The sound of space, the go-to toolbox for Hollywood composers, the home of a hymn to Englishness... Peter Quantrill on the conflicting identities of an orchestral classic
Mars sets the tone for any Planets, live or on record. Under the composer's baton in 1926, it establishes aggressive intent from bar one. War is not on the horizon, but advancing over the next hill. By contrast, the recent BRSO/Harding version (BR-Klassik) builds up menacingly, around a fifth slower, towards an implacable evocation of a war machine.
Acoustic Research launches a range of electronics that aims to combine good looks, useful facilities and fine sound. Ken Kessler hears a selection
For as long as hi-fi has existed, consumers have been forced to choose between pure sound quality and ergonomic/aesthetic delight. In short, the best-sounding equipment has always been either spartan, ugly, expensive, or simply a pain in the butt to live with or to use.
Walk into any hi-fi show and you'll spot towering horn-loaded loudspeakers, says Steve Harris, but 'big' speakers in the UK have typically gone down another route, as he explains...
Not so long ago the idea of a hi-fi system costing a million pounds would have raised eyebrows and hackles. Such systems might exist, we thought, but only in the secret hideaways of a few eccentric billionaires. But today you can have a good chance of hearing a million-pound sound just by walking in to a hi-fi show.
English conductor Sir Andrew Davis stood in for his colleagues at the last minute and saved the day on many occasions, remembers Peter Quantrill. But who will be able to take his place?
On the 20th of August, there will be an empty space - spiritual, if not physical - at the centre of the Royal Albert Hall. At time of writing, the replacement for Sir Andrew Davis had not been announced, but whoever takes on the task, I hope they keep the programme unchanged. Rather than fulsome speeches of tribute, this would be the most humble act to perform in his memory.
When an FM/DAB tuner supports only one antenna, you'll achieve better performance from both types of transmission using a VHF aerial, says Jim Lesurf. But which type, and where to put it?
A few decades ago, FM radio transmissions - particularly those on BBC Radio 3 - were an excellent way to hear music with a very high level of sound quality. Sadly that has been eroded over the years due to a number of changes, which have occurred for various reasons.
Barry Willis believes a subwoofer can bring a performance boost to your hi-fi system as long as you take the time to calibrate it - so look out for models with remote/app control
A properly setup subwoofer can add enormously to your musical satisfaction. Improperly setup, it can be an annoying nemesis.
Many subwoofers are designed for maximum dynamic impact with multichannel movie soundtracks. While they may excel at making explosions sound convincing, they may not contribute much to your enjoyment of music. Truly musical subwoofers are rare.
British trumpet player Enrico Tomasso on stage at the Felpham Village Memorial Hall in West Sussex. During lockdown Tomasso bought the microphones and equipment needed and taught himself how to stream his music from scratch
When the Covid lockdown made traditional music concerts a no-go, artists and venues turned to live streaming over the Internet. But first, says Barry Fox, they had to master the technology...
Johnny Sharp explores the perils and the payoffs of pop's paradigm shifts before bringing you 20 albums from artists whose bold, about-turns in musical style just have to be heard
If it ain't broke, so the maxim goes, don't fix it. But no artist worth their garlands ever paid much heed to that way of thinking - with a few honourable exceptions such as The Ramones. Nonetheless, most musicians prefer evolution to revolution, letting their approach to their work develop naturally as the muse dictates, sudden changes in style only running the risk of alienating fans.
This latest two-box MM/MC phono stage from Germany also includes a line input and preamp alongside a fully discrete headphone amp. It's the brand's first 'analogue hub'
Is it my imagination, or are more hi-fi products steadily adopting greater functionality? Now, it's highly unlikely that Germany's resolutely 'analogue' Lehmannaudio brand will succumb to networking its phono stages any time soon, but the new £2599 Phonolith does wrap a trio of roles into one - an MM/MC phono stage, line level preamplifier and headphone amplifier. That said, it's not quite strictly rolled into 'one' as it's a two-box design, with the second unit being the standalone, dedicated power supply.
The long-anticipated final piece in Exposure’s 3510 series has arrived – a CD player that leverages the 3010 S2 series electronics and XM CD’s top-loading transport mechanism
With a memory long enough to remember buying my first CD player, a Philips model, back in the mid-1980s, complete with a free copy of Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms, it feels a little strange to be considering the format, launched promising 'Perfect Sound Forever', as something of a niche proposition. Yes, CD has been a huge commercial success, with a 2007 press release marking 25 years of the format declaring that some 200 billion discs had been sold in that first quarter century, and many people having huge collections.
Acoustic Research launches a range of electronics that aims to combine good looks, useful facilities and fine sound. Ken Kessler hears a selection
This latest two-box MM/MC phono stage from Germany also includes a line input and preamp alongside a fully discrete headphone amp. It's the brand's first 'analogue hub'
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