Home//Hi-Fi Choice/September 2019/In This Issue
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019WelcomeAfter several years of steady growth, the number of newbie and returning vinyl fans looks as though it is finally beginning to plateau and the rate of new entry-level decks being introduced by manufacturers begins to show signs of slowing too. But for those already smitten by the format and looking to take the next step up the vinyl playback ladder, this month's Group Test – starting on p24 – is for you, with six sophisticated players designed to show how a mid-priced deck can bring even greater levels of detail and pace over the entry-level spinner that got many of us started.The turntable market has changed massively in the last few years and, with so many models vying for attention, these are boon times for buyers. I'm confident you'll…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019American dreamPRICE: £6,999, £7,999 AVAILABLE: NOW CONTACT: 01223 203200 WEB: MARKLEVINSON.COM INTRODUCED AT THE Munich High-End show back in May by parent company Harman Luxury Audio, Californian-based high-end specialist Mark Levinson showcased its new 5000 series of integrated amplifiers with the N°5802 and N°5805. Both models feature fully discrete, direct-coupled, Class AB amplifier channels and claim 2x 125W into 8ohm and 2x 250W into 4ohm. Priced at £6,999, the N°5802 features all-digital inputs with six digital ins including two optical, two coaxial, one AES/EBU port and one asynchronous USB for hi-res content – up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD to DSD128 – plus support for MQA files and aptX HD Bluetooth wireless. The N°5805 is fully loaded with inputs, including a MM/MC phono stage The N°5805 (pictured right with fellow Harman…3 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Classé adds Delta ampsPRICE: £10,00-£12,500AVAILABLE: AUTUMNCONTACT: 02890 279830WEB: CLASSEAUDIO.COMFollowing the acquisition of Montréal-based Classé by Sound United last year, the high-end specialist has recently unveiled plans for its third-generation Delta series amplifiers with three models sporting new topology and a fresh look with a distinctive chassis and grey finish. First up, the Delta mono power amplifier (pictured right) is priced at £11,000. It’s rated at 300W into 8ohm (600W into 4) and operates in Class A up to 35W. The Delta Stereo power amplifier (left) is priced at £12,500, is rated at 2x 250W into 8ohm (2x 500W into 4) and operates in Class A up to 2x 12.5W. Both models sport channel output level VU meters on their front panels. There’s also an air intake for the active cooling system called ICTunnel…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019AUDIOQUEST COBALT DACKnown for its award-winning series of USB DACs that launched in 2012 with the original DragonFly, AudioQuest has announced a new addition to the series with its £269 DragonFly Cobalt flagship. Unveiled in early July, the Cobalt is said to be as much as 10 percent smaller than its predecessors and measures just 19 x 58 x 12mm (WxHxD), uses a more advanced ESS ES9038Q2M DAC and has improved power supply filtering for increased immunity to external interference. Compatible with Apple or Windows-based operating systems or iOS or Android mobile devices, the Cobalt includes AudioQuest’s new DragonTail USB-A (female) to USB-C (male) adapter to accommodate devices fitted with USB-C ports. Look out for our review next month.AUDIOQUEST.COM…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019The X-tra factorPRICE: £999 AVAILABLE: NOW CONTACT: 01235 511166 WEB: HENLEYAUDIO.CO.UK FOLLOWING THE INTRODUCTION of Pro-Ject’s X1 £700 turntable – see review on p33 – the Austrian-based company has quickly unveiled the second model in the series in the form of the X2. Priced at £999 fitted with Ortofon’s 2M Silver MM cartridge or £899 without, the X2 adds extra mass with a heavy MDF plinth structure and weighs in at 10kg. A belt-drive design, the motor is said to be better isolated and is powered by a DC/AC generator to drive the sub-platter and in turn the 2kg non-resonant acrylic platter. The electronic speed selector gives 33 and 45rpm and there’s support for 78s, too. The 9in tonearm is made from a stiff, precisely tempered carbon and aluminium sandwich construction and…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Kanto’s TUK arrives in the UKPRICE: £799 AVAILABLE: SEPTEMBER CONTACT: 01242 820000 WEB: KANTOAUDIO.COM Canadian-based Kanto Audio was introduced to UK audio fans at The Bristol Hi-Fi Show back in February by its UK distributor Dynamic Distribution. We reviewed its £350 YU6 powered loudspeaker in HFC 450 – where it received our recommendation. Since then, the company has been hard at work and recently unveiled its newest model in the form of the TUK (pronounced tuck). It’s a standmount loudspeaker fitted with a 28 x 35mm Air Motion Transformer (AMT) tweeter said to give greater horizontal dispersion for wider stereo imaging and soundstaging and is partnered to a 133mm aluminium mid/bass driver. As with all Kanto designs, the TUK is a powered speaker system and is driven by a 130W Class D amplifier in a…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019THE UK-hi-fi SHOWTickets On Sale Now www.hifishowlive.com Ascot Grandstand 2019 Now in its 7th year, and hosted at the prestigious Ascot Grandstand, the UK’s only high-end audio show boasts the ‘who’s who’ of world-class hi-fi…2 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019REFERENCE SYSTEMAMPLIFIER AND PHONO STAGE:ATC CA2 Mk2/P1 pre/power £1,775/£2,350 HFC 397One of the great tell-it-like-it-is pre/power combos, the CA2 Mk2 preamp also totes a gifted on-board phono stage, configurable internally for MM and MC cartridges. Like the amps themselves, the phono stage has a keen nose for the unvarnished truth and is therefore the ideal tool for this round up if you want to know what’s really going on.LOUDSPEAKER:Spendor A7 £2,995 HFC 440This svelte, two-way’s unfrilly appearance drops a strong hint about its approach to business, which is to step aside and let the music make the running. It’s informative in the best possible way: fast, clear and open with fine dynamic expression, great bass and an unerring instinct for the musical pulse. If any on these decks has one, the…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Spin cycleTURNTABLES £700-£1,500IT’S THE NEW vinyl user’s very own difficult second-album moment. Having established a baseline thrill from spinning your LPs on any one of the fine starter turntables from the likes of Pro-Ject and Rega, you suspect there’s even more aural pleasure to be extracted from those darkly glistening grooves. And you’re right. The direct correlation between engineering excellence, material use, designer nous and sonic ability is something of a no-brainer and what keeps the turntable market buoyant and more or less open ended.What’s the next step?Is it an incremental upgrade that will place you maybe a couple of rungs further up the ladder towards analogue nirvana? Or do you double your budget and go for a deck that will lift you higher and keep you there for many years…2 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Unique group testsTURNTABLES GROUP TEST ENSURING A TURNTABLE is properly set up takes considerable care and attention to detail. We extended our test period over a week, allowing for each deck to be tested with its supplied cartridge and cabling to gauge the ability and value of the complete package. Before testing begins, we check all the pre-installed cartridges for correct alignment, tracking weight and optimum anti-skate bias and ensure that they are adequately run-in. Temperature is a factor for cantilever compliance, but as this test coincided with an unusually warm spell the hazard of a cold listening room wasn’t encountered. The decks are tested without their lids (where supplied) and in sequence with their bundled interconnect cable and our reference Nordost Blue Heaven turntable interconnect, to ensure consistency across the group…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Pro-Ject X1 £700TURNTABLES £700-£1,500Darling of the budget and middle ground turntable market, Pro-Ject sees its customer base consisting of passionate audiophiles unable or unwilling to pay high-end prices. The new X1 is tailored to cater for exactly that kind of demand – as Pro-Ject has it, a cutting-edge turntable that brings high-end analogue technologies to a more affordable price point.It’s actually the latest iteration of the company’s first deck, the Pro-Ject 1. But as the P1 was a corker in its day, that’s no bad thing. Keep it simple but build it well is a mantra that’s served Pro-Ject well over the decades and so it seems here. Nothing fancy, just solid fundamentals and precise engineering executed with high-quality materials.A substantial MDF plinth sits on three adjustable vibration-absorbing feet and houses a…3 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Technics SL-1500C £900TURNTABLES £700-£1,500I’ve yet to meet an analogue addict who would refuse a degree of unnecessary dental work to own a Technics SL-1000R directdrive turntable in lieu of the £14k they’d otherwise have to hand over. The good news is that the closest approach to that glittering flagship for less than a grand comes from the same gene pool and it’s called the SL-1500C. A fanciful notion? Not at all. The fundamentals are essentially the same. It uses