Innholdsfortegnelse for Yearbook 2019 i Hi-Fi Choice

THE PRELUDE’S TONEARM incorporates a headshell optimised for moving-magnet cartridges. The bearing housing is designed to act as a sink, pulling vibrations away from the playing surface. Conical spikes are also employed to combat vibration, while the direct current motor is placed in its own dedicated housing. There is no speed control, instead the belt is moved between upper and lower pulleys. An Ortofon 2M Red cartridge is fitted and correctly aligned so that setup is limited to fitting the antiskating weight and setting tracking force. Sound quality Connected to a Cyrus Phono Signature phono stage (HFC 408), the Prelude is completely silent and a quick strobe test suggests it is admirably pitch stable too. With the basics handled, it doesn’t take very long to establish that it delivers EAT’s…

Available for £700 as supplied here with matching cartridge or £600 without, the X1 utilises a 8.6in tonearm made from a carbon and aluminium sandwich construction – claimed to be light and stiff. It’s a one-piece design and comes with Pro-Ject’s TPE-damped counterweight; it can be easily set for azimuth and VTA adjustment from its sturdy aluminium base. It has a Kardan ultra-low friction four-pin point precision bearing, and the review sample comes pre-fitted with Pro-Ject’s new Pick-IT S2 MM cartridge, manufactured by Ortofon. The plinth uses a new denser MDF material that’s less resonant and it gets eight layers of paint with a hand-polished gloss finish. Height adjustable feet are fitted, with useful isolation properties and the 1.5kg platter has a heavier, low-resonance acrylic design. The motor is better…

With most all-in-one, ‘starter’ turntables coming in under the £1,000 price point – some much less – it’s more than a little surprising to see specialist manufacturer SME introduce its own take on the format with a price tag that comes in at a little under £15k. Formed back in 1946, the company has a reputation for excellence. This isn’t just for sound, but in respect of build quality too and despite a change of ownership, we expect nothing less than genius from its Synergy offering. The package comprises a compact new motor unit based on the Model 15, with a special tonearm that closely resembles a Series IV. This comes pre-fitted with an Ortofon MC Windfeld Ti moving-coil cartridge, and there’s a bespoke integrated phono stage by Nagra, with…

THE 510 OFFERS a combination of relatively conventional components implemented in a slightly unusual way. The 25mm titanium dome tweeter is set inside a deep waveguide designed to produce a broad stereo image that is not confined to a single ‘sweet spot’. This is partnered with a 130mm doped paper cone mid/bass driver, with a metal grille. The bass output is augmented by a large circular reflex port placed directly behind the driver at the rear and the terminal panel is behind the tweeter at the top of the cabinet. It looks unusual, but is said to improve the flow and integration between port and driver. The black waveguide and mid/bass grille cover break up the white of the cabinet, while full white, black and walnut wood veneer options are…

THIS UPMARKET LOOKING model boasts some impressive technical stats to mark it out from the competition: stereo separation better than 120dB; signal to noise better than 119dB; and linearity better than 110dB. Jitter is claimed to be immeasurably low, with noise and distortion artefacts all but eliminated, a combination said to optimise imaging, detail and transparency. Evolved from the M6 DAC, the ‘s’ now does the upsampling/reclocking thing and includes a volume control, making it possible to plumb it straight into a power amplifier or active speakers. Under the bonnet are four stereo 32-bit DACs arranged in a fully differential (balanced) dual mono topology. This configuration works with a 32-bit sample rate converter circuit which asynchronously upsamples all incoming data rates to 768kHz internally. As you might expect, PCM signals…

Building components that use valves in its pre and power stages amp, but in combination with modern design practise in terms of circuits, layouts and materials, Copland’s aim is to achieve previously unattainable levels of performance. The CTA408 is built around the KT150 valve, which is a 21st-century innovation and an evolution of the KT88, capable of delivering 70W as a single unit. Copland prefers to run its valves less than flat out and the CTA408 uses four to deliver a claimed 2x 75W of power between 3 and 8ohm. This is combined with a preamp that uses the same combination of 12BH7 and 12AY7 valves as its smaller CTA405. It provides four line-level inputs and a tape loop, joined by a phono stage that supports both moving-magnet and moving-coil…

ince the original Nait was discontinued in the late eighties, the small integrated amp has gone through a number of incarnations before growing up into a fully fledged full-width design with a wide range of inputs and a balance control. For a couple of decades, the Nait has been a line level-only product, and has got ever slicker, more mainstream and less quirky with each incarnation. The third-generation Nait XS 3 reverses that trend in two ways. Firstly, the company has carefully tweaked the circuit design to deliver a more classically ‘musical’ Naim sound. Secondly, it comes with a moving-magnet phono stage built-in – the first time the input has appeared since the classic Nait 3 of the mid-nineties. It shares the full-width, slimline form factor of previous XS models…

At first glance it’s hard to see exactly what has changed from the original Vena. The little amplifier still comes in Quad’s understated Lancaster grey as standard, with optional wood sleeves in a choice of sapele mahogany veneer (pictured), or gloss black or white lacquer for £100 extra. Front controls remain reminiscent of classic Quad products of yore, but inside the changes are more marked. Both digital and analogue sections are revised and the Cirrus Logic DAC chip is replaced by the ES9018K2M DAC. This pushes the Vena II’s digital compatibility all the way up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD256 when connected to a computer via USB. The other digital inputs – two optical and one coaxial – remain limited to 24-bit/192kHz. While the same Quad-designed Class AB amplification found in…

While Auralic’s G1 and G2 Aries transports (HFC 431 and 441 respectively) will work with a huge selection of DACs, Auralic would prefer you choose its own decoding and the Vega G1 is the matching option for its Aries G1 streaming transport. As with any DAC, the Vega takes the digital signal from the back of the Aries and turns it into an analogue output signal to be connected to an amp. It has wired networking only via an Ethernet port at the rear and digital inputs include a USB-B port, AES, coaxial and optical connections. Stereo analogue outputs come via RCA and XLR sockets and there are two 6.35mm headphone sockets on the front panel. It features 1GB of DDR RAM and a quad-core processor partnered with an ESS…

