LATEST ADDITIONS

Investigation
Under the covers... The Who Sell Out
Johnny Sharp  |  Jan 04, 2022
Johnny Sharp on the creation of the artwork for The Who's late '60s album The Who Sell Out

If you want an illustration of just how quickly pop evolved in the 1960s, you only have to look at the first two years of The Who's recording career. That was the stretch of time between their flinty, mod-informed R 'n' B rock debut LP – 1965's My Generation – and a cheekily post-modern third album that seemed to mock the very idea of pop music as anything more than a vehicle for commerce.

Continue Reading »
Pre/Power Amplifiers
darTZeel NHB-18NS/NHB-468 Pre/Power Amplifier
Review: Andrew Everard,  |  Jan 03, 2022
hfnoutstandingLook beyond the ostentatious livery and tongue-in-cheek labelling, and darTZeel's flagships are revealed as sensational amplifiers, with a sound as imperious as it is refined

If you want an amplifier with a face, not a fascia, start saving up for a darTZeel. Designer Hervé Delétraz has a sense of humour – turning an on/off button into a 'nose' with selector/volume knobs as bulbous eyes and grinning LEDs beneath. Then there's this Swiss manufacturer's mix of golden fascias and red casework, already iconic as the brand's house style over its two decade timeline.

Continue Reading »
Hi-Res Downloads
Hi-Res Downloads, December 2021
Hi-Fi News Staff  |  Dec 31, 2021
This month we review and test releases from: The Gesualdo Six, Steven Wilson, A Bad Think, Thunder and Ayron Jones.
Continue Reading »
Audiophile Vinyl
Audiophile: Vinyl, December 2021
Ken Kessler  |  Dec 30, 2021
This month we review: Rod Stewart, Terry Callier, Joni Mitchell and Ladies Choice - The Pen Of Swan Records.
Continue Reading »
Audiophile Digital
Audiophile: Digital, December 2021
Ken Kessler  |  Dec 30, 2021
This month, we review: The Yardbirds, Little Steven And The Disciples Of Soul, Ringo Starr and Tina Turner.
Continue Reading »
Rock
Rock, December 2021
Mike Barnes  |  Dec 30, 2021
This month we review: Billy Bragg, Efterklang, Howlin Rain and Vanishing Twin.
Continue Reading »
Jazz
Jazz, December 2021
Steve Harris  |  Dec 30, 2021
This month we review: Terence Blanchard, Chick Corea, Donald Edwards Quintet and Relief.
Continue Reading »
Classical
Classical, December 2021
Peter Quantrill  |  Dec 30, 2021
This month we review: Ehnes Quartet, Sueye Park, Filippo Gorini and Michelle Deyoung, Et Al, Shanghai SO/Long Yu.
Continue Reading »
Classical Companion
Bohemian Christmas Music: Beyond Good King Wenceslas
Peter Quantrill  |  Dec 28, 2021
The Czech-speaking lands beyond Austria hold a rich tradition of festive music. Peter Quantrill explores Masses and carols and the special genre of pastorella

Precious few countries can boast a Christmas repertoire as rich and colourful as the Czech Republic. None of it, however, concerns the figure of Svatý Václav – St Wenceslas – who was posthumously ennobled from dukedom to kingship by the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I following his assassination in 935AD.

Continue Reading »
Turntables, Arms & Cartridges
Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC Star Cartridge
Review: David Price,  |  Dec 27, 2021
Arguably best known for its high-end strain-gauge pick-ups, Soundsmith also offers a series of high- and low-output moving-iron/fixed-coil cartridges. Is the Zephyr a 'star'?

The so-called 'vinyl revival' has not only fermented an uptick in sales of both turntables and LP records but it's also created a renewed demand for cartridges of all shapes, sizes and types. Designer/audio artisan Peter Ledermann was far from alone in seizing the opportunity, sensing, very specifically in this instance, that many Bang & Olufsen turntable owners wanted to get their ageing record players going again. He successfully obtained a licence to restart production of these plug-in MMC pick-ups, and Soundsmith was born.

Continue Reading »

Pages

X