finish and are constructed using PVC for the chassis with an aluminium tonearm and pre-fitted Ortofon OM10 cartridge. The 400 models include the Chroma 400, Chroma 400 RIAA and Chroma 400 RIAA BT, which features a stylish lacquered PMMA finish, carbon lift arm – which is higher quality than the 200’s aluminium one – and comes with a choice of glossy black, white or red plinth. These…