Innholdsfortegnelse for Oct-18 i Hi-Fi Choice

PRICE: £520 & £1,300 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: HENLEYAUDIO.CO.UK; KLIPSCH.COM US-BASED LOUDSPEAKER FIRM Klipsch introduces two Heritage headphone components. The £1,300 HP-3 semi open-back headphone employs 52mm biodynamic drivers and is hand built using contrasting materials, including die-cast steel, milled wood, premium-grade leather and machined aluminium. It comes with 1.4m and 2.5m detachable braided nylon cables, a 6.35mm adapter and a custom headphone stand. It is available in walnut, ebony and oak solid-wood finishes. The matching £520 Heritage headphone amplifier (not pictured) is touted as a two-channel DAC for computer audiophiles with an ES90128K2M ESS Sabre32 Reference Stereo DAC supporting up to 24-bit/192kHz PCM and DSD256. It has outputs for balanced XLR and 6.35mm unbalanced headphone connections and inputs handle digital optical and coaxial as well as analogue line-level sources. A…

PRICE: FROM £449 AVAILABLE: NOW CONTACT: 02890 279830 WEB: DENON.COM EXPECTATIONS ARE HIGH for the next generation of Denon’s CEOL network music systems, but any doubts are short lived as the latest N10 iteration has already received an award for best compact music system by EISA members, including our sister titles Hi-Fi News and Home Cinema Choice magazines. Priced at £449, the new one-box music system adds Amazon Alexa voice compatibility and HEOS multi-room technology, allowing seamless playback to connected devices throughout the home. Based around a CD drive and network music player with support for NAS drives and music streaming services such as Spotify, Tidal and internet radio, it supports wi-fi, Ethernet, AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth connectivity, plus there’s a front panel USB port and a built-in FM/AM tuner.…

DETAILS PRODUCT Auralic Aries G1 ORIGIN North America TYPE Network streaming transport WEIGHT 7.2kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 340 x 80 x 320mm FEATURES • Digital outputs: 1x USB-A; 1x AES; 1x coaxial; 1x optical • AirPlay; Bluetooth wireless • Supports sample rates up to 32-bit/764kHz PCM and DSD512 • Spotify Connect Tidal, Qobuz music streaming; internet radio • Roon compatible DISTRIBUTOR Auralic WEBSITE auralic.com Eagle-eyed readers will recognise the form of the Auralic Aries G1 from our review in the January issue of its high-end Aries G2 sibling at £3,899. Understandably the G1 sacrifices some of the features of the flagship model to come in at less than half the price. The principle is the same, though, and this is a streaming transport that focuses on the business of accessing your…

DETAILS PRODUCT DALI Spektor 2 ORIGIN Denmark TYPE 2-way standmount loudspeaker WEIGHT 4.2kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 170 x 292 x 238mm FEATURES • 1x 25mm soft dome tweeter • 1x 140mm MSP mid/bass driver • Quoted sensitivity: 84.5dB/1W/1m (6ohm) DISTRIBUTOR DALI Audio UK Ltd. TELEPHONE 0845 6443537 WEBSITE dali-speakers.com/uk It might be just one step up from DALI’s entry-level range, but the Danish brand’s materials and methodology run through the Spektor 2 like the lettering in a stick of rock. Take the 130mm, rustic-coloured mid/bass driver. Just as with the units in the five-figure flagship Epicon range, its cone uses a mix of low-mass paper with wood fibre reinforcement, hence the unusual hue. The idea is that the embedded wood fibres give the diaphragm’s surface an uneven structure, which is claimed…

DETAILS PRODUCT Q Acoustics 3020i ORIGIN UK/China TYPE 2-way standmount loudspeaker WEIGHT 5.5kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 170 x 278 x 282mm FEATURES • 1x 22mm soft dome tweeter • 1x 125mm mid/bass driver • Quoted sensitivity: 88dB/1W/1m (6ohm) DISTRIBUTOR Armour Home Electronics TELEPHONE 01279 501111 WEBSITE qacoustics.co.uk Even if it were new, the recently superseded 3020 (HFC 426) would still be a fine standmount shooting for top honours. But, as the larger of the two offerings in the new 3000i series lineup, the 3020i promises to be nothing less than formidable. The 3020i boasts 25 percent extra internal volume, which means better low-frequency performance with enhanced sensitivity and bass extension. The 125mm mid/bass driver uses a cone precision formed from impregnated and coated paper and mated with a newly developed, low-hysteresis,…

