Articles and Reviews

Choosing a vinyl cartridge is a responsible matter, but our new rating will make the choice easier. The editors have collected for you seven of the most interesting and new models of sound cartridges – for every taste and budget.

Our new editorial rating of the best modern tonearms covers almost all price groups - so vinyl fans will have plenty to choose from. A good tonearm is the key to high-quality playback of records, so we hope the new selection will dot the "i's".

Choosing a phono preamplifier for vinyl is always a difficult task. It is not for nothing that they say that even a high-quality turntable, tonearm and cartridge can be ruined by the wrong selection of a correction module. Well, we have selected for you a rating and hit parade of new products on the phono preamplifier market.

So, we choose the newest and most modern digital-to-analog converters. The rating of the seven most interesting models for "digital", as usual, is sorted in order of increasing cost, so that everyone can find a DAC to their taste and wallet.

The summer season of 2025 pleased us with a sufficient number of new audio equipment – especially in the turntable market. So, the editors have prepared for you a rating of the seven most interesting models for playing records

WADAX Studio • Player is a unique product in every sense. A digital-to-analog converter built on a proprietary topology and using 620 custom machined parts and a total of 14 different materials and alloys in its design. A top-class network streamer with embedded Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz clients and certified Audirvana and Roon. And also a multi-format disc player supporting CD and SACD. Well, let's hold our breath and move on to testing!

By resuming the introduction of 300B tubes, Western Electric has created a full-scale storm on the audiophile market. Well, the American manufacturer has many more things in its arsenal that can surprise fans of good sound – for example, the Western Electric 91E integrated single-ended amplifier, which we are testing today.

Choosing new floorstanding loudspeakers is not an easy task, but our new guide will help you navigate the flurry of new products. Acoustic systems with high-class sound have become much more affordable – which makes market research even more interesting.

Our new buyer's guide and equipment rating is visited by full (with a digital-to-analog converter) streamers or network players. The number of these components is growing day by day, which is why the selection turned out to be interesting - from inexpensive models to High-End class mastodons.

Extra-class floorstanding acoustic systems, Wilson Benesch Omnium – the culmination of 30 years of development experience from the famous British company. The model was created in collaboration after long and thorough research work of the SSUCHY project. The second from the top in the company's range, loudspeakers embodied the most advanced, bold and new sound solutions.

The culmination of decades of research by the renowned Acapella – the complete system (with electronics) Acapella HYPERSPHERE costs 5 million euros, and the speaker systems themselves can be purchased for “only” 3.2 million euros. Well, let’s study the true pinnacle of uncompromising Ultra High-End design.

SAT XD1 is a true pearl of the modern horizon of High End audio equipment. Based on completely rethought engineering solutions of the direct-drive Technics SP-10R turntable, the redesigned vinyl turntable from the famous Marc Gomez amazes with both its sound and price. But, such is the price for truly ultimate quality…

Linn describes its new Linn 360 acoustic systems as a development from scratch, which uses «New cabinet. New drive units. New electronics. New everything». The innovative speakers are truly amazing – both in their appearance and in the large-scale sound, literally breaking our ideas about the physical capabilities of cabinets and drivers of this size.

The new Raidho speakers no longer look like a rethinking of past models - this is exactly what Raidho TD3.10 is. The bass foundation here is formed by large-sized 10” woofers, and tantalum midrange drivers with a diamond coating may well earn a cult status. But first things first – in the article we will try to reveal in detail all the technical innovations of the model and tell you about its sound.

Choosing an affordable Hi-Fi integrated amplifier, or more expensive Top Hi-Fi equipment, is a difficult and responsible task, the market is literally flooded with these devices. We have prepared for you a guide and comparison of seven of the best new integrated amplifiers in the price range from $449 to $5,000 - each of which deserves close attention in its range.

The final part of our photo report about the audio exhibition HIGH END Munich 2025 is dedicated to the most spectacular acoustic systems and components that brilliantly prove in practice that reference sound is possible.