Chris Frankland

United Kingdom

Sub-Editor at kbbreview

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Articles

AVID Accent integrated amplifier

1 week ago | hifiplus.com | Chris Frankland

Although British hi-fi specialist AVID has been around since 1995, the Accent integrated amplifier is my first exposure to the brand. AVID started when CEO and founder Conrad Mas was 16 and was inspired “to produce a genuinely flawless turntable” on seeing a friend’s homemade design. Mas says he soon realised turntable manufacturers were concentrating on rumble, wow, and flutter and ignoring what he considers the true problem: vibration.
Network Acoustics eno2

2 months ago | hifiplus.com | Chris Frankland

Hi-fi products often emerge from a ‘Eureka!’ moment for their designer. For Richard Trussell of Network Acoustics, this happened with the original eno ethernet filter. A trained electronics engineer, he retired from the IT industry and started selling hi-fi from home. His ‘Eureka!’ moment came when he discovered that a better-quality ethernet cable could improve the sound. This piqued his curiosity to find out why. The Network Acoustics eno2 is the latest development from that ‘Eureka!’ moment.
Tannoy Super Gold Monitor SGM10

Dec 10, 2024 | hifiplus.com | Chris Frankland

There aren’t many loudspeaker or hi-fi brands that can truthfully say they have become a household name, but Tannoy is one of them. Tannoy has a phenomenal heritage, typified by models like the Super Gold Monitor SGM10 tested here. These are a re-working of a classic design from the Sixties.
McIntosh Labs MA352

Nov 13, 2024 | hifiplus.com | Chris Frankland

Many are fascinated by the sonic charms of valve amplifiers, and I am among them. However, a single-ended valve amp pushing out 10 watts may not be up to the task of driving inefficient or ‘difficult’ loudspeakers—and certainly not at high levels in a large room. Enter the McIntosh Labs MA352, one of a growing breed of hybrid amplifiers. These amps attempt to offer the best of both worlds, often combining a valve preamplifier stage with a transistor power amp.
Luphonic H2 turntable

Oct 22, 2024 | hifiplus.com | Chris Frankland

German turntable brand Luphonic is a relatively recent arrival on the hi-fi scene. The Luphonic H2 turntable is its most recent product. The brand was established by Thomas Luh in early 2020, just four weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. His desire to realise his ideas drove him to take this bold step at such a challenging time. He also wanted to offer the market new products with an attractive price/performance ratio.
Metronome AQWO2 CD/SACD player/DAC/streamer

Jul 17, 2024 | hifiplus.com | Chris Frankland

The Metronome AQWO2 impresses quietly. When you take it out the box, it is as heavy (at 17kg) as many amplifiers I have reviewed. But you’d never know it to look at it – unless you open it up, then there are clues such as the six power supply transformers. It is solidly made and the aluminium slab that serves as its front panel was finished in a gorgeous gold colour that really looked classy.
Balanced Audio Technology VK80i

May 7, 2024 | hifiplus.com | Chris Frankland

There is a lot of talk these days about the vinyl revival. But it strikes me that there is another revival that is every bit as significant – the valve revival. Now, some may argue valves never really went away, and to an extent that is true, but there has never been such a wide choice of good tube products as we have today. I used to be a transistor man back in the day, and way back then many of the valve amps being touted as wonderful didn’t live up to the billing.
I want Bathroom and Kitchen Eleven to be a company everyone talks about

Apr 22, 2024 | kbbreview.com | Chris Frankland

Bathroom and Kitchen Eleven, in Surrey, has been in business for over a decade and caters for the premium end of the market. Chris Frankland went to meet MD Ben Setterfield. I first met the owner of Bathroom and Kitchen Eleven, Ben Setterfield, in person at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole hotel on the evening of the kbbreview Retail and Design Awards 2024 ceremony. I had already arranged by phone to visit him for this article.
Howard Grindrod: ‘My job is to make other people look good’

Apr 2, 2024 | kbbreview.com | Chris Frankland

Chinese giant Hisense is set to target the kitchen studio market with its new built-in appliance line-up. Chris Frankland talks to UK vice-president Howard Grindrod at the company’s new headquarters in Leeds. Howard Grindrod has 30 years’ experience in the appliances industry with Frigidaire, Fridgemaster, AEG, Toshiba and now Hisense, which as well as appliances makes TVs, soundbars, mobile phones, heating and air conditioning and medical equipment.
Russell K. RED 150Se

Mar 19, 2024 | hifiplus.com | Chris Frankland

We reviewed the original Russell K. RED 150 here. The RED 150Se is a ‘breathed on’ version, introduced in 2019 and offering some significant improvements over the standard version. The Russell K. range starts with the RED 50 bookshelf at £1,995, but the RED 150Se is the flagship model at £8,495, with the standard RED 150 below it at £6,795.