Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2025 i Hi Fi News

While both seasonal and political climates remain as unpredictable as ever, at least each new edition of your favourite hi-fi magazine still arrives on time, packed with exclusive content – and this month, much bigger too! Your October issue of Hi-Fi News has expanded into a bumper 172-page offering where, as the exclusive UK member of EISA’s Hi-Fi Expert Group, we can reveal the cream of the crop, as tested, judged and voted for by the most respected quarters of the international audio press. Of course, EISA’s alliance of Expert Groups extends well beyond hi-fi to include photography, home theatre, in-car and mobile devices. That’s 53 digital and paper publications, spanning no fewer than 26 countries. Once again, the Association hosted over 50 webinars with key CE (consumer electronics) brands…

Organised by Kris Sawicki [pictured with family, left], the North West Audio Show (NWAS) returned to its regular Cranage De Vere Estate venue in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, over the weekend of the 20th-22nd June. A mix of UK and international hi-fi brands could be found in rooms and suites across the venue’s three floors, while the courtyard was turned into a record fair. In this system from retailer Fanthorpes, PMC prophecy9 speakers were combined with an Innuos Zen NG music server, plus a Bryston 4B3 amplifier (rated at 300W/8ohm) – a dual-mono design utilising separate power supplies for each channel. PMC’s floorstanders are the flagship model in the prophecy range, and feature 2x135mm mineral cone bass drivers, tuned by the brand’s Advanced Transmission Line technology, plus soft dome mid and…

Everywhere, from the alphabet to Roman numerals, V comes before X, so you might expect Wilson Audio’s Sabrina V to be a lesser version of the SabrinaX model [HFN Dec ’20], which was an upgrade of the original Sabrina [HFN Aug ’15]. Not so: the Sabrina V is a redesigned and rethought version of the X, with changed and improved components, sharpened up styling, and a significant price increase. While the SabrinaX started from just under £21,500, the new Sabrina V’s ticket is heftier still, starting at £32,998. This brings the Sabrina V up against a range of mightily impressive rivals – especially when you consider that this is the company’s smallest and most affordable floorstanding model, a very long way short of flagship designs such as the Chronosonic XVX,…

Although long ago settled by the declaration ‘We agree to disagree’, the tubes-vs-transistors (or if you prefer ‘valves-vs-solidstate’) debate continues to keep us busy. Grown-ups use both, the deliberately argumentative choose sides, and there are ample products to support or counter either stance. Grimm Audio, though a maker of not just solid-state gear but with a reputation for digital hardware, has given us in the PW1 ‘Phono Wizard’ (£4695) a chameleon of a product that will both delight and confound music lovers who are still fascinated by hi-fi’s greatest dichotomy. ANALOGUE MAGIC As a valve-biased (pun intended) listener, I pitted the PW1 against both like-priced and much-less-costly phono stages, three all-valve and two solid-state. Exploiting this in assessing the PW1 was a given, because Grimm Audio all but proposed the…

With a selection of cartridges that runs to 90 models, you might wonder what a new range could bring to the Ortofon fold. That impressive figure includes the legendary SPU moving-coils, the once-futuristic but now-familiar Concorde and OM moving-magnet lines, the affordable 2M models, and high-end MCs costing well into the thousands [HFN Mar ’22 & Jun ’25]. This crowded house has now been expanded by the four-strong moving-coil MC X Series, and it will prove a relief to some that the truly exceptional top cartridge, the MC X40 reviewed here, costs £875. Yes: under a grand. SILVER SERVICE Common to all four MC X pick-ups are a distinctive black-coated stainless-steel honeycomb body (a dream to install), the mechanisms featuring newly developed suspension and dampers, a one-piece magnet pole cylinder,…

The best sound, most advanced technology and desirable features, the ultimate expression of design and, of course, the greatest value for money. Every year the EISA Awards applaud those products that stand above the rest. Read on… Welcome to the EISA Awards for 2025-2026. The world’s largest independent consumer electronics awards panel was made truly international and successfully rebranded as the Expert Imaging and Sound Association in 2018. Now over 40 years strong, EISA reflects the collective opinion of 53 of the most respected specialist magazines and web publications across the EU community in addition to India, Canada, Australia, the US and Japan. Just as hi-fi and music-loving enthusiasts relish the discovery of new equipment – everything from turntables to digital streaming solutions, amplifiers and loudspeakers of all sizes –…

Technically a soundtrack to the 1984 film that grossed $70.3m in cinemas worldwide, Purple Rain is the first album in Prince’s catalogue to be credited as being ‘produced, arranged, composed & performed by Prince & The Revolution’ – although Prince had already invoked his thenband’s name earlier by having it appear backwards on the front cover of 1999, his 1982 double LP. Writing and recording for Purple Rain took place between May 1983 and March 1984. In the summer of 1983, ‘Computer Blue’ and ‘Let’s Go Crazy’ were cut at Warehouse Studio in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, where the band was also conducting rehearsals for the ensuing tour. Also that summer, ‘Darling Nikki’ was laid down at Prince’s Kiowa Trail home studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota – the precursor to his…