a coreless directdrive motor with sophisticated speed management circuitry housed within a beefy, well-damped chassis and, just like the SL-1000R, has an S-shaped tonearm with detachable headshell.With its built-in MM phono stage, not much time elapses between unpacking the SL-1500C from its carton and the stylus of the pre-fitted Ortofon 2M Red landing…3 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019TRY WITH THESEPHONO STAGE:Lindemann Limetree Phono £595 HFC 441The Lindemann is one of the most outstanding phono stages under £1,000 we’ve tested of late and it took the 2018 AVTech Media award in its category, thanks to its wonderfully effortless yet engaging presentation that works with a wide selection of different cartridges.MOVING-MAGNET CARTRIDGE:Ortofon 2M Blue £184 HFC 375Slightly up-market sibling of the 2M Red used by a number of the decks in this test, the 2M Blue enjoys features borrowed from Ortofon’s more expensive models. It’s wellbuilt, easy to install – thanks to its pre-threaded mounts – and, with a healthy output, offers a clear and open presentation with plenty of bite.STYLUS CLEANER:DS Audio ST-50 £78 HFC 437A clean stylus performs better and will last longer than one that is dragging ingrained…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Reeling in the yearsKLH ALBANY £499Founded back in 1957 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, KLH is possibly one of the biggest loudspeaker brands you’ve never heard of. I recall its products being on sale in the UK in the late seventies, but have heard little from the brand since. This is amazing considering it claims to have once been the largest speaker maker in the world. It’s certainly true that Henry Kloss, Malcolm S Low, and Josef Anton Hofmann’s company has at times been a major global player with some special products such as the Model Nine, which KLH says is the first full-range electrostatic speaker.Changes have been afoot recently, with David Kelley, longtime Klipsch executive, taking over the helm in 2017 – and since then there has been a concerted push to put the…7 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Flex appealBLUESOUND PULSE FLEX 2i £299Designed to operate either on its own or as a stereo pair, the Pulse Flex 2i is the smallest member of Bluesound’s speaker range and the recent 2i update sees support added for Amazon Alexa and Apple Home integration (but not Google Assistant).The relatively small and sealed chassis is fitted with a 102mm mid/bass driver partnered with a 25mm tweeter to deliver a claimed frequency range of 45Hz to 20kHz and driven by an onboard amplifier claiming 25W total power output. The hardware is backed up by a useful spread of facilities and although the Flex 2i doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of some of the larger speakers further up the range and sports Bluetooth version 4.1 rather than 5.0, it offers a combined…4 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Group test verdictTURNTABLES £700-£1,500 AS MENTIONED AT the start, I nominally split these six turntables into two groups with the NAD, Pro-Ject and Technics in the ‘hot buy’ (sub £1k) set while inviting the Rega, Cambridge Audio and AnalogueWorks to make their best case for spending £1,500, with the overall victor chosen from the two sub-group winners. Starting with the lower-priced group, it’s a tough call between the Pro-Ject X1 and NAD C 588 for runner up, the bold and boisterous NAD in the end just losing out to the calmer, more mature and finely structured charms of the Pro-Ject by the slimmest of margins. They’re both talented performers but in completely different ways; the C 588 frequently on the front foot and itching for something to sink its teeth into, the…2 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019TRY WITH THESEPHONO STAGE: Lindemann Limetree Phono £595 HFC 441 The Lindemann is one of the most outstanding phono stages under £1,000 we’ve tested of late and it took the 2018 AVTech Media award in its category, thanks to its wonderfully effortless yet engaging presentation that works with a wide selection of different cartridges. MOVING-MAGNET CARTRIDGE: Ortofon 2M Blue £184 HFC 375 Slightly up-market sibling of the 2M Red used by a number of the decks in this test, the 2M Blue enjoys features borrowed from Ortofon’s more expensive models. It’s wellbuilt, easy to install – thanks to its pre-threaded mounts – and, with a healthy output, offers a clear and open presentation with plenty of bite. STYLUS CLEANER: DS Audio ST-50 £78 HFC 437 A clean stylus performs better and will…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Hi-fi choicesTHIS MONTHED SELLEYEXPERTISE: REVIEWERActive in the industry since 1999, Ed’s first record was Boss Drum by The Shamen. He splits his time between reviewing and protecting hi-fi kit from his son Will.NEVILLE ROBERTSEXPERTISE: ENGINEERNeville has an eclectic taste for classical baroque and jazz. His wife was forced to marry his transmission line speakers in the eighties and he collects BBC test card music.JASON KENNEDYEXPERTISE: REVIEWEREditor of HFC from 1998 to 2001, Jason’s first turntable was Rega’s Planar 3 and Elvis’ 40 Greatest Hits was his first vinyl, so don’t go stepping on his blue suede shoes.DAVID PRICEEXPERTISE: REVIEWERDP two-finger typed his first hi-fi review 25 years ago. Since then he’s edited Hi-Fi World and HFC. He describes himself as an “unreconstructed analogue addict”.CHRIS WARDEXPERTISE: REVIEWERLike his first kiss, Chris will…15 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Play to the crowdAUDIOLAB 6000N PLAY £450 For a company with such a strong presence in the affordable audio sector, it might seem rather counter intuitive that this is the first streaming component to be released by Audiolab. The 6000N Play is the latest addition to the entry-level 6000 Series, but unlike the 6000CDT CD transport (HFC 447), the 6000N Play is not dependent on the matching 6000A integrated amplifier (HFC 446) for its decoding. It has a built-in DAC in the form of an ESS Sabre ES9018K2M chipset – the same version found in the 6000A. Interestingly, there’s still a pair of digital outputs – one coaxial, one optical – at the back for those that already own a 6000A (the Audiolab website suggests this is a superior connection method) or to…7 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Day the music burnedAs I write, I have just returned from a preview screening of the wonderful new Danny Boyle and Richard Curtis movie Yesterday. By the time you read this, I’m sure many of you will also have seen the film, but for those who haven’t, a brief synopsis. A down-on-his-luck singer named Jack Malik has a road accident at the exact same moment that the planet is hit by a mysterious blackout that wipes entire chunks of its collective memory. When he regains consciousness, he discovers he is the only person on earth who remembers The Beatles and their music. You can guess the rest as he takes their catalogue of hit songs as his own and – with a little help from Ed Sheeran – becomes a global superstar.It’s a…4 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Tinariwen AmadjarAS A REVIEWER I often get asked to nominate the most memorable gig I’ve ever seen. The Stones in Hyde Park? Led Zep at Knebworth? Bob Marley And The Wailers at the Lyceum? Unforgettable, all of them, but they’re topped by seeing Tinariwen play at the Festival in the Desert in Mali in 2001.At the time the Tuareg guitar band were unknown and without a recording contract. When they took the stage I had no idea what to expect, but was instantly transported by the other-worldly sound of their exotic desert-blues. As the snaking guitar lines and hypnotic rhythms wove their spell, nomadic Tuareg warriors rode their camels through the crowd. Above our heads was a full lunar eclipse.Since then Tinariwen has conquered the world and although I’ve seen the…10 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019AUDIOFILE VINYLDadisi KomolafeHassan’s Walk180g vinyl Pure PleasureDADISI KOMOLAFE’S ONE and only solo album was released by Nimbus West back in 1983, but it could so easily have been made 10 or 15 years earlier. The vibe is heavily influenced by the work of Pharaoh Sanders and Alice Coltrane, with lots of rich and vibrant percussion and Komolafe playing both flute and saxophone – though thankfully not at the same time. In fact, the first side of this album contains only flute alongside the drums, double bass, piano and vibes of the Pan African People’s Arkestra, a highly effective groove unit created by pianist Horace Tapscott in Los Angeles. There are only four tracks, two of which are cover versions of Wayne Shorter’s Speak No Evil and Thelonious Monk’s Round Midnight, but…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Flex appealBLUESOUND PULSE FLEX 2i £299 Designed to operate either on its own or as a stereo pair, the Pulse Flex 2i is the smallest member of Bluesound’s speaker range and the recent 2i update sees support added for Amazon Alexa and Apple Home integration (but not Google Assistant). The relatively small and sealed chassis is fitted with a 102mm mid/bass driver partnered with a 25mm tweeter to deliver a claimed frequency range of 45Hz to 20kHz and driven by an onboard amplifier claiming 25W total power output. The hardware is backed up by a useful spread of facilities and although the Flex 2i doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of some of the