UNLIKE THE LIMETREE Bridge (HFC 452), which is designed to attach to a digital input, the Limetree Network is a completely self-contained music streamer with built-in DAC and stereo RCA analogue outputs. There are no digital output options but there is a USB-A port, which as well as supporting an external hard drive can also hook up to a USB CD drive. Wi-fi and aptX Bluetooth wireless connectivity are also supported. It can decode any audio signal up to 24-bit/384kHz or DSD to DSD256 or upsample all incoming audio signals to DSD256 prior to decoding. Sound quality Any purchasing decision is a question of balancing the fact the Limetree offers less connectivity and features than some rivals in a trade-off with performance. The good news is its performance puts the…

The arrival of a complete ‘just add speakers’ system in the BluOS family is something of a no-brainer – after all, the lineup from Canadian parent company Lenbrook already includes the Bluesound range of servers, players and speakers, and the availability of BluOS-compatible amplifiers and receivers from NAD. It would probably have been enough for NAD to fill this gap with a simple system closer to the Bluesound range than its upmarket Masters pre/power amps, but it has a reputation for doing the unexpected, all the way back to its sector-defining 3020 amplifier of four decades ago. So the model it chose to launch is not just part of the Masters series, but also a thing of beauty and a remarkable piece of hi-fi in its own right. That’s something…

THE DRIVE OPTIONS fitted to the Zenith are all solid state to reduce the amount of mechanical noise present in the chassis. Three feet are placed asymmetrically under the chassis to prevent vibrations from being transmitted and the power supply is a triple linear type with high-quality components used throughout including low-noise regulators and Mundorf capacitors. The server hardware of the Zenith Mk3 is built around 8GB of RAM and an Intel Quad Core CPU. It includes twin Ethernet ports, one for it to communicate with the network and the other to act as a dedicated output to a music player. If you wish to use the USB audio out to a DAC you’ll need a compatible app to do so. For Roon music management software users, the Zenith Mk3…

Built to partner Audiolab’s excellent 6000A integrated (p68), the 6000CDT is slim, unobtrusive, slinky to use and sounds very good. If you have a decent DAC, it’s worth considering. Whether you choose the silver or black finish, the 6000CDT looks crisp, modern and purposeful. The slick slot-loading CD mechanism is smooth, the display is crisp and informative and it’s all so simple and intuitive to use that it’s a real pleasure to operate. It uses exactly the same transport mechanism as Audiolab’s flagship 8300CD silver disc spinner, mounted inside its own electromagnetically shielded enclosure. It additionally has a read-ahead digital buffer to reduce disc-reading failures, and the master clock is controlled by a temperaturecompensated crystal oscillator, which we’re informed makes for very low claimed jitter figures. The coaxial output is…

TO BE CLEAR from the start: this isn’t a do-it-all player, instead being a more humble option with DAC functionality. It’s handsome, with a subtly understated look and fine build quality that makes it feel far more expensive than it actually is. Musical Fidelity claims “excellent technical performance” for this player, and its quoted specs are certainly good – but this is academic, as it’s what it sounds like that really matters. A 24-bit/192kHz-capable, eight times oversampling dual differential DAC is fitted – the type is not specified – and this works off the built-in CD mechanism and any of the three digital inputs. The disc mechanism is claimed to have very low jitter, and works smoothly and quietly, in conjunction with a smallish turquoise display that features a rather…

THIS ON-EAR DESIGN uses Bluetooth wireless tech and is packed with useful features. My favourite is Ambient Aware, which lets in more sound from your surroundings so you can still hear what’s going on around you without having to stop the music. Perhaps even more impressive is the claimed 33-hour battery life, while five minutes of charging gets you around an hour of play time for when you’re in a rush. Sound quality Daft Punk’s Get Lucky sounds clear and strikes a nice balance between the track’s crisp highs and bouncy bass. Gregory Porter’s Water Under Bridges is impressively rich in detail, while tracks like Led Zeppelin’s Black Dog and AC/DC’s Back In Black sound authentic. The Y500 has a well-balanced signature which works across a large range of genres,…

BOASTING BLUETOOTH 5.0 with aptX and AAC codec support, the Momentum Wireless is built around a pair of 42mm drivers offering a claimed frequency response of 6Hz to 22kHz. It will support wired connection via a USB-C port and 3.5mm jack socket and also benefits from Sennheiser’s active noise-cancelling system with three modes. There is a microphone for making and receiving calls and using your phone’s voice assistant. Sound quality Connected via Bluetooth, music isn’t affected by unwanted background noise and the sparse Shadow Queen by the Alba Griot Ensemble sounds immediate and believable as a result. The interplay between the guitar and harp as well as the vocal harmonies is wonderfully easy to follow. For a closed-back design, there is very little feeling of constraint to the soundstage. If…

THE DRIVER AND enclosure section of the BT version is unchanged from the original IE 80 S and the IE 80 S BT uses the same single 10mm dynamic driver. The bass response can be adjusted via a tiny rotary control on the side to augment the already competent level of noise isolation, while a selection of ear tips is supplied. Sennheiser’s Bluetooth 5.0 implementation supports aptX HD, Low Latency and AAC codecs. Decoding is via an unspecified AKM DAC so any sample rate Bluetooth can send should be well handled. Sound quality Sennheiser does a fine job pushing information into a convincing arc around the head with the vast soundscape of Tool’s Fear Inoculum. There are almost certainly multiple driver arrangements found in rival models that have greater bass…

THIS FLEXIBLE PHONO stage can accommodate a wide range of both moving-magnet and movingcoil cartridges with internal circuitry based around MF’s own RIAA correction. The circuit is balanced and can be output over RCA or XLR connections. This is partnered with seven dedicated power supply circuits, each tailored to cater for specific parts of the phono stage’s functionality while star grounding is employed to keep to minimise any unwanted noise. There are three inputs selectable from the front panel where MM/MC loading settings can be configured and stored for each. Sound quality Starting with Nagaoka’s MP-200 moving-magnet cartridge (HFC 434), the M6 Vinyl treads a fine line between accuracy and imparting a little character of its own. Nick Drake’s Five Leaves Left feels tonally accurate and the judgement of scale…

