Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2020 i Hi-Fi Choice

www.hifichoice.com Issue No. 467 October 2020 On p83, occasioned by the closure of Q magazine, you’ll find a piece I put together on the sad demise of the once great British music press. The gist of it is that if your business depends on finding people who are willing to pay for your thoughts on any forthcoming music release, it is likely to be in a spot of trouble. Now, you may think it highly ironic that this piece should appear in the Opinion section of a magazine you’ve just bought, and I have to admit you’re probably right, but buying hi-fi equipment can be a complicated business and it’s likely to set you back a fair bit more than a Spotify upgrade. And that’s why we’re pleased to do…

PRICE: £50 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: KITSOUND.CO.UK KITSOUND HAS ANNOUNCED the launch of the Diggit 55, the latest entry in its outdoor Bluetooth loudspeaker range. Fitted with a removable stake for sticking in the ground, it comes with added features such as an Outdoor EQ Mode and new ‘Tap to Pair’ for those that have more than one Diggit 55. Kitsound explains that the speaker uses double dual opposing drivers – two active and two passive – to deliver crisp notes and deep bass. It also boasts IP66 water and dust resistance, up to 15 hours of battery use and an LED downlight for night-time listening. Kitsound has made it easier to stereo pair two Diggit 55s, thanks to the aforementioned Tap to Pair feature you can simply touch two speakers…

1977 Sony launches the TA-E88/TA-N88, while in June Elvis gives his final concert before being found dead in August 1978 Sony launches the TA-E86/TA-N86 and Keith Moon is discovered dead after a prescription drug overdose 1983 Sony discontinues the TA-E86 as compact discs go on sale in the US and Dire Straits goes on to become the first artist to sell a million discs 1984 Sony discontinues the TA-N86 as Marvin Gaye’s father tragically kills the soul singer with a gun he was given to protect himself…

There’s a bit in the animated movie The Incredibles when a fan repeatedly spurned by Mr Incredible returns as evil genius Syndrome and captures the Incredible family. Once they’re all trussed up, he launches into a villainous monologue, concluding: “I’ll be a bigger hero than you ever were.” As he turns to walk away, Mr Incredible shouts after him: “You mean you killed off real heroes so that you could pretend to be one?” Syndrome swivels on his heel: “Oh, I’m real. Real enough to defeat you. And I did it without your precious gifts, your oh-so-special powers… and when I’ve had my fun, I’ll sell my inventions so that everyone can be superheroes. Everyone can be super. And when everyone’s super… ha ha… no-one will be.” Back when I…

Do you agree with our reviewers? Decide for yourself and listen to some of this month’s tracks at www.hifichoice.co.uk CD Naxos CÉSAR FRANCK’S PSYCHÉ – a symphonic poem in three parts for orchestra and chorus – is a beautiful and sensual piece. It lasts a little under 50 minutes and consists of eight movements. The chorus features in only three movements and many recordings give us just the orchestral numbers. So it’s great to hear the work complete for once. The performance by Tingaud is sensitive, accomplished and nicely atmospheric. The two other works are among Franck’s best pieces. Le Chasseur Maudit is notable for its dramatic brass writing, while Les Éolides is beautifully lyrical and fresh. The Naxos recording sounds rich, detailed, and clear, and reproduces smoothly and easily.…

HOT PICK SACD Bis MAHLER’S MOST ‘PROBLEMATIC’ symphony receives a confident assured performance from Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra. While it’s handy to have the work complete on a single disc, most of my favourite Mahler 7s exceed 80 minutes. Vänskä takes just 77, yet does not feel hasty or rushed. It’s a well-organised highly detailed reading, but not the least bit fussy or precious. The impression is one of spontaneity, and the long ‘difficult’ finale sounds joyful and athletic, rather than laboured. The Bis recording is clear and open, yet rich, atmospheric and warm. Excellent clarity is achieved without microphone spotlighting.…