DETAILS PRODUCT PMC Cor ORIGIN UK TYPE Integrated amplifier WEIGHT 12kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 432 x 88 x 401mm FEATURES • Quoted power output: 2x 95W into 8ohm • Inputs: 4x RCAs; 1x balanced XLRs • Balance, treble and bass controls (powered) DISTRIBUTOR The Professional Monitor Company Ltd. TELEPHONE 01767 686300 WEBSITE pmc-speakers.com If asked to come up with the British loudspeaker manufacturer most likely to move into the amplifier sector, PMC might not be the first to come to mind. With a long-standing distribution relationship with Canadian amplifier specialist Bryston and a budding partnership with AVM in Germany, the company isn’t short of quality power options, so why build its own? The thing is, PMC has been building its own amplification for some of its active loudspeakers for some time…

DETAILS PRODUCT Lindemann Limetree Phono ORIGIN Germany TYPE MM/MC phono stage WEIGHT 293g DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 120 x 40 x 120mm FEATURES • Dedicated MM and MC inputs • Adjustable impedance settings for MC cartridges DISTRIBUTOR Elite Audio Ltd. TELEPHONE 01334 570666 WEBSITE eliteaudiouk.com Bavaria-based Lindemann is perhaps best known as a purveyor of audio products aimed at the high-end hi-fi sector, but to mark its 25 years in business the company has launched a series of more affordable components. The Limetree range uses the same 120 x 120mm form factor and the moving-magnet and moving-coil phono stage is the first to be released in the UK through distributor Elite Audio. We’re told that a USB DAC, headphone amplifier and streamer components will follow in due course. The Limetree Phono is…

DETAILS PRODUCT Sonos Beam ORIGIN US/China TYPE Wireless streaming speaker WEIGHT 2.8kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 651 x 69 x 100mm FEATURES • 1x tweeter; 4x mid/bass drivers; 3x bass radiators • Inputs: 1x HDMI ARC (optical adaptor supplied) • Connectivity: wi-fi; Ethernet DISTRIBUTOR Sonos TELEPHONE 0800 0261526 WEBSITE sonos.com/en-gb You certainly can’t accuse Sonos of resting on its laurels. The company already dominates the multi-room audio market with its Play range of speakers, and it moved quickly to introduce the new Sonos One (HFC 433) last year, adding support for Amazon’s Alexa voice technology, and pitching it as the “smart speaker for audiophiles”. Now, barely six months later, it’s introducing the Beam, which brings Alexa smart tech to the company’s range of television soundbars for the first time. The Beam is…

I’ve had a love for all things analogue for as long as I can remember, but I can pin down my passion for reel-to-reel tape to a very specific moment. It was September 2013 and I was at the National Audio Show. Mike Valentine – sound engineer and owner and producer of UK audiophile record label Chasing The Dragon – had a big exhibition room at the Whittlebury Hall two-day event and had set up an impressive high-end hi-fi system fronted by a Studer A812 tape machine and a Nagra digital audio recorder. Looking at the Studer I felt like Mae West eyeing up a diamond! It’s an object of beauty and the sight of it lured me into the room. I grabbed a chair in the front row and…

We all know we should service older cars on a regular basis. Oil becomes dark and thick, brake fluid needs topping up, coolant needs changing and tyres go bald. It’s a complex machine with moving parts that are designed to wear. Forget to service a vehicle and you’ll end up with poorer performance or worse still a breakdown. So, how did we get so lazy with turntables? Across the land turntables are crying out for some basic servicing, but years pass without any TLC. Maybe any decline is so gradual we don’t perceive the drop in performance until something forces more drastic intervention. While the vinyl revival is great, surely we may need a ‘servicing’ revival to match it? After the oil change there was more insight, detail and soundstage…

