Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2020 i Hi-Fi Choice

www.hifichoicemag.com With a rapidly expanding music collection, I recently took the plunge and subscribed to Roon’s playback software to integrate and manage my home networked library with subscription streaming services Tidal and Qobuz. It’s been something of a revelation in my household, having everything available in a seamless library with a compelling user experience while the recommended further listening suggestions only broadens the appeal. Launched in 2015, Roon has grown to become the must-have certification on any new network audio component, and the latest update takes its music management algorithm software even further by learning about our personal tastes and comparing them with 100,000 other Roon listeners to make more individually tailored suggestions in its latest 1.7 Valence update. This looks set to enhance my musical journey, and I look…

• Designed to allow the listener to feel the full impact of real musicians in their listening room, Vertere says that its new Redline cable range is double shielded with an outer screen braid and conductive foil to minimise noise. With seven independent high-purity copper conductors of different thicknesses and plating surrounded by low-dialectic constant FEP, all six signal conductors are silver plated while the ground is tin plated. Prices start at £595 for a 1m interconnect or 3m pair of speaker cables, while longer lengths cost £130 per extra 0.5m. VERTEREACOUSTICS.COM…

French loudspeaker maker Focal pours a lot of time and money into R&D – probably more than most of its competitors. Originally known as Focal-JMLab, the company was founded in 1979 in Saint-Étienne by the engineer and hi-fi journalist Jacques Mahul and, from the very beginning, a restless desire to stay ahead of the curve fuelled innovation. The mission could easily be subtitled “…and the search for the perfect driver diaphragm”. It’s a continuing (and presumably never-ending) quest, but Focal’s track record thus far in bringing new materials and composites to market is impressive. Since the early eighties these have included titanium, titanium dioxide, poly Kevlar, polyglass, flax and, for its premium lines, beryllium and the mysteriously named ‘W’ composite. Now slatefiber makes its debut, not as a state-of-the-art proposition…

Founded in San Diego in 2012, Cleer Audio only recently branched out to the UK. The company has a good pedigree and is made up of former engineers from Sony and Harman Kardon who developed the Flow’s ‘ironless’ magnetic drivers, aimed at reducing distortion. Other aspects of its design are more conventional. The earpieces and headband are thickly padded, and fold flat to fit into the compact carrying case. The headband grips quite firmly to create a noise-isolating seal for the earpieces, although some people might find them a little tight for longer listening sessions. Touch controls on the earpieces allow adjustment of volume and to skip forward or backwards, while two buttons on the left earpiece turn on the power and noise cancelling. There’s also an ‘Ambient’ button to…

Released in the summer with relatively little fanfare, this latest version updates the Momentum 2 Wireless, which is still on sale at £300. Confusingly, the Sennheiser website refers to both models simply as “Momentum Wireless”, so take care to select the correct one. There aren’t many major differences between the two either, as the 3 seems to focus on recent technical updates, such as the use of a USB-C connector for charging and audio input (which is still something of a work in progress – we could get the connection to work with a Windows laptop, but not an Apple MacBook). Thankfully, a conventional 2.5mm connector is also bundled (with a 2.5mm-to-3.5mm cable included). Bluetooth wireless features have been updated, adding AAC support for Apple devices and aptX Low Latency…

CW: What’s special about the Persona’s driver construction? OB: The thickness of the tweeter diaphragm used is only 0.0508mm or about the thickness of a thin human hair. Due to high rigidity of beryllium, forming has to be performed at high temperature and pressure and the trimming is done by laser. The tweeter voice coil bobbin is made of a rigid and non-conductive polyimide film that does not generate eddy currents and is resistant to high temperatures so that it’s not affected when the speaker plays loud. The mid/bass motor structure uses a large ferrite magnet and split dual voice coil that allows us to maximise the motor’s linear excursion capabilities, improving midrange clarity while playing loud bass notes. How does the Perforated Phase Alignment lens work? The PPA lens…

In development for over four years, the RAI Solo in-ear is a single-driver IEM-type in-ear that ditches the standard design practice of using copper wires to connect the voice coil to the external wiring as Meze believes this creates uneven performance where the wires run across the diaphragm. Its solution to negate this unevenness is instead to make the entire diaphragm conductive and run a track across the full face of the diaphragm. The driver is then mounted to ensure that the dynamic driver’s pistonic energy is channelled in the desired direction and placed inside an injection moulded stainless steel enclosure. Meze says the combination of driver mounting and steel body achieves a performance that is free of unwanted vibration or resonance. Equipped with detachable MMCX-style connectors, the RAI Solo…

GIVEN THAT THE wonderful world of vinyl re-production has had over 70 years to develop, it won’t come as a complete surprise that things have changed since the introduction of the microgroove LP in 1948. One major moment was in September 1959, when SME launched its first precision pick-up arm. Among its many notable features, it sported a detachable headshell. The tonearm went on to be a hi-fi legend, because it offered dramatically superior sound to its rivals. It, and its derivations, went on to become hugely popular in the sixties and seventies. Simply by dint of this tonearm’s popularity, SME became the standard for detachable headshells. Other types were later conceived by Japanese giants like Sony, but for most of the vinyl boom the SME type was fitted to…