AS ONE OF Black Rhodium’s new entry-level interconnects, the Minuet boasts a range of features characteristic of the more expensive interconnects in the company’s range. Replacing the Prelude, the Minuet is screened and employs silver-plated copper wire for the signal conductors to improve clarity and high frequency performance. The conductors are insulated with DM-PETM (demagnetising polyethylene), while a conductive layer is incorporated between the insulation and the screen in order to minimise microphonic noise. The Minuet is terminated with gold-plated ‘hourglass silhouette’ RCA plugs. The green 5.5mm diameter interconnects are available in stereo pairs or in long single runs for connecting to a subwoofer. I install the Minuet between my preamp and monoblocks and put them through a suitable period of running-in before listening starts. Sound quality I start with…

The Good, The Bad & The Queen Merrie Land ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆ CD Parlophone NOW DAVID BOWIE has gone, Damon Albarn surely stands unrivalled as the most creative voice working in contemporary British pop. Since the glory days of Blur, he’s explored electronica, hip-hop and R&B with Gorillaz; ventured boldly into world music, most notably with Africa Express and his Chinese epic Monkey: Journey To The West; scored Alice's Adventures In Wonderland as a stage musical for the National Theatre; written an opera for the ENO; and released a prolific swathe of other solo and collaborative albums. In the middle of all this creativity he also found time to put together another band, recruiting former Clash bassist Paul Simonon, veteran Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen and ex-Verve guitarist Simon Tong to form The Good,…

Group tests are great, but whenever I do them, I end up wanting to write a dissertation-length document on all the issues they throw up. This is because the nature of the beast, so to speak, is that they’re brief, concise, comparative pieces – rather than going into detail. So here’s my overview on what I thought was a fascinating comparison of six of the best CD players on sale at around £1,000 from the June issue. First, market trends. Right now we’re witnessing the crossover from the old way of doing things – as embodied by the Cyrus CD i and Rega Apollo – and the new way (the Marantz ND8006). The former are simply CD players; the latter is a digital hub that plays practically any format, one…

Early on in the magnificent film Enter The Dragon, Bruce Lee exclaims to a young apprentice “Don’t think, feeeeel!” For the avoidance of doubt, Mr Lee was referring to the emotional state required to knock the stuffing out of your opponent with martial arts rather than anything pertaining to hi-fi, but within that gloriously over enunciated statement is something that is entirely relevant to the concept of Beautiful Systems. We seek out engineering integrity, technical wizardry and stunning aesthetics, but over and above these things we celebrate their ability to feel special and, by extension, to make you feel special using them. Often, this comes at a substantial price, and is easier to create when you have the budget. The system you see here, however, is notable because it has…

Christmas just isn’t Christmas without a whodunnit. But as well as John Malkovich murdering the Belgian accent in the BBC’s Hercule Poirot romp The ABC Murders, in January 2019 we had another death to get our heads round. The turkey had barely gone cold when, in December 2018, HMV went into administration for the second time in six years. Its 125 UK stores were still open at the time of writing, although over 2,200 jobs were hanging by a thread. But whodunnit? Who killed HMV (again)? The murderer will vary depending who you speak to – did the fatal wound come from casual shoppers’ Brexit jitters or illegal downloads? Like a classic Agatha Christie, the reality is more complicated and the true killer obscured from view. HMV may have come…

AVID’s Ingenium Plug&Play turntable is part of an increasingly familiar breed of packaged decks that allow vinyl fans to get on with the business of playing records without the fuss of a complex setup procedure. This means that the tonearm and cartridge come fitted, aligned and ready to play and all you have to do is simply slide the counterweight into position to be up and running in next to no time. Unlike the Cambridgeshire-based company’s original Ingenium deck reviewed in 2013 (HFC 379), this packaged version includes a threaded spindle and platter clamp, which AVID says play an essential role in the deck’s energy dissipation process. The motor is separate from the main chassis and is positioned beneath the cork-topped MDF main platter to drive the sub-platter via a…

FOLLOWING THE LAUNCH of its Primary E turntable with cartridge in 2018, Pro-Ject’s Primary E Phono package adds a built-in moving-magnet phono stage for just £50 more. As a complete starter option it can be connected to any amplifier or active speaker system with a stereo RCA line-level input without anything additional needed. The phono stage is positioned on the underside of the plinth and provides gain for the pre-mounted Ortofon OM cartridge. A switch on the side enables you to bypass the built-in preamp to hook up an external preamp stage and there’s a grounding post too. Sound quality Connecting up the Primary E to my home setup reveals that as a value package, the Phono version makes a lot of sense. The urgent and slightly dark tone of…

Rega has managed to re-energise its expansive range of turntables and keep us in a spin with a combination of intriguing and unexpected technical changes that are considerably more than simply a style makeover. At first glance, the Planar 10 (£3,600 without cartridge) looks remarkably similar to the Planar 8 introduced last year (HFC 443), but these visual cues hide an almost completely new turntable that continues to develop themes and practises from the company’s flagship Naiad – the custom design that’s built in extremely limited numbers and represents something of a concept product and testbed for new ideas. The Planar 8 already incorporates a good deal of the company’s design thinking, but the Planar 10 is more ambitious in that it sets out to be an easier to produce…

AS THE SIXTH generation of the entry-level 600 Series, the 606 features B&W’s Continuum cone material trickled down from the 700 Series and employs a 165mm version here, augmented by a rear port. The 25mm aluminium tweeter also borrows from more upmarket designs and is a Decoupled Double Dome with an extra brace around the edge, said to delay breakup characteristics to over 30kHz. Brief mention should be made of the foam bungs for the rear-firing port. These come in two pieces, allowing you to better control the amount of air flow to enable greater bass tuning. The appearance of the 606 straddles somewhere between ‘clean’ and ‘functional’ depending on your point of view. I’m not sold on the matte black finish, but the cabinet and fitments are well made.…

