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Investigation
Under the covers... Captain Fantastic
Johnny Sharp  |  Mar 07, 2022
Johnny Sharp on the creation of the artwork for Elton John's 1975 album Captain Fantastic

Pride, it is said, comes before a fall. But when Elton John made a concept album at the height of his success, celebrating the journey he and lyricist Bernie Taupin had made since their first meeting in 1967, the old maxim didn't hold true. Not only did it become the first album to top the Billboard charts in its week of release, it would also prove to be a creative high-water mark for the songwriting partnership.

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Pre/Power Amplifiers
MBL Noble Line N11/N15 Preamp & Monoblock Power Amps
Review: Andrew Everard,  |  Mar 04, 2022
hfnoutstandingHandbuilt in Berlin, this preamp and monoblock power amp defies the industrial look, favouring instead an exquisite finish. And the sound more than lives up to the style

By any standards, the Noble series from Berlin-based MBL is a looker. The components aren't massive – in place of slabby high-end units wearing their audio prowess on their sleeve, as it were, both the £11,500 N11 preamplifier and the N15 mono power amplifiers, at £13,900 apiece, are relatively slender units. They are also immaculately finished in a choice of gloss black or white, with accents for the control elements available in either polished gold or palinux (silver), with black detailing also offered if you go for the white main colour.

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Audiophile Vinyl
Audiophile: Vinyl, February 2022
Ken Kessler  |  Mar 03, 2022
This month we review: Etta James, Fàshiön Music, David Newman and Bobby Womack.
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Audiophile Digital
Audiophile: Digital, February 2022
Ken Kessler  |  Mar 03, 2022
This month, we review: Michael Nesmith, Allman Brothers Band, Help Yourself and Gerry Rafferty.
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Rock
Rock, February 2022
Mike Barnes  |  Mar 03, 2022
This month we review: Robert Plant And Alison Krauss, The Curator, Hedvig Mollestad and Yova.
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Jazz
Jazz, February 2022
Steve Harris  |  Mar 03, 2022
This month we review: Johnathan Blake, Joey Defrancesco, Harvey/O'higgins Project and Hiromi.
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Classical
Classical, February 2022
Peter Quantrill  |  Mar 03, 2022
This month we review: Tonhalle Orch Zürch/Paavo Järvi, Trinity Hall Choir, Cambridge, Et Al/Andrew Arthur, Lilit Grigoryan and Martha Argerich.
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Hi-Res Downloads
Hi-Res Downloads, February 2022
Andrew Everard  |  Feb 28, 2022
This month we review and test releases from: Gidon Nunes Vaz Quartet, Patricia Barber, Jeff Tweedy, Sting and LSO/Marin Alsop.
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Outboard DACs
AudioQuest JitterBug FMJ
Review: Andrew Everard,  |  Feb 28, 2022
hfnedchoiceRevised and refined, and now clad in metal, AudioQuest's USB noise filter is still a compelling upgrade for portable DAC users.

As we described in our review of AudioQuest's original JitterBug [HFN Oct '15], this little serial plug-in is not a re-clocker for digital datastreams, but rather a purely passive device (drawing no power from the USB hub) that provides transformer-isolation and RF filtering of both the 5V USB 'VBUS' and its differential data lines. The promise, according to AQ, goes something like this: 'the dual-discrete noise-dissipation circuits reduce internally generated RF noise for improved streaming audio, [reducing] jitter and packet errors'.

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Turntables, Arms & Cartridges
Thorens TD 202 Turntable Package
Review: Nick Tate,  |  Feb 25, 2022
hfncommendedBudget-conscious vinyl fans wishing to digitise their prized record collections will want to sample this sleek, affordable turntable solution from an illustrious German brand

Like any company that can trace its lineage over one-and-a-quarter centuries, German turntable brand Thorens has had its share of high and, well, not-so-high points. Now under the ownership of ex-ELAC MD Gunter Kürten, the last three years has seen a revolution in the brand's ambitions, with a burgeoning product range to match.

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