The Groovy graphic shows a stylised head-on shot of a stylus moving through a groove

10/10 – This rating is awarded the prestigious and almost mythical Golden Groovy. Any product awarded this accolade will have to be a game changer. Transforming the life of the audiophile in some way, altering how he listens to music or moving music to a whole new level. It has to fundamentally change hi-fi in some respect and not just improve on what has gone before.

9/10 – This rating is awarded the prestigious and rare Deeply Groovy (celebrating the first pressing, 6-eye, Columbia Deep Groove mono vinyl pressings offering ‘that bit more’ in terms of sonic quality). Any product awarded this accolade has to go above and beyond the call of duty. This is a product full of superlatives as well as sonic and design highlights. This is a top notch product…and then some.

8/10 – This rating is awarded the prestigious Groovy. Any product awarded this accolade has reached a 5-Star award level that you might see in a print magazine. This is an item that I would be prepared to have in exchange for cash with no damaging issues or problems hanging off it, you can buy this product with total confidence.

7/10 – A very good product and one that is offered with a full recommendation although it might lack that certain extra bit of pizazz in terms of sound or facilities to lift it to award level. The ‘7’ rating tells you that you can buy this product with confidence. There may be small issues with it, which will be detailed in the review, but nothing to be too concerned with.

6/10 – Generally a good product that performs well, on the whole. This item will arrive with one or two problems that may call for further investigation and carefully demoing on behalf of the reader.

1-5/10 – This product is rather challenging. The thorny issues may actually be centred in a non-critical part of the product so some readers may shrug off the review comments with ease. Others may view the concerns with more trepidation, thinking twice about a purchase. The lower the rating, of course, the more problems encountered.

With thanks to Shirley Rigby for her design skills.