HAVING FOCUSED ON conventional Bluetooth speakers in the past, Ruark is now moving into the multi-room realm with new models like the wi-fi-equipped MRx before you. Available with a walnut or soft grey finish, it’s a substantial bookshelf speaker, measuring 300mm wide, 180mm high and 180mm deep when lying flat in ‘landscape’ mode – although there’s a metal stand that also allows you to stand it upright if space is tight. The sturdy cabinet houses a pair of 75mm full-range drivers, with a matching brace of bass radiators tucked around the back. The MRx supports both Bluetooth with aptX and wi-fi for wireless streaming and there’s an Ethernet port hidden away on the rear. Here you’ll also find a combined 3.5mm analogue/optical digital jack (with optical adapter) and USB port…

THERE IS 50 percent more silver used in the Silver Melody 2.5 compared with the company’s original Melody 2 tonearm cable. The solid wire conductors are made from 99.99 percent silver and insulated with the company’s dielectric material. The 1.2m cable is sheathed in a high-quality purple sleeving. Hi ho silver lining I connect it between my Jelco SA-750 tonearm (which is fitted with a Kiseki Blue NOS MC cartridge) and my valve phono stage, and run the cable in. I then spin an LP of Vivaldi’s Opus 7 performed by I Musici. The solo oboe is crystal clear and sprightly. I am struck by the open, delicate and effortless strings, which never interfere with the lower registers from the double basses. Imaging is superb and every instrument is well…

PRICE: £399-£1,249 AVAILABLE: NOW CONTACT: 0800 2321513 WEB: BOWERS-WILKINS.CO.UK LATE SUMMER IS the time of year that Worthing-based Bowers & Wilkins likes to make announcements about changes to its loudspeaker lineup, and this year is no exception. In last year's October issue (HFC 428) we brought news of the then all-new, mid-priced 700 Series that replaced the company's long-running CM Series. Fast forward 12 months and summer 2018 sees another announcement, this time with the unveiling of the sixth iteration to its 600 Series entry-point range. The updated seven-strong loudspeaker range has adopted a similar model-naming structure to align it with 700 and 800 Series offerings. It includes three stereo models – two standmounts (607 and 606) and one floorstander (603) – plus a centre channel speaker along with three…

SMALL, INEXPENSIVE SPEAKERS have been the key to many a great-sounding hi-fi system over the years. Back in the mid-seventies, conventional ‘even-split’ system budget allocation wisdom was turned on its head, thanks to an idea – seeded by Linn boss Ivor Tiefenbrun and enthusiastically nurtured by sections of the hi-fi press – that the best route to a fine-sounding system without breaking the bank was to spend the lion’s share of the money on the source (say, a Linn Sondek LP12 turntable) and the least amount on the speakers, which usually meant a decent budget standmount chosen from a few regular faithfuls. Some saw this as a ruse for Mr T to sell more LP12s, but the logic of starting with the best possible source (an expensive amp and speakers…

DETAILS PRODUCT Fyne Audio F301 ORIGIN Scotland TYPE 2-way standmount loudspeaker WEIGHT 5.3kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 190 x 300 x 271mm FEATURES • 1x 25mm polyester dome tweeter • 1x 150mm multi-fibre mid/bass driver • Quoted sensitivity: 89dB/1W/1m (8ohm) DISTRIBUTOR Fyne Audio Ltd. TELEPHONE 0141 4284008 WEBSITE fyneaudio.com Basically old-guard Tannoy talent marching under its own flag, Fyne Audio has wasted no time pinning itself to the UK’s hi-fi map with two, well-stocked model lines and a roll-out schedule that would make even a well-oiled multinational sweat. In terms of the group, this is the first of the slightly larger, pricier models promising sexier sonics – though as we’ve already discovered, the £200 tiddlers are having none of that. After the 100mm mid/bass driver of the AE and DALI’s 130mm unit,…