larger speakers further up the range and sports Bluetooth version 4.1 rather than 5.0, it offers…4 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Josef Suk2x CD DeccaJOSEF SUK MAY now be less renowned than compatriots Janáček and Martinů, but his best works, such as the Asrael Symphony and Pohádka (Fairy Tale) are genuine masterpieces of the late romantic style. Asrael is a powerful and dramatic work inspired by the death of Suk′s wife Otilie and father-in-law – the composer Dvořák; while Fairy Tale is a suite formed from incidental music written for the mythological drama Radúz And Mahulena. The performances are excellent. The orchestra is on superb form with full-bodied strings, expressive wind solos and dramatic brass and percussion. Violinist Vodička plays beautifully and Bělohlavek’s interpretations are deeply satisfying. The recorded sound is very effective, with excellent clarity, dynamics, detail and space. The only minor criticisms are that the first violins, lack space; being…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 20192001-20192001 IsoTek kicks things off with the SubStation mains conditioner 2002 First generation of iconic Mini Sub power conditioner is unveiled 2004 IsoTek restructures with new production facilities and an improved design team 2004 The GII Mini Sub mains conditioner launches to great critical acclaim 2004 IsoTek collaborates with Nordost to create the Thor power conditioner 2005 Titan arrives, introducing IsoTek’s innovative high current Direct Coupled Design circuit 2006 Sigmas launches, incorporating technology trickled down from Titan 2007 Arrival of Mira TV filter heralds new EVO3 generation of products 2009 EVO3 Aquarius replaces GII Mini Sub – a critical component in IsoTek’s range 2011 IsoTek unleashes Super Titan – the world’s most powerful mains conditioner 2012 The Genesis full mains sine wave generator comes to market 2013 The Discovery Range,…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019DESIGN DETAILSThe Super Nova design includes a sophisticated new choke, which allows a series connection that quadruples the inductance in order to give a vast increase in filtering at a constant 10A if needed. In turn, this provides a typical load of 25-40W, a massive power reserve. In addition, two specialised radio frequency chokes combined with capacitances produce a high level of classical (Pi filter) design filtration. Furthermore, there is the unique Nova adaptive gate system, designed to produce the optimum resistance capacitance barrier for eliminating differential mode cross-contamination. IsoTek says that, unlike some power cleaning concepts, Super Nova not only adjusts to the connected load and creates the ultimate barrier to differential mode noise cross-contamination, but enables each connected component to benefit from an ideally regulated and clean power supply.…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Focal ElegiaPRICE: £799 TELEPHONE: 03301 222500 WEB: focal.com REVIEWED: HFC 447A closed-back design, Elegia’s enclosures are claimed to completely isolate the drivers from the outside world. The driver fitted into the earpieces is similar to the one used in the Clear (left) and is a 40mm dynamic type made from an aluminium and magnesium alloy. A little lighter than the company’s open-backed Elear, it uses the same memory foam padding covered in microfibre cloth that’s perforated to help it breathe and assists with avoiding the ‘hot head’ feeling that some rivals cause. Combined with a headband that exerts a firm but not uncomfortable grip, the result is that Elegia is pleasant to wear for longer periods of time.Sound qualityDespite being a closed-back design, there is a genuine sense of space and…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019MrSpeakers VocePRICE: £2,600 TELEPHONE: 01494 956558 WEB: electromod.co.uk REVIEWED: HFC 440As MrSpeakers’ top-of-the-range offering, this electrostatic headphone has been designed to deliver very high resolution and clarity with a large soundstage, neutral voicing and a bass output extending into the subsonic region. The ear pads are made of Italian Napa leather and are very comfortable. They are an over-ear, or circumaural, design, which is dictated by the large 88mm driver housed inside each cup. As with most electrostatics, Voce is a completely open design, but despite this the drivers are fully dust sealed and insulated against the elements. A 2m cable comes supplied.Sound qualityPiano provides a stern test as an instrument that’s difficult to reproduce well, and the results here are completely believable, with the full energy of the playing beautifully…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019ClearaudioIF YOU CARE about getting the best from your vinyl, it cannot be overstated just how important it is to keep your records clean. New LPs often have residual mould-release agent embedded in the grooves and the only way to properly remove this is with a thorough wet clean. Similarly, second-hand LPs can have all sorts of dirt and grime that has built up over time. Although good practice every time you go to play an LP, simply brushing the surface is not going to remove anything other than residual fluff and all records require a good wet clean to remove accumulated dirt in the grooves.Silence is goldenClearaudio’s Smart Matrix Silent features a powerful, but quiet, 500W vacuum motor. It’s available in a choice of silver or black finishes and…3 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Hi-Fi RacksELEGANT AND CLASSY are the first words that come to mind as I unpack the X50 speaker stands from Hi-Fi Racks. The vertical support legs are made from 22mm-thick solid oak and the top and bottom base plates from 40mm-thick solid hardwood. The standard-size top plate is 165 x 195mm and the base plate is 185 x 240mm, although these can be customised if required. The stand is available in three standard heights: 500mm, 600mm and 700mm, finished in natural oak or for an additional cost you can opt for black or white satin or gloss lacquer or walnut, cherry or mahogany stain finishes. Included with the stands are isolating spikes and matching floor protectors, which can be supplied in a choice of stainless steel or black finishes.The top plate…2 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019WelcomeAfter several years of steady growth, the number of newbie and returning vinyl fans looks as though it is finally beginning to plateau and the rate of new entry-level decks being introduced by manufacturers begins to show signs of slowing too. But for those already smitten by the format and looking to take the next step up the vinyl playback ladder, this month's Group Test – starting on p24 – is for you, with six sophisticated players designed to show how a mid-priced deck can bring even greater levels of detail and pace over the entry-level spinner that got many of us started. The turntable market has changed massively in the last few years and, with so many models vying for attention, these are boon times for buyers. I'm confident…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Denon AV goes stereoPRICE: £599AVAILABLE: NOWCONTACT: 02890 279830WEB: DENON.CO.UKBRINGING TOGETHER ITS hi-fi experience and home cinema expertise in a stereo component, Denon has announced its first stereo network receiver with wireless music streaming and TV connectivity. Priced at £599, the DRA-800H claims 2x 100W into 8ohm and is equipped with FM/DAB+ radio, a dedicated moving-magnet phono stage input, plus two analogue line ins, three digital ins (two optical and one coaxial), wi-fi, AirPlay 2, Bluetooth and HEOS multi-room support to take care of audio needs. This is then bolstered by a video connectivity suite that supports full 4K Ultra HD video via four HDMI inputs and one output with ARC (Audio Return Channel).Network connectivity and a front-panel USB port handle FLAC, WAV and ALAC PCM files up to 24-bit/192kHz and DSD up to…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019AUDIOQUEST COBALT DACKnown for its award-winning series of USB DACs that launched in 2012 with the original DragonFly, AudioQuest has announced a new addition to the series with its £269 DragonFly Cobalt flagship. Unveiled in early July, the Cobalt is said to be as much as 10 percent smaller than its predecessors and measures just 19 x 58 x 12mm (WxHxD), uses a more advanced ESS ES9038Q2M DAC and has improved power supply filtering for increased immunity to external interference. Compatible with Apple or Windows-based operating systems or iOS or Android mobile devices, the Cobalt includes AudioQuest’s new DragonTail USB-A (female) to USB-C (male) adapter to accommodate devices fitted with USB-C ports. Look out for our review next month. AUDIOQUEST.COM…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019The X-tra factorPRICE: £999AVAILABLE: NOWCONTACT: 01235 511166WEB: HENLEYAUDIO.CO.UKFOLLOWING THE INTRODUCTION of Pro-Ject’s X1 £700 turntable – see review on p33 – the Austrian-based company has quickly unveiled the second model in the series in the form of the X2. Priced at £999 fitted with Ortofon’s 2M Silver MM cartridge or £899 without, the X2 adds extra mass with a heavy MDF plinth structure and weighs in at 10kg. A belt-drive design, the motor is said to be better isolated and is powered by a DC/AC generator to drive the sub-platter and in turn the 2kg non-resonant acrylic platter. The electronic speed selector gives 33 and 45rpm and