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Hi-Fi Choice  |  Aug 06, 2016  |  0 comments
As Bat For Lashes, Natasha Khan earned Mercury Music Prize nominations for her 2006 debut Fur And Gold and its follow up Two Suns. Her third album, 2012’s The Haunted Man, a set of beguiling art-school pop on which her lofty soprano floated beguilingly above her characteristically dreamy soundscapes gave her a first American chart entry. Yet despite such critical and commercial success, a feeling persisted that she had more to give and we were still awaiting her first truly great album. At 36 and no longer the fluttering ingénue, The Bride is that record, destined to catapult her into the premier league.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Aug 03, 2016  |  0 comments
COMPETITION WINNERS Back in HFC 412 we gave you the chance to win KEF’s extraordinary LS50 loudspeakers, while runnersup would receive the EGG Wireless Digital Music System, MUO wireless speaker and M400headphones. We’re delighted to say that Angela Walker won the LS50, Jerry Hinds won the EGG,Ewan Bell won the MUO and Naomi Muggeridge the headphones. Congratulations to you all. .
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Jul 25, 2016  |  0 comments
If you’re in the market for a high-end cartridge, Audio-Technica’s AT-ART1000 at £4,100 could be for you. The hand-crafted design places the moving coil directly on top of the stylus tip, meaning that signal transmission from the stylus diamond to the moving coil are direct rather than transmitted along the length of the solid boron cantilever. Eight turns of 20um-diameter PCOCC wire create coils of 0. 9mm diameter.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Jul 22, 2016  |  0 comments
Originally unveiled at the High End Show in Munich back in May, NAD announces two additions to its prestigious Masters Series line. First up, the M32 Direct Digital Amplifier (pictured above) claims 2x 150W power output and is a true digital amp, and not just Class D. Computer controlled, it amplifies entirely in the digital domain and only converts audio signals to analogue at the speaker terminals to give the shortest signal path possible. It’s fitted with a moving-magnet phono input as well as digital inputs in the form of coaxial, optical, AES/EBU, USB type A and type B and an asynchronous USB 2.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Jul 21, 2016  |  0 comments
If your aspirations extend beyond conventional solid-state hi-fi components but at more real-world prices, then this tube series from the US-based audiophile specialist Audio Research may well grab your attention. The Foundation ‘entry-level’ series is from the same engineering and design team responsible for its aspirational Reference series, and the three-strong range (for now) includes the LS28 line stage preamplifier with four balanced and four single-ended inputs, PH9 phono stage with five different impedance settings for cartridge loading – which can be changed on the fly with the included remote – and the DAC9 384kHz and DSD-compatible digital-to-analogue converter. All three models are built around the same chassisand 6H30 vacuum tubes, with four in the LS28 line stage preamplifier, three in the PH9 phono stage and a pair in the DAC9. Available in both black and natural anodized aluminium finishes, each unit comes with its own custom metal remote control.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Jul 20, 2016  |  0 comments
Specialist audio brand Hegel, has garnered a reputation for doing things its own way, and so it’s no surprise to see the Norwegian name unveil plans to introduce a CD player just as many brands look set to trim down their silver disc-spinning models. Originally unveiled at the High End Show in Munich in May, the Mohican is a CD player without any digital inputs. There’s a true 75ohm BNC-output connector for transport-only use. The CD-only player uses a dedicated audio drive mechanism, and not a CD-ROM, and employs Hegel’s own servo boards which it claims have minimal impact on the digital signal read off a CD.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Jul 19, 2016  |  0 comments