We need to talk about Windows, even (indeed, especially) if you hate computers. Like it or not, listening to music now relies on some kind of home computing. We need computers to buy hi-fi equipment or discs online, download high-res, stream lowres, access Internet radio, archive audio, ‘store and serve’ music round the home, read reviews, share opinions and just write an email or letter. And if you don’t use an Apple Mac, you will be locked into the ‘wonderful’ world of Windows. PUTTING THE BOOT IN In October this year, Microsoft will stop supporting every version of Windows except Windows 11 – so farewell Windows 10. Unless the user pays a high price for special subscription treatment, they will get no more security upgrades to stop malware flooding in…

Advance tickets are now on sale for the UK’s premier high-end audio event – The UK Hi-Fi Show Live, hosted at the Ascot Racecourse Grandstand, High Street, Ascot on Saturday and Sunday 27th -28th September 2025. Tickets will cost just £20 (£30 for a weekend pass) via www.eventbrite.co.uk or via the link on the www.hifishowlive.com website. Concessionary £15 day passes will be offered for subscribers of both Hi-Fi News and Hi-Fi Choice magazines (details will be mailed to all our paper and digital subscribers). See our website for further information. This issue’s exclusive cover star, Wilson Audio’s three-way Sabrina V floorstander [p50, pictured right], will be making sweet sounds in the Ascot Grandstand. Also making the journey from the US, thanks to distributor Absolute Sounds, is D’Agostino’s ‘entry level’ Pendulum [HFN Jul ’25, below]…

When Arcam launched its HDA line in 2019 claiming ‘a complete redesign of the look and internals’ of its hi-fi hardware, it was necessary to take the first part of that statement with a pinch of salt. Amplifiers like the SA30 [HFN Jul ’20] might have benefited from some extra chrome details, but the smart-if-conservative styling wasn’t that far removed from the company’s earlier FMJ and Solo series. It’s only now, thanks to a ‘brand redesign’, that Arcam’s range of amplifiers and sources appears properly overhauled. The SA45 streaming amplifier, on test here and costing £4500, is an example of the new approach. This flagship model in Arcam’s Radia lineup carries a large (8.8in/224mm), full-colour display to show album art, chosen input, Internet radio presets and more – a first…

You might be forgiven for thinking – bearing in mind the product name – that the Unico CD Uno from Italy’s Unison Research is ‘just’ a CD player. Yet on its website the Italian manufacturer gives it the title of ‘hybrid DAC with CD transport’, while legends on the player itself read ‘Valve CD Player’ and ‘Digital Sound Processor’. So, yes, this is a CD player with a little more to it than some rivals, including a switchable tube/hybrid output stage, USB DAC, and even built-in Bluetooth streaming. With all this, and the heavyweight build, its £2700 asking price seems far from unrealistic. Unison Research is no stranger to valve technology and sells a wide range of tube-equipped pre, power, phono, and integrated amplifiers, including the new Triode 25 Black…

Visitors to KEF’s demo suite at the UK Hi-Fi Show Live in 2024 might have been surprised to see its Reference Meta 5 speakers [HFN Jun ’23] accompanied by four subwoofers, stacked in pairs. However, while acoustic thinking has long favoured two subwoofers over one, the idea of four being better than two will be financially prohibitive for many. But for a duet, the KEF model in question – the KC92 – is a very tempting £2499. Offered in gloss white or black, this subwoofer is a fine visual match for the UK brand’s modern-looking speakers. And, in a market dominated by much larger subs, its near-cubic 330x353x361mm (whd) proportions are appealing, as is the modest 20kg lift. Coupled with the smart design, all subtly rounded corners and flush-fit drivers,…

ORIGINAL VINYL & CASSETTE The June 1984 Warner Bros. LP [925 110-1] set the initial Purple Rain playback standard. It’s a well-sequenced two-sided affair that balanced of-era drum programming, sultry synths, sensual vocals, and Prince’s searing guitar licks. The 1984 cassette [Warner Bros. 925 110-4] – a regular sight in Walkmans in the mid-1980s – is one for completists. ORIGINAL CD The 1986 Warner Bros. CD [W2-25110, pictured below] is passable, but if you must travel the physical disc route, seek out the 2017 NPG/Warner Bros. 3CD+DVD Ultimate Collector’s Edition [547374-2]. This boasts the Prince-approved 2015 Paisley Park remaster of the original album on CD1, 11 tracks subtitled ‘From The Vault & Previously Unreleased’ on CD2 (‘The Dance Electric’ is 11 minutes of pure funk heaven), and 15 single edits…

Big stereo receivers never made much of an impact in the UK, but this did not stop the importers servicing the large Japanese manufacturers from offering them from time to time. Pioneer, Marantz and Kenwood all boasted full-fat machines with colossal power output ratings stretching into hundreds of watts per channel – these numbers far in excess of British audiophiles’ experience. Add to this list Sansui, a brand that always had heavyweight models at the top of its ranges. The 7070 model seen here is typical of the breed – it was introduced in 1976 and remained in the catalogue until 1978. ONE OF MANY Sansui had carefully positioned itself as a specialist manufacturer producing only hi-fi equipment. This contrasted with the likes of Sony and Technics which, as part…