AS THE SUCCESSOR to the GT40a (HFC 399), the Stratos supports even higher PCM resolutions as well as DSD playback. It also sports DAC, ADC, phono stage and headphone amplifier capabilities but with a more up-to-date spec, 15V DC wall-wart power supply and USB-A-to-USB-B interface cable. Built around an ESS ES9018K2M SABRE32 Reference Stereo DAC, it supports PCM data rates up to 32-bit/384kHz together with support for DSD64, DSD128 and DSD256. The USB-B port is 2.0 compliant for fast data transfers and the Stratos can also accept a coaxial S/PDIF or optical digital input. The output can be taken from a pair of RCA phonos for an unbalanced output or two XLR sockets for a balanced one. On the front there are two sockets for headphones – a 6.35mm stereo…

REPLACING THE ORIGINAL Brooklyn DAC (HFC 416), this is an analogue and digital preamp with balanced and unbalanced outputs with a DAC section that can decode DSD natively up to DSD256, PCM up to 32-bit/384kHz and does MQA. The analogue input can be line-level or MM/MC phono. Out goes the original’s ES9018 Sabre Reference 32-bit DAC chipset, replaced by the ES9028 Sabre Pro 32-bit option. This is joined by a higher grade analogue attenuator circuit and dual mono analogue path. The upshot, claims Mytek, is improved analogue input performance and transparency while the headphone amp offers more detail and definition. The supplied slim remote, which must be paired up with the DAC, is a joy, but the tiny buttons on the facia (black on black if you go for the…

Rated at just over 300W per channel into 8ohm, it’s really not unfair to think of Hegel’s flagship design as a control freak that likes whatever loudspeaker is attached to do exactly as it’s told. On paper it looks to be 20 percent more powerful than its closest sibling – the H360 – but when you appreciate that the power reserves can increase to around 2.2kW into tougher loads, it ranks as one of the most powerful integrateds available. The front panel is uncluttered with just a logo and clear white OLED display flanked by twin control knobs for source select and volume level. Inputs can also be cycled through using the purposeful metal remote that also controls volume as well as some digital playback. Where the front is spartan,…

It’s just over 12 years since Naim first released the original Supernait. It’s a reflection of the times that the Supernait 3 has a different specification to its ancestor. The digital inputs and DAC of the original Supernait are gone and it’s equipped with a moving-magnet phono stage, but this is far from the only area where things have changed. At first glance, though, it’s not obvious what those changes are because the headline specs don’t look significantly different from its discontinued predecessors. Power output remains rated at 2x 80W into 8ohm – 2x 130W into 4 – and the general information given doesn’t suggest a radical upgrade, but dig a little deeper and the design adjustments start to become clear. The most notable change is the removal of the…

As the only all-valve integrated in Rogue Audio’s range, the Cronus Magnum III uses a quartet of KT120 valves. These are fairly powerful and are able to deliver 60W of output power so the four here are being run relatively conservatively to generate a claimed power output of 100W into 8ohm, meaning it’s capable of driving the majority of modern loudspeakers. There are four inputs, three line-level and one phono stage input all via stereo RCA connections. The phono stage is comprehensive with gain settings for both moving-magnet and coil cartridges, together with load adjustment to make partnering MC options a little simpler. The phono stage is an entirely solid-state design as is the company’s Triton II MM/MC phono (HFC 447), which received a recommended badge for its rich and…

Designed to commemorate Cambridge Audio’s 50th anniversary, the threestrong Edge range of higher end components sticks with the brand’s value-for-money feel but at a more premium price. The Edge NQ streaming preamplifier and Edge W stereo power amplifier here are the two mainstays of the range and substantial resources have been invested to get things right–not just in the audio circuitry but also styling, ergonomics and build. The Edge components feel swisher and more substantial than the company’s standard products, conferring a sense of quality as well as sporting a sparse, minimalist fascia. The question is: is the packaging good enough to cause badge-conscious buyers to buy into the new range? The Edge NQ is packed with features that make it less of a preamp and more of a digital…

SOUTH KOREAN COMPANY SOtM (Soul Of the Music), has removed built-in control software, from the sMS-200 Neo, making it a network interface that will work with DNLA and UPnP protocols using its dedicated ARM processor board for streaming. It has no audio signal decoding of its own and uses a USB Audio port to output to an add-on USB DAC. Installation is a little more involved than most network players, but its small size means it can be easily hidden away out of sight. There’s no wireless connectivity so you’ll need a wired connection for it to work. Sound quality I run the sMS-200 Neo as a standard DNLA server and connect it to Chord Electronics’ Mojo headphone amp/DAC (HFC 405) into a Naim Supernait 2 integrated and Neat Momentum…

Despite looking remarkably similar to its predecessor (HFC 391), the 2nd Generation Mu-so incorporates a lot that’s new. The claimed power output still uses Class D amplifiers to deliver 75W to each of its six drivers, but now also benefits from optimised tuning in a joint partnership with Focal. The processing power of the Digital Signal Processing (DSP) system that controls the amplifier and driver arrangement claims to be significantly improved and is instrumental to the Mu-so’s sound. The system can’t be bypassed, but there are placement settings available via the app to tune its output to work closer to a rear wall or when placed in a corner. The network streaming platform is the same as the one developed for Naim’s Uniti all-in-one systems and dedicated streaming products. It…

Adding a music library server to your network to centralise all your digital audio files is becoming increasingly popular. Melco has been one of the leaders in this category and has released the N100 to provide a new first rung on its product ladder. The entirely new server design uses a chassis that is closely related to Melco’s recently released range of accessories – enabling it to be placed alongside an E100 external 3TB USB HDD or D100 USB CD drive (£1,000 each), and still only take up the same space as a full-width N1A/2. Internally, the N100 uses a single 2TB HDD, which is roughly equivalent to 4,000 CDs stored in a lossless format. Format support is pretty much universal, thanks to compatibility with files up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM…

