Review: Mark Craven

Audiolab 9000CDT/9000A CD Transport/Amplifier

Review: Mark Craven, | Sep 11, 2023 | 0 comments

Over 40 years have passed since the 8000A amp broke cover, but it's still recognisable in the flagship 9000A, despite LCD screen and DAC on board, and joined by a CD transport

While some manufacturers' product lines can become confusing as models tackling various price points and functionality are launched, relaunched and discontinued, Audiolab has, by contrast, a laser-like focus. It caters very much to the wallet-conscious audiophile, across a clearly delineated stable of amps and players/streamers, which kicks off with its 6000 series and progresses through 7000 and 8300 to the newly launched, flagship 9000 series. This currently comprises two models, auditioned here, but will be joined later this year by another.

Integrated Amplifiers

Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 800.2 Integrated Amplifier

Review: Mark Craven, | Sep 07, 2023 | 0 comments

This latest nuvistor/bipolar hybrid integrated marks a return of Musical Fidelity's traditional 'no-nonsense belter'. Difficult speakers? This amplifier will drive anything!

The conclusion to our review of Musical Fidelity's original Nu-Vista 800 integrated amplifier [HFN Nov '14] announced: '16 years from now, we'll remember it!'. That was the gap between the manufacturer's first Nu-Vista product, the 1998 Nu-Vista Preamplifier, and its then-new integrated descendant. Yet while our reviewer was so enamoured of MF's tube/solid state powerhouse that he imagined it flying the hybrid amp flag for years to come, it turns out the Nu-Vista 800 was not to last quite that long.

Loudspeakers

MartinLogan Motion XT F200 Loudspeaker

Review: Mark Craven, | Aug 07, 2023 | 0 comments

American marque's flagship Motion tower is a three-way that showcases driver upgrades and a bold new aesthetic

Although MartinLogan is known for its electrostatic loudspeakers, culminating in the flagship Neolith [HFN Jul '16], and 'static/moving-coil hybrids [HFN Jan '17, Feb '18 & Nov '21], the Kansas-based brand has, since 2003, ploughed another furrow with conventional cabinet models targeted at a wider audience. And since 2010, MartinLogan's Motion range, now headed by the Motion XT F200 reviewed here, has employed a tweeter technology the company says offers 'electrostatic-like high frequency detail'. There's a strong suggestion that the move from specialist brand to mass-market competitor hasn't extinguished ML's raison d'etre.

Pre/Power Amplifiers

Exposure 3510 Mono Power Amplifier

Review: Mark Craven, | Aug 01, 2023 | 0 comments

Long-awaited, while the monoblock version of Exposure's 3510 amplifier series looks just like its Stereo and Integrated models, in practice it is a new and highly refined amp

When Exposure launched its 3510 series in 2021, as a replacement for the venerable 3010 range, attention was first given, perhaps unsurprisingly, to the integrated amplifier [HFN Nov '21]. One year later it was joined by a stereo power amp and partnering preamp [HFN Nov '22], and a year after that we witness the arrival of the 3510 Mono, tested here. Such an approach is not unusual for a boutique brand – a fair description of the Sussex-based company – but it's perhaps also indicative of the hidden differences between Exposure's amplifier designs.

Outboard DACs

PS Audio DirectStream DAC 2 USB DAC

Review: Mark Craven, | Jul 06, 2023 | 0 comments

It's arguable that the best high-end DACs all feature custom upsampling and conversion architectures – nothing 'off the shelf'! PS Audio has been part of the club for a decade...

All good things come to an end, although in the world of digital hi-fi sometimes that end comes around pretty quickly. Obsolescence isn't as 'built-in' here as it is in the smartphone market, for example, but technological evolutions, be they around chipsets, connection standards or format types, mean 'MK2' iterations of DACs and streaming hardware are a common sight. PS Audio's DirectStream DAC MK2, however, is rather more than a mere second-generation product.