FINISHED IN A light blue, 8.5mm diameter sheath, the Libra Classic is a flexible mains cable that can be fitted with either a UK or Schuko plug for use in Europe. The other end is terminated in a 10A IEC plug. Long shot Its conductors are made from 16x 0.2mm tinned copper wire and insulated in a type of silicone rubber known as GPC (Gel Permeation Chromatography). At the IEC end, a large ferrite tube has been fitted to provide filtering against RFI. Supplied as a 1.7m cable, Black Rhodium says the longer length of the Libra Classic is not just to enable it to reach most of the components on your rack, but also because it considers the best sound quality is obtained from cables of an untwisted length…

Nico Chelsea Girl “Lyrically dark in places, musically fascinating and beautiful. Her cover of These Days is by far the best take on this much-recorded track. I’ve got a lovely US original in stock.” Roy Harper Stormcock “Roy’s best. I can’t fault this one in any way, and vinyl is the perfect format for it too: two tracks per side and sounding great. A Harvest original with the lyric insert.” Count Five Psychotic Reaction “This is just such a classic track that it absolutely deserves to be owned on 7in. Of course, I’ve got a German reissue in stock and it’ll do you just fine.” This Is The Kit Krülle Bol “An absolute must-have for dedicated fans of lo-fi folk. Originally limited to just 500 copies and hard to find…

www.hifichoicemag.com These pages are a must-read if you’re thinking about buying used kit, or if you have hi-fi you want to sell. It’s free – simply submit your ad with no more than 50 words (we reserve the right to edit it if not), remembering to include your email, phone number and county. Simply email your ad to: letters@hifichoice.co.uk. This service is open to private advertisers only. Just one ad per household and please note that images are for illustration only and do not represent what is for sale. FOR SALE WORLD DESIGNS KEL84 valve amplifier with upgrades, mint condition. Arcaydis EB1S bookshelf speakers, oak, mint/boxed. Project The Classic rosenut turntable with Ortofon Silver cartridge, unused/boxed. Q Acoustics QA3108 24in speaker stands. Would like to sell as a system. All…

AKG was swallowed up by Samsung some time ago, along with Harman Kardon and JBL. But while Harman and JBL have retained their own identities and brands, AKG’s headphones seem to be promomted as an accessories brand to partner Samsung’s range of smartphones. Samsung’s influence on this updated version of its AKG N700 headphone is clear, with a focus on portability and daily use around town. The battery has been extended to 23 hours, while SSC (Samsung Scalable Codec) for Bluetooth wireless audio has been incorporated. I’m surprised AAC for Apple devices is supported as well, but at this price it’s disappointing that there’s no sign of aptX. There is a decent set of accessories, though, including a sturdy carrying case, USB-C cable and charger, 2.5mm-to-3.5mm audio cable and airline…

As the entry-level model in JBL’s Live range, the 650BTNC has to make a few compromises, but if you’re on a tight budget it’ll do the trick for well under £200. Available in a variety of colours, it folds down for portability when you’re travelling and is a comfortable fit – tight enough to form a seal around the ears without causing discomfort during longer listening sessions. A 2.5mm socket with a 2.5-to-3.5mm cable is included for wired connections while Bluetooth for wireless audio is also supported. But this is where the cost cutting comes in, and it’s disappointing to note aptX or AAC are absent. Noise cancelling is a simple on/off affair without the adjustment offered by rivals. It’s also odd that the app only works when using Bluetooth,…

September’s Audio Show at Leamington Spa wasn’t quite my hi-fi highlight of the year, but still turned up one if its biggest surprises. The most eyebrow-raising thing I saw was the Curvi loudspeaker, designed and made by Christopher Liauw (curvi-hifi.com). It flashed up on my hi-fi radar for two reasons – first, it has a radical cabinet shape with transmission line loading and second it uses the latest and largest balanced mode radiator driver. I’ve been a big fan of both TLs and BMRs for years, but many people will neither know what either is, nor care. That’s why the Curvi has another string to its bow – it’s a beautifully styled and brilliantly made piece of furniture too. My intrigue increased further when I spoke to Liauw, who told…

Paul Darwin, UK sales co-ordinator at Rega, reveals the music that he uses to help demo and develop new products David Lindley El Rayo-X Lindley has released a slew of albums of varying musical styles, but his first remains my favourite. The track Quarter Of A Man will thoroughly test any system’s timing ability. Emmylou Harris Spyboy Harris and her band's version of producer Daniel Lanois’ The Maker builds tension incredibly, resulting in a dynamic and powerful climax. Joe Cocker Stingray In audiophile circles it is often Cocker’s Sheffield Steel that is most celebrated, but Stingray is perhaps his most R&B album. Catfish sees him at the top of his game vocally. Max Richter The Blue Notebooks Tranquil, immersive minimalist neo classicism that should only be accompanied by a glass…

