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Turntables, Arms & Cartridges
AVID Ionic Cartridge
Review: Ken Kessler,  |  Jun 02, 2022
hfncommendedThe foundation of AVID's MC pick-up range, beneath the Ruby and Boron, is the Ionic (not the 'Alloy'!), and featuring more than a little artisan wizardry in its construction

No rest for the wicked, I feared, as PM assigned me another AVID MC cartridge. But I worried needlessly, thinking I might be reduced to comparing cantilevers once more. Not so. The dynamic was different here because the time had arrived to deal with the entry-level model in the Brit brand's range. Both stylus and cantilever differ from those in its siblings, the £6000 Reference Ruby [HFN Nov '20] and £4000 Boron [HFN Apr '21], so the £2000 Ionic blazes its own trail despite all three sharing the same magnet, coils and body design.

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Audiophile Vinyl
Audiophile: Vinyl, May 2022
Ken Kessler  |  May 31, 2022
This month we review: The Eagles, Grateful Dead, Buck Owens & The Buckaroos and P.O.D.
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Audiophile Digital
Audiophile: Digital, May 2022
Ken Kessler  |  May 31, 2022
This month, we review: Joni Mitchell, Air, Clandestine Amigo and Jethro Tull.
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Rock
Rock, May 2022
Mike Barnes  |  May 31, 2022
This month we review: Tears For Fears, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, Sea Power and Anna Von Hausswolff.
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Jazz
Jazz, May 2022
Steve Harris  |  May 31, 2022
This month we review: Marquis Hill, Kinetika Bloco, Ivo Neame and Paul Wertico/John Helliwell Project.
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Classical
Classical, May 2022
Peter Quantrill  |  May 31, 2022
This month we review: Les Siècles/François-Xavier Roth, Le Concert des Nations/Savall, Elisabeth Leonskaja and Todos los Tonos y Ayres.
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Hi-Res Downloads
Hi-Res Downloads, May 2022
Andrew Everard  |  May 31, 2022
This month we review and test releases from: Danny Holt, Mendelssohn Violin Sonatas, Leonore Piano Trio, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orch and The Lovecraft Sextet.
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Network Audio Players/ServersOutboard DACs
Matrix Audio X-Sabre 3 Network-Attached DAC
Review: Andrew Everard,  |  May 30, 2022
hfnoutstandingThe compact but comprehensively-equipped Matrix Audio digital front-ends are distinguished by chipset and features. We look at the flagship 'headphone-free' DAC

For anyone still labouring under the misapprehension that Chinese-made hi-fi means cheap and cheerful alternatives to the big-name brands, it's time for an eye-opener. In practice, not only are quite a few of those big names having their products made in China, but its home-grown brands are upping their game and making inroads into markets once dominated by Western and Japanese names. A case in point is the Matrix Audio X-Sabre 3 we have here, following on from the X-Sabre Pro DAC [HFN Nov '17], Element X [HFN Jan '21] and more recently the Mini-i Pro 3 [HFN Feb 22].

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Inside the Studio
The Hit Factory
Steve Sutherland  |  May 27, 2022
From Beyoncé to The Boss, Meat Loaf to Madonna... few studios rival this international brand when it comes to churning out the chart-toppers, as Steve Sutherland explains

You could say that Jerry Ragovoy was quite the songwriter. It was he who penned 'Time Is On My Side', the Irma Thomas classic immortalised by The Rolling Stones. 'Stay With Me' was his too, the top-notch Lorraine Ellison belter. So were 'Cry Baby' and 'Piece Of My Heart', both of which Janis Joplin subsequently made unforgettable.

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Cables
n-akustik NF-204 Micro Air Factory-terminated interconnect cables
Review and Lab: Paul Miller  |  May 26, 2022
hfnedchoiceOnce in the vanguard of the late '70s hi-fi cable revolution, In-akustik now has a vast catalogue. We test the top Reference/Micro Air interconnect.

Only one issue ago we reviewed an interconnect cable whose core thesis focused on achieving a low capacitance and dielectric loss by utilising an 'air' insulation. That was Kimber's new flagship 'Naked' interconnect – a cool £12,700 per terminated metre [HFN Mar '22]. Somewhat more affordable, but also leveraging the 'air dielectric' theme, is the NF-204 Micro Air interconnect from Germany's most prolific cable manufacturer, In-akustik, based in Ballrechten-Dottingen.

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