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Turntables, Arms & Cartridges
Mark Levinson No5105 Turntable
Review: Ken Kessler,  |  Feb 01, 2021
hfnoutstandingMark Levinson's second turntable, the No5105, has been designed to be a painless, all-in-one, 'turnkey' affair – but does it still tick all the high-end boxes?

Like that 'difficult second album', any sequel to the Mark Levinson No515 [HFN Oct '17] has to live up to a heady precedent. At £5799 less cartridge, or £6499 with Ortofon's Quintet Black S MC pick-up installed, the No5105 sells for just over half the price of the No515. While the inclusion of the cartridge does not save any money – certainly not always the case when buying a package – it does remove any set-up worries by being factory-fitted.

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Audiophile Vinyl
Audiophile: Vinyl, January 2021
Ken Kessler  |  Jan 29, 2021
This month we review: T Rex, Fleetwood Mac, Girl In Gold Boots and Leon Thomas.
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Audiophile Digital
Audiophile: Digital, January 2021
Ken Kessler  |  Jan 29, 2021
This month, we review: Fiona Boyes, Victoria Alexandra With Mike Skid Wroe, Buddy Miles Express and Vanilla Fudge.
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Rock
Rock, January 2021
Mike Barnes  |  Jan 29, 2021
This month we review: Calexico, Coldharbourstores, Jakko M Jakszyk and Smashing Pumpkins.
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Jazz
Jazz, January 2021
Steve Harris  |  Jan 29, 2021
This month we review: Joel Ross, Joshua Jaswon Octet, Django Bates and Dave Brubeck.
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Classical
Classical, January 2021
Christopher Breunig  |  Jan 29, 2021
This month we review: Yves Saelens, Lucile Richardot, Het Collectief/Reinbert De Leeuw, BBC Philharmonic/John Wilson, Ida Ränzlöv, The Mozartists/Ian Page and Philharmonia Orchestra/Santtu-Matias Rouvali.
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Hi-Res Downloads
Hi-Res Downloads, January 2021
Hi-Fi News Staff  |  Jan 28, 2021
This month we review and test releases from: RLPO/Vasily Petrenko, Don Gruisin, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig/Herbert Blomstedt, Philhofer Jazz Quartet and Robert Dean Smith, Dame Sarah Connolly, Berlin Radio SO/Vladimir Jurowski.
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From the Vault
Reel-To-Reel Recorders
Martin Colloms  |  Jan 27, 2021  |  First Published: Jun 01, 1978
hfnvintageMartin Colloms hears four top-quality open-spool decks

The last year or so has seen the emergence of a new generation of high-quality open-reel tape decks, of which four are investigated here. As the price span ranges from £500-£600 for the Sony and Revox models to £850 for the Technics and £950 for the basic Pioneer assembly, these units are not strictly comparable, although their relative performances are nonetheless interesting.

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Turntables, Arms & Cartridges
Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO Turntable
Review: Ken Kessler,  |  Jan 26, 2021
hfnoutstandingLaunched in 1999, the original Debut turntable set the bar for starter vinyl packages. Twenty-one years later and the 'Carbon EVO' raises it to pole-vault standards...

Deck/arm/cartridge/dustcover: check. Price £449: check. A choice of nine finishes including wood veneer, or gloss or satin colours: check. Everything included in the package readying it for connection to a phono stage: check. That list tells you Pro-Ject's best-seller remains, after two decades, the go-to 'turnkey' record deck for newcomers (or seasoned audiophiles on a budget). The basic recipe is unchanged but refined, which is why it has sold over 1,000,000 units. Rest assured, however, that this latest incarnation, the Debut Carbon EVO, is far more than a merely cosmetic upgrade.

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Loudspeakers
Lu Kang Audio Spoey230 Loudspeaker
Review: Mark Craven,  |  Jan 25, 2021
hfncommendedDesigned and handcrafted by the father and son team at Lu Kang Audio, the Spoey230 is the heavyweight flagship standmount of this artisan range from Taiwan's Taipei City

The last time you bought a television you probably came across no more than five or six different brands. But what about the last time you bought loudspeakers? It's one of the joyful aspects of hi-fi: the industry is very broad here, supporting a diverse range of manufacturers with different design ideals, resulting in an equally diverse choice for enthusiasts.

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