1960 SINGS SPIRITUALS Ten gospel numbers backed by organ, piano, drums and bass with vocals by The Charioteers and the Southern California Community Choir. This album was reissued as Swing Low Sweet Chariot. 1961 MY KIND OF BLUES Ten blues classics recorded in a single session, including fine versions of Lightnin’ Hopkins’ Someday Baby, Memphis Minnie’s Please Set A Date and Roosevelt Sykes’ Driving Wheel Blues. 1965 LIVE AT THE REGAL Quite simply one of the greatest blues albums of all time with King in his element on stage in Chicago. Standouts include Every Day I Have The Blues, Sweet Little Angel and How Blue Can You Get. 1968 BLUES ON TOP OF BLUES Full, brassy arrangements that complement King’s gritty style on a set of mostly self-penned songs, including…

WARP BACK TO the seventies and the golden age of hi-fi, and many people were buying music centres, while more discerning folk opted for separates. What both had in common was that they placed their beloved systems on sideboards, chests of drawers or tables. There was no such thing as hi-fi furniture. Worse still was the positioning of loudspeakers – these were often put on stands with castors or dumped on a pile of old books on the floor. That all changed in the eighties as bespoke equipment stands arrived, and they all had one thing in common – floor spikes. The idea was to securely lock your system support to the floor. Eighties speaker stands were the same; gone were the castors and in came spikes. Nowadays, if you…

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Leading the way with its QC (Quiet Comfort) range of noise-cancelling headphones, there’s a slight sense of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ with the most recent update to the QC35. There aren’t any significant updates to design or sound quality, with the main change being a new ‘Action’ button on the left earpiece that can be used to activate Google and Amazon voice assistants. There’s also a new option to adjust the level of noise activation to high, low or off. To be fair, Bose nailed the basics with the original QC35, meaning the lightweight folding design and soft, padded faux-leather earpieces and headband have been retained. The headphone sits lightly on the head and feels comfortable, making it ideal for long journeys. Like its predecessor, there’s a…

Master & Dynamic makes no bones about being a luxury brand designed for ‘stylish audiophiles’, and at this price the MW65 is considerably more expensive than any of its rivals in this group. It works hard to justify the cost with impeccable design and build, using lightweight aluminium for the adjustable headband and outer sections of the earpieces. Both these and the headband are padded with comfortable memory foam, wrapped in tasteful lambskin. The headphone is light and comfortable to wear yet also sturdy enough to cope with life on the move. Beryllium is employed for the 40mm drivers – an expensive material that’s preferred for its lightness and rigidity, helping to reduce distortion in the process. The MW65 is the only headphone in the group to support aptX HD…

Based near Toronto in Canada, Paradigm has built a strong reputation for loudspeaker design since 1982, but possibly mostly for home cinema use. Indeed, the Persona B (the B is for bookshelf) is marketed alongside matching floorstanders, a centre speaker and sub, but this two-way standmount deserves to be turning hi-fi heads too. Unpacking the Persona B, its high mass and superlative gloss finish seems to define engineering costing vastly more, and the £7,800 price tag doesn’t feel inappropriate. The sculptural shape is a thing of beauty, closer to a luxury yacht hull than the average speaker cabinet design, but the form is for function. Rounded sides and slanting surfaces are intended to banish standing waves, enabling the listener to hear more of the drivers and less of the cabinet.…

THIS MONTH ED SELLEY EXPERTISE: REVIEWER Active in the industry since 1999, Ed’s first record was Boss Drum by The Shamen. He splits his time between reviewing and protecting hi-fi kit from his son Will. NEVILLE ROBERTS EXPERTISE: ENGINEER Neville has an eclectic taste for classical baroque and jazz. His wife was forced to marry his transmission line speakers in the eighties and he collects BBC test card music. JASON KENNEDY EXPERTISE: REVIEWER Editor of HFC from 1998 to 2001, Jason’s first turntable was Rega’s Planar 3 and Elvis’ 40 Greatest Hits was his first vinyl, so don’t go stepping on his blue suede shoes. DAVID PRICE EXPERTISE: REVIEWER DP two-finger typed his first hi-fi review 25 years ago. Since then he’s edited Hi-Fi World and HFC. He describes himself…

highresaudio.com has the 25th anniversary edition of REM’s Monster, Keith Jarrett’s Munich 2016 (Live), Michael Kiwanuka’s Kiwanuka and Katie Mahan’s Classical Gershwin. hdtracks.co.uk debuts Bill Evans’ Evans In England, Travellin’ Thru: 1967-1969: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 15 by Bob Dylan, Hootie & The Blowfish’s Imperfect Circle and the 50th anniversary remastered deluxe edition of The Doors’ glorious The Soft Parade.…

IN THE MOVIE Superman 2 our hero, suffering from a conflict between his mild-mannered Clark Kent persona and his super-powered alter ego, develops a split personality and literally divides himself into two. Something similar seems to have happened with The Three II from Klipsch Lifestyle. The first version – simply called The Three – was a multi-room speaker that combined wireless connectivity with an array of inputs. The Three II leans more heavily towards wired connectivity that even runs to a built-in MM phono stage, while a second model – The Three Google Assistant – hangs onto the wireless and multi-room features, as well as gaining support for Google’s voice control technology. Retro chic Klipsch refers to the design as “mid-century modern”, and it certainly has an attractive retro look, with…