Loudspeakers

Totem Acoustic Bison Monitor Loudspeaker

Review: Mark Craven, | Jun 23, 2023 | 0 comments

While not exactly an apex bovine of the wide-open prairies, the diminutive 'monitor' of Totem's new Bison series can still stampede with the best of the musical herd

Canada's Totem Acoustic is fond of a pun or two, promising a 'prairie-like', wide-open soundstage from its newest Bison loudspeaker range. You can't help feel, however, that while the name might fit the lineup's Bison Tower and Bison Twin Tower floorstanders, it's a bit of a mismatch for the Bison Monitor. Priced £2495, and available in White Oak, Satin White and Black Ash colourways, this two-way standmount/bookshelf model hardly possesses a muscular, bovine build. On the contrary, it's practically petite.

Loudspeakers

MoFi SourcePoint 10 Loudspeaker

Review: Mark Craven, | May 25, 2023 | 0 comments

Hi-fi's 'go-to' speaker innovator, Andrew Jones, is behind MoFi's first loudspeaker – a robust standmount featuring a dual-concentric driver with nothing less than a 10in cone

Launched in the 1970s as an audiophile-grade record label, Chicago's Mobile Fidelity has acquired a celebrated reputation among vinylistas, particularly for its One-Step pressings [HFN May '17]. Its move into the world of vinyl replay in 2016, under a new MoFi Electronics division, was arguably a long time coming. The range now extends to cartridges [HFN Jan '22], phono preamps [HFN Mar '20], and three turntables – the StudioDeck [HFN Jan '20], UltraDeck [HFN Jul '19] and the luxurious, Fender-branded PrecisionDeck. And the next obvious step? Loudspeakers.

Network Audio Players/Servers Outboard DACs

Lumin T3 Music Server/DAC

Review: Mark Craven, | May 04, 2023 | 0 comments

Arguably the 'sweet spot' in Lumin's range of network-attached players, the new T3 retains the core features of its costlier models, including full use of the super-slick app

The product catalogue of Hong Kong's Lumin, neatly divided between four network players, three network transports, and one-off power amp and streaming amp options, deserves the description 'small but perfectly formed'. That would also be an apt way of looking at its T3, a network player/DAC possessing a neat, easy-to-accommodate design and a feature roster designed to satisfy the needs of the performance-hungry streaming audio enthusiast. In essence, it takes much of what's offered by Lumin's flagship one-box P1 [HFN Jul '22], but trims the spec. (and size) down to a price point of £4195, almost half that of its bigger brother.

Pre/Power Amplifiers

McIntosh MI502 Class D Power Amp

Review: Mark Craven, | Apr 21, 2023 | 0 comments

With its rack-mount 'ears' and 2U chassis, Mac's MI502 amplifier has its sights set on the custom install market. But is this Class D powerhouse also a treat for purist stereophiles?

It's not unusual to find consumer hi-fi hardware making some concessions to the custom installation (CI) space – typically connectivity, such as RS232 and Ethernet – that enables a CI professional to integrate and control the product in a wider system. Yet there are also items, such as McIntosh's MI502, that are more deliberately aimed at the CI market. A slimline two-channel power amplifier, it looks a world away from some of the Binghamton, New York-based company's heavy-hitters. Should it be given a swerve by the dedicated audiophile? Or might it be just what the doctor ordered?

Integrated Amplifiers

Boulder 866 Integrated Amplifier

Review: Mark Craven, | Apr 18, 2023 | 0 comments

Boulder by name and industrial design, the 866 integrated is no mere rolling stone. With optional streaming and huge power under the bonnet, it's an unstoppable force

The Boulder story begins in 1984, with the release of the 500 Power Amplifier. A professional audio company back then, Boulder's stereo model was destined for music studios and broadcast suites, but founder Jeff Nelson soon realised the hardware had domestic potential too, resulting in the 500AE 'audiophile edition'. Today, nearly 40 years and an expanded product portfolio later, the Colorado-based manufacturer remains a darling of the high-end hi-fi scene, albeit one whose designs still have a 'pro audio' air about them.

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