there’s support for 78s, too.The 9in tonearm is made from a stiff, precisely tempered carbon and aluminium sandwich construction and is said to be inspired…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Kanto’s TUK arrives in the UKPRICE: £799AVAILABLE: SEPTEMBERCONTACT: 01242 820000WEB: KANTOAUDIO.COMCanadian-based Kanto Audio was introduced to UK audio fans at The Bristol Hi-Fi Show back in February by its UK distributor Dynamic Distribution. We reviewed its £350 YU6 powered loudspeaker in HFC 450 – where it received our recommendation.Since then, the company has been hard at work and recently unveiled its newest model in the form of the TUK (pronounced tuck). It’s a standmount loudspeaker fitted with a 28 x 35mm Air Motion Transformer (AMT) tweeter said to give greater horizontal dispersion for wider stereo imaging and soundstaging and is partnered to a 133mm aluminium mid/bass driver.As with all Kanto designs, the TUK is a powered speaker system and is driven by a 130W Class D amplifier in a master and slave arrangement. It’s fitted…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019THE UK-hi-fi SHOWTickets On Sale Now www.hifishowlive.comAscot Grandstand 2019Now in its 7th year, and hosted at the prestigious Ascot Grandstand, the UK’s only high-end audio show boasts the ‘who’s who’ of world-class hi-fi…2 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019AnalogueWorks TT Zero £1,500TURNTABLES £700-£1,500Describing itself as a small team of music lovers based in Northamptonshire, AnalogueWorks rather underplays the care and ambition it pours into its range of turntables. Actually, the mission statement goes on to drop a larger hint, the stated goal being to create (by hand) usable, musical and beautiful belt-drive turntables employing low-torque motors, best engineering practices, common sense, careful listening and a marriage of materials. A degree of bespoke-ness with tonearms and cartridges is also part of the remit.The TT Zero represents a reasonable starter package, the spec incorporating a Jelco TS-550S 9in tonearm, Audio-Technica VM740ML movingmagnet cartridge and Easy VTA adjuster. Built around a solid birch ply plinth, the Zero has a high-mass aluminium platter supported in a leaded bronze bearing that you have to spin up…3 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019REFERENCE SYSTEMAMPLIFIER AND PHONO STAGE: ATC CA2 Mk2/P1 pre/power £1,775/£2,350 HFC 397 One of the great tell-it-like-it-is pre/power combos, the CA2 Mk2 preamp also totes a gifted on-board phono stage, configurable internally for MM and MC cartridges. Like the amps themselves, the phono stage has a keen nose for the unvarnished truth and is therefore the ideal tool for this round up if you want to know what’s really going on. LOUDSPEAKER: Spendor A7 £2,995 HFC 440 This svelte, two-way’s unfrilly appearance drops a strong hint about its approach to business, which is to step aside and let the music make the running. It’s informative in the best possible way: fast, clear and open with fine dynamic expression, great bass and an unerring instinct for the musical pulse. If any on…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Spin cycleTURNTABLES £700-£1,500 IT’S THE NEW vinyl user’s very own difficult second-album moment. Having established a baseline thrill from spinning your LPs on any one of the fine starter turntables from the likes of Pro-Ject and Rega, you suspect there’s even more aural pleasure to be extracted from those darkly glistening grooves. And you’re right. The direct correlation between engineering excellence, material use, designer nous and sonic ability is something of a no-brainer and what keeps the turntable market buoyant and more or less open ended. What’s the next step? Is it an incremental upgrade that will place you maybe a couple of rungs further up the ladder towards analogue nirvana? Or do you double your budget and go for a deck that will lift you higher and keep you there…2 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019AnalogueWorks TT Zero £1,500TURNTABLES £700-£1,500 Describing itself as a small team of music lovers based in Northamptonshire, AnalogueWorks rather underplays the care and ambition it pours into its range of turntables. Actually, the mission statement goes on to drop a larger hint, the stated goal being to create (by hand) usable, musical and beautiful belt-drive turntables employing low-torque motors, best engineering practices, common sense, careful listening and a marriage of materials. A degree of bespoke-ness with tonearms and cartridges is also part of the remit. The TT Zero represents a reasonable starter package, the spec incorporating a Jelco TS-550S 9in tonearm, Audio-Technica VM740ML movingmagnet cartridge and Easy VTA adjuster. Built around a solid birch ply plinth, the Zero has a high-mass aluminium platter supported in a leaded bronze bearing that you have to…3 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Cambridge Audio Alva TT £1,500TURNTABLES £700-£1,500 Cambridge Audio is not the first name that springs to mind when thinking of turntable makers, and that must have shaped the company’s thinking during the design process. In short, it needed a strong USP and – memo to marketing – a snappy lifestyle-flavoured strapline to go with it. Enter the world’s first Bluetooth aptX HD-enabled turntable and, because it has a built-in phono stage, the reassuring ‘just add vinyl’ marketing initiative. There might be record decks that are equally plug ‘n’ play, but so far only one that can stream to any Bluetooth receiver at up to 24-bit/48kHz hi-res. Box ticked, Cambridge certainly hasn’t stinted on the quality. For presence and build, it’s at least the equal of the other decks here, if shaded for design originality…3 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Play to the crowdAUDIOLAB 6000N PLAY £450For a company with such a strong presence in the affordable audio sector, it might seem rather counter intuitive that this is the first streaming component to be released by Audiolab. The 6000N Play is the latest addition to the entry-level 6000 Series, but unlike the 6000CDT CD transport (HFC 447), the 6000N Play is not dependent on the matching 6000A integrated amplifier (HFC 446) for its decoding. It has a built-in DAC in the form of an ESS Sabre ES9018K2M chipset – the same version found in the 6000A. Interestingly, there’s still a pair of digital outputs – one coaxial, one optical – at the back for those that already own a 6000A (the Audiolab website suggests this is a superior connection method) or to connect…7 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Pro-Ject X1 £700TURNTABLES £700-£1,500 Darling of the budget and middle ground turntable market, Pro-Ject sees its customer base consisting of passionate audiophiles unable or unwilling to pay high-end prices. The new X1 is tailored to cater for exactly that kind of demand – as Pro-Ject has it, a cutting-edge turntable that brings high-end analogue technologies to a more affordable price point. It’s actually the latest iteration of the company’s first deck, the Pro-Ject 1. But as the P1 was a corker in its day, that’s no bad thing. Keep it simple but build it well is a mantra that’s served Pro-Ject well over the decades and so it seems here. Nothing fancy, just solid fundamentals and precise engineering executed with high-quality materials. A substantial MDF plinth sits on three adjustable vibration-absorbing feet…3 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Rega Planar 6 £1,470TURNTABLES £700-£1,500 As the most conspicuously hi-tech of the belt-drive models here, the Planar 6 arguably comes with the biggest reputation to defend. It’s the first new Rega turntable to be constructed with an ultra-lightweight polyurethane foam core plinth weighing just 980g – less than half that of the superseded RP6. The foam is called Tancast 8 – developed for the aerospace industry – and is sandwiched between an exceptionally thin but extremely rigid high-pressure laminate. Improvements over the RP6 include a single-piece, machined aluminium sub-platter, a new 24V motor hand tuned and matched to its Neo power supply and a custom drive pulley fitted with an upgraded drive belt. The Neo is easily the most sophisticated PSU in the group and offers electronic speed change, advanced anti-vibration control and…3 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Technics SL-1500C £900TURNTABLES £700-£1,500 I’ve yet to meet an analogue addict who would refuse a degree of unnecessary dental work to own a Technics SL-1000R directdrive turntable in lieu of the £14k they’d otherwise have to hand over. The good news is that the closest approach to that glittering flagship for less than a grand comes from the same gene pool and it’s called the SL-1500C. A fanciful notion? Not at all. The fundamentals are essentially the same. It uses a coreless directdrive motor with sophisticated speed management circuitry housed within a beefy, well-damped chassis and, just like the SL-1000R, has an S-shaped tonearm with detachable headshell. With its built-in MM phono stage, not much time elapses between unpacking the SL-1500C from its carton and the stylus of the pre-fitted Ortofon 2M…3 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Art of noiseExplaining that his route into the audio industry began with a mail order business selling records, Keith Martin says that it was not long before this expanded into accessories as well. He recalls: “We began to supply some brands of accessories, but in terms of power protection and performance enhancement, we felt there was nothing on the market that really hit the spot, certainly nothing designed from the ground up, specifically to do the job. My background before this was in industrial and graphic design, working with companies like Virgin and BMQ Music. The problem, as we saw it, was that nobody was designing a product for the hi-fi industry that was created specifically for the purpose of protecting equipment and making it sound better.”Martin adds: “When we started, generally…6 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019INTRODUCING SUPER NOVAFor a company like IsoTek, creating reference-level products is a natural part of its development and ambition. The latest expression of this ambition came earlier this year with the release of the Super Nova in Germany.Showcased for the first time at the High-End show trade exposition, held in Munich each year, the Super Nova comes as an addition to IsoTek’s Ultimate Series and is the most sophisticated (passive) front-end source component power cleaning system the company has ever developed.The Super Nova is designed for primary components that typically have a constant current draw, so the likes of CD players, music servers, DACs, preamplifiers and phono stages are the primary beneficiaries of its abilities.Each of the eight power outlets has its own dedicated power cleaning system and each output is rated…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Golden wonderMONITOR AUDIO GOLD 300 £4,000 It’s said that politics is the art of making people want what it suits you to let them have. I get the impression hi-fi consumers are at the receiving end of a similar agenda where innovations are pushed in the expectation of eager acceptance by a market hungry for new experiences, even if they’re an acquired taste that take a bit of getting used to. If this is the case, Monitor Audio is a poor exemplar. Not in the sense that it eschews new tech. On the contrary, its constantly evolved speaker ranges bristle with the stuff. If there is a secret to the company’s continuing success, it’d simply be a smarter understanding of what actually sells. In other words, the art of giving people…6 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Can I get a rewind?For yours truly, the truth that dare not speak its name is that I am a huge fan of the venerable Compact Cassette. I suspect it hasn’t got past some readers, as I periodically write paeans of praise to great late-seventies cassette super-decks – for HFC’s much-loved Retro section. I actually have more cassette decks in my classic hi-fi collection than I do turntables – and that’s rather a lot.One of the reasons is I have never found any better format for general-purpose music use. I’m fully aware that I’m a bit of an oddball in some respects, although aren’t we all? It’s the format’s ability to record music quickly and easily in very high fidelity and then play it back again in a fuss-free way that never ceases to…4 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Reeling in the yearsKLH ALBANY £499 Founded back in 1957 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, KLH is possibly one of the biggest loudspeaker brands you’ve never heard of. I recall its products being on sale in the UK in the late seventies, but have heard little from the brand since. This is amazing considering it claims to have once been the largest speaker maker in the world. It’s certainly true that Henry Kloss, Malcolm S Low, and Josef Anton Hofmann’s company has at times been a major global player with some special products such as the Model Nine, which KLH says is the first full-range electrostatic speaker. Changes have been afoot recently, with David Kelley, longtime Klipsch executive, taking over the helm in 2017 – and since then there has been a concerted push to…7 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019That’s entertainmentNational stereotypes are pernicious things. Whatever grain of truth might exist at their core, they generally omit some of the more significant caveats. Perhaps the most unfair of any I’m aware of is that the citizens of Germany are somehow lacking in a sense of fun. Anyone who has had a night out in Berlin will be all too aware that this statement is entirely without foundation. The Germans are in fact, very keen on fun. It is simply the case that they take the business of having fun very seriously.This rigour is no less apparent with hi-fi. What you see here is a system comprised of phenomenal engineering. It has an incredibly flexible spec and some lovely design touches, all directed solely at your enjoyment. T+A has been ploughing…7 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Size mattersSENNHEISER AMBEO £2,199 Up until now, Sennheiser’s business model has been simply divided. On the consumer side it makes headphones and earbuds, while for the pro sector it’s microphones. And that’s it. A big and successful player in both markets for many decades, the Danish company has clearly been in no hurry to diversify, despite the numerous options and opportunities that have blossomed over the years. So it’s surprising to find Sennheiser’s 2019 breakout product is an audio component more commonly associated with lifestyle convenience than outright sonic excellence and one that’s proliferating among competing brands like wildfire. But there’s never been a soundbar quite like the Ambeo. While its adoption of Dolby Atmos is nothing new – Sony, Samsung, Yamaha and others got there first – what sets the…6 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019DEMO DISCSRichard Schram, founder and CEO of Parasound, reveals the music that he uses to demo and develop productsNils Lofgren BandLiveVery well recorded, dynamic and explosive, this plumbs the depths of the lower registers of the bass while the drums sound realistic for a live track.YelloToyFrautonium starts off slowly and gently moves into a stunning fortissimo. Limbo is perfect for showing off system resolution, dynamics and deep bass capability.HandelQuanto Spieghi I Tuoi Tormento This is a magnificent, haunting, beautiful and sparsely recorded track that highlights Renee Fleming’s wonderful tonality and voice front and centre.Forbes FamilyFarewellThe family-style a cappella of Feel Like My Time Ain’t Long mixes wonderful male and female harmonies with vocals to ensure the system gets the midrange just right.…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Art of noiseExplaining that his route into the audio industry began with a mail order business selling records, Keith Martin says that it was not long before this expanded into accessories as well. He recalls: “We began to supply some brands of accessories, but in terms of power protection and performance enhancement, we felt there was nothing on the market that really hit the spot, certainly nothing designed from the ground up, specifically to do the job. My background before this was in industrial and graphic design, working with companies like Virgin and BMQ Music. The problem, as we saw it, was that nobody was designing a product for the hi-fi industry that was created specifically for the purpose of protecting equipment and making it sound better.” Martin adds: “When we started,…6 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Buying headphonesHeadphones have been around in one form or another for more than a century and were a regular part of hi-fi for at least 40 years before taking off and becoming the popular category that they are today. With events like CanJam held in major cities around the world and dedicated headphone zones at hi-fi showcases such as Headphone Haven at The UK Hi-Fi Show Live 2019 (26-27 October – see p13) becoming increasingly popular, how has the once humble headphone morphed into one of the biggest sectors of the hi-fi market?Once considered a fall back if you couldn’t afford a fine pair of loudspeakers or – even if you could – a way to enjoy music at decent volume levels without annoying the neighbours or room-sharing relatives, headphones have…8 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Hi-fi choicesTHIS MONTH ED SELLEY EXPERTISE: REVIEWER Active in the industry since 1999, Ed’s first record was Boss Drum by The Shamen. He splits his time between reviewing and protecting hi-fi kit from his son Will. NEVILLE ROBERTS EXPERTISE: ENGINEER Neville has an eclectic taste for classical baroque and jazz. His wife was forced to marry his transmission line speakers in the eighties and he collects BBC test card music. JASON KENNEDY EXPERTISE: REVIEWER Editor of HFC from 1998 to 2001, Jason’s first turntable was Rega’s Planar 3 and Elvis’ 40 Greatest Hits was his first vinyl, so don’t go stepping on his blue suede shoes. DAVID PRICE EXPERTISE: REVIEWER DP two-finger typed his first hi-fi review 25 years ago. Since then he’s edited Hi-Fi World and HFC. He describes himself…14 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Sennheiser HD 800 SPRICE: £1,400 TELEPHONE: 0333 2408185 WEB: en-uk.sennheiser.com REVIEWED: HFC 439The flagship of Sennheiser’s open-back range, the HD 800 S takes the fundamental design of the HD 800 and updates the details. It’s built around a large pair of 56mm dynamic drivers and benefits from Sound Absorber technology to control resonances to more accurately reproduce high frequencies. Sennheiser supplies two OFC cables; one that terminates