Vintage

Trio/Kenwood KA-2002 Integrated Amplifier

Review: Tim Jarman, Lab: Paul Miller | Sep 23, 2022

Attractive, affordable and the first step on the hi-fi highway for many a budding audiophile, is this '70s amp now the perfect introduction to vintage? We find out

The instantly recognisable Trio/Kenwood KA-2002 is one of those products that is sure to have touched the lives of many readers of Hi-Fi News. A popular first move upmarket from record players and radiograms towards 'proper' hi-fi, this inexpensive amplifier was a frequent choice for enthusiasts taking their initial steps towards serious listening.

Pre/Power Amplifiers Vintage

Two Tube Winners

Ken Kessler | Oct 25, 2022 | First Published: Jun 01, 1993

An old circuit with a modern look versus a new design with retro styling as Ken Kessler hears valve amps from Papworth and Sonic Frontiers

Contrary to the practices of most specialist companies, some still believe that small is beautiful. Despite the continuing displays of excess from across the Pond, enough manufacturers realise that the only way to get quality sound into certain homes is to 'down-size'.

Loudspeakers Vintage

Wharfedale Diamond loudspeaker

Review: David Price, Lab: Keith Howard | May 01, 2018

Welcomed with open arms by those seeking a quality speaker for use in a tight space, the Diamond created the market for affordable mini monitors. How will it sound today?

Loudspeakers are surely the most fashion-conscious segment of the hi-fi market. There are Japanese amplifiers on sale today that look little different to their predecessors being sold in the late '70s. Yet the same 'period look' can hardly be said to be popular when it comes to speakers.

Integrated Amplifiers Vintage

Wharfedale Linton amplifier

Tim Jarman, Lab: Paul Miller | May 02, 2025 | First Published: Oct 01, 2024

A child of the Rank Organisation, the Linton can trace its roots back to the Leak Delta 30 and Stereo 30 Plus before it. We travel back to Wharfedale’s (early ’70s) halcyon days

The Wharfedale Linton loudspeaker is one of those hi-fi products that seems to have been around forever. It has been produced in many forms and is still with us today in ‘Heritage’ guise. The original Linton, Super Linton and Linton 2 were all strong sellers in the 1960s and ’70s and many listeners will have heard, owned or borrowed a pair at some stage. Lesser known was Wharfedale’s complete Linton system, which was offered in hi-fi’s boom years of the early 1970s. It is the amplifier from the first version of this which we are looking at this month.

Pre/Power Amplifiers Vintage

Yamaha C-2a/M-2 Pre/Power Amplifier

Review: Adam Smith, Lab: Paul Miller | Jan 08, 2021

With VFETs costing top dollar and facing stiff competition from other semiconductors, the late '70s saw Yamaha unveil a new pre/power amp duo. How does it sound today?

It's always intriguing to see how a company reacts to the realisation that a technology it has championed is reaching its sell-by date. This was the situation faced by Yamaha in the late 1970s. Since the middle of that decade, its top-end products had made use of Jun-ichi Nishizawa's Static Induction Transistor – more commonly known as the VFET – to great effect. This led to the development of designs such as the B-1 and B-2 power amplifiers, and C-1 preamplifier, all of which are still held in high regard.

Pre/Power Amplifiers Vintage

Yamaha CX-10000 control amp

Review: Adam Smith, Lab: Paul Miller | Jan 04, 2026 | First Published: Jan 01, 2026

Yamaha celebrated its 100-year anniversary in style with a special series of ‘Limited Centennial Edition’ separates of which the CX-10000 control amp was especially prized

Everyone loves celebrating a big birthday, and the hi-fi industry is no exception. That said, very few manufacturers make it to the big 100 and so, when they do, the results are usually quite special. At the time of writing [late-2025] we are days away from Bang & Olufsen’s centenary, and Luxman released a complete system earlier this year to celebrate a century in business.

Loudspeakers Vintage

Yamaha NS-1000M loudspeaker

Review: David Price, Lab: Keith Howard | Oct 01, 2018

It was an audacious design from a company with no prior reputation for making serious loudspeakers, yet it soon became a landmark product. How does it shape up today?

There's no such thing as the perfect loudspeaker, nor is there ever likely to be one. Most manufacturers don't even try – theirs is a volume business where the trick is to produce a good-sounding product at an affordable price. There's nothing wrong with this, as perfection can often be the enemy of the good. Yet sometimes hi-fi companies do reach for the stars, and attempt to come up with an innovative, no-holds-barred design.

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