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Loudspeakers
MBL Radialstrahler 101 E MkII Loudspeaker
Review and Lab: Paul Miller  |  Jul 01, 2021
hfnedchoiceThe speaker with no sweet spot arrives on our shores, offering a sound that's as distinctive as its aesthetics

Few loudspeakers are as instantly recognisable as the 'Radialstrahlers' – directly translated 'radial emitters' – designed and built by German brand MBL. At every international hi-fi show their appearance draws crowds while the all-encompassing sound of those iconic 'melons' keeps visitors rooted to their seats. Am I giving away the punchline? Not really. Few seasoned audiophile travellers will not have heard these incredible music machines, but we have still waited a decade for them to reach these shores and be explored, inside and out, Hi-Fi News-style.

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Hi-Res Downloads
Hi-Res Downloads, June 2021
Hi-Fi News Staff  |  Jun 29, 2021
This month we review and test releases from: The Bitperfect Collection Vol.1, Hilary Hahn, Radio France PO/Mikko Franck, Robert Len, Origamibiro and Renaud Capuçon, Stephen Hough, LSO/Sir Simon Rattle.
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Audiophile Vinyl
Audiophile: Vinyl, June 2021
Ken Kessler  |  Jun 28, 2021
This month we review: Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Lavern Baker, Kris Drever and Stephen Dale Petit.
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Audiophile Digital
Audiophile: Digital, June 2021
Ken Kessler  |  Jun 28, 2021
This month, we review: Bobbie Gentry, Octave Records, The Eagles and The Guess Who.
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Rock
Rock, June 2021
Mike Barnes  |  Jun 28, 2021
This month we review: Field Music, Du Blonde, The Coral and Kitten Pyramid.
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Jazz
Jazz, June 2021
Steve Harris  |  Jun 28, 2021
This month we review: Joe Lovano, Marilyn Crispell, Carmen Castaldi, Will Glaser, Marek Dorcik Spercasa and R+R=NOW.
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Classical
Classical, June 2021
Christopher Breunig  |  Jun 28, 2021
This month we review: Sinfonia Of London/John Wilson, Andreas Haefliger, Helsinki Po/Susanna Mälkki, Ernst Ottensamer, Academy Of London/Rns/Richard Stamp and Cleveland Orchestra/George Szell.
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Vinyl Icons
Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath
Mike Barnes  |  Jun 25, 2021
When four unsuccessful musicians joined forces in Birmingham in 1968, little did they know that by the end of the following year they would have transformed themselves from blues-rock hopefuls to a group who helped change the face of rock music forever

Few bands have realigned their whole modus operandi around a single song. But for Black Sabbath, the title track from their self-titled 1970 debut album represented a stylistic shift that changed the group irrevocably and would be the single most important step in formulating what would become known as heavy metal.

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Phono Preamplifiers
Musical Fidelity M3x Vinyl Phono Preamplifier
Review: Ken Kessler,  |  Jun 24, 2021
hfnoutstandingJoining the M3scd CD player/DAC and M3si amplifier, the new M3x Vinyl represents the brand's 'entry-level' MM/MC phono preamp. We lift the lid on a novel design

Scratching my head, I remain amazed at the plethora of affordable phono stages now on offer, as if to prophesy that the LP's return has no end in sight. Either that or it's sheer opportunism, but hey, that's all good news for hi-fi users. What these phono preamps do is ensure that LPs are accessible to a wider audience than high-end devices serve, while filling the gap between the costly stuff and those £99 USB-equipped decks which probably chew up more LPs than they actually play. Musical Fidelity's M3x Vinyl, however, begs a different sort of question.

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From the VaultLoudspeakers
Wilson Audio System V Loudspeaker
Martin Colloms,  |  Jun 22, 2021  |  First Published: Jan 01, 1995
hfnvintageWilson Audio's Tiny Tot and matching Puppy subwoofer reach maturity with the new System V versions. Martin Colloms and Ken Kessler listen

During the preliminaries for this review I suffered a major blow at around 3am one morning [writes Martin Colloms]. I was woken up by a thundering roar from the listening room that sounded like a door being smashed down by men with sledgehammers and which wrote off a number of drivers in the speakers.

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