in a 6.35mm jack connection and one that uses a single XLR cable for full balanced operation. The packaging also becomes a useful storage box for the headphone when not in use.Sound qualityThe HD 800 S is completely free from any sense of constraint whatsoever and although noise leakage is almost total, the result is a wonderfully open and unforced quality. This is combined with a…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019QuadraspireBACK IN THE pre-CD days of the seventies, we knew full well how turntables were susceptible to ‘acoustic feedback’ because if you turned your hi-fi up too loud you’d get the most dreadful squeal coming through the speakers. These days we are thankfully spared that, but modern hi-fi separates are still more sensitive to air and ground-borne vibration than you might imagine. Most are microphonic to the extent that you can hear them perform audibly better when sitting on a properly designed equipment stand.There are two ways of dealing with this: isolating your hi-fi or allowing it to sink vibration better so the resonances go through the equipment rather than buzzing around inside. Impoverished tweakers cut tennis balls in half and place them under their separates, while well-healed ones splash…3 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019ViablueHOT ON THE heels of its SC-4 loudspeaker cable (HFC 438) and NF-S1 interconnect (HFC 439) reviews last year, Viablue has introduced a range of equipment supports. Its QTC spikes are designed to prevent unwanted vibrations from being transmitted from a speaker to the underlying surface. The company says the spikes can also be fitted to other sensitive components.On the levelA set of four claims to support loads of up to 200kg and consist of two coated metal bodies connected together with a 20mm fine threaded section for height adjustment to ensure that all four spikes are level. Each spike has a removable stainless steel peak and is supplied with a 16mm-diameter disc with stainless steel inlays (25mm discs are also available for wooden floors). The spikes are compatible with…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019American dreamPRICE: £6,999, £7,999AVAILABLE: NOWCONTACT: 01223 203200WEB: MARKLEVINSON.COMINTRODUCED AT THE Munich High-End show back in May by parent company Harman Luxury Audio, Californian-based high-end specialist Mark Levinson showcased its new 5000 series of integrated amplifiers with the N°5802 and N°5805. Both models feature fully discrete, direct-coupled, Class AB amplifier channels and claim 2x 125W into 8ohm and 2x 250W into 4ohm. Priced at £6,999, the N°5802 features all-digital inputs with six digital ins including two optical, two coaxial, one AES/EBU port and one asynchronous USB for hi-res content – up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD to DSD128 – plus support for MQA files and aptX HD Bluetooth wireless.The N°5805 is fully loaded with inputs, including a MM/MC phono stageThe N°5805 (pictured right with fellow Harman Luxury Audio brand Revel and its…3 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Denon AV goes stereoPRICE: £599 AVAILABLE: NOW CONTACT: 02890 279830 WEB: DENON.CO.UK BRINGING TOGETHER ITS hi-fi experience and home cinema expertise in a stereo component, Denon has announced its first stereo network receiver with wireless music streaming and TV connectivity. Priced at £599, the DRA-800H claims 2x 100W into 8ohm and is equipped with FM/DAB+ radio, a dedicated moving-magnet phono stage input, plus two analogue line ins, three digital ins (two optical and one coaxial), wi-fi, AirPlay 2, Bluetooth and HEOS multi-room support to take care of audio needs. This is then bolstered by a video connectivity suite that supports full 4K Ultra HD video via four HDMI inputs and one output with ARC (Audio Return Channel). Network connectivity and a front-panel USB port handle FLAC, WAV and ALAC PCM files up to…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Classé adds Delta ampsPRICE: £10,00-£12,500 AVAILABLE: AUTUMN CONTACT: 02890 279830 WEB: CLASSEAUDIO.COM Following the acquisition of Montréal-based Classé by Sound United last year, the high-end specialist has recently unveiled plans for its third-generation Delta series amplifiers with three models sporting new topology and a fresh look with a distinctive chassis and grey finish. First up, the Delta mono power amplifier (pictured right) is priced at £11,000. It’s rated at 300W into 8ohm (600W into 4) and operates in Class A up to 35W. The Delta Stereo power amplifier (left) is priced at £12,500, is rated at 2x 250W into 8ohm (2x 500W into 4) and operates in Class A up to 2x 12.5W. Both models sport channel output level VU meters on their front panels. There’s also an air intake for the active…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019KIMBER’S SELECT USB CABLESContinuing with its 40th anniversary celebrations, US cable specialist Kimber Kable has launched its Select USB cables with three designs aimed at computer audio fans. The Select USB-Copper is said to feature advanced silver-plated pure-copper conductors for both data and 5V DC power lines, while the Select USB-Hybrid uses a mixture of copper for the power line and the all-important data lines are manufactured from pure silver. Lastly, the top-of-the-range Select USB-Silver employs pure-silver conductors throughout its construction for the ultimate in performance. All three use low-density PTFE insulation, come in 0.5 to 6m lengths and can be specified with different connectors including USB-A-to-B, A-to-C and C-to-C. Prices start from £562.50.RUSSANDREWS.COM…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019KIMBER’S SELECT USB CABLESContinuing with its 40th anniversary celebrations, US cable specialist Kimber Kable has launched its Select USB cables with three designs aimed at computer audio fans. The Select USB-Copper is said to feature advanced silver-plated pure-copper conductors for both data and 5V DC power lines, while the Select USB-Hybrid uses a mixture of copper for the power line and the all-important data lines are manufactured from pure silver. Lastly, the top-of-the-range Select USB-Silver employs pure-silver conductors throughout its construction for the ultimate in performance. All three use low-density PTFE insulation, come in 0.5 to 6m lengths and can be specified with different connectors including USB-A-to-B, A-to-C and C-to-C. Prices start from £562.50. RUSSANDREWS.COM…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Unique group testsTURNTABLES GROUP TESTENSURING A TURNTABLE is properly set up takes considerable care and attention to detail. We extended our test period over a week, allowing for each deck to be tested with its supplied cartridge and cabling to gauge the ability and value of the complete package. Before testing begins, we check all the pre-installed cartridges for correct alignment, tracking weight and optimum anti-skate bias and ensure that they are adequately run-in. Temperature is a factor for cantilever compliance, but as this test coincided with an unusually warm spell the hazard of a cold listening room wasn’t encountered.The decks are tested without their lids (where supplied) and in sequence with their bundled interconnect cable and our reference Nordost Blue Heaven turntable interconnect, to ensure consistency across the group while making…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Cambridge Audio Alva TT £1,500TURNTABLES £700-£1,500Cambridge Audio is not the first name that springs to mind when thinking of turntable makers, and that must have shaped the company’s thinking during the design process. In short, it needed a strong USP and – memo to marketing – a snappy lifestyle-flavoured strapline to go with it. Enter the world’s first Bluetooth aptX HD-enabled turntable and, because it has a built-in phono stage, the reassuring ‘just add vinyl’ marketing initiative. There might be record decks that are equally plug ‘n’ play, but so far only one that can stream to any Bluetooth receiver at up to 24-bit/48kHz hi-res.Box ticked, Cambridge certainly hasn’t stinted on the quality. For presence and build, it’s at least the equal of the other decks here, if shaded for design originality by the…3 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019NAD C 588 £700TURNTABLES £700-£1,500rom the many NAD turntables over the years, one stands out. The early eighties 5120 had the style and sound to duke it out with the best of its £100 rivals. It was made by a Czech company subsequently bought out and later known as Pro-Ject. If not quite history repeating itself, the fact that the C 588 is built by Pro-Ject does have a certain satisfying symmetry.And the C 588 is undoubtedly NAD’s best effort to date – a two-speed, belt-driven design based around a rigid MDF matt-black plinth with classy radiused corners, sitting on four, pointed metal feet that NAD claims provide “tuned isolation”. Set into the plinth is a precision AC motor, driven by a proprietary control circuit that takes in a 15V DC supply from…3 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Rega Planar 6 £1,470TURNTABLES £700-£1,500As the most conspicuously hi-tech of the belt-drive models here, the Planar 6 arguably comes with the biggest reputation to defend. It’s the first new Rega turntable to be constructed with an ultra-lightweight polyurethane foam core plinth weighing just 980g – less than half that of the superseded RP6. The foam is called