There’s an aural equivalent of The Seven Year Itch that strikes some users of flat panel speakers like Magneplanars and Quads et al. For years they have been seemingly oblivious to the limitations of their beloved panels. Limitations like vague imaging, restricted dynamics, reduced bandwidth, low playback levels and the dreaded head-in-a-vice listening position that is all part of the charm of using ...

It’s been over seven years since AudioEnz reviewed the mighty Wadia 861 CD Player, a machine that redefined how good the compact audio disc could sound. Now we have the latest entry-level offering from Wadia. And what a machine it is.

Though the 381i shares the same carved-from-solid, monolithic look of the old top-of-the-line 861, in basic form it is now the entry-point to the Wadia ...

The 650BD is Cambridge Audio’s latest take on the universal disc player, a breed of player that Cambridge have had great success with, starting with the DVD89 DVD universal. The 650BD plays high resolution Blu-ray discs and decodes the accompanying new audio formats and also plays legacy formats such as DVD-Audio/Video, SACD, CD and a variety of computer based formats off physical BD/DVD discs or ...

In the hi-fi world where the “next best thing” is the lifeblood of many companies, a company that doesn’t change their model line-up as regularly as the seasons stands out as a rarity. Twelve years ago Magnepan revitalised their aging range of magnetic planar loudspeakers to produce the landmark 1.6 (masterfully reviewed by Craig Fenemor back in 2004). By revising driver design and speaker construction, ...