Hi-fi News, Reviews and Buyer’s Guide

HRT Streamers – simple as they come

by KN on 19/05/2013

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REVIEW: The wonderful thing about computer audio accessories is that you can carry them in your pocket and no one will notice the bulge. Here are a couple of things that sound good, too!

Burmester 082 – warm of heart

by Sujesh Pavithran on 12/05/2013

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REVIEW: If you like your amplifier in one classy box of shiny metal, and without any sonic compromise whatsoever … keep dreaming! But this Burmester machine certainly ticks a number of right boxes.

Sonus faber Olympica – homage to a master

by Editor on 09/05/2013

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NEWS: Always lovely to behold, these Sonus faber loudspeakers… and here’s a new range to please the eye and seduce the senses. Think walnut and leather… it’s almost erotic!

Wilson Audio Duette Series 2… in June

by Editor on 07/05/2013

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NEWS: Ooh, another new Wilson Audio speaker … well, not exactly new but an update on what has become a modern classic. Reason enough to look at mortgage something…

Thiel begins shipping the CS1.7

by Editor on 30/04/2013

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NEWS: Thiel’s smallest CS speaker is ready to rock … and it’s the first to emerge from the company since a new management took over some months ago.

Cyrus to launch flagship Signature Series in May

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NEWS: What’s a story without pictures? Well, it’s still a story… and Cyrus has one for us in conjunction with its three decades in the business.

Clearaudio Smart Phono goes V2

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NEWS: Clearaudio adds a bit of sauce and convenience to the upgraded version of its Smart Phono … but you’ll have to wait a bit before V2 reaches the stores.

KEF LS50 – bigger than small

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REVIEW: Not all speakers look alike, you can tell your non-audiophile friends now. The KEF LS50 shows how to mix styling flair with high-quality sonic delivery. We are smitten …

Linn speaks Kandid-ly

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NEWS: Linn’s first new cartridge in a while is a stripped-down affair physically, but packing enough performance weaponry to propel its charge to the top of the analogue hill …

Solid state or tube? Cary Audio’s DAC-100 does both

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NEWS: Audiophiles are fussy creatures with demanding needs. Cary Audio shows how to please two of the fussiest camps – tube or solid-state? – with its new DAC. Oh, the irony of it all …

VPI Traveler – going places

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REVIEW: “Looking good, babe …” is what we’d say if a VPI Traveler were to walk by us. And we’d certainly like to hear what she would have to say, too. This is VPI’s sexiest turntable so far…

Lightning DAC by Audio Electronics

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NEWS: Real audiophiles don’t use matchbox-sized DACs to link their PC to their hi-fi system. Real audiophiles use massive, multi-component machines. Meanwhile, here’s something in between …

The Krell KSA-50 returns!

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NEWS: Phwooar! We got the scoop of the year, folks. Who doesn’t want a Krell in their hi-fi system, especially such a legendary amp as this one?!

Triton phono – Rogue Audio’s giant killer

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REVIEW: To buy… or wait for something even better… ? Such are the musings that drift across an analogue addict’s mind as he flicks his way through a series of mind-altering DIP switches …

Audience’s The ONE is shipping

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NEWS: Are these the biggest sounding small speakers for a desktop audio system? Are these also the costliest ones for such a purpose? Audience has the answers …

NAD C 390DD – directly digital

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REVIEW: The dream of all-digital gets closer for those who eschew anything that can’t be explained in the language of bits and bytes … goodbye analogue, then? Well, not so fast …

PS Audio Noise Harvester – it’s back!

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NEWS: Power conditioning devices can be burly pieces of equipment … or as non-intrusive as PS Audio’s classic noise buster, now making a comeback. And it does turn noise into light ….

Bryston unveils loudspeaker range

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NEWS: Bryston loyalists who are also completists will take heart in this … a slew of speakers to complement the electronics. Best of all, at real-world prices ….

Parasound Z pre-power – big small amps

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REVIEW: Small can be mighty, as Parasound’s Z components prove. Here are some little tots that put out a big-hearted performance, whether you’re using them on your desk or rack.

More McIntoshes this way come

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NEWS: Most McIntosh gear looks the same to us. And here’s new McIntosh gear that looks very much like older McIntosh gear. Good thing we can’t get enough of those blue meters and black glass, then ….

M2Tech hiFace DAC – 32, 384

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NEWS: Good to have colour in one’s audio system occasionally … not sonic, but components that are as bright as the children’s playpen in a mall … M2Tech shows how it is done.

Rega Carbon – cheerful, cheapie cartridge

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REVIEW: If this isn’t a bargain for vinyl-afflicted audiophiles with very shallow pockets, then we don’t know what is … our budget-conscious analogue sound-hound is thrilled anyway ….

Living with Maggies – Part 2

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RANT ‘N RAVES: More on the Maggies as our jack of a few trades discusses his prolonged affair with panel speakers that compete with doors for room space … once a Maggie lover, forever in trouble!

Supra USB 2.0 – rock and rhythm

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REVIEW: The fun thing about computer-based audio systems is that the little upgrades can be had for common-sense money … as this Supra USB wire proves.

Bowers & Wilkins AM-1 – sound on the wall

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NEWS: Good sound shouldn’t be limited to just the listening or living room … Bowers & Wilkins’ AM-1 shows you can think outside the box and hear it from a different perspective.

Monitor Audio GX50 – little wonder

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REVIEW: Small speakers are not only fun, they can look classy and sound magnificent too, as the Monitor Audio GX50 proves. We are not surprised, given the Brit outfit’s track record.

Clearaudio Performance DC – the definitive version?

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NEWS: We like it that Clearaudio turntables are looking more muscular with every new model … big platters, thick plinths … ah, a feast for the eyes and ears …

McIntosh’s new numbers – MA7900, MA6700, MAC6700

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NEWS: One wonders – has McIntosh ever had so many amplifiers in its stables at any time during its illustrious history? Here are three more to add to the “blue meter” count …

Get it right with THX tune-up

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NEWS: Here’s an app that is most useful for the layman home theatre enthusiast, so prep your i-whatever and get ready to take your AV system to the next level.

Dynaudio Xeo 3 – off with wires!

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REVIEW: The dream of speakers totally without connecting wires – and that sound good in the bargain – gets more real with Dynaudio’s Xeo … until that super battery pack arrives, these will do fine, thank you.

KingRex UD384 – two in one

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REVIEW: Small in size, but ambitious in name and aspirations … this KingRex digital offering’s promise looks set to lure a good many computer audio buffs …

Monica, be discreet …

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REVIEW: It’s a reflection of the state of hi-fi when a man waxes lyrical over a piece of audio equipment bearing a feminine designation … but who can blame him, we’d like anyone or anything called Monica, too!

Rogue Audio Chronus Magnum – music first

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REVIEW: Sometimes, you just want to forget about the finicky things that define the audiophile habit, and let the music sock you in the belly and tickle your ears … which the Rogue Chronus Magnum does very well indeed …

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