HEXMAT – Yellow Bird Isolator
The HEXMAT Yellow Bird Isolator is a record mat, but a record mat with a difference given its’ unusual design. It costs £115 including delivery and Alan McIntosh was keen to give it a whirl.
Accessories
Dense Adapt Reference DAC
Kiran Ram takes a listen to the diminutive Adapt portable DAC from Dense and costing $209.99.
Sonic Voice Turntable Mats
A new range of platter mats from Sonic Voice and with UK Distribution by HiFi System Components Ltd. has arrived so Janine Elliot takes a listen.
JBL Soundgear BTA Personal Surround Sound Speakers
As a bit of a departure for Hifi Pig Janine Elliot checks out this unusual and innovative personal surround-sound set up called the JBL Soundgear BTA and costing just shy of £200.
Kirmuss Audio KA-RC-1 Ultrasonic Vinyl Restoration System
Linette Smith gets into the groove with the Ultrasonic record cleaner KA-RC-1 from Kirmuss Audio.
Nasotec Swing Headshell 202A1
Nasotec Swing Headshell 202A1 is a novel approach to achieving better results from your vinyl replay system. It costs £305 and here Janine Elliot gives it a try for Hifi Pig.
Integrity Hifi Tru-Lift Automatic Tonearm Lifter
Ever fallen asleep whilst listening to records and woke up hours later with your precious cartridge playing the run-out groove? Tru-Lift Automatic Tonearm Lifter (US$259 as reviewed) could well be the answer to your dreams…
Pro-Ject Sweep-IT E Cleaning Brush
Pro-Ject is very well known for their large range of turntables and is now expanding into the record cleaning market with a vacuum cleaning machine and this, the £55 Sweep-IT E which gets rid of dust by brushing the vinyl as it is being played. Harry Smith gives it a spin.
DS Audio ST-50 Stylus Cleaner
DS Audio ST-50 Stylus Cleaner is a £75 box with urethane gel inside to trap dust when you lower your stylus on to it.
Isotek Super Titan and Genesis Mains Conditioner and Regenerator
Is messy mains mucking up your Mahler? Richard Stevenson turns main conditioning and regeneration convert with Isotek’s eye-wateringly priced flagship EVO3 Super Titan 20A (£9 995) (A super Titan 32A is available at £11 995) and EVO3 Genesis (£18 495) models. Is £28 500 a buck too far for perfect power? Probably not…
MCRU Pressure Points
Eight little feet that sit around your platter and which your record is placed on from English company MCRU and costing £24. Janine Elliot takes a listen.
IsoAcoustics Orea Pucks
Dan Worth takes a look at the IsoAcoustics Orea Pucks designed to help isolate your equipment from unwanted vibrations.
Timestep HE V Linear Power Supply – For Technics SL1200 Family of Turntables
The Technics 1200 and 1210 turntables are gaining a good deal of favour with audiophiles who are adding better arms, power supplies and more. Here, in his first review for Hifi Pig Alan McIntosh adds the £495 HE V Linear Power Supply from UK company Timestep to his own Technics 1210.
Nomadic Audio Speakase
The Nomadic Audio Speakase is a brand new Kickstarter campaign by Morel featuring a fully featured open baffle Bluetooth loudspeaker system but pop it into its dedicated carry-on suitcase and you have a fully fledged loudspeaker system. Price is dependent on the package you take but for the case and speaker expect to pay around $400 […]
Flux Hifi Sonic Stylus Cleaner
Vibrating stylus cleaners are not a new concept, but the Flux Hifi Sonic stylus operates at a lower frequency to older types, which, say the company, makes it perfectly safe to use on your precious cartridge.
Kralk Audio KALSU Loudspeaker Set Up Device
Every once in a while a product comes onto the market that is so obvious and so simple that you can’t help but think “How did I not think of that?”, the KALSU from Kralk Audio is such a product. About six months ago Alan from Kralk contacted me to tell me about this loudspeaker […]
Solidair Audio Ukishima Magnetic Isolators
Dominic Marsh experiments with the Solidair Audio Magnetic Isolators in this review for Hifi Pig.
Sbooster Best of Two Worlds Power & Precision ECO (BOTW) Power Supplies
Sbooster Best of Two Worlds Power & Precision ECO (BOTW) Power Supplies cost £300 each and are replacements for the all too common wall-warts that seem to be de rigeur with many audio products. Dan Worth feels the power.
Winyl Record Cleaning Fluid
Winyl Record Cleaning Fluid offers a novel way for you to clean your black disks. The stuff cost £19.99 for 500ml and here Dave Robson gets down with the sticky stuff.
Russ Andrews Power Purifier
The Russ Andrews Power Purifier is a modular power conditioner that you can have fully loaded from the off or choose the base unit and add to as and when you feel the need. Janine Elliot pops it on her rack and experiments with the £329 (base unit) £1107 (fully loaded) box.
Townshend Audio Engineering Maximus Supertweeters
Supertweers get a mixed reaction whenever they are brought up in polite audiophile conversation. Daniel Worth tries out a pair of the Townshend Audio Engineering Maximus Supertweeters costing £899.
Townshend Audio Engineering – Seismic Speaker Bars
Max Townshend is unmissable at pretty much any Hifi show you care to attend. He’s a larger than life character and his team are likewise always knowledgeable but down to earth and fun. His demonstration of the seismic bars and platforms is one not to miss. Daniel Worth pops a pair of the company’s Seismic […]
IsoAcoustics GAIA III Isolation Footers
Dan Worth takes a look at an interesting tweak from IsoAcoustics in the form of their GAIA III isolation footers costing £199.
Russ Andrews BMU3000 Balanced Mains Unit
Balanced Mains Units are used extensively in professional studios and are starting to make their mark in domestic audio situations. Janine Elliot gets her life in balance and plugs in the Russ Andrews BMU 3000 costing £3599.
Quadraspire X Reference Rack
A somewhat sceptical Stuart Smith takes a listen to his kit sat ontop of the Quadraspire X Reference hifi rack costing £1000 per level.
Audiobyte Hydra Z and Hydra ZPM
Hydra Z from Audiobyte is a USB audio playback bridge and clock generator whilst the Hydra ZPM is its matching Ultra linear audio power supply. Dan Worth is already a user of the company’s previous model Hydra X+ and most definitely a digital audiophile, so who better to put to put this £1050 combo through their paces.
GIK Room Treatment Products
Room treatment is often seen as a dark art a somewhat expensive process. Stuart and Linette Smith try three products from GIK Acoustics including bass traps, acoustic panels and diffusors.
Project VC-S Record Cleaning Machine
Project have a well deserved name for producing great products at great prices, but £299 for a vacuum record cleaning machine really does seem to be very good value, at least on paper. Ian Ringstead puts a few of his grimier charity shop finds through the VC-S to find out if it sucks or not!