Julee Cruise Floating Into The Night Warner Brothers (1989) If David Lynch ever gets back to movie-making, surely LDR will play a part in the soundtrack. Cruise was Lynch’s substitute for This Mortal Coil (he couldn’t afford them) for the Twin Peaks soundtrack and the dream-pop created from her whispery vocal aligned to Angelo Badalamenti’s swoonsome synths and Lynch’s hallucinogenic lyrics is Lana through and through which she acknowledges on her own Sad Girl, singing: “He’s got the fire, and walks with it”. Amy Winehouse Back To Black Island (2006) The tortured template Amy Winehouse created in 2006 stylishly resembles Lana’s sultry Gangsta Nancy Sinatra modus operandi. Both embrace and wallow in darkness and the lure of dangerous criminality, both spin the wretched and unsavoury into something starkly beautiful. “I…

HOT PICK CD Warner Bros DESCRIBED AS HIS Sgt Pepper, this was Prince’s most purple of patches. The 16 original tracks have had the audio Mr Sheen applied and sound wonderful. It’s an exhilarating listen, the title track, Strange Relationship, Adore, If I Was Your Girlfriend… I’ll stop there as it’s all fabulous. The Super Deluxe edition adds 45 previously unissued studio tracks and two concert recordings plus some combustible jams and a geniuses-only pow-wow with Miles Davies. It’s not so much a sign o’ those times, but one for all time. Essential!…

HOT PICK CD Avie ALTHOUGH THE ELGAR concerto will probably be the reason most buyers choose this disc, Dance by Clyne is by no means a makeweight. Written for Inbal Segev, this is its first recording. In five titled movements – When You’re Broken Up; If You’ve Torn The Bandage Off; In The Middle Of The Fighting; In Your Blood and When You’re Perfectly Free – it takes you on a rich kaleidoscopic journey. Like an evocative film score, it’s very picturesque and Clyne’s inventive scoring ensures your attention never wavers. In Elgar’s concerto she plays superbly and gives a commanding assertive performance. Spiritually, the composer was in a dark place when he wrote the piece, but defiance off sets the sadness. Avie’s sound is bright and detailed, while balances are…

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 NAIM Nait XS3 in excellent condition, comes with original packaging and remote. Collection only. £1,900 ono: 07505 583615 (Nottingham). WANTED B&O Beovox S45 speaker bass driver and TDL Studio 1 tweeter as mine are broken. Someone may have a broken…

Cassette Store Day, the annual co-ordinated release of music on collectable tapes that was inspired by the success of Record Store Day, has cancelled its 2020 event in the light of sexual misconduct claims made against one of its principal participants, Burger Records. The event was planned for 17 October worldwide and would have been a boon to the resurgent industry re-emerging after difficult times under lockdown. It was immediately cancelled when news broke that Burger, based in Fullerton, California and the fount of many of the events’ tape releases, was accused of “normalising a culture of sexual assault” at its shows and within its catalogue of artists. Despite an attempt to rebrand and launch a separate imprint for female artists in response to the claims, Burger has been forced…

Nagaoka started making precision clock parts in 1940. By the late seventies it was winning praise for its moving magnets, and also made a line of high-quality vinyl accessories too. Now it’s a prolific producer of cartridge styli, and has continued to develop its pick-ups. The MP-500 is the flagship model, and sports the combination of a super-fine polished line contact stylus and a boron cantilever. I’m a fan of the latter because it confers high strength with low mass and tends to have less of a sonic footprint than aluminium; it can be expensive, though. Nagaoka bodies are lovely things too; this one is very rigid and sports a powerful samarium cobalt magnet, reinforced carbon fibre pole shoe and antimagnetic permalloy casing. The MP-500 puts out a fairly average…

Sponsored by: 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…

Plone Puzzlewood “The return of Plone is one of the most magical events of 2020. A sort of sequel to For Beginner Piano: graceful retro futures, Bacharach on the cheap and well-chosen colours.” Tenniscoats Music Exists “A group that has made a world in its image, one that’s considered and considerate. This epic set is rich and rewarding – exactly what experimental pop music should be.” JARV IS… Beyond The Pale “Jarvis Cocker has remade the scenery with this new record – it sounds new and bold, complicated ideas wrapped in super enjoyable moves from his excellent new group.” Astaron Astaron “Inspired cold wave from Vienna, 1987. Primitive drum machines, buzzing synths and almost medieval vocal harmonies. An art-pop obscuro reissued by La Vida Es Un Mus’ sub-label.” Special Interest…