DETAILS PRODUCT Wharfedale Diamond 11.1 ORIGIN UK/China TYPE 2-way standmount loudspeaker WEIGHT 6.8kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 194 x 310 x 285mm FEATURES • 1x 25mm textile dome tweeter • 1x 130mm woven Kevlar mid/bass driver • Quoted sensitivity: 87dB/1W/1m (8ohm) DISTRIBUTOR IAG Group Ltd. TELEPHONE 01480 452561 WEBSITE wharfedale.co.uk By far the heaviest, deepest and best finished of the speakers in the group, the Diamond 11.1 is the only one with curved side panels to deter internal standing waves. It’s got classy drivers, too. The 130mm Kevlar weave-coned mid-bass unit features a ribbed basket for extra rigidity and a large ceramic magnet assembly to improve sensitivity and bass control. Meanwhile, the 25mm textile dome tweeter uses an over-sized ceramic magnet system with copper cap for flux control and has a vented…

DETAILS PRODUCT Novafidelity X45 ORIGIN South Korea TYPE Music server, ripper, streamer and DAC WEIGHT 7.8kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 441 x 100 x 330mm FEATURES • Up to 8TB HDD storage • 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256-capable DAC • Digital inputs: 1x optical; 1x coaxial; 1x AES/EBU; USB-B • Analogue inputs: 1x RCAs; 1x 3.5mm jack • MM phono stage DISTRIBUTOR SCV Distribution TELEPHONE 03301 222500 WEBSITE scvdistribution.co.uk With streaming music readily available at our finger tips, it’s sometimes difficult to fathom the best way of combining digital media libraries into one central location to achieve the same effortless tap-to-play scenario that brings together all our digital music. I am sure plenty of us have spent enough time grappling with network-attached storage hardware and CD-ripping software to know that there has to…

Preamplifiers – can’t live with them, can’t live without them! They’re arguably the closest that hi-fi gets to Peter Walker’s famous description of an amplifier as “a piece of wire with gain”. Strange then – given that they apparently have so little to do – that so many get so much so wrong. Cartridges and loudspeakers convert mechanical energy to electrical – and vice versa – so there’s great scope to mess things up. Yet is it really so hard to make a good preamplifier? Given their relative simplicity, what could possibly go wrong? A lot, or so my ears tell me. I’ve reviewed hundreds over the years and most have left me underwhelmed. The thing is, they nearly all seem to add nothing except unwanted stuff that wasn’t there…

As Britain’s most prestigious music prize – the Mercury – hovers into view, it’s time to run the rule over the 12 shortlisted albums which are meant to represent the best of British music over the past year. The Mercury Prize used to be the most important event in the British music calendar, although it is hard not to conclude that in recent years it has lost some of its lustre. The reasons for this are several. Some unfathomable choices in recent years have not helped. Did Young Fathers, Benjamin Clemantine and Sampha really make the best albums of 2014, 2015 and 2017? And was the 2016 winner Konnichiwa by Skepta really a superior album to David Bowie’s brilliant, career-crowning swansong Blackstar? Yet regardless of its shortcomings, I loved every…

Unlike a CD player or a streamer, the turntable is not a plug-and-play device. To get the very best from it, great care needs to be taken to ensure that it is correctly set up. Happily, this is not as difficult as you might imagine and there is a wide selection of inexpensive accessories available to help. Before considering any form of adjustment, it is important to make sure the record player itself is level. The stylus is held in the groove entirely by gravitational force, and any imbalance means the downward force on it is not exactly perpendicular to the disc. On the level Many turntables are fitted with adjustable feet and levelling is easily done using a spirit level. Place the level on the platter, to allow any…

AS WE ALL know, looks aren’t everything, and it’s fair to say that some hi-fi brands don’t tend to agonise over the way their output is presented quite as much as others. Despite this, products that don’t stand out for their good looks can very often sound quite special and I would certainly put this Missing Link cable into this category. Designer Mark Sears is a straight-shooting sort of chap with an insatiable interest in engineering and materials science and a stickler for detail. His company’s entry-level interconnect is called Silver Surfer, which isn’t the most inspiring name but shows that money hasn’t been wasted on fancy branding. The same could be said of the packaging, as it comes in a clear poly bag. Neither is the cable itself some…

