This month we review and test: Roberto Prosseda, Residentie Orkest The Hague/Jan Willem de Vriend, Lotta-Maria Saksa, Connie Han, Calidore String Quartet, and Greta Van Fleet.
Welcome to the latest, 148-page January issue of Hi-Fi News & Record Review – the heartiest read in hi-fi by far – on sale 21st December. Our cover star this month is the Air Force V turntable, the most affordable and compact model from the TechDAS range, still featuring an air-bearing and vacuum pull-down feature plus the capacity to accommodate no fewer than four separate tonearms. This issue also features the first full review of Marantz's SA-KI and PM-KI Ruby SACD player/DAC and integrated amplifier, launched in celebration of Ken Ishiwata's 40 years with the brand. This, plus the first technical exploration of DS Audio's new DS-W2 'optical' pick-up and, in our Investigation strand, a frank discussion about inspiration, innovation and hi-res audio with the master of the melodious synth – Jean-Michel Jarre – as the man himself spins-up his latest album, Equinoxe Infinity.
KEF says 1000+ changes have gone into its new R Series, so how does this translate to the only standmount loudspeaker in the lineup? We listen to what the R3 has to say...
Who needs shifts in the weather when you can judge the time of year by hi-fi launches? Those of us who exist in the twilight world of hi-fi reviewing, and are strangers to Vitamin D, didn't need a chill in the air and the first signs of yellowed leaves swirling around to know it was autumn – instead, a flurry of press releases announced new or revamped speaker ranges, as the big names prepared for another season of long evenings and hunkered-down listening.
The latest Utopia flagship has improved drivers and cabinets – does the sound match its impressive presence?
When it comes to the description of products – and not just in hi-fi – one word has become so ubiquitous that it no longer has much meaning: that word is 'iconic'. Yet Focal has dodged that particular bullet by describing its new Grande Utopia EM Evo – all 265kg, two metres and £160k-a-pair of it – and its smaller stablemate, the Stella Utopia EM Evo, as 'the most emblematic high-fidelity loudspeakers of all its collections'.
Following its ever-descending prices for its high-value turntables, EAT (European Audio Team) has issued the Jo No5 moving-coil cartridge to do the same for phono pick-ups
As if to answer my continued pleas for sane price tags, and my continued dismay at the fees charged for some MC cartridges, the inclusively named European Audio Team (EAT) has delivered what may be a game-changer. It was the talk of 2018's High End Show in Munich, not least because it looks unlike nearly any cartridge ever seen before. And another thing: the EAT Jo No5 sells for £999.
Now classier looking and sounding, it's out with the old and in with the new for B&W's latest budget floorstander
'Things can only get better' is a mantra beloved of marketing men and women, and why not? There's an implicit notion that technological progress means everything is automatically moving forward – and those who disagree must be some kind of latter-day Luddite. They're pushing at an open door, because when people treat themselves to something shiny and new, most have already bought into the idea that it is superior to what came before.
The very finest ingredients, including solid silver, are stirred into this flagship cable before serving in a custom leather jacket. A 'gilty' pleasure?
Silver may play second fiddle to gold at the jewellers, but when it comes to thermal and electrical conductivity this metal is king. Its use in high-end audio cables is legion, not least for the clear correlation between the conductor's cross-sectional area, cable length and damage to your bank account! A 1m stereo set of Asimi, terminated in spades, Z-plugs or cold-welded expanding 4mm connectors costs £6600, or £17,800 for 3m. And the 7m set required for our testing and auditioning? I didn't ask...
KEF says 1000+ changes have gone into its new R Series, so how does this translate to the only standmount loudspeaker in the lineup? We listen to what the R3 has to say...
The latest Utopia flagship has improved drivers and cabinets – does the sound match its impressive presence?
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