CD Domino ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO be released to coincide with the April Record Store Day, this fascinating soundtrack is now available for the first time, thanks to the rearranged second coming celebration of all things vinyl. An intimate documentary from 2018, Rams celebrates the life and work of legendary designer Dieter Rams, and Eno was the obvious choice to match the simple aesthetic of the German sonically. From the elegant flow of A Warm Sweet Bed to the more abrasive Bright Clouds Of Metal, this will be familiar stuff to Eno fans and though hardly re-inventing the wheel, it’s a joyful journey.…

Matthew Halsall & The Gondwana Orchestra When The World Was One 180g vinyl Gondwana BRITISH TRUMPET PLAYER Matthew Halsall has a yen for the spiritual side of jazz, his influences include Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders (in his more peaceful moods), and he seeks to communicate musically via sublime transcendence rather than force. Which makes him unusual in the contemporary scene albeit this album is from 2014, but it’s still available on vinyl and a sonic beauty. The use of exclusively acoustic instruments including harp, flutes, double bass, drums, piano and a sax that sounds like a clarinet give the soundstage a depth and openness that enhances the music perfectly. The tempo is generally relaxed, but there is plenty of variety in the seven tunes. The title track is more lively…

CD Absolute BRYDEN ALLUDES TO the high priestess of singer song-writing, Joni Mitchell on These Changes – a dangerous association to invoke as it can bring with it comparisons that might not flatter. This collection covers Bryden’s singles output – the type of big production, hooky pop that Annie Lennox and Sarah MacLachlan have been serving up for years. Lots of reverb-swathed vocals, robotic percussion and an unspecified romantic angst. It’s perfect for Radio 2, playing through warehouse tannoys or from a decorator’s paint-spattered radio. Its fine, inoffensive, music to put together flat pack furniture, but it’s not Joni. But then who is?…

CD CD HLL CLAUDE DEBUSSY’S EAR for tonal colour was perhaps the most fastidious of any composer who ever lived. Just listen to the second movement of Iberia from Images with its delicate evocation of a warm summer night if you don’t believe me. Sir Mark Elder’s performances of this glowingly sensuous music seem straightforward. Yet this is deceptive. Many subtle details, previously unnoticed, emerge. The shimmering orchestration of Et la Lune... by Colin Matthews is a great bonus. The recording sounds warm and rich, setting the Hallé in a clear but nicely hazy ambience that lends mystery without losing detail.…

CD Acony RECORDED AT HOME on analogue tape All The Good Times… is the first covers album from Gillian Welch and partner David Rawlins in a career spanning nearly 25 years. With songs from Bob Dylan, John Prine and Elizabeth Cotton alongside folk tunes all pared down to acoustic guitars and beautifully harmonised voices, it’s a tonal delight with lots of space and depth for the sound to expand in. Highlights include opener Babe It Ain’t No Lie, Señor and Jackson, but it’s all good, especially if you enjoy bittersweet folk crafted by musicians immersed in the form.…

CD Champs Hill Records THIS WONDERFUL COLLECTION features four 20th-century British works for clarinet and orchestra. The concertos by Hamilton, Walthew and Gipps certainly deserve to be better known and their neglect is not down to the quality of the music. Hamilton’s concerto is the most ‘advanced’, but none are astringently modern. The John Ireland piece, meanwhile, is an arrangement of his popular Fantasy Sonata. Plane plays with brilliance and sensitivity, and the recording is smooth, well balanced and very natural sounding. Clarity is good, with no sense of mic spotlighting.…

CD Hyperion HUGELY IMPRESSIVE ACCOUNTS of Shostakovich’s violin concertos that meld outstanding technical accomplishment with seriousness of purpose. Ibragimova’s feisty attack and ability to play with minimal vibrato never ceases to amaze. In both performances she gets right to the heart of this deeply personal music. We also get to hear the original opening of the Burlesque Finale. Vladimir Jurowski and the orchestra offer crisp committed support, by turns athletic and brooding, while the recording sounds clear, open and natural.…

