Articles by James Grimshaw, Reviewer

James Grimshaw is a freelance writer and music obsessive with over a decade in music, audio and tech writing. They’ve lent their audio-tech opinions (amongst others) to the likes of Musicradar, Louder, Guitar.com and the London Evening Standard – before which, they interviewed indie glitterati for online music publications a-many. When they aren’t blasting esoteric music around the house, they’re playing out with esoteric artists in DIY spaces across the country; James will evangelise to you about obscure late-2000s records until the sun comes up.

Articles by: James Grimshaw

A beautiful cat and a pair of headphones

'Can't fault the HEDDphone D1 in any meaningful way': HEDD's progeny are emphatically excellent wired headphones at a not-unreasonable price

By James Grimshaw Published 21 July 26

Editor's Choice

The HEDDphone D1 headphones are a stunning pair of mid-budget over-ears, with a proprietary driver design that kills audiophile-grade options three times the price

The Sony PS-LX3BT turntable, with the dust cover open, on a wooden surface.

I tested Sony's new entry-level turntable and, though it sounds decent enough, you deserve so much more than a brand logo for this money

By James Grimshaw Published 20 July 26

The Sony PS-LX3BT is a competent performer of an entry-level turntable, let down by a cheap chassis and high asking price

The Dali Sonik 1 bookshelf passive speakers, on a wooden surface, in front of a window overlooking a street and next to a cat.

I tried my best not to love Dali's entry-level bookshelf speakers straight away, and my outright failure proves just how good they are

By James Grimshaw Published 21 April 26

Editor's Choice

The Dali Sonik 1 entry-level passive bookshelf speakers sound at least twice their diminutive size with stunning vocal articulation, but are a little pricey.

The Sivga Robin SV021 Pro headphones on a stand next to a porcelain figure.

Sivga's winsome wired headphones look the part but, in testing, I found the bass was a bulging mess of directionless energy

By James Grimshaw Published 4 April 26

The Sivga Robin SV021 Pro are wired over-ear headphones that punch above their budget, just about, but the bass is a mess.

Edifier S880DB MKII active bookshelf speakers on a wooden surface in front of a window, overlooked by a beautiful long-haired cat.

I love these active speakers' stacked feature-set, but they lag a little in one key area

By James Grimshaw Published 30 December 25

The Edifier S880DB MKII active bookshelf speakers look great and shine at the top end but lack bass are up against cheaper, and better, alternatives.

Meze Audio 99 Classics 2nd Gen wired headphones, on a headphone stand, in front of a bookshelf and framed picture.

Meze's walnut-cupped wired headphones impress with a bassy sound, but their headband dings my noggin

By James Grimshaw Published 20 December 25

Recommended

The Meze Audio 99 Classics 2nd Gen wired headphones remain homely, walnut-earcupped beauties – but how have they improved from the original?

The Edifier MR5 monitor speaker on a table next to a cat.

I tested Edifier's great-value new desktop monitor speakers and they exceeded all of my expectations

By James Grimshaw Published 27 October 25

Recommended

The Edifier MR5 nearfield monitors are multifaceted boxes of joy, although they're a little too busy for their own good.

Meze Audio 105 Silva headphones on a light wooden table

Meze Audio 105 Silva are the bucolic listening headphones audiophiles will adore – the Romanian answer to ‘hygge’

By James Grimshaw Published 13 October 25

Recommended

I tested Meze Audio’s 105 Silva open-back headphones and all I got was a level of listening comfort I’d never experienced at the level, until now

Noble FoKus Amadeus wireless ANC earbuds on a wooden surface

I test audio kit for a living, and these earbuds' death-proof battery and regal design blew me away

By James Grimshaw Published 23 August 25

Recommended

The Noble FoKus Amadeus ANC earbuds combine serious run time with a gloriously tactile sound profile

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Sonus Faber Concertino G4 bookshelf speakers on a wooden stand, surrounded by turntable, amplifier and general audio equipment

Sonus Faber Concertino G4 review: the bookshelf-speaker dragon I’ll be chasing for decades to come

By James Grimshaw Published 19 July 25

Editor's Choice

The Sonus Faber Concertino G4 may be pricy, but their look and sound make the cost worth it – they're the bookshelf speaker dragon you'll be chasing for decades.

Meze Audio Poet open-back headphones on a wooden table

Meze Audio Poet review: audiophile-grade listening headphones you could dive into

By James Grimshaw Published 12 June 25

Recommended

The Meze Audio Poet headphones offer stunning depth and clarity, and aren't too shabby to look at, either....

A Cambridge Audio receiver and Rotel center channel, on a hi-fi listening rack with TR's Sustainability Week badge

I’m a second-hand hi-fi addict: these are my top tips for buying great pre-owned kit

By James Grimshaw Published 24 April 25

How does one purchase a hi-fi system sustainably? You buy well, you buy lightly used and you buy after reading this feature from our expert.

FiiO FP3 wired earbuds hanging off the top of a metallic stand

FiiO FP3 wired earbuds review: bright, bold and near-perfect, these entry-level IEMs' tasteful fidelity blew me away

By James Grimshaw Published 7 March 25

Recommended

The FiiO FP3 budget planar driver-equipped wired earbuds feature hitherto unbelievable width and detail

Kanto Ren speakers with a cat in the background

Kanto Ren review: a powered speaker system that’s as smart-looking as it is smart-sounding

By James Grimshaw Published 17 December 24

Editor's Choice

Kanto’s new connects-to-everything stereo speaker system is a user- and ear-friendly triumph, bringing quality sound and AV functionality to a novel form.

Victrola Stream Sapphire turntable on a wooden table

Victrola Stream Sapphire turntable review: a premium dual-digital streaming turntable that falls short of its price

By James Grimshaw Published 17 October 24

The Victrola Stream Sapphire is an incomparable turntable, offering Sonos and UPnP connectivity – but at what cost?

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT turntable on a wooden table

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT turntable review: a primo player that deftly marries quality, cost and convenience

By James Grimshaw Published 12 October 24

The Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT is a first-class plug-and-play turntable that supersedes its peers by avoiding their pitfalls.

The Victrola Hi-Res Onyx turntable on a wooden sideboard with records underneath and a globe next to it.

Victrola Hi-Res Onyx turntable review: a slick-sounding, slender-looking player with a sweet streaming spin

By James Grimshaw Published 26 August 24

Recommended

The Victrola Hi-Res Onyx is a great-playing and highly-versatile turntable, offering quality sound both analogue and digital.

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