2026 marks the 80th anniversary of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s creation by Sir Thomas Beecham. His successors include André Previn, Vladimir Ashkenazy and the RPO’s current Chief Conductor (since 2021), Vasily Petrenko. The appearance of the RPO at the UK Hi-Fi Show Live signals a new and landmark fusion of musical and technological excellence, courtesy of SME Music. SME is already very familiar to HFN readers as a premier turntable brand [p62]. Its latest venture is an analogue-only record label, with new recordings of western and Indian classical music. The first LP, on 180g vinyl, is a recording of Lieutenant Kijé and other works by Sergei Prokofiev, performed by the RPO. To mark the launch of SME Music, the RPO will give a concert of light classical repertoire at 3pm…

You hold in your hands the world’s oldest and most respected hi-fi magazine – Hi-Fi News – where heavyweight audio engineering is our stock in trade. All our review products are typically subject to a one-month test process from shipping, unpacking, installation, photography, lab work, extended listening, disassembly/packing and collection. This practice was maintained right through the pandemic period, with full Covid biosecurity adding to the logistical complexity of our four-week issue schedule. But we did it… never missing one issue of the magazine or compromising the ‘Hi-Fi News Pledge’: 1. Our hardware reviews are never brief ‘hands on’ experiences of a product from a press conference, brand-led demonstration or distributor’s back room spun up into a four- or five-page article. 2. Products reviewed in Hi-Fi News already have secure…

For a company not exactly known for ‘product churn’, SME has been uncommonly busy with the release of several new turntables, including the flagship Model 60 [HFN Jul ’22], the Model 35 [HFN Jul ’25] and now the £9999 Model 8. The latter replaces the Model 6 that, fitted with an SME M2-9 tonearm, marked a departure for SME on its release in 2020. Not only was it the company’s first ‘entry level’ design, it was also the first to utilise a solid, non-suspended plinth arrangement and the first SME deck to employ an AC motor. Unlike many of SME’s ‘legacy’ decks that remain in the catalogue [see boxout, p65] the Model 6 is wholly replaced by the Model 8, making a few key changes along the way. Most noticeable…

To call the Clarity 4.2 ‘petite’ is no understatement [see p49], as this second loudspeaker to be introduced by Radiant Acoustics boldly puts the ‘book’ back into ‘bookshelf’. Moreover, the cabinet, just 260mm high and 164mm wide, still manages to host a full four drive units. This Danish company only surfaced a year ago and won’t yet be a hi-fi household name, but it’s clearly not your run-of-the-mill debutante. The Clarity 4.2 (and the similar, but larger, Clarity 6.2 introduced in 2024) arguably represent a high point of an exceptionally prolific career in the hi-fi business. The hype meter might appear in danger of overheating – there’s no denying that Radiant Acoustics seems to be very skilled at marketing – but if your company is founded by Peter Lyngdorf then…

Swooping down into iFi Audio’s ever-expanding line-up, the £1699 iDSD Valkyrie stakes its claim as the new flagship portable. The brand typically excels at offering oodles of functionality at very reasonable prices, although the £3749 iCAN Phantom desktop headphone amp [HFN Sep ’23] shows it also has form when it comes to high-end head-fi. Nevertheless, and despite boasting a lot of familiar iFi Audio features and technologies, the iDSD Valkyrie is a very different beast – not least because it boasts a gargantuan 20,000mAh battery for extended mobile use. The name, of course, references the Nordic warrior maidens that brought slain combatants to Valhalla, boldly suggesting this DAC/amp will transport you to listening heaven. The quad DAC architecture and powerful amplification stage, plus extensive connectivity (including Bluetooth, analogue inputs and…

AUDIOPHILE: VINYL VAN HALEN Women And Children First Mobile Fidelity UD1S 2-034 (two 45rpm One-Step LPs) Thanks to the most unlikely track on this set from 1980, no more proof is needed that Van Halen’s hard rock albums warrant the lavish One-Step treatment. Their third studio release is classic power rock of the era, with ample vocal posturing from David Lee Roth, roomfilling lower registers from Alex Van Halen on drums and Michael Anthony’s bass, and Eddie’s fiery leads. But ‘Could This Be Magic?’ is the band’s stab at Delta Blues, and oh wow, is it an ear-opener! Recorded with just a pair of Neumann microphones, the stereo imaging is breathtaking, while the song is so arresting I played it three times in a row. As for the rest? Some…

If there’s one subject which arouses the ire of what designer and HFN contributor Ben Duncan calls the HLOs, it’s hi-fi cables. And if there’s another, it’s the single-ended triode amplifier. All amps were once low-powered, single-ended, directly-heated triode types with no external negative feedback, but that was in the 1920s. So, from the Hard-Line Objectivist point of view, today’s advocates of the single-ended triode amplifier are telling us there has been no progress since then. They perversely refuse to accept the merit in any subsequent developments, up to and including the transistor. You might agree that the SET brigade are just Luddites trying to go back to a simpler place and time. On the other hand, you may have heard a single-ended triode produce sounds that seemingly can’t be…