1967 A HARD ROAD – JOHN MAYALL AND THE BLUESBREAKERS The album that established Green as a guitar god to rival Clapton, from his dazzling virtuosity on The Stumble to the reverb of The Supernatural. 1968 FLEETWOOD MAC – FLEETWOOD MAC Potent covers of blues standards by Howlin’ Wolf and Robert Johnson, an all-time classic in Black Magic Woman and his emergence as both a great guitarist and blues singer. 1968 MR. WONDERFUL – FLEETWOOD MAC The band’s second album suffered from a sameness in the choice of material, but Green’s Stop Messin’ Around and Love That Burns are outstanding. 1969 THEN PLAY ON – FLEETWOOD MAC Green’s final album with the Mac is full of fine moments, but could have been even stronger if any of the band’s brilliant…

EISA AWARD WINNERS 2020-2021 CHOSEN BY JOURNALISTS from 61 publications spanning 29 countries, the annual EISA (Expert Imaging and Sound Association) Awards are the world’s most prestigious hi-fi accolades. The plan for 2020 was to follow the same pattern as those of previous years with companies presenting their entrants at the EISA convention in Antwerp in April, followed by voting which would have been finalised at EISA’s annual global meeting in June. However, that was all banjaxed by the Coronavirus outbreak. Not to be defeated by a global pandemic, EISA organised the awards virtually via Skype and email, each category voted by one of six expert groups. The winners have just been announced and here they are – the very best in hi-fi. BEST VALUE FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER Focal Chora 826…

Darren Orth Rotel CTO HFC: What prompted the return for Michi and why now? DO: The original Rotel Michi series was launched in the mid-nineties and was mainly aimed at the home (Japanese) market despite quickly achieving a global reputation. Twenty-five years later we felt there was nothing of this quality currently in the market, so we embarked on a three-year project to develop a series of completely new and dedicated electronic designs that combine superlative performance with real overall value. The new range doesn’t appear to have any Rotel branding on it. Is there a difference between Rotel and Michi? It would have been easy to simply build a bigger, better Rotel, however this would not have been true to the heritage of those original Michi products. So our…

As the only participant in, our Group Test that isn’t a moving-magnet cartridge, the DV-10X5 MkII is the latest in a long line of high-output moving coils sold by Dynavector since 1978. I’m old enough to remember hearing the original 10X sold in the UK under the Ultimo brand, and even back then it was enthusiastically recommended as a cheap way of getting high performance. Thanks to Dynavector’s own coil-winding technology, the cartridge uses ultra fine wire to produce a claimed 2.8mV output, with a 150ohm impedance. This is nearly 10 times higher than an average MC and makes the DV-10X5 MkII compatible with a normal MM phono input – so there’s no need for an extra moving-coil stage. Still, the output level is the lowest in the group by…

Launched in 2011, the 2M Black came out at a time when Ortofon had recently completed research into optimum cartridge body materials, and the result was the use of a Noryl plastic/glass combination developed in conjunction with Møller Jensen, who also collaborated on the widely well-respected MC Jubilee and Kontrapunkts. It was also the last product designed by former chief engineer, Per Windfield. Inside is an upgraded generator with split pole pins and silver-plated copper wire. The removable stylus assembly plugs into this and sports an aluminium cantilever tipped by the same nude Shibata diamond stylus as the Jubilee. Everything about the 2M Black is well thought out; the body is easy to handle and to mount, the stylus guard works well and the cartridge weighs a sensible 7.2g. I…

IN SIXTH PLACE is Grado’s Gold3. It’s the cheapest here and has a rather charming and lovely sound, albeit one that’s not hugely accurate. I am quite taken by how musical it proves, yet it commits too many sins of omission to rank higher. Some will adore it, though, so audition it if you can. Fifth place goes to the Rega Exact. It’s almost the precise opposite of the Grado in terms of character, with a crisp, clean, tight and percussive nature that majors on information and pace. It’s really good at the price and impresses a lot, yet proves a little thin tonally and doesn’t quite have the charm that many are looking for in a phono cartridge. Sumiko’s Moonstone ranks fourth; there’s an awful lot that’s right with…

raditionally focussing on the more affordable end of the market, with its new Club range JBL’s consumer division is aiming for a slightly more discerning audience. There are three models, starting at £130, but the flagship Club One weighs in at £300 and promises hi-res audio and advanced noise cancellation. The over-ear headphone boasts 40mm graphene drivers housed in sturdy earpieces with adjustable metal hinges, while the padded headband and earpieces are comfortable enough to wear for long periods of time. The Club One can be used with Bluetooth, but the emphasis seems to be on wired listening as the hi-res support and extended 10Hz-40kHz frequency response are only available with a wired connection. Both coiled and straight cables are bundled as well as a 6.35mm adapter and hard case.…

