LATEST ADDITIONS

Meet the Producers
The Bomb Squad
Steve Sutherland  |  Jan 05, 2021
In the last of our series celebrating the work of those masters behind the mixing desk, Steve Sutherland tells the story of not one producer but a hip-hop production team whose looping and layering of samples revolutionised the way records were made

On this particular point, Chuck D is unequivocal. 'Our sole intention was to destroy music'. The record he's talking about, released in June 1988, is hip-hop giants Public Enemy's second LP, It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back.

Continue Reading »
Network Audio Players/Servers
Grimm Audio MU1 Music Library/Server
Review: Andrew Everard,  |  Jan 04, 2021
hfnoutstandingThe dedicated music server is in the ascendant, and every company has a different twist on the idea. In the case of Dutch company Grimm Audio, the twist is especially unusual

The continued rise of network audio has created a new game in the hi-fi world, best summed up as 'Yes, but what is it?'. You see, all sorts of network-capable devices exist right now, and it seems each of them has a somewhat different approach. For example, perhaps the best-known name in 'audiophile servers' or 'music libraries', Melco, started out by making products designed to feed network players over a network connection, paying close attention to the isolation and optimisation of the Ethernet feed. It then reinvented itself as a maker of network transports, connecting directly to a suitable DAC using a USB output, again with isolation strategies implemented.

Continue Reading »
Loudspeakers
Wilson Audio SabrinaX Loudspeaker
Review: Ken Kessler,  |  Dec 31, 2020
hfnoutstandingFive years on and Wilson Audio's Sabrina earns its 'X' – an overhaul that raises the bar for compact floorstanders

Five years – that's how long ago the Sabrina was launched and five years seems about right before making a new version of any model as good as the original was – and remains [HFN Aug '15]. Rightly, the upgrade is comprehensive, not a mere facelift, which is reassuring if you're wondering why a £15k per pair model is now priced at £21,500-£23,000. As for the price span, it covers three standard or three deluxe 'WilsonGloss' paint finishes, which can be co-ordinated with five grille colours. Our review sample is pictured here in the 'upgraded' gloss Ivory.

Continue Reading »
Hi-Res Downloads
Hi-Res Downloads, December 2020
Hi-Fi News Staff  |  Dec 30, 2020
This month we review and test releases from: Clandestine Amigo, Berliner Philharmoniker/Kirill Petrenko, Lady A, Francesco Piemontesi, SCO/Andrew Manze and Olive Brown.
Continue Reading »
Audiophile Vinyl
Audiophile: Vinyl, December 2020
Ken Kessler  |  Dec 29, 2020
This month we review: Dr John, The Night Tripper, Joan Armatrading, Bob Dylan and Psychedelic Sex Kicks!
Continue Reading »
Audiophile Digital
Audiophile: Digital, December 2020
Ken Kessler  |  Dec 29, 2020
This month, we review: Don Grusin, The Feminine Complex, Helen Reddy and STS 40th Anniversary In Sound Excellence.
Continue Reading »
Rock
Rock, December 2020
Mike Barnes  |  Dec 29, 2020
This month we review: Jack Cheshire, The Cribs, Amy Macdonald and Blue öYster Cult.
Continue Reading »
Classical
Jazz, December 2020
Steve Harris  |  Dec 28, 2020
This month we review: Allison Neale, Ron Miles, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk.
Continue Reading »
Classical
Classical, December 2020
Christopher Breunig  |  Dec 28, 2020
This month we review: Hallé Orchestra/Sir Mark Elder, Akademie Für Alte Musik Berlin/Bernhard Forck, Sinfonia Of London/John Wilson and Cleveland Orchestra/Franz Welser-Möst.
Continue Reading »
Integrated AmplifiersVintage
Aiwa AX-7400 receiver
Review: Tim Jarman,  |  Dec 24, 2020
hfnvintageIn 1977, as Britain came alive to the sounds of jazz-funk and punk, a Japanese receiver arrived on UK shores promising unbeatable tech at the price. How does it sound now?

Say 'Aiwa' to most audiophiles and the chances are they'll think of cassette decks. The company was one of the first in Japan to take the format seriously and later went on to lead the field, selling machines not only under its own name but as OEM products for many other brands. So why not branch out into the rest of the audio field?

Continue Reading »

Pages

X