WORTHING-BASED FLARE AUDIO already has a number of low-cost in-ear designs, but the Flares Pro is the first model to grab our attention and is aimed at audio aficionados. It can be connected directly to a player using the supplied cable fitted with a 3.5mm jack plug or wirelessly using the lightweight clip-on Bluetooth DAC/receiver with aptX support, which claims 12 hours battery life when charged via USB. Everything is supplied inside a multi-layered, cube-shaped box with three sizes (small, medium and large) for each of the Earfoams Everyday, Universal and Audiophile ear-tips, plus there’s a fabric carry case that fits neatly into a pocket for life on the road. The titanium shell earpiece is fitted with a 5.5mm beryllium driver combined with the company’s Dual Jet and Acoustic Lens…

PRICE: £3,495 AVAILABLE: NOW CONTACT: 01622 721444 WEB: CHORDELECTRONICS.CO.UK Kent-based digital audio specialist Chord Electronics has introduced its Hugo M Scaler. Billed as an advanced standalone upscaler, it is capable of redefining CD digital audio up to 705.6kHz (that’s 16x CD’s 44.1kHz native resolution), ready to be passed on to a suitable DAC via dual BNC. Developed over 35 years, it brings the advantages of the company’s ground-breaking FPGA-based WTA (Watts Transient Alignment) filtering technology to digitally connected devices, offering sound quality improvements to all kinds of digital audio setups. There are five digital inputs – 2x BNC, 2x optical, plus a galvanically isolated USB Type-B compatible with PCM and DSD (up to DSD256). Digital outputs include optical, S/PDIF and galvanically isolated dual BNC, the latter of which extends 96kHz…

PRICE: £149 AVAILABLE: NOW CONTACT: 01235 511166 WEB: HENLEYAUDIO.CO.UK Vienna-based hi-fi specialist Pro-Ject Audio Systems has a firm grip on the turntable market, thanks to its impressive span of models designed to appeal to vinyl fans on every budget. The Primary E is the latest in a long run of new additions to the company’s seemingly continuously growing number of turntable models, and at £149 is currently the most affordable in its 48-strong lineup. Originally introduced in 2016, the Primary turntable range is aimed at bringing quality audio to vinyl fans of all kinds on a tight budget, as the company looks to provide an entry-level deck with a ‘made in Europe’ quality design, offering true hi-fi credentials to challenge the pile ‘em high plastic decks littering certain record and…

DETAILS PRODUCT Acoustic Energy AE100 ORIGIN UK/Malaysia TYPE 2-way standmount loudspeaker WEIGHT 4.5kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 160 x 270 x 240mm FEATURES • 1x 25mm soft dome tweeter • 1x 100mm paper mid/bass driver • Quoted sensitivity: 87dB/1W/1m (4ohm) DISTRIBUTOR Acoustic Energy Loudspeakers Ltd. TELEPHONE 01285 654432 WEBSITE acoustic-energy.co.uk It would be hard to find a more understated two-way standmount than the AE100 anywhere, never mind this select gathering. But its designers would doubtless seek to mirror Harrison Ford’s assessment of the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars: “It’s got it where it counts, kid”. Unusually for a £200 speaker, the main driver is a long-throw type supported by a powerful magnet, which suggests both good control and the ability to go loud without appreciable strain or distortion. The tweeter sits in…

DETAILS PRODUCT Jamo S 803 ORIGIN USA/Far East TYPE 2-way standmount loudspeaker WEIGHT 5kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 191 x 353 x 252mm FEATURES • 1x 25mm soft dome tweeter • 1x 127mm polyfibre cone mid/bass driver • Quoted sensitivity: 87dB/1W/1m (8ohm) DISTRIBUTOR Henley Audio Ltd. TELEPHONE 01235 511166 WEBSITE henleyaudio.co.uk Danish speaker maker Jamo notched up its half century this year and to celebrate launched the Studio S range, which appears to be aimed at the home cinema market – note the four tiny ‘active’ lugs to accept, locate and drive an upward-firing ATM topper for a Dolby Atmos feed. The reason the S 803 makes the cut is Jamo’s assertion that it delivers “incredible stereo sound”. Mid/bass duties are handled by a 127mm aluminium-coated polyfibre driver reflex loaded by a…

