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From the VaultPre/Power Amplifiers
Mark Levinson flagships
Martin Colloms  |  Jul 30, 2019  |  First Published: Mar 01, 1990
Martin Colloms hears the ultimate amplifier system from one of audio's elite names: the No26/No20.5 pre/power duo and No25 phono stage

Since acquiring the Mark Levinson Audio Systems company five years ago, Madrigal Labs has pursued an evolving research programme, generating improved circuits and product designs. The result is that current MLAS products now have an importance comparable with the original brand's landmark designs.

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Audiophile Vinyl
Audiophile: Vinyl, May 2019
Ken Kessler  |  Jul 25, 2019
This month we review: Bo Diddley, Big Brother & The Holding Co, Holly Cole Trio and The Shadows Of Knight
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Audiophile Digital
Audiophile: Digital, May 2019
Ken Kessler  |  Jul 25, 2019
This month, we review: The Leiber-Stoller Big Band, Bob Dyla, Henry Mancini and Pink Floyd
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Rock
Rock, May 2019
Johnny Black  |  Jul 25, 2019
This month we review: James Morrison, Hajk, Josefin Öhrn And The Liberation and Ishmael Ensemble
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Jazz
Jazz, May 2019
Steve Harris  |  Jul 25, 2019
This month we review: Patchwork Jazz Orchestra, Joe Lovano, Duncan Eagles and Joey Defrancesco
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Classical
Classical, May 2019
Christopher Breunig  |  Jul 25, 2019
This month we review: Schubert, Berlioz, Mozart and Sibelius
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Turntables, Arms & Cartridges
DS Audio DS-E1 Cartridge
Review: Ken Kessler,  |  Jul 24, 2019
hfnoutstandingFollowing a flow of revolutionary, hugely desirable but astronomically-priced 'optical' cartridges, DS Audio introduces the DS-E1 – could 'E' stand for 'Everyman'?

This is the second review this month that's been tough for me to write if, in this instance, for entirely positive reasons. You see, the DS Audio DS-E1 is actually too good, and the asking price of £2295 is the reason. I do not want to inflict any hardship upon DS Audio, which offers three models above this, but, like an entry-level Rolex, Leica CL camera or Porsche Cayman, it begs the question: why pay more?

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Pre/Power Amplifiers
Audia Flight Strumento No1 mk2/No4 mk2 Pre & power amplifier
Review: Andrew Everard,  |  Jul 23, 2019
hfnoutstandingVery much hi-fi on the grand scale, this Italian-made pre/power amplifier combination is a sweet-sounding heavyweight with more than sufficient output to match its size

For a while, the amplifier combo you see here was almost literally the elephant in the editor's listening room. Delivered for review just at the end of 2018, its sheer mass – 28kg for the £12,500 Strumento No1 mk2 preamp alone, plus a further 95kg for the No4 mk2 power amp, which sells for £16,250 – defied almost all efforts to move it into PM's lab for test work before I could listen. It finally inspired our esteemed editor to relent and buy himself a trolley – and so, at last, the review literally began to roll...

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Network Audio Players/Servers
Novafidelity X45Pro Digital Media Player
Review: Andrew Everard,  |  Jul 19, 2019
hfncommendedThis do-it-all unit, designed as the hub of a digital music system, combines ripper/server, streamer, player, DAC and more. Is this a total solution, or is it trying too hard?

Here's a simple suggestion for anyone thinking of moving from 'physical media' to computer-stored music, or at least adding a collection of files to their system: buy the most complex piece of equipment you can find. Yes, that may seem like some kind of lunacy for the beginner in ripping, serving and streaming, but then the £5099 Novafidelity X45Pro, the flagship of its manufacturer's range, will do everything you could ever think of in the world of digital audio – and then some.

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Investigation
Why 5G Matters For Hi-Fi
Barry Fox  |  Jul 19, 2019
The latest wireless tech could be a boon for audio, as Barry Fox explains

The hype cycle is well under way. 5G is coming, starting slowly this year and rolling out through 2020 and beyond. But who cares? It's nothing to do with hi-fi and music, is it? Just the Fifth and latest generation of phone technology, which – yawn, yawn – works faster and better than the Third and Fourth Generations that have previously been heralded as the be all and end all of mobile phoning and lo-fi MP3 streaming.

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