LATEST ADDITIONS

Cables
Kimber Kable Naked
Review and Lab: Paul Miller  |  Apr 11, 2022
hfnedchoiceKimber Kable has championed high quality dielectrics and open-weave cable geometries since the late '70s, but now it's gone 'naked'.

Cable aficionados will already know that the best insulation is no insulation at all, with air (in lieu of a vacuum) providing the best and most cost-effective dielectric. Did I say 'cost effective'? Kimber's new flagship 'Naked' interconnect costs a cool £12,700 per terminated metre – either with heavyweight gold-plated WBT RCAs or XLRs finished in a choice of Wenge or Purple Heart woods. For longer runs, 1.5m sets cost £15,150 or £17,600 for 2m. This is very 'high-end'.

Continue Reading »
Turntables, Arms & CartridgesVintage
Philips GA 202 Electronic Turntable
Review: Tim Jarman,  |  Apr 08, 2022
hfnvintageThis compact '70s deck packed some clever tech when it came to speed control, but is it now an underappreciated classic? Time to find out as the GA 202 is put to the test...

When designing any turntable, ensuring that it maintains the correct and consistent speed is of paramount importance. Numerous techniques have been tried over the years, some with greater success than others. The Philips GA 202 Electronic turntable reviewed here was one of the first popular models to feature a motor controlled by an electronic servo, bringing easy operation and improved performance. This was the deck's key feature, but there were other striking aspects to the design.

Continue Reading »
Turntables, Arms & Cartridges
Ortofon MC Verismo Cartridge
Review: Ken Kessler,  |  Apr 07, 2022
hfnoutstandingPrecision manufacturing, state-of-the-art materials and magnet technologies combine in this new addition to the 'Exclusives' MC range – the ultimate blend of art and science?

Talk about alpha to omega: we've looked at two Ortofon cartridges this month, the £295 2M Bronze supplied with Thorens' TD 1500 and now the MC Verismo moving-coil, at £5349. It's the latest MC in Ortofon's 'Exclusives' series, which already includes the £6999 MC Anna Diamond [HFN Oct '19] and £3799 MC Windfeld Ti [HFN Jan '18], but with an open body shape first pioneered in this Danish brand's MC A90 [HFN Sep '09].

Continue Reading »
Investigation
Under the covers... Isaac Hayes Black Moses
Johnny Sharp  |  Apr 05, 2022
Johnny Sharp on the creation of the artwork for Isaac Hayes' 1971 album Black Moses

The resurgence in vinyl sales over recent years is not just about the sound emitted from those shiny black grooves. Many buyers, particularly younger ones, are just as attracted to album sleeves. And of those, a good proportion will tell you they like to have the full-fat LP package experience sat on their shelves unspoilt by actual plays, or even framed on their walls as artworks.

Continue Reading »
Pre/Power Amplifiers
D'Agostino Relentless Preamp Preamplifier
Review: Ken Kessler,  |  Apr 04, 2022
hfnoutstandingIt's taken three years, but it was worth the wait: D'Agostino's Relentless Preamplifier has arrived, and it's as much of a revelation as the matching power amplifiers

You gotta love items with absolutely perfect names: 'Land Rover Defender', 'Rolex Explorer', 'Fender Jazzmaster'. When founder and chief engineer, Dan D'Agostino, dubbed his assault on the high-end 'Relentless', with cost-no-object flagship monoblock power amps [HFN Mar '20], he might have been referring to himself, as that is how he approached the task. With this matching three-chassis Relentless Preamplifier (£159,500), he's raised the bar once more.

Continue Reading »
Hi-Res Downloads
Hi-Res Downloads, March 2022
Andrew Everard  |  Mar 31, 2022
This month we review and test releases from: Bonnie & Taylor Sims, The Gesualdo Six, Thomas Oliemans/Amsterdam Sinfonietta/Candida Thompson, Gábor Csordás, Sándor Tóth, Tamás Hidász & Vince Bartók and Octave Records.
Continue Reading »
Audiophile Vinyl
Audiophile: Vinyl, March 2022
Ken Kessler  |  Mar 30, 2022
This month we review: Nilsson, School Of Rock, Annette Peacock and Lou Rawls.
Continue Reading »
Audiophile Digital
Audiophile: Digital, March 2022
Ken Kessler  |  Mar 30, 2022
This month, we review: Pink Floyd, Muddy Waters, The Sex Pistols and Good As Gold.
Continue Reading »
Rock
Rock, March 2022
Mike Barnes  |  Mar 30, 2022
This month we review: Cat Power, Boris, Eels and Spidergawd.
Continue Reading »
Jazz
Jazz, March 2022
Steve Harris  |  Mar 30, 2022
This month we review: Christian Mcbride & Inside Straight, Nicolas Meier World Group, Secret Sessions and Craig Taborn.
Continue Reading »

Pages

X