I SUGGESTED AT the start that today’s breed of entry-level standmounts aren’t merely good enough to make a similarly budget-orientated system sing, but good enough to stick around as front-end components are upgraded, possibly in steps, to a very high standard. Or put another way: for a given budget you can spend more on a classy source. Either way, I’m glad to report that the proof is right here and, as someone who appreciates a conspicuous bargain, it’s very heartening indeed. The Jamo S 803 has some surprising up-market virtues – not least its speed, verve and remarkably punchy, agile and articulate bass performance – but it doesn’t quite hit the sweet spot in other respects with a lean tonal balance that can rob music of its natural warmth. Placing…

DETAILS PRODUCT Arcam SA10 ORIGIN UK/China TYPE Integrated amplifier WEIGHT 8.4kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 433 x 87 x 310mm FEATURES • Quoted power output: 2x 50W into 8ohm • Inputs: MM phono; 3x analogue; 1x 3.5mm jack; 1x optical digital; 2x coaxial digital DISTRIBUTOR Arcam UK TELEPHONE 01223 203200 WEBSITE arcam.co.uk Completing Arcam’s trinity of new HDA products, the SA10 is the entry-level amplifier and I can’t help but detect a frisson of concern as you read this. After all, surely leaving its review until last is a sure-fire source of disappointment? It can’t be as good as its bigger brother, the SA20, right? If I were to ask you to name a famous Pioneer turntable from the seventies and an equally well-known NAD amplifier from the eighties there is a…

When vinyl first started to make its so-called comeback a few years ago, sceptics were quick to talk down its chances of long-term survival. Hipsters and their penchant for all things retro would inevitably move their gaze onto something else quick enough, plus any growth from practically nothing can look impressive when spun the right way, right? Except, it doesn’t seem to be going away. While some of us never really stopped loving and buying vinyl – let alone stopped playing it – there really does look to be a period of extended growth that suggests music in its most physical format has some legs. To say that sales are ‘booming’ might be an overstep, but sales at Record Store Day – the annual celebration of all things vinyl which…

Being a hi-fi dealer is not without its complexities. The world of source, amp and loudspeakers that many of us understood as we first embarked on our hi-fi journey has been mixed up by demands for more compact systems and ‘entry-level’ audio has been under pressure as consumer tastes change while remaining competitive. For Mark Adamson, the owner of Harrow Audio, the response is simple. With a clientele spread across North London and the Home Counties, he has adapted the store’s portfolio to offer a strong choice of sanely priced entry-level systems, created a dedicated headphone section to help his commuter customers secure the portable audio that they desire, while maintaining a portfolio that enables him to create systems for customers with deeper pockets. Doing this from a store that…

THE POWERED SPEAKER market – where a stereo amplifier is built into one of the loudspeakers – has become an increasingly popular area with those seeking desktop music systems. US brand Klipsch is embracing the versatile sector, and the R-41PM is a small powered design that’s closely related to its R-41M passive loudspeaker. A two-way standmount configuration, it has a 102mm copper-spun graphite mid/bass driver partnered by one of the company’s horn-loaded tweeters that sees a 25mm aluminium dome mounted in the throat of a square Tractix horn. A rear-mounted port aids bass response, although this isn’t exactly seismic as the frequency response quotes roll off at around 76Hz. The loudspeakers are powered by a 2x 35W-rated internal amplifier that’s placed inside the right-hand cabinet, which is then output to…

IN COMMON WITH the Rocket 11 loudspeaker cable (HFC 440), the Rocket 22 uses two pairs of conductors per channel, which allows both pairs to be wired in parallel for conventional ‘full range’ wiring, or each pair to be connected separately for bi-wiring. The conductors are made from a combination of the company’s Long-Grain Copper (LGC) and Perfect-Surface Copper (PSC). The LGC and PSC wire is laid out in a ‘true-concentric’ configuration. This means that each layer of strands in a concentric conductor is spiralled in the opposite direction from the one below. According to AudioQuest, this is to reduce distortion. Priced at £20 per metre, this cable is designed to be connected bare ended to speaker and amplifier binding posts or it can be used with AudioQuest banana plugs…