Danish audio brand Copland has been absent from these pages in terms of new product launches for some time, but now it’s back with its long-awaited DAC 215 USB DAC/headphone preamp fed by a pairof ECC88 tubes. Described as a “Universal high-resolution DAC, preamplifier and headphone amplifier” it can be used as a headphone amp, preamp or as a pure DAC – the choice is yours. The Copland DAC 215 looks set to be bang on trend with its retro styling thanks to the rotary front panel controls for the volume level and input selection, and the faint glow of the valves from the headphone amp output section lurking behind the slatted grille will undoubtedly enhance any likely old-school feel for potential purchasers. But at the heart of the DAC 215 is a digital-to-analogue converter with multiple S/PDIF inputs, PCM, and DSD capabilities using the ES9018 Reference 8-channel DAC used in double-differential mode.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Jul 18, 2016  |  0 comments
As more people opt for headphones as their choiceof transducer for music, there is a growing number of products designed to ensure headgear is giving its best. TEAC has one such portable item, and its HA-P5 headphone amplifier claims to be ultralight, weighing inat just 182g. Circuit design is based on the Tokyo brand’s UD-501 (HFC 375) and HA-501 hi-fi components, and hi-res digital audio signals are routed via a Burr-Brown PCM1795 D/A converter before being passed to a high-power 2x 160mW (at 32ohm) Class A/B amplifier. It has two separate master clocks to handle 44.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Jul 15, 2016  |  0 comments
If the Scansonic name seems vaguely familiar it's because the brand has an illustrious history, being deeply rooted in Danish loudspeaker design and engineering. Scansonic goes back some 45 years to whenit was introduced as the name ona then-new line of loudspeakersfrom famous Danish drive-unit manufacturer ScanSpeak. Now owned by Dantax, the same parent company as Raidho, the brand’s loudspeakers are designed by the creator of the renowned Raidho range, acoustic designer Michael Børresen. As a result, Scansonic has plenty in common with the respected Raidho family DNA and pedigree, but at a fraction of the cost.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Jul 15, 2016  |  0 comments
Since we all miss an issue of Hi-Fi Choice from timeto time it’s good to know that you can plug any gapsin your collection by making use of our Back Issues service, which has recently found a new home. The website at mags-uk. com is where they’re at and finding them couldn’t be easier. Sign in on the home page, then select Hi-Fi Choice via the Titles or Publishers (MyTimeMedia) listing on the menu bar.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Jul 15, 2016  |  0 comments
Subscribe today and get a FREE pair of Denon headphones worth £199! denon. co. uk Hi-Fi Choice is the essential guide to getting the best possible sound from your hi-fi, whether you're buying, tuning or tweaking. .
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Jul 12, 2016  |  0 comments
Over the years, the BBC has done arguably more that any other broadcaster to push the boundaries of audio performance. Perhaps the best known fruit of its labour comes in the small but perfectly formed cabinet of the LS3/5A studio monitor loudspeaker. Originally produced for outside broadcast vans, it went on to become commercially available and is rightly recognised as something of a classic. Perhaps not so well known, but equally important in the grand scheme of things were BBC sound engineers Lee Taylor and Mallory Nicholls.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Jul 11, 2016  |  0 comments
David Bowie fans will delighteed to learn that The Man Who Fell To Earth will be returning to UK cineams in September. Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Nicolas Roeg’s iconic movie will be screened in cinemas nationwide in 4K from 9 September. STUDIOCANAL has announced that it is near to completing a new 4k restoration of the cult classic. Meanwhile, The Man Who Fell To Earth will also be released on DVD and Blu-ray on 10 October by STUDIOCANAL as part of the ‘Vintage Classics collection’ – showcasing iconic British films, all fully restored and featuring brand new extra content.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Jun 30, 2016  |  0 comments
SDS first introduced the IsoPlatMat and IsoFeet in 2005, but now the business has reached a size where it no longer needs to be supported by Sound Damped Steel Ltd and so it has been re-branded and will now be known as Soundeck. The Soundeck turntable mat (pictured above) is now coated with vinyl so that it doesn¹t need a soft mat to protect the record. Meanwhile, its IsoFeet are now 25 percent thicker and available as rectangles or rounds in stainless or powder coated black finish. A machined damping puck made from SDS stainless steel laminate is also being produced.

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