Monthly Archives: May 2012

Which Cartridge is Right for Me?

A Guide That Looks at The best Cartridge for Your

Record Deck on a Budget

The traditional vinyl record is making a huge come back! Although, some may argue that it never really went away. However, if you are keen on building a collection and want to take advantage of that warm tone, an essential tune-up of your turntable is certainly worth considering!

Many audiophiles will change their tone arms, cartridges and they will alter their decks to perform better than they did coming out of the factory. In one way, it’s like tuning a classic car – throwing on some twin carbs, changing the cam shaft and exchanging the exhaust system will certainly make a considerable boost in performance. Just like car tuners, audiophiles strive to get more performance out of their ‘stock’ turntable by a series of modifications.

As we are looking at turntable cartridges for beginners and those with a tighter budget in mind, we will be looking at the great ranges available to you – all costing below £100.

The most important place to start is the join between the vinyl record and the player’s needle – the cartridge system:

Some turntables do come with a cartridge fitted. However, these often prove to be weak in terms of performance and can often lead to damaging the records if they weren’t fitted correctly prior to operation. What is suggested is that the existing cartridge, which is usually un-branded, should be replaced by a cartridge that has greater stamina and accuracy than that of the original.

A new cartridge will lead to the following benefits:

1. More sonic accuracy. This means that the sound will be more robust and will sound more as it was intended to do by the artist.
2. Kinder performance to the record. Playing a record over repeatedly will eventually lead to it wearing out. However, an up-rated cartridge will be kinder and will easily prolong the record’s playing life if it has been fitted and tracked correctly.
3. A new cartridge will also help by attaining a certain and desirable sound characteristic. In essence, you can buy cartridges that feature a warm and traditional sound, or, alternatively, a cartridge can provide a more accurate and greater sense of depth or clarity. The choice of sound characteristics can help by boosting or reducing in a certain frequency range.

So, by upgrading, you can get a much better stereo-image, boost or reduce a certain sound characteristic and prolong the record’s life for longer lasting playing pleasure. Listed below are the cartridges that can help dramatically in boosting playback performance:

£17 - £50:

A Brief History of

Audiolab

Audiolab was originally conceived by two students, Philip Swift and Derek Scotland of the Imperial College. They both had a love of music and Hi-Fi and had decided to start their own brand after they felt that other manufacturers had too high a price, as well as finding operating their equipment too complicated for a vast amount of consumers in the Hi-Fi sector.

Audiolab became desired almost overnight because of their unique looks that promoted superb style and effortless functionality. Their first system consisted of the 8000C Preamplifier and the 8000P Power Amplifier. Swift & Scotland’s reputation grew because of the solid build, superb sound and the

A Brief History of

Pioneer

Pioneer’s reputation has grown further and further over the decades. Starting in Japan in 1938, Pioneer has become one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of premium audio and visual products and friendly and efficient prices to consumers and professionals alike.

December 1976 was the year when Pioneer entered the American Stock Market; since then, the size of the Pioneer corporation widened by considerable amounts. And, as the size of the corporation developed, it wasn’t before long that their ranges grew bigger and of even more quality was to be found as a result.

Originally, Pioneer was associated with the superb range of cassette decks and unique reel-to-reel machines that they built from the late 60s onwards. In the 70s, Pioneer was considered

A Brief History of…

Audio Technica

Audio Technica are a Japanese brand who started manufacturing a combination of Hi-Fi goods and Studio equipment pieces when they started in 1962. Audio Technica has been a brand that has delivered a value of price, with superb engineering in their pieces to show for this.

Audio Technica has always been a brand which doesn’t make a huge fuss of their selves. This is a nice thing as they always make great performing products at prices which almost anyone can afford. However, Audio Technica has become a favourite of the studio engineer, as well as the budding Hi-Fi enthusiast who demands premium performance at wallet-friendly prices.

They started making milestones when they started to manufacture radio microphones and Bluetooth devices, as well as components

A Brief History of…

Bowers & Wilkins

How to Build a Hi-Fi System on a Budget

In this edition of Hifi Gear’s ‘How to’ Guides, we are going to look at building a superb Hi-Fi system on a budget that doesn’t cost you the earth. This edition focuses on the critical combination of speakers and amplifiers.

At Hifi Gear, we do believe that everyone is entitled to a superb Hi-Fi system. And, especially in this economic climate, we realise that not everyone can afford the best of the best. So, for those who are just getting into Hi-Fi, or looking to build a good system with a set budget in mind and those who appreciate a system that’s a cut above the rest, this guide aims to help you by looking at what we have on offer in terms of our range of system components, exceptional and relevant advice, as well as information and support after your purchase.

So, let’s start with the basics…

Hello all,

here's a look at the KEF 'R' range. These speakers are beautifully made and sound just as they intend to: Crisp and Responsive.

Click here for a direct link to the video.

Hello all,

just a quick video to show some images and video clips of the Elements range from Leema Acoustics of Wales, Great Britain.

Their Elements DAC, with 24-bit 192KHz capability, is a great way of retrieving more data from your digital sources, like the Elements CD, leading to greater sonic accuracy and superb sound as a result through any amplifier, including the remarkable Elements Integrated Amplifier.

Click here for a Video of the Leema Acoustics Elements CD, DAC & Stereo Integrated Amplifier,

At Hifi Gear we love to keep you up to date with what's new to you, and what's new to us.

2012 has so far been a great year in new Hi-Fi and Home Cinema. However, we are going to show what they are by continuing to upload video overviews on to our exclusive channel on Youtube. The 'Hifi Gear Video Channel' has been active since December, 2011, and we have been uploading videos of new and exciting products that we feel are sure to become favourites with almost everyone who wishes to know a bit more about them.

So, with new products being released from masses of manufacturers, we are going to be releasing some more videos on the new items over the next few weeks. As you can see below there are some photographs of the new bits 'n' pieces that we shall be looking at in detail. Further

Hello Everyone!

B&W has updated their faithful M1 to scare away the competition. And, just like the difficult second album, they have done it better than that of the first... Not to mention, the MT-50 features five M1s and a B&W ASW-608 Active Subwoofer.

Here is an overview video (click on the hyper-link for an instant watch) that also features on the Hifi Gear Video Channel on Youtube. Be sure to Subscribe to receive our regular updates on new Hi-Fi, Home Cinema and Accessories available from Hifi Gear.

Tom Parker

Sales & Website Admin