FAQ Search Results
478 matching answers · Updated regularly by our specialist team
Matrix Audio is often considered alongside brands like Lumin and Auralic. It appeals to listeners who want advanced digital features, a modern design approach and excellent sound quality, sometimes with broader system-building options across streamers, amplification and digital accessories.
Although the audible effect is negligible, the Tacima's filtering components are at the cable inlet, acting on the total feed before it reaches the sockets; so in theory, the socket closest to the cable inlet is slightly cleaner.
There are other variables, such as equipment with switched power supplies or with/without an earth pin in their power cables - noise can flow back into the Tacima, but is theoretically drawn away into mains earth.
Ultimately, you may need to experiment to discover how negligible the effect is in your system.
This product is for adapting Toslink cable connectors to a Mini Toslink connector (3.5mm optical). If either your TV or amplifier requires a Mini Toslink connector, this adapter can help.
Please note, it is uncommon for a TV to have mini Toslink output - TVs normally have standard Toslink output sockets.
As a rule, the printing on speaker cables (or most signal cables) runs in the direction of the signal.
In this case, from the amplifier to the speakers.
If your Technics 1210 has the standard 1/2” mounting distance, common on Technics headshells. It will fit. Although compliance is slightly high, it remains within the medium compliance range recommended for the Technics tonearm.
In short, a 22 µm/mN compliance cartridge is highly suitable for your Technics SL-1210.
The Soundsmith Otello offers a warm and clear sound profile with good separation and an expansive soundstage.
Hi Stephen
When it comes to jumper cables there is no real issue as far as directionality is concerned ; the important part is ensuring you connect the positive and negative HF and LF terminals correctly. Whilst some customers claim that they can hear slight differences depending on which way the cables are run there is no real factual evidence to back that up , unlike with directionality in the actual speaker cables themselves which can improve performance
Yes. 2A means it can output up to 2A ma. So if your device requires 500mA, it's fine.
There can be lots of areas to make potential improvements to your system, however, this changes greatly depending on where you are with your system. If you were starting from a new Hi-Fi system which was just set up, then we would recommend looking at the power delivery first. This includes Power conditioning, distribution, cables and fuses. If you have already good quality power upgrades, then we would recommend looking at the signal chain for any potential improvements to cabling, isolation and acoustics.
If you would like some tailored recommendations for you system, then please contact one of our consultants and we would be happy to help you!
A well known saying in the industry is that your system is only as good as your source. There are of course debates around this, however, the more detailed your source material, the more likely you are to hear the most out of your Hi-Fi system. So there is no harm in having a higher quality streamer, or in some cases, a turntable, or a CD transport, as this can allow you to hear more of your system. There are also always options to upgrade other parts of your system one-by-one to match the streamer.
There are lots of components and tweaks that can offer a lift in performance, however, our current favourite is the UK 13A mains fuse from your wall socket to your distribution block or amplifier. This is an often overlooked component in most systems but the improvements far outweigh it's size and cost.
Diminishing returns are often used to explain the decrease in percentage performance gain of upgrades for Hi-fi systems. The difficulty with this is that the diminishing point changes depending on the system in question. A system worth less than £1000 will have a much lower diminishing returns point than a system worth £100,000. There is also an aspect of worth to the listener that can affect the point of diminishing returns, as one listener may hear more benefit from a component upgrade than another. All in all, this is a personal subjective measurement based upon your own system and circumstances.
Short answer, yes! There are a wide variety of cables available across different connections and quality levels, all of which can offer a benefit to different systems. This does not, however, imply that every cable will offer an improvement on every system. Finding the right cable requires looking at the components in your system, their sound signature, your room acoustics, the type of music you listen to, and matching this to a cable's materials and geometry. This process can be difficult, which is why we offer free expert advice paired with a 60 days cable money back guarantee.
All cables matter, and your system will require good quality cables for all of it's connections, however, if you were looking for the cable which will make the biggest difference, then we would recommend looking at the power cables from your wall socket, to your distribution block and/or amplifier. More often than not, we hear from customers, manufacturers, and our own tests that higher quality power cables can have a significant impact of the quality of your system.
Historically, there was a 80/20 rule in the industry which denoted spending 80% on your system, and 20% on the "accessories". Over the last 20 years, we have found there are so many more opportunities for improvement in the "accessories" side of Hi-Fi compared to the component side which led us to believe the 80/20 rule no longer works. This is not to say that you should spend 2 or 3 times as much, however, there are benefits to not restricting your spend based upon 20% of your systems worth. We have heard many systems where the cabling, isolation, acoustics and tweaks have been worth equal amounts to the system and the performance is greater than that of spending twice as much on the components. So our recommendation is not to limit your spend based on your system, but to find the right products for your needs.
There is no be all, end all with the conductors used in cabling, as each construction offers slightly different benefits. Some systems sound better with pure copper conductors, where as other systems benefit from some silver plating. In most cases, you will find that Copper offers a more neutral sound, Silver offers a more detailed sound, and hybrid offers more open sound. However, this is not always the case as the conductor is only one part of the cables construction, so please speak to our consultants for further recommendations and advice.