Steve Dickinson

1 week ago | hifiplus.com | Steve Dickinson

Very few loudspeaker manufacturers appear fully-formed as if from nowhere. But the Fyne Audio Vintage 5 comes from different stock. ‘Fully-formed’ was how it felt in 2017 when Fyne Audio exploded onto the scene. Before we could get our bearings, it had brought out several complete ranges. Fyne offered a range of solutions, from budget to high-performance, from the outset. Before we’d recovered from that, it brought out several more.

2 months ago | hifiplus.com | Steve Dickinson

There’s no denying that cables can be a bit contentious. Schools of thought range from those who think paying more than the price of a round of drinks for a cable is a waste of money, through to those who think that spending the price of a new car on cables is the best way to ensure they enjoy the full performance of their audio components. Both ends of this continuum are well catered for, and their advocates seldom demur from their purchase decisions.

2 months ago | hifiplus.com | Steve Dickinson

Whether you view the mains block as a functional accessory or a fundamental cornerstone of a system determines your approach to its price. I’m firmly in Camp Cornerstone, but with a clear caveat – price doesn’t always reflect performance. I’ve been using the Mark II version of Nordost’s QBASE QB6 mains block, which back in the day cost around £1,600, for several years now. It’s the version with six UK-spec mains sockets instead of the eight Schuko fittings on the European-spec QB8.

Nov 15, 2024 | medium.com | Steve Dickinson

LIFE | AS IT HAPPENEDA Kid’s Philadelphia DreamSteve Dickinson·FollowPublished inOpen Microphone·5 min read·--Philadelphia BoundOn November 11, 2019, I took one of numerous business trips from Northern Virginia to Philadelphia, PA for my job at Comcast. There, I worked with a team of network engineers and we managed various Internet-related services for millions of customers around the globe.

Nov 7, 2024 | hifiplus.com | Steve Dickinson

I’ve spent much time with its loudspeakers, so I think I know what Amphion’s house sound is like. However, much of what I thought I knew doesn’t apply here. The largest speaker in the pantheon has always been somewhat different, and the latest iteration, the Amphion Krypton3X floorstanding loudspeakers, takes some of those differences closer to their logical conclusion, so it isn’t entirely surprising. This, then, is a statement speaker in many respects.