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Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 17, 2017  |  0 comments
Mark Levinson has unveiled two new designs, which can eitherbe brought separately to expand your system or as a pair to create an exceptional pre-power partnership. The £16,000 No 523 preamplifier is claimed to deliver an uncompromising performance regardless of analogue source and comes equipped with a Class-A phono stage, Class-A main drive headphone output and discreet balanced R-2R ladder volume control. It boasts five line-level analogue inputs, two balanced XLRs, three single RCA stereo outputs and a phono input with earthing post. Meanwhile, the No 534 (bottom in pic) dual-monaural power amp delivers 250W per channel (into 8ohm) in Class A (doubling to 500W into 4ohm).
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 16, 2017  |  0 comments
Astell&Kern’s impressive AK70 (HFC 428)has been given a reboot and for just £100 extra nowoffers a dual-DAC design, enhanced amplification, wi-fi connectivity and the ability to also be used as a USB DAC when it’s not playing back hi-res music files. Unlike the original AK70, the MK II version has a Cirrus Logic CS4298 chipset for both left and right channels, offering bit-to-bit playback of files up to 24/192 and DSD128. Its stylish block aluminium casing remains finished in two-tone black with a 3. 3in touchscreen, but now is a fraction larger and weighs 18g more than its predecessor.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 15, 2017  |  0 comments
Unison Research has launched its Unico 90 integrated amp. Intended to sit under its flagship 150 model, the 90 is a valve and solid-state hybrid with a preamp stage that is built around an Alps volume control and input switching that decouples inactive inputs. The valve-based gain stage uses ECC83 and ECC81 tubes in Unison’s totem pole configuration. These are directly coupled to the output stage, which consists of three pairs of HEXFET output devices to give it a claimed power output of 2x 100W into 8ohm and 2x 160W into 4ohm.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 14, 2017  |  0 comments
Fresh from updating its Prime family of turntables (Prime Scout HFC 422), VPI has released the Player, its entry-level deck. Builtas a complete solution with a moving-magnet phono stage and headphone amplifier on board, it consists of a non-resonant MDF chassis with an aluminium platter. The 9in tonearm uses bearings rather than the unipivot principle seen on VPI’s more upmarket decks and comes premounted with an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge as part of the £1,500 package. The Player leaves the factoryin a pre-configured condition, meaning owners only need to carry out a very simple setup procedure to start playing LPs.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 13, 2017  |  0 comments
The market for stereo receivers is hotting up and Onkyo has launched two new models in the form of the £250 TX-8220 and £530 TX-8250 (pictured). The networkable TX-8250 claims a power output of 2x 135W into 6ohm, six RCA inputs and a moving-magnet phono stage. It has a hefty selection of additional features and sports optical and coaxial digital inputs, a USB audio connection and supports DTS Play-Fi, Spotify, Tidal, Deezer and TuneIn. All decoding is handled by an internal AKM DAC, with support for 24/192 and DSD128 files.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 10, 2017  |  0 comments
Beryllium and Flax are not materials usually associated withone another, but that might be set to change with the announcement of Focal's all-new speaker called Kanta. Unveiled at a press conference back in September, the loudspeaker from the French manufacturer slots in neatly between its Aria and Sopra ranges. As with its existing models, it is handmade at Focal's manufacturing plant in Saint-Étienne, and marries concepts seen in both these designs while introducing a few new ones, too. The £6,999 Kanta No2 is a three-way floorstanding speaker.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 09, 2017  |  0 comments
Inside the December 2017 issue we take anexclusiveIn-depthlook at the new 700 loudspeaker series from Bowers & Wilkins with the 705 S2 standmount, while our regular reviews section features Simaudio’s MoonNēo 240i integrated amplifier, Technics’ SC-C70 one-box hi-fi system, Dual’s MTR-75 automatic turntable with USB, Acoustic Energy’s AE100 compact standmount as well as Wharfedale’s 11. 2 ‘big baby’ standmount and Sony’s NW-WM1A portable music player. Plus,Dealer Visitheads to the Nottingham HiFi Centre, whileMusic Legendscharts the songs that touched hearts and minds from singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell and our six-wayGroup Testlooks at floorstanding loudspeakers costing around £1k from KEF, Mission, Monitor Audio, Quadral, SVS, and XTZ. Get your copy here.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 19, 2017  |  0 comments
Introducing Lehmannaudio’s latest headphone amplifier, the £450 Drachenfels. Named after a hill in the North Rhine-Westphalia region in Germany, it can be used as a headphone amp and has twin 6. 35mm jack outputs with gold-plated contacts, or as a single-input preamp for a power amplifier or set of powered speakers. Lehmannaudio claims it provides 12dB of gain, and says that because of its Alps Blue Velvet potentiometer and synchronism with the ultra low-noise circuit, there is no need for a gain switch.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 19, 2017  |  0 comments
