I have many fine phono stages on demonstration at Peak HiFi from some of the most respected names in HiFi so I needed another like a hole in the head
or so I thought.
I was with a good friend from the industry a few weeks ago and he was gushing over a brand that is coming back to market and knowing my love of record decks he enthusiastically extolled the virtues of the Equinox Series 2 Phono Amplifier from Emilen Audio. Emilen Audio never heard of them who are they I asked
Oh they are a British Brand and made some amazing stuff 20 years ago and I actually retailed them with great success back in the day and they sort of withdrew from the market but now they are back and Shaun I promise you this is without doubt the best phono stage in the World and you really need to get hold of one and give it a proper try
Yes I thought how many times have heard that one before only to be disappointed that the product didnt live up to the hype but then again my HiFi friend had no vested interest as hes not selling the stuff.
Anyway moving on a few weeks and a few phone calls a demo unit arrives for me to try. Still not wanting another phono stage I felt I would be able to dismiss this as just another phono stage and tell my friend I had done as he suggested but the Emilen wasnt for me
.big mistake!
My friends words echoed in my ears its the best you will ever hear so I decided to put it up against my favourite reference phono stage fully expecting it to be dismissed and back in its box within the hour.
However in one afternoon my whole understanding of what a vinyl record is capable of has been totally and utterly transformed.
I am in a fortunate position of hearing many fine esoteric products and occasionally I discover a new product that is an improvement on its peers but from the very first track on the Emilen it was obvious that this is not a product that improves slightly on its peers it obliterates them totally
there is no competition I know of and this is the biggest step change I have experienced possibly ever in my HiFi journey.
At £5950 it is not cheap but considering what you can pay this beautifully hand crafted item made in the UK using the finest military grade components throughout (additionally graded to select only the very best) is in my opinion a High End HiFi bargain that will alter your perspective of what recorded music is capable of delivering.
Even if it is out of your budget you owe it to yourself to come and have a listen and see what vinyl records are truly capable of with this astonishing piece of