Although just £100 more than its predecessor, the 8300CDQ is slicker and more sophisticated in terms of features, build and finish, and it supports MQA. Arguably of greater interest is DSD playback, with the 8300CDQ offering 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256 compatibility. The 8300CDQ sports the latest 32-bit ESS Sabre DAC chips and there’s a choice of digital filters, including Optimal Spectrum, Optimal Transient, Optimal Transient XD, Optimal Transient DD, Sharp Roll Off, Slow Roll Off and Minimum Phase. Four extra DSD filters are on hand to attenuate the out-of-audio band noise floor. There’s a choice of RCA or balanced XLR analogue outputs, two optical and coaxial digital inputs plus one USB-B, a optical and coaxial digital output and three pairs of analogue RCA ins. Sound quality There’s no mistaking an…

As the fourth incarnation of Leema Acoustics’ CD player, the Stream IV adds an integrated streaming engine. Combining CD and streaming in one component seems like a smart move and though it doesn’t support DSD playback, the Stream IV sets its stall out to provide a higher quality playback of PCM formats up to 24-bit/192kHz. The CD drawer is of the slim and lightweight variety, but performs accurately and faultlessly. Around the back, the Stream IV provides two sets of analogue RCA outputs and single coaxial and digital outputs should you wish to use your own DAC. A USB-A flash drive input is included as well as an Ethernet port for connecting to a home network router or directly to a media server. Sound quality Spinning Late by Ben Folds…

THE TRANSDUCER INSIDE of the M50xBT is the same as the wired version and uses a pair of 45mm dynamic drivers mounted in closed-back earcups employing rare earth magnets and copper-coated aluminium wire in the windings. The wireless implementation is built around Bluetooth v5.0 and aptX and AAC support is included, with a seriously impressive battery life claim of 40 hours. Sound quality The effortless scale of The Cinematic Orchestra’s A Caged Bird/Imitations Of Life is captured very effectively and there is a commendable feeling of music happening in front of you as well as to either side. Within this space, tonal balance is accurate, Roots Manuva’s vocal turn is rich and weighty and there is an elegant balance of energy and refinement that’s usefully accomplished from a headphone at…

THE MOST NOTABLE aspect of the Limetree Headphone’s design is that although exclusively analogue, it uses a MUSES 72320 digital volume control. In theory, any headphone you plug in will receive the same performance regardless of its sensitivity, and the listening level selected is further aided by adjustable impedance settings via dip switches on the underside. As well as its headphone amp duties, it is also a fully functional preamp and has three stereo RCA inputs with matching pre-output alongside the 3.5mm headphone socket at the front. The casework feels solid and the wooden volume knob is a nice touch. Inputs are switched via a toggle on the front that doubles as the power control. Lindemann suggests a matching power amplifier will additionally be joining the fold in the future.…

A NEW REFERENCE series moving-coil-only design, the Aura represents everything Rega knows about designing a phono stage. It has two gain settings of 63.5 and 69.5dB selected via a selector on the front panel, and the higher setting should ensure that even low-output cartridges or low-power amplifiers can be accommodated. The Aura acts to invert the signal and provide an output for the balanced outputs that are available alongside the RCA connections. The nature of its circuit means that even via RCA connections, it is a ‘balanced’ circuit – but XLRs are available if you wish. Sound quality There is an immediacy to everything the Rega does, making for a hugely vivid listening experience. This is not tied to the speed of the material you listen to. The almost processional…

A NEW SCREENED mains power cable, the Eos dd utilises technology similar to that found in the EOS 4dd (HFC 415). The ‘dd’ refers to the dual drain technology, designed to act as a filter against incoming RF AC power contamination. This is achieved by dumping any airborne and electromagnetic disturbance effects rapidly to earth, thus removing them from the AC power feed to your equipment. The Eos dd employs Atlas Cables’ proprietary high-purity, low-resistance oxygen free copper (OFC) conductors. These are insulated with a stabilised PVC dielectric and, like the dual drain conductors, are surrounded with a hybrid carbon-loaded screen incorporating Atlas’ anti-vibration filler. The whole construction is then sheathed in a royal blue PVC sleeve. The cable comes terminated as standard with IEC and 13A connectors. Nema and…

MADE FROM THE same materials as the Rumour X (HFC 447) but with heavier gauge conductors, the Odyssey X speaker cable is designed to bring more control, dynamics, definition and detail to a system. The original Odyssey was launched back in 1998 and designed to be very neutral sounding. It used PTFE as its dielectric material, but the Odyssey X instead opts for XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene). As with Chord’s Taylon dielectric, XLPE doesn’t suffer from the same phase issues as PTFE and can be produced at a lower cost. The Odyssey X is an unscreened loudspeaker cable and comes equipped with a white PVC outer jacket and diameter of 8mm. The conductors are made from 12 AWG silver-plated oxygen-free copper and though the Odyssey is 2mm thicker than the Rumour…

Whatever your personal position on Brexit, one thing that’s worrying the UK’s audio industry is the Government’s recent unveiling of a new safety certification proposal that could still come into force following a no-deal exit from the European Union. Though the outcome remains unresolved, a document from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy emerged in February 2019 to prepare businesses for the possibility of leaving without a deal, stating that – subject to Parliamentary approval – certain goods to be sold in the UK could be required to comply with a new UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) safety marking. In the event of no-deal, goods on the UK market that have been made and assessed against EU regulatory requirements and CE marked will still be eligible for sale in…

There is a line of thought that truly game-changing products rarely appear from already established companies because to release such a thing is to admit that everything produced before it was somehow flawed. While I don’t completely agree with the thinking, the radical speaker system design you see here is from fairly new German-based manufacturer Kii Audio. Distributed in the UK by Sound Design Distribution, Kii Audio was founded by Bruno Putzeys – a man who has had a considerable input into the refinement of Class D amplification (see HFC 425) – and whose company exists solely to make active speakers. The THREE is not a traditional fusion of amplifier and transducer, being equipped with its own decoding and DSP control to form a complete system. Putzeys set out to…

