Crafted on the shores of Lake Zurich for nearly 40 years, Piega speakers are famous for their innovative ‘ribbon’ driver designs. Its Coax series is now launched in ‘Gen2’ guise...
Instantly recognisable, Switzerland’s Piega has produced its ‘ribbon’ loudspeakers for nearly four decades. Building on the company founded by Leo Greiner (the other founder, Kurt Scheuch, brought technical chops to the table), it’s a manufacturer that takes pride in its family ownership. Greiner’s sons Alex and Manuel still manage the business from Horgen on the shores of Lake Zurich, where production is situated.
Headquartered in Kanagawa, Japan, Soulnote has created a trio of product ranges in just ten years. Its mid-range Series 2 comprises a phono stage, DAC and the A-2 integrated
Soulnote’s A-2, available for £6300 in silver or black, is an integrated amplifier with an air of the ‘old skool’ about it. No network or digital connectivity, just analogue all the way, and only line-level too, as the Japanese manufacturer prefers to keep its phono stages separate. There’s no form of system control (ie, 12V triggers), and the user experience is very much plug-in-and-play, aided by an elegant remote and even simpler front-panel display.
Long anticipated, Constellation’s series two amplifiers witness the transition from huge
linear supplies to custom switchmode PSUs. Weight is slashed, and performance boosted
Californian amplifier specialist Constellation Audio isn’t one to regularly refresh its product catalogue, so when – after years of maintaining the same models – it begins a complete overhaul of its entire range, audiophile ears prick up. First to hit the market are the new Inspiration 2 and Revelation 2 series, with the latter’s stereo pre/power system being debuted at the UK Hi-Fi Show Live 2024. These will be followed by the Performance 2 and Reference 2, with the lineup then topped off by the flagship Statement amps first ‘teased’ in 2023 at the Munich High End show.
A compact MOSFET amplifier module, designed in Denmark, is tickled-up with tech from ex-members of the Vertex AQ crew. So is this Quiescent unit a boutique barnstormer?
One of the annoyances of modern life is noise. Outside, our ears might be assaulted by traffic roar, construction clamour or roadworks cacophony, plus buzzing leaf blowers and lawn mowers. Indoors, however, it’s rather more subtle. The prevalence of wireless communications around the house, plus the switched-mode power supplies that run pretty much everything, mean the noise is electrical in nature – and more insidious. Enter the £21,900 T100SPA power amplifier from the aptly-named Quiescent, which aims not only to delight your ears, but also ensure this ever-present noise doesn’t get in the way of the music.
EAT’s first-ever phono amplifier, the all-valve E-Glo, is retiring after a decade of service. Its replacement is the E-Glo 2 with fresh styling, balanced inputs and illumination!
After ten faultless years of duty, my trusty reference phono stage, the EAT E-Glo, has been superseded by the E-Glo 2 (£7999). The changes turn out to be more than merely cosmetic, as I was first led to believe in a hasty conversation with EAT (European Audio Team) founder and CEO Jozefina Lichtenegger. She matter-of-factly explained that, due to customer demand, the company redesigned the look of the E-Glo in a number of ways.
The Magnum appeared in numerous guises throughout Goodmans’ long history but this early ’90s version is arguably less well known. How does this ‘two-way’ fare today?
One frustrating aspect of being a vintage audio enthusiast is encountering those companies who love to re-use model names and numbers. If you’re a B&O fan talking about a ‘Beogram 3000’, for example, are you referring to one of the two 1960s variants, the 1970s model or the 1980s version? It’s even becoming an issue all over again with updated recreations of famous designs, like the Mission 770 loudspeaker [HFN Jun ’22] and Quad’s 33/303 pre/power system [HFN Jan ’25].
Available in two guises – with an integrated or pre/power amp – Aiwa’s system 30 is emblematic of an era when miniaturisation was in vogue. How does it stack up today?
The mini/micro system craze was one of the Japanese electronics industry’s last great flourishes of the 1970s. Aiwa joined with Technics, Toshiba (Aurex) and Mitsubishi in producing tiny equipment with the same (or better) performance than many full-sized units, the contention being that improved component miniaturisation meant large boxes were no longer needed.
Hi-fi’s style icons of the ’60s are reimagined here over a half century later combining a sympathetic industrial design with a performance beyond the reach of its ancestors
It’s taken long enough but Quad has finally revived one of the best-selling pre/power amp combinations of all time. Between 1967 and 1982, 120,000 Quad 33 ‘control units’ were sold, while the 303 power amplifier remained in production until 1985 to reach 94,000 sales. So these new Quad 33 and 303 models have big shoes to fill, but retaining the original model designations and dimensions are a start. And that’s pretty much where the resemblance stops. Welcome to the 21st century.
The Danish brand’s flagship floorstander mixes upgraded
in-house drivers with a sculpted ‘Directivity Control’ baffle
With more than 45 years of speaker-making under its belt, Dynaudio has a remarkably diverse range of product lines. There are no fewer than ten series, in fact, each featuring a stack of the company’s in-house technologies. And so it is with the Confidence 60, the £36,500 flagship of a range comprising one standmount and three floorstanders, and where ‘Everything is new, from the cabinet to the drive units’.
The latest addition to Pro-Ject’s X line of turntables features a crystal-clear acrylic plinth and comes equipped with a new 10in alloy tonearm and ‘balanced’ MM cartridge
While some companies look to completely re-brand in the face of changing attitudes, it’s reassuring to see others persuade us of technological advancements in more familiar fashion. So, at the opposite end of the spectrum from the reborn Jaguar automotive brand, you get Pro-Ject Audio Systems being as evangelical as ever in its quest to steer all vinylistas towards balanced operation.