Tancast 8 – developed for the aerospace industry – and is sandwiched between an exceptionally thin but extremely rigid high-pressure laminate.Improvements over the RP6 include a single-piece, machined aluminium sub-platter, a new 24V motor hand tuned and matched to its Neo power supply and a custom drive pulley fitted with an upgraded drive belt.The Neo is easily the most sophisticated PSU in the group and offers electronic speed change, advanced anti-vibration control and user-adjustable electronic fine…3 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Group test verdictTURNTABLES £700-£1,500AS MENTIONED AT the start, I nominally split these six turntables into two groups with the NAD, Pro-Ject and Technics in the ‘hot buy’ (sub £1k) set while inviting the Rega, Cambridge Audio and AnalogueWorks to make their best case for spending £1,500, with the overall victor chosen from the two sub-group winners.Starting with the lower-priced group, it’s a tough call between the Pro-Ject X1 and NAD C 588 for runner up, the bold and boisterous NAD in the end just losing out to the calmer, more mature and finely structured charms of the Pro-Ject by the slimmest of margins. They’re both talented performers but in completely different ways; the C 588 frequently on the front foot and itching for something to sink its teeth into, the X1 a…2 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Golden wonderMONITOR AUDIO GOLD 300 £4,000It’s said that politics is the art of making people want what it suits you to let them have. I get the impression hi-fi consumers are at the receiving end of a similar agenda where innovations are pushed in the expectation of eager acceptance by a market hungry for new experiences, even if they’re an acquired taste that take a bit of getting used to.If this is the case, Monitor Audio is a poor exemplar. Not in the sense that it eschews new tech. On the contrary, its constantly evolved speaker ranges bristle with the stuff. If there is a secret to the company’s continuing success, it’d simply be a smarter understanding of what actually sells. In other words, the art of giving people the things…6 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019NAD C 588 £700TURNTABLES £700-£1,500 rom the many NAD turntables over the years, one stands out. The early eighties 5120 had the style and sound to duke it out with the best of its £100 rivals. It was made by a Czech company subsequently bought out and later known as Pro-Ject. If not quite history repeating itself, the fact that the C 588 is built by Pro-Ject does have a certain satisfying symmetry. And the C 588 is undoubtedly NAD’s best effort to date – a two-speed, belt-driven design based around a rigid MDF matt-black plinth with classy radiused corners, sitting on four, pointed metal feet that NAD claims provide “tuned isolation”. Set into the plinth is a precision AC motor, driven by a proprietary control circuit that takes in a 15V DC…3 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Big is beautifulELIPSON PRESTIGE FACET 34F £2,495It is often said that the seventies were the decade that taste forgot and apart from being the era that introduced many of us to the idea of high-fidelity stereo sound, few seem to have fond memories of it. Some seventies design trends, however, are coming back into fashion and much like Wharfedale’s Linton reviewed last month, there is a sign that properly proportioned loudspeakers are once again returning to popularity.Consider for a moment, the archetypal seventies loudspeaker that many audiophiles may recall with something of a shudder. It was teak, had a wide baffle and a good choice of drive units covering the necessary frequencies. Bass units grew in size as you went up the range, but even many entry-level designs boasted a 200mm main…7 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Size mattersSENNHEISER AMBEO £2,199Up until now, Sennheiser’s business model has been simply divided. On the consumer side it makes headphones and earbuds, while for the pro sector it’s microphones. And that’s it. A big and successful player in both markets for many decades, the Danish company has clearly been in no hurry to diversify, despite the numerous options and opportunities that have blossomed over the years.So it’s surprising to find Sennheiser’s 2019 breakout product is an audio component more commonly associated with lifestyle convenience than outright sonic excellence and one that’s proliferating among competing brands like wildfire.But there’s never been a soundbar quite like the Ambeo. While its adoption of Dolby Atmos is nothing new – Sony, Samsung, Yamaha and others got there first – what sets the Ambeo apart (aside…6 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Bridge the gapLINDEMANN LIMETREE BRIDGE £745Continuing with its 25th anniversary series of more affordable components, Lindemann’s Limetree Bridge is a little more unusual than the similarly sized Phono and Headphone models we saw back in HFC 441 and 444 respectively. This is a network audio player, but it’s been designed to offer specific functionality that is different to almost anything else we’ve seen before.Strictly speaking, the Bridge is a streaming transport with no decoding built in. It connects via the digital optical or coaxial output at the rear to an outboard DAC or amplifier of your choosing that’s equipped with a compatible digital input. There is a USB-A port also, but this is solely for connecting external storage drives. Lindemann says that the Bridge is intended to give older DACs – the…3 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 20192001-20192001IsoTek kicks things off with the SubStation mains conditioner2002First generation of iconic Mini Sub power conditioner is unveiled2004IsoTek restructures with new production facilities and an improved design team2004The GII Mini Sub mains conditioner launches to great critical acclaim2004IsoTek collaborates with Nordost to create the Thor power conditioner2005Titan arrives, introducing IsoTek’s innovative high current Direct Coupled Design circuit2006Sigmas launches, incorporating technology trickled down from Titan2007Arrival of Mira TV filter heralds new EVO3 generation of products2009EVO3 Aquarius replaces GII Mini Sub – a critical component in IsoTek’s range2011IsoTek unleashes Super Titan – the world’s most powerful mains conditioner2012The Genesis full mains sine wave generator comes to market2013The Discovery Range, including the Polaris power bar and Premier power cable, debuts2017IsoTek’s most sophisticated power cable, the Ascension, launches2019IsoTek’s Smart Power custom installation line is…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019DESIGN DETAILSThe Super Nova design includes a sophisticated new choke, which allows a series connection that quadruples the inductance in order to give a vast increase in filtering at a constant 10A if needed. In turn, this provides a typical load of 25-40W, a massive power reserve.In addition, two specialised radio frequency chokes combined with capacitances produce a high level of classical (Pi filter) design filtration. Furthermore, there is the unique Nova adaptive gate system, designed to produce the optimum resistance capacitance barrier for eliminating differential mode cross-contamination.IsoTek says that, unlike some power cleaning concepts, Super Nova not only adjusts to the connected load and creates the ultimate barrier to differential mode noise cross-contamination, but enables each connected component to benefit from an ideally regulated and clean power supply. Super Nova…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019For the recordSooner or later, I figured, I’d have to do a turntable Group Test. Now I have. The big surprise – to me, anyway – is that I suggested it. Now, as any of you who’ve read my reviews and previous columns may have gleaned, thus far I haven’t exactly embraced the current vinyl zeitgeist with open arms, mostly because the kids who seem to be driving it are being conned with the idea that a poorly re-mastered and pressed £25 LP will sound anything other than appalling on a toy turntable in a faux suitcase. The only acceptable response to this is: “Relax, grandad, I just stick them on my bedroom wall, haven’t even got a record player. Why would I bother when they come with a free MP3 download?”