Hi-Fi Essentials
Hardware and treatment for a system you already own: headphones, DACs, amplifiers, streamers, isolation, racks and grounding. The next purchase after the system exists.
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This is the upgrade section rather than the starting point. It assumes you have a system, know roughly what it does well, and want to work out what to change next.
The order that usually works starts with the mechanical foundation. A rack that resonates undermines everything sitting on it, so proper support and isolation come first. Then the source, because nothing downstream can recover what a poor source has already lost. Then the electronics, and last the treatments that sit around the edges of a system, such as grounding.
Some of what is here is uncontested. Speaker stands, isolation feet and a rigid rack do measurable and audible things. Other categories, grounding in particular, divide opinion sharply, and we say so on the pages where that applies. What we will not do is recommend something we have not heard, or call a component essential when your system does not need it. Tell us what you are running and what you want to improve, and we will give you a straight answer.
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£41.66Ex. VATApollo Storm Series Leg Replacement Pack
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£1,082.50Ex. VAT
The Clear Mg high-fidelity open-back headphones incorporate the new technology of a speaker driver with an ‘M’-shaped Magnesium dome. Magnesium is light and boasts a significant damping factor, offering great dynamics and detail across the full sound spectrum while preserving a neutral and balanced signature.
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Soundsmith
Soundsmith Otello High-Output HiFi Turntable CartridgeSKU: Soundsmith Otello HiFi
(1 reviews)£599.95Inc. VATThe Otello is the entry-level model in Soundsmith's range of high-output cartridges, featuring an elliptical, titanium stylus. As part of the Fixed Coil range, Otello benefits from minimal noise returned to your record and reduced 'stylus jitter', resulting in clear and detailed sound. -
£1,299.00Inc. VATAnni is a desktop integrated amplifier that introduces Chord Electronic's next-generation ULTIMA technology to both headphones and compact loudspeakers.
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£125.00Ex. VATThe DarkField mini cable elevators by Shunyata Research are designed to isolate cables from one another- it is particularly important to keep power cables and signal cables apart if possible in order to minimise static and noise causing humming, and can be used to great effect in conjunction with the DF-SS cable elevators.
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Chord Electronics
Chord Electronics Qutest Stand System - Individual StandSKU: Chord Qutest Stand System
(1 reviews)£265.00Inc. VATThe Qutest Stand System by Chord Electronics is designed to simplify and streamline your Qutest system, allowing you to neatly stack multiple units. It is engineered with a mind to heat transfer, meaning that your components stay cool for optimal performance. -
£499.17Ex. VATThe new xDSD Gryphon by iFi Audio is an enhanced version of the original xDSD, featuring an upgraded headphone stage and separate bluetooth and DAC stages meaning there are dedicated components to carry out each task to ensure optimal performance. The Gryphon also features 3.5mm or 4.4mm outputs, allowing compatibility with a wide range of earphones and headphones.
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From£83.29Ex. VAT
Stylish design. Robust and secure. With the COMFORT Full-Motion TV wall mount, watching TV becomes a real pleasure for everyone. Not only is your TV mounted beautifully and 'family proof' on the wall, you are also assured of optimal viewing comfort. Because you can easily turn the TV, you always have a perfect view from any corner of the room.
Please note: this product is the small size version supporting up to 15kg and 14-43 inch screens.
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£1,166.67Ex. VATThe Olympus Ten T is Entreq's mid-range single-cell ground box, featuring ceramic and tungsten plates amongst the specific mineral and metallic mixture that Entreq have chosen for this box. The Olympus Ten T is designed to be effective on equipment weighing up to approx. 14 kg.
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From£134.57 £141.66Ex. VAT ✓ Save £7.08
Designed to support mid to high end speakers, The NeXXus HiFi Audio version of the Award Winning* NeXXus Series speaker stands features 76.2mm (3”) front tubes, replacing the 50.8mm (2”) front tubes used on the Essential version. This upgrade allows a significant increase of mass loading and improved stability to the speaker stand design, making the NeXXus HiFi Audio specification an ideal choice for the serious music lover.
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From£166.66 £174.99Ex. VAT ✓ Save £8.33The top of the range NeXXus Pro Studio version of the Award Winning* NeXXus Series speaker stands are perfect for professional use or for home hifi speaker support where only the best will do! Featuring twin 76.2mm (3”) tubes, they offer maximum mass loading potential for high end professional grade studio speakers.
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From£1,416.67Ex. VAT
The PH-10 is Gold Note's entry-level phono stage, but it is still a unique and versatile piece of kit. It is extremely user-friendly, with nine different loads options (10Ω, 22Ω, 47Ω, 100Ω, 220Ω, 470Ω, 1000Ω, 22kΩ, 47kΩ) and 3 different EQ curves to allow you to get the very best sound from all of your vinyl records. Like every Gold Note product, the PH-10 comprises of components exclusively sourced and assembled in Italy.