There are only three versions of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah that don’t make me shudder. One is half-croaked by Cohen himself. The other two are by John Cale and Jeff Buckley. Point is, the power of the song comes from it being sung as the raw, stripped-back lament it is and not the exultation suggested by its title. And it isn’t just Alexandra Burke that didn’t get the memo. Most recent covers treat Hallelujah as a kind of vocal gymkhana on which to hang showy technique and tricksy embellishments. The singers may think they’re adding something to the song, but for most of the time it’s just superfluous, inappropriate ornamentation that simply gets in the way. For Burke’s version, it all comes together in the final window-rattling verse, any sense of…

It isn’t contentious to suggest that the hi-fi industry has a traditionalist streak. For many companies, the maintaining of traditional principles is vital to their perceived heritage and in extreme cases this extends to making the same physical product for years at a time. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and there are other companies with a reputation based on the desire to continue to push the technical envelope. This system is what happens when you combine two such brands. Chord Electronics has been pursuing avant-garde solutions for 30 years. Nowhere has this been more apparent than with digital audio. Since the arrival of its groundbreaking DAC64, it has eschewed traditional DAC chips in favour of custom-programmed FPGA (field programmable gate array) units. While the concept…

REPRESENTING A DECENT turntable starter package, the TT Zero’s spec incorporates a Jelco TS-550S 9in tonearm, Audio-Technica VM740ML moving-magnet cartridge and Easy VTA adjuster. Built around a solid birch ply plinth, the Zero has a high-mass aluminium platter supported in a leaded bronze bearing that you have to spin up to speed by hand as it has insufficient torque to overcome the platter’s inertia from rest. If you want to get ‘hands on’, this is your deck. According to AnalogueWorks designer Tim Chorlton, all the materials and shapes have been chosen to balance or prevent resonance, but the aesthetic upshot is very pleasing, too. He also mentions that replacing the standard Black Eye power supply with the Wave Mechanic One PSU £500 is an easy and effective upgrade. Sound quality…

THE CLOSEST APPROACH to Technics’ flagship SL-1000R for less than a grand, the SL-1500C uses a coreless direct-drive motor with sophisticated speed management circuitry housed within a beefy, well-damped chassis and, just like its sibling, has an S-shaped tonearm with detachable headshell. It also features a built-in MM phono stage and pre-fitted Ortofon 2M Red cartridge, while the high-torque coreless motor is claimed to have all but eliminated cogging for rock-solid speed stability. The aluminium platter is fairly lightweight, but is damped on its underside to kill resonances while the apparent simplicity of the plinth disguises a sophisticated blend of aluminium, ABS and glass fibre that optimise rigidity and control vibration. Even before settling back to listen, the immediate acceleration of the platter looks like magic after the hand spins…

Reloop has been making pro audio equipment since 1996, and formed a specialist hi-fi division two years ago. Distributed through Henley Audio in the UK, the Turn5 is the top model in its range – to all intents a close looking copy of Technics’ SL-1200, without the variable speed control and in a different finish. The full-size 332mm platter is gold anodised, has substantial rubber damping underneath and weighs 1.8kg. The motor is a brushless, 16-pole, three-phase, directly driven DC affair able to spin the platter at 33, 45 and 78rpm. The statically balanced S-shaped tonearm isn’t up to the quality of the Technics original, but it’s on another level to most other copies. With the supplied headshell it tracks cartridges between 3.5 and 8.5g and comes with an Ortofon…

IN KEEPING WITH AE tradition, the constituent parts of the AE300 include a 25mm aluminium tweeter partnered to a 125mm aluminium mid/bass driver. The modern twist comes in the way it’s implemented. The tweeter is set within a waveguide that the company calls Wide Dispersion Technology, to produce a more even dispersion and reduce distortion. Around the back the slot-shaped port is intended to offer the same cross section as a conventional circular port, but with a lower velocity of air exiting it to make it less affected by proximity to walls and with lower port noise. The walnut wood veneer finish of the review sample is a little orange, but piano gloss white or black are also options. Additional stands are available to match the finish, and cost £200…

A NEW VERSION of the S15 standmount we saw in HFC 420 (the ‘e’ is for European) the fundamental spec hasn’t changed that much and still combines a 25mm soft-dome tweeter with a 133mm mica/polypropylene mid/bass driver augmented by a rear bass port. This is of the reflex variety and comes equipped with an additional plastic surround structure that’s designed to smooth the airflow. Polk calls this a Power Port, with the additional apparatus intended to deliver far deeper bass than a traditional bass reflex design while allowing the cabinet to be placed right up against a wall. Sound quality The S15e is an admirably consistent and entertaining speaker. It powers through The Comet Is Coming’s Super Zodiac with the sort of drive and determination that is unusual in such…

BASED ON AUDIOLAB’S original M-DAC, the M-DAC+ continues to use the same ES9018 Sabre Reference 32-bit DAC chipset, which is still considered to be one of the best off-the-shelf components out there. But, as any DAC designer will tell you, it’s all about the implementation – and Audiolab passes the test. Supporting circuitry includes a proprietary, discrete master clock to minimise jitter, extensive time-domain isolation and a JFET Class A output stage. The upgraded power supply is now inside the chassis, hence the taller and deeper casework, and consists of a precision-wound toroidal transformer with multiple windings to feed separate analogue and digital rectification stages. From there, multiple power supply sections feed the necessary voltages to each area of the DAC, keeping any crossover interference to a minimum. Rear digital…

Expanding the number of sources that the original could handle, the new 6000A is very much about “traditional values in a modern setting” and adds DAC functionality and Bluetooth wireless connectivity with aptX support, as well as having a moving-magnet phono stage and headphone output. It sports an ESS Sabre ES9018 converter chip, alongside four S/PDIF digital inputs – two coaxial and two optical – offering support up to 24-bit/192kHz PCM. Three user-selectable digital filters – fast roll-off, slow roll-off and minimum phase – let you tune the sound to taste. At the heart of the amplifier, there’s a discrete Class AB power amp stage delivering a claimed 50W per channel into 8ohm. The output stage uses complementary feedback topology, which Audiolab claims gives superior linearity and good thermal stability,…

