This month we review: Bavarian Radio Chorus/Peter Dijkstra, Castalian Qt, Bbc So/Thomas Kemp, Mahler Academy Orch/Philipp Von Steinaecker, and Sara Costa
Sitting bang in the middle of a six-strong range of loudspeakers, the Cantor III was in production from 1983-85. How does this 'compact two-way system' fare today?
If you were to attend a classic car show and make a beeline for the enthusiasts exhibiting vehicles made by mass-market manufacturers, it would be easy to predict the kinds of designs you'd see on display. Most space would be given over to the noteworthy models: the big-engined ones, the sporty or luxury variants, the rare limited editions. And yet the bread-and-butter models that carried sales reps up and down the land and took many of us to school as children are largely forgotten. They were workhorses, used until the end of their lives and then replaced.
To celebrate a half century of the Wilson Audio family brand, it returns to its founding and arguably most iconic loudspeaker - The WATT, with bass support from the Puppy!
Whether it be cars or guitars, anniversaries benefit small manufacturers because they present authentic marketing opportunities. One of these is a reason to release a special model while another is to declare one's provenance. You can't fake longevity, so the real value is that anniversaries cannot be 'made up' as they arrive only with the passage of time. And while it's hard to believe, 2024 marks the first half-century of Utah-based Wilson Audio Specialties, and the designated birthday cake is The WATT/Puppy you see here.
Rotel combines its tried-and-trusted analogue amplifier technology with a Roon-ready streaming platform and colour display for your music artwork. The best of both worlds?
With that large screen on show, it's clear the £2799 RAS-5000 is not a back-to-basics Rotel amp. Offering multiple streaming options and smart connectivity, including HDMI eARC, this is a receiver to tempt both hi-fi newbies and hardcore traditionalists. Of course, there are many HDMI-kitted rivals out there, including the Cambridge Audio EVO 150 , Marantz Model 40n , and Yamaha R-N2000A to name just a few. And like the latter two, Rotel's all-in-one packs all its 'modern' functionality into a full-sized housing that will be familiar to followers of the brand. Neither is this a one-off, as the 2x220W/4ohm-rated RAS-5000 is a bigger, more capable brother to the slender S14 streaming amplifier (£1799) launched at the tail-end of 2022.
Is this the largest cartridge manufacturer we've never heard of? Stepping out of the OEM shadows to unveil its own-brand MCs, Skyanalog looks set to be a major disruptor
Two things struck me when PM said we'd be reviewing a cartridge from a new manufacturer. The first thought, from my glass-half-empty side, was: do we really need another? But the second was: this must be proof that the vinyl revival is substantial enough to warrant it. When told that the company was planning a 25th anniversary model, my curiosity about Skyanalog was truly piqued. 'New' it most certainly isn't.
Surely the most compelling of two same-priced preamplifiers in the McIntosh range, both equipped with its custom DA2 digital module. Why? Only the C2800 has tubes...
Think valve amplifiers, and the chances are the image brought to mind is that of a minimalist device, with little apart from a source selector, volume control and output stage. And when we're talking about valve preamplifiers, things might be even simpler. Well, clearly that particular memo went straight into the junk folder at McIntosh Labs' HQ in upstate New York, as the new £11,995 C2800 valve preamp is anything but minimalist.
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.
Sitting bang in the middle of a six-strong range of loudspeakers, the Cantor III was in production from 1983-85. How does this 'compact two-way system' fare today?
To celebrate a half century of the Wilson Audio family brand, it returns to its founding and arguably most iconic loudspeaker - The WATT, with bass support from the Puppy!
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