LATEST ADDITIONS

Vinyl Release
Various Artists: Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels
Steve Sutherland  |  Dec 06, 2023
Britpop, Britart and gangsta grooves... Steve Sutherland hears the 180g reissue of a collection of slick 'n' snappy tunes used as the soundtrack to a hit '90s UK crime caper

We've just cleared customs at JFK and the six of us have piled into a stretched limo laid on by a mate who's in New York working with The Spice Girls. Karen, the limo driver, takes us straight to a club none of us will ever know the name of. It's one of those exclusive establishments with a frontage resembling a hole in the wall. No signage or anything as gauche as that.

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Network Audio Players/ServersOutboard DACsPre/Power Amplifiers
Naim Audio NSS 333/NAC 332/NAP 350 DAC/Pre/Power System
Review: Andrew Everard,  |  Dec 04, 2023
hfnoutstandingThe second phase of Naim's 'New Classics' launch brings a new streamer, a preamp and monoblock power amps, all in redesigned slender casework. Are they true 'classics'?

At times of late, it seems Salisbury's Naim Audio is wilfully courting controversy. It's been causing ripples with the brand's faithful fans ever since it launched its all-in-one Mu-so systems and second-generation Uniti products. It wasn't that these arrivals were on a mission to make hi-fi simpler for all, eschewing the tweakery and 'black magic' once suggested as a prerequisite for realising its true potential – no, what broke the usually calm surface was the fact the Naim logo, for decades lit in green, had turned white. Cue Naim aficionados fanning themselves like Edwardian grandes dames with a fit of the vapours.

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Loudspeakers
Canton Vento 100 Loudspeaker
Review: Jamie Biesemans,  |  Dec 01, 2023
hfncommendedThis German institution offers a vast catalogue, including the Reference-inspired Vento range, topped by the 100

Canton is not only Germany's largest loudspeaker manufacturer, it might also be one of the most prolific speaker builders in the world. Yet within an extensive range that includes everything from on-wall and in-ceiling speakers to soundbars and subwoofers, its Vento series has long been a main 'pillar' of the brand, in production for nearly two decades. And now, as part of a recent refresh of the Canton catalogue overseen by technical director Frank Göbl, it's been comprehensively upgraded.

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Audiophile Vinyl
Audiophile: Vinyl, November 2023
Ken Kessler  |  Nov 29, 2023
This month we review: Tito Puente And His Latin Ensemble, Elvis Presley, The No Ones and Nina Simone.
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Audiophile Digital
Audiophile: Digital, November 2023
Ken Kessler  |  Nov 29, 2023
This month, we review: The Eagles, The John Williams Syndicate, Matt Monro and The Art Of Hifi.
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Rock
Rock, November 2023
Mike Barnes  |  Nov 29, 2023
This month we review: Unthank : Osees, Deeper, Explosions In The Sky and Hiss Golden Messenger.
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Jazz
Jazz, November 2023
Steve Harris  |  Nov 29, 2023
This month we review: Nanny Assis, Johnathan Blake, Kurt Elling and Emma Rawicz.
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Classical
Classical, November 2023
Peter Quantrill  |  Nov 29, 2023
This month we review: Cleveland Orchestra/Welser-Möst, Iceland SO/Ollikainen, Helsinki Chamb Ch/Schweckendiek and Elizabeth Atherton, Jess Dandy, Peter Rose, BBC PO/Storgards.
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Hi-Res Downloads
Hi-Res Downloads, November 2023
Andrew Everard  |  Nov 27, 2023
This month we review and test releases from: Simon Callaghan/Sinfonieorchester St Gallen, Gianluigi Trovesi & Stefano Montanari, Justin Kauflin Trio, Morten Georg Gismervik and Karnataka.
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Network Audio Players/ServersPre/Power Amplifiers
Hegel H600 Network-Attached Amp
Review: Jamie Biesemans,  |  Nov 24, 2023
hfnoutstandingBuilt into an enhanced H590 chassis but featuring 'sound tuning' from the P30A/H30A pre/power, Hegel's fully-networked flagship integrated gets off to a flying start

After an extended period of Covid and component shortage-related calm, Oslo-based Hegel has seemingly shifted into overdrive, launching multiple new products in just half a year. First up in 2023 was a major update to its flagship pre/power system in the form of the P30A and H30A [HFN Jun '23], followed by the Viking CD player [HFN Sep '23]. The third act is the launch of the H600, which takes over from Hegel's popular, top-tier H590 integrated streaming amp, and sells for £10,500 in a very dark grey, almost matt black finish.

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