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And so, it’s December. We’ve almost made it to the end of 2020 and, as everyone keeps telling us, ‘Christmas is going to look a little different this year’. Now is the time to double down on all the familiar celebratory rituals and traditions that mean the most to us, but also perhaps to invent some new ones too as we seek to come up with creative ideas for Christmassing during a pandemic. Here are a few suggestions. Put on a festive front When it comes to decorating for the festive season I’m not normally known for being either the...

Some advice stays with your for a lifetime. For me, it came from Alan Hazel, who was a few years older than me at school and one day, a propos of nothing, passed on this nugget of wisdom accumulated from his first 17 years on earth: ‘Always listen to Prince on headphones.’ He was right. Plugging headphones into my stereo to listen to Prince’s newly released double album Sign O’ the Times, a new technicolour world revealed itself. Intricate rhythms flittered from left to right; previously unheard instruments and strange sounds emerged from songs I thought I already knew. The...

I had to wait for lockdown to see the light. And to legitimise a purchase that I argued was necessary for my mental health. Because it was only after we’d been ordered to stay home that I finally got round to ordering (online of course) a hi-fi on which to start playing vinyl again. My reasoning: in this topsy-turvy world I needed something to look forward to. My wife was understanding. She needed to be when I splashed out on the sort of kit I could never have afforded the first time around.A Technics turntable and Cambridge Audio amp were...

We're proud to announce that our groundbreaking Metamaterial Absorption Technology has been awarded 'Innovation of the Year' in this year's What Hi-Fi? Awards. MAT’s tuned channels absorb 99% of the unwanted sound from the rear of driver, resulting in a purer, more natural performance. Read more about our latest innovation in loudspeaker design. Read More LS50 Wireless IIFollowing the 5* review earlier in September, the Ultimate Wireless HiFi, LS50 Wireless II, has been named 'Product of the Year' in the All-in-one-system category in the What Hi-Fi? Awards. "These sequels are among the most thrilling speaker systems we’ve heard." - September...

Musos of a certain vintage – born, let’s say, the year of Stevie Wonder’s Talking Book and The Rolling Stones’ Exile On Main Street - have a pretty wide spectrum of experience behind them when it comes to quality of sound. They recall hearing early Dire Straits via electrical audio signals that barely had the strength to hiss, crackle and pop their way through the single speaker cone of the single-deck tape recorder they got for Christmas. Due to the modesty of their parents’ record players, their early vinyl experiences probably lacked the warmth and authenticity of sound that these...