Welcome toThe Hi-Fi ShowLive2017, a specialty high-end audio event organised by the passionate audiophiles that bring you our sister titleHi-Fi News & Record Reviewmagazine every month. The world's oldest and most respected hi-fi magazine knows a thing or two about sound quality, so expect to experience some of the very best demonstrations ever attempted in the UK! In a refreshing departure from the conventional hotel show format, visitors will be treated to a series of memorable high-end audio events. Each of our major suites will feature examples of the very best that the high-end can offer with scheduled presentations and demonstrations by a mix of famous designers, engineers and audio personalities. Our other suites offer interactive demonstrations of the best headphones and headphone amplifiers, vinyl and hi-res/networked audio systems.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 19, 2017  |  0 comments
Audio lovers and high-end enthusiasts will be able to share their passion at The Hi-Fi ShowLive2017, held once again at the exclusive Beaumont Estate in Old Windsor over the weekend of 21-22 October. Now in its fifth consecutive year, the two-day hi-fi extravaganza is the UK’s biggest celebration of high-end hi-fi for dedicated fans. Advance Tickets The on-line ticket office is now open, so snap up your guaranteed place for Saturday 21st, Sunday 22nd or buy a full weekend pass to theHi-Fi ShowLive. Tickets cost £20 (£30 for a weekend pass) viaeventbrite.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 18, 2017  |  0 comments
Pro-Ject’s Box Design series of compact hi-fi components has been available for over 10 years, but nine new additions havenow been added in the shapeof the DS2 range, while moreare expected before the end of the year. All new models offer improved four-layer PCB boards for shorter signal paths and are available in a choice of either black and eucalyptus or silver and walnut (pictured) finishes. The £785 Pre Box DS2 Digitalis a compact preamp, offeringa built-in MM/MC phono stage, headphone amplifier, 32-bit/ 768kHz PCM and DSD256-capable DAC and aptX Bluetooth. The Amp Box DS2 (top unit) is built around a low-energy Class D amplifier module to provide high output power for demanding speakers and is available in both Stereo (£520) and Mono (£475) guises.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 18, 2017  |  0 comments
Not content with offering vinyl lovers the ooportunity to pick up the black stuff on Record Store Day, there is now Record Store Day Black Friday and vinylistas should mark down 24 November in their diaries. Rhino is preparing 12 special, limited edition releases especially for 2017’s Record Store Day Black Friday. Fans of Aretha Franklin, Dimebag Darrell, The Doors, Grateful Dead, The Notorious B. I.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 17, 2017  |  0 comments
T+A has announced details of its Cala receiver range, which consists of the Cala SR and Cala CDR. Designed to limit the number of separates in a setup,the new receivers include an integrated amplifier, compatibility with Tidal, Deezer and Qobuz streaming services, UPnP playback of network music servers andUSB sticks/hard drives plus FM and DAB+ tuners. Connectivity includes 2x line-level RCAs, a single Toslink and a pair of coaxial inputs, along with preamp, subwoofer and headphone outputs. Bluetooth is on hand for wireless hookup and there’s a MM/MC compatible phono stage for hooking up a turntable.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 13, 2017  |  0 comments
If proof were needed of vinyl's return as a mainstream format,then Technics' comeback with the reimagining of its legendary SL-1200 turntable in 2016, was a powerful symbol of just how popular the music format has become. Technics ceased production of its turntables back in 2010, which lead to protests fromits loyal fans around the world. Seemingly, someone at Technicswas listening, as the iconic turntable returned in a redesigned limited-edition SL-1200GAE form last year and was so popular that several incarnations have since followed, broadening its appeal to new fansat more accessible price points. It seems nothing can stop the company's passion for the vinyl format, and the star of this year's IFA show held in September to the delight of many audio fans was the announcement of a flagship SP-10R turntable motor unit expected to be released in summer 2018.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 12, 2017  |  0 comments
Inside the November 2017 issue we take anIn-depthlook at Exposure’s cute XM7/XM9 pre/power amps, plusExoticatakes a look at Sennheiser’s Audiophile HDV 820 headphone amplifier, while our regular reviews section features Rotel’s RCD-1572 sliver disc spinner, Spendor’s compact A2 floorstander as well as Wharfedale’s 11. 1 standmount and Emotiva’s bargain BasX PT-100/BasX A-300 pre/power amp combo. Plus,Beautiful Systempartners a stunning streaming system in the form of Auralic’s Polaris with Spendor’s D9 floorstander, whileMusic Legendscharts super-producer Nile Rodgers and our six-wayGroup Testlooks at noise-cancelling headphones from AKG, Audio-Technica, Bose, Denon, Libratone and Sennheiser. Check out the November issue on sale now.

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