A flexible, well-made integrated, the Stereo 40 MkIV really advances the budget valve amp cause. It’s bristling with tweaky features, the most notable of which is that it can work with a range of output valves from EL34 to KT88 (including KT66/77/90, 6CA7 and 6550), so you can ‘roll’ valves for yourself to get the sound you want. It also offers a choice of Triode or Ultralinear operation; the former giving a claimed 30W RMS per channel and the latter 50W, with differing sonic characteristics. Other factory options include Shuguang Treasure valves and Jensen ‘oil in paper’ capacitors. There’s a steel mesh valve cover to keep prying fingers out and a headphone socket for private listening. Sound quality The Stereo 40 MkIV’s faults are easy enough to hear, but its…

As Norma Audio’s entry-level integrated amplifier, the Revo IPA-70B boasts 2x 70W into 8ohm power output and is claimed to deliver more than 1MHz of bandwidth, up to 100A of current and 1,000W peak power handling capability. This suggests not only some serious over engineering, but also a very dynamic performance. Connectivity includes four line-level RCA inputs, one AV RCA in and an optional DAC module with a single USB input, although coaxial and optical inputs are notably absent. Alternatively, a modular phono stage can be specified. A single button is used to cycle through inputs and the central volume dial can be turned manually or remote controlled with course or fine adjustment via the comprehensive yet chic all-metal handset. Sound quality Playing Flash by Cigarettes After Sex on CD…

Designed to be more of a standalone front end than some of its other products, Auralic’s Altair is specified a little differently to its G1 brethren. As well as a UPnP streaming module that can be used wired or wirelessly, it offers four digital inputs; an optical, coaxial, USB and AES, that can be outputted as a line-level signal or adjusted by the built-in volume control to allow it to function as a preamp. As well as a USB-A port on the rear that can accept a hard drive, the Altair G1 has an internal bay for a 2.5in drive, allowing it to function as a complete digital player with built-in library. The reason why this is so useful is that the Lightning control interface is able to act as…

AS THE LATEST addition to the entry-level 6000 Series, the 6000N Play has a built-in ESS Sabre ES9018K2M DAC, pair of digital outputs – one coaxial, one optical – and a USB-B port. Rather than develop its own operating system, Audiolab has incorporated DTS Play-Fi. As well as the ability to stream from a physical library of music at PCM resolutions up to 24-bit/192kHz (DSD is not supported), there is an excellent spread of integrated streaming services including Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Music with some less well-known options making up the numbers. Sound quality The way the 6000N Play delivers Radiohead’s 24/96 OKNOTOK remaster of OK Computer is understated but accomplished. Thom Yorke’s vocal in No Surprises is placed centre stage in the mix with supporting instruments…

VOLUMIO IS A complete operating system designed to be run on devices such as a Raspberry Pi. Primo represents the first dedicated hardware for the platform that’s installed on an ASUS Tinkerboard – a single-board computer built around an ARM processor running Linux – and offers hefty decoding horsepower combined with an ESS ES9028Q2M DAC to enable it to handle PCM audio files up to 32-bit/768kHz and DSD512. It’s supported by AirPlay and aptX Bluetooth, making it competitive with similarly priced rivals. Sound quality Stags Bellow by Martha Tilston has an almost liquid quality to its midrange that is wholly engaging. The balance between tonal accuracy and genuine emotion is extremely well judged. You never feel that you’re listening to an embellished take on the music, but equally this is…

THE VAULT 2I is a 2TB network hard drive, CD ripper and streamer. Effectively, it is a music server that really only works as part of the BluOS ecosystem of products. It can rip CDs direct to its internal storage, but its library of content cannot be seen by any other UPnP or DNLA device. It can decode its own library and output via its RCA, coaxial or optical sockets. It is compatible with PCM formats up to 24-bit/192kHz and MQA and a considerable selection of music streaming services are embedded and supported natively. As well as AirPlay 2, there’s Bluetooth with aptX HD for short-range wireless streaming from a compatible device and physical inputs in the shape of a combined 3.5mm optical digital/analogue jack. It can also act as…

Probably best known for its loudspeakers, ATC has also made a small range of electronics for many years. As many of the speakers it sells are active models, it knows its way around amplifiers and has taken this expertise and constructed a range of integrated, pre and power amps that have more recently been augmented by the inclusion of digital decoding. The duo you see here are the latest arrivals in the range and are in keeping with the company’s design philosophy, while also being rather different from the norm – boasting a three-quarter width casework. The CD2 CD player is ATC’s first attempt at pure source equipment and is designed to match the specification of the SIA2-100 integrated amp. At first glance, the SIA2-100 (Stereo Integrated Amplifier, 2 channels,…

A PERFECT VISUAL match for Cambridge Audio’s AXA35 amplifier, (HFC 454) the AXC35 plays CDs as well as home-burned CD-R/CD-RW discs containing MP3 or WMA files and uses the highly regarded Wolfson Electronics WM8524 DAC in its output stage. All of the usual track selection and programming facilities are available and it is supplied with a remote control. Stereo analogue RCA outputs are fitted, as is a coaxial digital output. Sound quality The AXC35 serves up a clean and detailed sound with a natural flow. There is a pleasing weight and sense of impact to the performance, which can often be lacking at this price, and a most commendable sense of cohesion across the frequency range. At the top end there’s impressive clarity, with little trace of hardness. In spatial…

Despite its ‘S’ status, this latest model looks almost identical to its predecessor, and both sport the same chic, silvery grey casework, Delrin feet and solid aluminium front plate hosting a slim CD drawer, understated blue LED display and sleek metal buttons. Around the back unbalanced RCA, balanced XLR and USB inputs and an S/PDIF output look similar to before, but don’t tell the full story. The main difference between the Le Player 2 and the 2S is the USB input supports PCM files up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD up to DSD256. This increase in resolution processing is enabled by a change in DAC architecture. Sound quality On Preach by Maverick Sabre the vocals are visceral, full of depth and bristling with detail. Every emotive inflection is painted vividly and…

