Page 4 - How To

One of hi-fi's greatest assets is the sheer amount of choice that's available to you. But, like many things like it, a great blessing can be a great curse! When there is so much choice, what do you ultimately go for? If there really such a big difference between all of the various options?

Well, I'm afraid to say that: yes. There is a big difference. But that's okay, we have recognised that and it is our job to provide you with the best possible answers to the biggest questions in hi-fi. Including

Customising to taste is a big part of what makes hi-fi fun - it's all about the detail! And yes, those details include the wiring. And yes, that's customisable too! If you want to tweak the sound the suit you - and you alone - then its worth looking into the wonderful world of wiring. Not only that, but the vast majority of speakers/amplifiers won't come ready supplied with cables - so it's worth being prepared.

It was once - quite famously - believed that such things as 'cables' made very little

Are you dreaming of a hi-fi separates system? You wouldn't be the only one - fragmenting hi-fi into its basic components is the dream of many-an-audiophile. But it can be a complicated process, especially when you consider just how many pieces of the puzzle there are. Even the most hardened hi-fi aficionado will stumble at a few hurdles in their bid to assemble their perfect hi-fi. The analogue enthusiasts might draw a blank when it comes to network streamers and DACs and the digitally-minded might

We're a proud Linn dealer, which of course means we get plenty of enquiries about the - rather famous - Linn ranges, and exactly what each contains. You may have noticed, it gets a little complicated! That's why we've decided to give you a brief guide on the hierarchy, from Kiko through to Akurate, so you can work out exactly which Linn would suit you best.

Starting from the ground up, we have...

Kiko

The Kiko DSM and its speakers (included) are the beginners' level Linn. It's a standalone

Ever fancied yourself to be a bit of a hi-fi critic? Have you made a purchase recently that you want to shout from the rooftops about... or even ward others off? If so, there is a way!  We have a function on our website that allows you to leave your own personal review of each and every product, that not only we can see - but the whole world! It has proven very popular with a few of our more exclusive items, but we want the world to know to know what you think of EVERYTHING! Or at least, the stuff

Hi-fi is not something you can just slap together - if it's a rush job, it isn't hi-fi! From the drawing board to the testing room to the factory floor, attention to detail is crucial, and what ultimately makes hi-fi... well... hi-fi! But it doesn't stop there. Once the item has been polished off and shipped out to its ultimate destination, rarely is it a simple case of plug in and play. At least, that's not the case with speakers! From placement in the room to stands and just the right amount

Digital streaming. It's fast, it's convenient and - thanks to today's hi-fi being as advanced as it is - it's now possible to achieve incredible sound quality, even with compressed audio files. But when it comes to storage of those files, naturally there may be concerns.

Despite how far we've come, computers are susceptible to all manner of nastiness. Viruses, malware, spyware - even a PC fortified to the level of Fort Knox is still vulnerable to file corruption. And anyone who has spent any amount

An investment in some truly excellent floorstanding speakers is pretty much the key to completing your hi-end hi-fi system. After all, what would be the point of having a hi-end set up – the source and the amps – without the speakers to carry that rich, detailed sound from the system to your ears? If the speakers are poor – the sound will be poor, no matter how hi-end the rest of your system. But hi-end speakers can be dear – so we offer 0% finance on many of our makes and models, making them accessible

A phono stage is an absolute necessity when playing vinyl on a turntable.  To put it into basic terms, the output level from a turntable is considerably lower than a 'line level' unit such as a CD player. A phono stage - also known as a pre-amp - brings up the output level so it can be played by modern systems. When vinyl was the default format many decades ago, a high-quality amplifier was built-in to turntables as standard. But as the popularity  of the format waned, so did the quality of the

Have you heard? We wouldn't be surprised, if you have - we've been banging on about it for months now. But just in case you haven't, vinyl is the most popular its been in decades. Sure, true hi-fi aficionados have continued to embrace vinyl long after its heyday, but its recent resurgence has seen it creeping back into the mainstream catalogues. That means, of course, that turntables have increased in popularity too, which is very good news. However, as is the case with any suddenly popular item,