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Monthly Archives: August 2013

  1. Yamaha to announce a variety of new products at IFA 2013

    The primary details of ten new products were revealed to What Hifi? magazine earlier this week. Other than the ten revelations, Yamaha claim there are more to follow and that they plan to reveal the entirety of them at IFA this year in Berlin. Below is a basic summary of what we know so far!

    Yamaha NX-P100
    The NX-P100 has been revealed to be a compact Bluetooth speaker, making use of the current APT-X and NFC connection technology. The speaker contains a hefty battery inside that's not only able to power the unit for a lengthy amount of time, but will also charge your smartphone through a USB port (similar to the Loewe Speaker 2 Go)

    Yamaha MCR-N560
    Built from ideas and experience learned from Yamaha's Pianocraft MCR system is the MCR-N560. This unit is a smooth, complete mini hifi system with a plethora of networking features integrated within. Including AirPlay, DLNA, vTuner and the ability to control it from an App. The mini

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  2. Repair of Arcam CD73 laser mechanism

    This 2004 vintage Arcam CD73 came into us with the reported fault that it would no longer play CD's, or even read the table of contents. Given that it is over eight years old and had plenty of use in that time, we were not surprised to find that the laser had expired and needed replacing.

    Arcam CD73 CD player from 2004

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  3. KEF M500 Headphone Review

    Review by Stephen Goode, of Hifi Gear

    Having had the pleasure of looking at the stylish, modern-design of the KEF M500 headphones, I jumped at the chance to take them in to our in-store demonstration room and truly get to know them.

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  4. Marantz CD63SE laser transport mechanism replacement

    * Please note, We are no longer able to carry out repairs on Hifi equipment. This blog is meant as a rough guide and Hifi Gear takes no responsibility for damage to equipment when following this guide. For repair work, we recommend finding a local Hifi repair agent. *

     

    An elderly, but still sought after Marantz CD63SE was bought into the shop last week, with the fault reported that CD's would no longer play. After approximately 15 years of use, this is a common situation, as the laser power will gradually reduce over time to the point where it can no longer focus reliably on the spinning CD disc - however with the easy availability of VAM1202 CD mechanisms for below £20, the repair is a viable option over and above the purchase of a new CD player.

     

    A 15 year old Marantz CD63SE with failed laser mechanism

     

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  5. Loewe Speaker 2 Go Review

    Review by Stephen Goode, of Hifi Gear.

    We recently took delivery of the Speaker 2 Go from Loewe, so I decided to have a sit down and take note of my thoughts on the product, which makes use of high-quality Bluetooth, a 3.5mm jack lead connect (with lead included), and a USB port for charging your phone/USB device. It's small in stature... But huge in sound.

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