UNLIKE ITS OTHER full-size headphones, Focal’s Elegia is a closed-back design. The enclosures are claimed to completely isolate the drivers from the outside world and the driver fitted into the earpieces is a 40mm dynamic type with Focal’s distinctive ‘M Profile’. A frequency response of 5Hz-23kHz is claimed with an impedance of 35ohm, which should make the Elegia easy to drive for lower-powered devices. Sound quality It only takes the opening rendition of The Race For Space from Live At Brixton by Public Service Broadcasting to demonstrate that this is a seriously accomplished headphone. Despite the closed-back design, there is a feeling of the space on stage as the audience noise is pushed towards the back of the head giving an uncanny sense of standing at the front of the…

FOUR KNOWLES BALANCED armatures are used in each enclosure of the OH500, with a pair employed for the midrange and a pair for treble. These are supported by an 8mm dynamic driver that handles bass response. Each housing terminates in an MMCX connector, which means you can update the cable for one with a balanced connector or simply because the one that’s supplied is a bit of a whopper comprising a four-wire braid that splits to each of the earpieces. Sound quality Despite there being five drivers to handle, the Oriveti requires no more power than most to hit the test level, meaning that most devices should be able to drive it without issue. The level of external noise isolation is also excellent. With the basics sorted, the OH500 delivers…

A PORTABLE AND powerful analogue headphone amp, the xCAN sports both a 3.5mm headphone socket and a 2.5mm connector for balanced headphones. There are also matching 3.5mm and 2.5mm inputs around the back, allowing you to maintain a balanced signal right from your source device through to your headphones. The only digital option is Bluetooth – with support for both aptX and AAC codecs for wireless streaming from a mobile device. The xCAN has dual-mono amps claiming 1000mW output per channel. Battery life is 18 hours with wired connections, lowering to 12 using Bluetooth. Sound quality Astell&Kern’s AK70 MKII player (HFC 428) provides pretty good output when listening to my library of lossless AAC and FLAC files via B&W’s P9 Signature headphone (HFC 421), but the extra firepower of the…

AS THE SECOND most affordable cartridge in Audio-Technica’s five-strong fourth-generation OC9 range, the ‘EN’ refers to the use of an elliptical nude stylus mounted to an aluminium pipe-type cantilever. This is mated to an assembly utilising two coils rather than the usual one. The body is made from aluminium and it resembles older versions of the OC9 in terms of the shape and size, but features a threaded body that simplifies fitting. Output is 0.35mV, although it should not be beyond the ability of similarly priced phono stages to handle. Its 7.6g weight shouldn’t be too challenging for most tonearms and the 2g tracking force is fairly standard. Sound quality The AT-OC9XEN’s performance feels unfailingly right. It does all the basics with little to no unwanted noise and no issues…

TO BE IN WITH A CHANCE OF WINNING, ANSWER THIS SIMPLE QUESTION: Which two products does the Evo3 Sigmas combine? A) Titan and Corsa B) Titan and Focus C) Titan and Nova Here’s a conundrum that may well have a ring of familiarity about it to long-term HFC readers: you’ve spent years putting your beloved system together and are delighted by the perfection you’ve managed to achieve from your amp, turntable and speakers, but how do you go about squeezing out that extra last bit of quality without replacing the components you’ve fallen in love with? Fortunately, help is at hand thanks to power specialist IsoTek, which has been focusing on maximising the potential of the mains supply delivered to our precious audio components since 2001. In the simplest of…

In a famous quote by George Bernard Shaw, “The United States and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language.” Despite being able to converse with each other, this can often serve to emphasise the differences in philosophy and approach rather than bridge them. Hi-fi is no exception. American audio equipment is built to drive rooms of a size that don’t commonly occur in the UK. As a result, it can come across as a bit – dare I say it – obvious. Using it in the UK can be akin to piloting a large SUV through Chipping Norton – it’s doable, but there are better suited vehicles for the job. This is a system that maintains American audio values, but with a wider world view Taken at…

With demand for vinyl at a 25-year high, we are seeing a new generation of pressing plants springing up. While this is great news for vinyl devotees, it also brings new challenges when it comes to maintaining the quality of the LPs themselves. Many will remember vinyl’s low point in the late seventies and early eighties when, in an effort to cut costs, pressing plants started using recycled vinyl, which resulted in an increase in background noise. LPs were so thin that they were nearly as flexible as the sleeves they were stored in. When the vinyl revival started just over 10 years ago, new record production focussed on the audiophile market and factories began producing high-quality 180g pressings on virgin vinyl, thinking that it would be a niche market.…

National stereotypes are pernicious things. Whatever grain of truth might exist at their core, they generally omit some of the more significant caveats. Perhaps the most unfair of any I’m aware of is that the citizens of Germany are somehow lacking in a sense of fun. Anyone who has had a night out in Berlin will be all too aware that this statement is entirely without foundation. The Germans are in fact, very keen on fun. It is simply the case that they take the business of having fun very seriously. This rigour is no less apparent with hi-fi. What you see here is a system comprised of phenomenal engineering. It has an incredibly flexible spec and some lovely design touches, all directed solely at your enjoyment. T+A has been…

As music lovers, we are all acutely aware of the unique power of our chosen art form to manipulate our emotions and influence our behaviour. So, too, are those whose mission it is to relieve us of as much of our cash as possible – hence the near-ubiquitous use of music as a gentle persuader, soft-soaping us into a fake sense of contentment and well-being in shops, supermarkets, hotels, bars and restaurants and every other outpost of Mammon. It used to be called ‘muzak’ and true music lovers have always derided it as anodyne aural pap that’s shamelessly used to brainwash us into submission. How could blandness be so infuriating? The academic Gary Gumpert provided a partial answer. Muzak, he said, is “a kind of amniotic fluid that surrounds us.…