LATEST ADDITIONS

Disc PlayersIntegrated Amplifiers
Marantz SA-12SE/PM-12SE SACD Player/Amplifier
Review: Andrew Everard,  |  Dec 04, 2020
hfncommendedThis SE version of Marantz's former 'Japan only' SA-12/PM-12 player/amp combo borrows very heavily indeed from the costlier KI Ruby series, but saves £1000 into the bargain

So what do we have here? The new SA-12SE SACD/CD player and PM-12SE integrated amplifier, selling for £2999 apiece, are the latest in a long line of 'special edition' products from Marantz. Its family tree includes 'Original Special Edition' models, when other brands got in on the 'SE' thing, and the 'KI Signature' versions tuned by the company's late Brand Ambassador, Ken Ishiwata.

Continue Reading »
Turntables, Arms & Cartridges
Thorens TD 1601 Turntable
Review: Adam Smith,  |  Dec 03, 2020
hfnoutstandingOne of the oldest and most revered names in vinyl's history is back, refreshed and under new ownership, and with a deck that mixes modern materials with classic design cues

How many audiophiles ten years ago would have thought that come 2020 you would be able to buy a brand new Leak amplifier and a pair of Wharfedale Linton speakers? Not many, I'd bet. And it's now possible to front a system comprising these components with a belt-drive, suspended subchassis turntable made by Thorens, and one with 'TD160' in its name. It seems the onward march of 'retro' is unstoppable!

Continue Reading »
Hi-Res Downloads
Hi-Res Downloads, November 2020
Hi-Fi News Staff  |  Dec 01, 2020
This month we review and test releases from: Minnesota Orch/OSMO vänskä, Mancini, Piazzolla, Gardel, Bacalov Filippo Arlia/Cesare Chiacchiaretta, Pacific Chorale/Robert Istad, Jos Van Immerseel and Dr. Chesky.
Continue Reading »
Audiophile Vinyl
Audiophile: Vinyl, November 2020
Ken Kessler  |  Nov 30, 2020
This month we review: Aretha Franklin, Count Basie, The Doll Squad and Whitesnake.
Continue Reading »
Audiophile Digital
Audiophile: Digital, November 2020
Ken Kessler  |  Nov 30, 2020
This month, we review: The Guess Who, Grateful Dead, Joe Jackson and Keith Relf.
Continue Reading »
Rock
Rock, November 2020
Mike Barnes  |  Nov 30, 2020
This month we review: Bill Callahan, The Lemon Twigs, Motorpsycho and Tricky.
Continue Reading »
Jazz
Jazz, November 2020
Steve Harris  |  Nov 30, 2020
This month we review: Chick Corea, Rymden, Artemis and Jo Harrop & TRYPL.
Continue Reading »
Classical
Classical, November 2020
Christopher Breunig  |  Nov 30, 2020
This month we review: R Strauss, Paul Lewis, Rodrigo, Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy, Falla, Franck, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Ravel, Schubert, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, and Wagner.
Continue Reading »
Pre/Power Amplifiers
Rotel Michi M8 Mono Power Ampiifier
Review: Andrew Everard,  |  Nov 27, 2020
hfnoutstandingIt looks like the S5 stereo power amp, both inside and out, but the Michi M8 monoblock is altogether more powerful and, as a result, offers a sound with a charm all its own

You'll have to examine the £5399 Michi M8 monoblock power amp very closely to see how it differs from the company's S5 stereo model, reviewed previously alongside the £3299 P5 preamplifier [HFN May '20]. The two are the same price and size, look identical and have much the same 'ask a friend to help' mass. In fact, the M8 weighs marginally less than the S5, at 59.1kg – the difference presumably accounted for by the need for two-channel inputs on the stereo amp whereas the mono version has only single-channel connections, on both balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA sockets.

Continue Reading »
Classical Companion
Shostakovich: Symphony No 5
Christopher Breunig  |  Nov 26, 2020
Written under duress during four months in spring 1937, this would become his most popular work. Christopher Breunig sets out the background and suggests recordings

New pieces by composers Harrison Birtwistle or Peter Maxwell Davies, say, will have received polite applause and a few boos from the audience at their premieres. But no government response.

Continue Reading »

Pages

X