CD The Last Music Company PENN’S GOT FORM. Back in the sixties he was bashing out hits for Aretha, Janis and Percy Sledge, and now he’s back with his first new music in 26 years, and there’s some good stuff here. Clean Slate is a great example of his simple verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus form, with hooks galore. He’s got a decent band backing him up including a tight horn section giving everything a Muscle Shoals gritty authenticity. See You In My Dreams is a sweet tale of longing that suits his languid vocals. The sturdy country/soul is a case study in simple songwriting – what you’d expect from a 78-year-old with soul running through his veins.…

HOT PICK CD Bella Union WAYNE COYNE NOTES that the band’s goal here is to be a “different version of The Flaming Lips,” claiming Tom Petty and The Grateful Dead as influences. While strictly speaking this has not been fully achieved, there is a tighter focus here that has been missing on their last handful of releases. There are some really beautiful melodies drifting in and out of songs like Mother Please Don't Be Sad, Assassins Of Youth and the truly stellar, transportative Flowers Of Neptune 6, and sonically it’s constructed beautifully, subtly and imaginatively. The good news is this is their best record since The Soft Bulletin.…

SACD Chandos A RECORDING FOR big, powerful systems, the ferocious opening of Feste Romane will push even the most capable components to their limits. The orchestra plays with virtuoso brilliance, but a little more subtlety would be welcome. At just over 60 minutes for all three works, Wilson is among the fastest on record. The result is undoubtedly thrilling, but some of Respighi’s more picturesque sections lack intimacy and atmosphere. Dynamic range is awesomely wide and the disc needs to be playing at anti-social volume levels for the quietest passages to be audible. Those with 15W tube amps should give this a wide berth.…

CD 4AD FOR THEIR FOURTH album the brothers D'Addario don’t deviate too much from their post-modernist take on seventies kitsch and glam pop. Which is fair enough. There are piano stabs and synth squiggles on the Wings-esque No One Holds You; harmonicas blare away on Moon, which has a whiff of early Springsteen about it; while album opener Hell On Wheels sounds like a top-10 hit from 1975 (and even includes a Dylan impression in the middle of it). In all, Songs For The General Public is a hugely enjoyable and melodic listening experience, and something a little bit different for your post-summer listening.…

HOT PICK CD Tardigrade MANKIND’S FIRST ATTEMPTS at making music probably involved imitating the natural polyphony of birdsong, and this magical record re-establishes an ancient tradition. Recordings of endangered British birds are woven into a wondrous oscillating and perfectly calibrated soundscape of baroque pop and folktronica, commencing at night with a nightjar and nightingale and proceeding through the dawn chorus and the day-time calls of the skylark and cuckoo and back to nightfall with a hooting owl. Close your eyes and be transported to somewhere very magical indeed.…

CD Loma Vista Recordings THIS EIGHT-TRACK LP from the Grammy-nominated, neo-bluegrass siblings has a welcome, stripped-down feel – a stark contrast to what’s come before. The group is renowned for its shows at Colorado’s legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre, which have become a summer tradition (although not this year). Here, Seth and Scott Avett are joined by bassist Bob Crawford and their sound is delicate, plaintive and melancholic… and entirely acoustic. The beauty of this record – in among the guitars and banjoes – is that the songs are beautiful and simple, but the sound is rich and immersive.…

HOT PICK CD Harmonia Mundi HERE IS BEETHOVEN played with fire and passion. The music leaps out at you – bearing its teeth like a hungry tiger. LvB’s untamed wildness and willingness to shatter boundaries shocked contemporary listeners. But, as the two symphonies by CPE Bach also show, Beethoven did not have a monopoly on craziness. Bach’s two symphonies, penned a quarter of a century earlier, are also shockingly original and bizarre – like Haydn on acid! Harmonia Mundi’s recording is bright clear and forward, with impact in spades and impressive speaker-shaking immediacy.…

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