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Clean power is the lifeblood of good audio reproduction. Take the analogue electrical signal that appears at the output sockets of a CD player, DAC or phono pre-amp for instance. It’s not just dependent on the quality of the unit’s power supply – it is the mains voltage, stepped down and modulated by the equipment’s … [Read more…]

Perhaps the most impressive mobile processor yet from Intel, the 2.8 GHz Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5 is a quad-core chip designed for server-class ECC memory. It powers the Dell Precision 15 mobile workstation tested here a few months ago. But these state-of-the-art processors cost a fortune. How would the same laptop perform without the pricey processor? … [Read more…]

Transformer pre-amps are nothing new. The breed first took off in the UK with the arrival of the Music First Passive Magnetic Pre amplifier in 2003, and similar models from other brands have appeared in the succeeding years. No active electronics are involved, they are neither solid-state or thermionic, and nor do they need any external power … [Read more…]

Acer’s new Predator 15 is a midrange gaming laptop, packing some of the latest and fastest silicon available. Thankfully the all-important graphics and central processors are supported by a decent IPS display and a good balance of supporting components. Like several other brands building gaming laptops, Acer has followed the design template of aggressive masculine styling … [Read more…]

Dell has a slim new 15-inch lightweight workstation notebook. The Precision 5510 is designed as a more portable solution than the traditional professional workstation laptop, and thanks to continued advances in processor efficiency, it should be capable of taking on the work once reserved for big static PCs. In fact, the Precision is one of … [Read more…]

Asus knows a winning formula when it copies it, hence the ongoing development of its tribute to the MacBook Air, the ZenBook. The latest version to roll up in early 2016 is an update to the UX305F model that launched around this time last year. Confusingly, this newer version drops back a few letter suffices, … [Read more…]

When is a laptop not a laptop? More than just a posh name for a portable workaday PC — when it’s a Mobile Workstation is one answer. But when does a laptop attain workstation status? When it is groomed for endurance as well as high performance, built to survive professional use and abuse. And perhaps … [Read more…]

As satisfied users of Apple products with Retina displays will already know, screen image quality is stunning. Ultra-high resolution panels here mean fluid typography at familiar and readable sizes — plus of course the vaunted razor-sharp photography — leaving these devices with an art print-quality interface. Expectations changed forever the day the iPhone 4 and its 326 pixels-per-inch … [Read more…]

It was only logical for an audio/video brand that has recently added serious headphones to its range to also make a specialised headphone amplifier. Especially since Oppo Digital specialises in high-end electronics, commanding respect for its Blu-ray universal disc players. And so to partner the Oppo PM-1 planar-magnetic headphones, and the models that have followed, the company … [Read more…]