…4 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Ripping yarnsOne way or another I have been involved in the business of network audio since 2005 when I was employed by Cambridge Audio in the development of the Azur 640H CD player/music server. As well as its own content on its drive, it had the ability to read a library stored elsewhere on a network. The reality of the process at this early stage in the development of networked audio was that you needed to know a fair amount about computer hardware before some of the more esoteric bells and whistles could be accessed and even then, it was far from slick.Since these early steps into a brave new world of networked audio, I have reviewed dozens of streamers, servers and smart speakers. I have spare routers and miles of…4 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Compression obsessionIn February 1976, Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) became the first album to receive an RIAA platinum award, recognising the fact it sold one million copies in the US. In August 2018 the album was certified 38 times platinum. To my mind, this clearly demonstrates that it’s the songs and the quality of the recordings that have enabled continuous sales over the decades. Many see this as a triumph for good recording and mastering techniques over the commercial pressures that often see much of today’s music stand out by simply making it sound loud.When I speak of music being loud, I am referring to the average level or loudness within the recording. The dynamic range is the difference between the softest and loudest sounds of a recording. If you take…3 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Big is beautifulELIPSON PRESTIGE FACET 34F £2,495 It is often said that the seventies were the decade that taste forgot and apart from being the era that introduced many of us to the idea of high-fidelity stereo sound, few seem to have fond memories of it. Some seventies design trends, however, are coming back into fashion and much like Wharfedale’s Linton reviewed last month, there is a sign that properly proportioned loudspeakers are once again returning to popularity. Consider for a moment, the archetypal seventies loudspeaker that many audiophiles may recall with something of a shudder. It was teak, had a wide baffle and a good choice of drive units covering the necessary frequencies. Bass units grew in size as you went up the range, but even many entry-level designs boasted a…7 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019The Hold SteadyThrashing Thru The PassionCD Frenchkiss RecordsFOR A WHILE, Brooklyn’s The Hold Steady seemed to be the future of good old-fashioned redemptive rock and roll and the everyman sensibilities expressed so joyously on albums such as Boys And Girls In America and Stay Positive cast lead singer/songwriter Craig Finn as the new Springsteen. Personnel changes and solo projects stalled their trajectory so it’s great to find the original lineup restored and firing again on the band’s first album in five years. Making up for lost time, it’s a record that surges with a relentless, life-affirming power, Finn’s monologues and tales from the boondocks buoyed not only by the effervescent guitar of Tad Kubler and keyboards of Franz Nicolay, but by a four-strong horn section. Standouts include the anthemic Entitlement Crew and…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019HIGH RESOLUTION DOWNLOADSCassius DreemsFLAC 24/96IF EVER THERE was a record for the summer, this is it. Philippe Cerboneschi and Hubert Blanc-Francard’s dance duo has produced something that’s light, danceable yet full of retro flourishes. Synth stabs and washes – as well as a bit of high-gloss slap funk bass and processed guitar – feel like they come straight from the eighties. Add in soulful lyrics and special guests and this has pop crossover appeal, as well as being equally fit for a club. PHThe Raconteurs Help Us StrangerFLAC 24/96 onkyomusic.comTHIS EARNS A five-star review not as it’s the best record you’ll hear this month or it reinvents the wheel. No, The Raconteurs’ first album in 11 years simply sounds fantastic on a decent setup turned up loud. Jack White and Brendan Benson…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Bridge the gapLINDEMANN LIMETREE BRIDGE £745 Continuing with its 25th anniversary series of more affordable components, Lindemann’s Limetree Bridge is a little more unusual than the similarly sized Phono and Headphone models we saw back in HFC 441 and 444 respectively. This is a network audio player, but it’s been designed to offer specific functionality that is different to almost anything else we’ve seen before. Strictly speaking, the Bridge is a streaming transport with no decoding built in. It connects via the digital optical or coaxial output at the rear to an outboard DAC or amplifier of your choosing that’s equipped with a compatible digital input. There is a USB-A port also, but this is solely for connecting external storage drives. Lindemann says that the Bridge is intended to give older DACs…3 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPEDThe notion that the Grateful Dead were a stoned cosmic jam band whose music was best heard in an altered state gave birth to one of the better gags in the rock and roll joke book. It goes: “What did the Grateful Dead fan say when his drugs ran out? Man, this band really sucks.” Amusing as the joke may be, it is also a travesty for in many ways the Grateful Dead were the ultimate American band whose music covered every genre, facet and style.They could play long, improvised alchemical wig-outs that took off for the furthest reaches of the cosmos. But they could also play tight, three-minute songs rooted in the vernacular traditions of folk and country music, like The Band. They could rock as hard as the…11 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019INTRODUCING SUPER NOVAFor a company like IsoTek, creating reference-level products is a natural part of its development and ambition. The latest expression of this ambition came earlier this year with the release of the Super Nova in Germany. Showcased for the first time at the High-End show trade exposition, held in Munich each year, the Super Nova comes as an addition to IsoTek’s Ultimate Series and is the most sophisticated (passive) front-end source component power cleaning system the company has ever developed. The Super Nova is designed for primary components that typically have a constant current draw, so the likes of CD players, music servers, DACs, preamplifiers and phono stages are the primary beneficiaries of its abilities. Each of the eight power outlets has its own dedicated power cleaning system and each…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Focal ClearPRICE: £1,399 TELEPHONE: 03301 222500 WEB: focal.com REVIEWED: HFC 439Sat between the £900 Elear (HFC 416) and flagship Utopia (costing around £3,500), the Clear’s open-back design is a development of that used in the more affordable Elear. Internally, it uses a pair of 40mm dynamic drivers, with patented ‘M Profile’ to increase the stiffness of the driver, which Focal says maintains the dynamics and fidelity of the recording. The most peculiar aspect of the design – given that it is open backed and so prone to leaking too much noise to consider using in public – is the effort that has gone into making it work with portable devices. The impedance has been kept to 55ohm and it comes with both short (1.2m) and long (3m) cables.Sound qualityWhere Focal has…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Personal stereoDenon AH-D7200PRICE: £499 TELEPHONE: 02890 279830 WEB: denon.co.uk REVIEWED: HFC 441From the soft sheepskin leather-covered memory foam earpads to the click stops for adjusting the earcup positioning along the sumptuous leather headband, this is opulent stuff. The headband frame is made out of aluminium, making it feel reasonably light at 385g. Fitted with 50mm dynamic drivers mounted inside the walnut enclosures, it looks the part too – and the real wooden earcups really add to the straight-forward design and give it a truly luxury high-quality feel. A 3m-long braided cable fitted with a 6.35mm jack plug is supplied that can be detached from the ear cups, thanks to the two 3.5mm jack plugs designated for left and right earpieces, should you need to replace or upgrade at a later date.Sound…2 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Sennheiser HD 820PRICE: £1,999 TELEPHONE: 0333 2408185 WEB: en-uk.sennheiser.com REVIEWED: HFC 442Designed to solve the issue of unwanted resonances and limited bass that come with closed-back designs, Sennheiser has come up with Ring Radiator transducers fitted with special Gorilla Glass covers. The concave glass reflects sound waves from the rear of the transducer to an absorber said to minimise resonances. Combined with the relatively large 56mm driver, this results in a good enclosed volume. Three 3m silver-plated OFC cables fitted with gold-plated plugs are also bundled. The unbalanced one is terminated with a 6.35mm standard unbalanced stereo jack plug. The other two are balanced – one with a 4.4mm Pentaconn stereo jack and the other with an XLR-4.Sound qualityThe HD 820 delivers refined performances across a wide range of musical genres, but…1 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019For the recordSooner or later, I figured, I’d have to do a turntable Group Test. Now I have. The big surprise – to me, anyway – is that I suggested it. Now, as any of you who’ve read my reviews and previous columns may have gleaned, thus far I haven’t exactly embraced the current vinyl zeitgeist with open arms, mostly because the kids who seem to be driving it are being conned with the idea that a poorly re-mastered and pressed £25 LP will sound anything other than appalling on a toy turntable in a faux suitcase. The only acceptable response to this is: “Relax, grandad, I just stick them on my bedroom wall, haven’t even got a record player. Why would I bother when they come with a free MP3 download?”…4 min
Hi-Fi Choice|September 2019Can I get a rewind?For yours truly, the truth that dare not speak its name is that I am a huge fan of the venerable Compact Cassette. I suspect it hasn’t got past some readers, as I periodically write paeans of praise to great late-seventies cassette super-decks – for HFC’s much-loved Retro section. I actually have more cassette decks in my classic hi-fi collection than I do turntables – and that’s rather a lot. One of the reasons is I have never found any better format for general-purpose music use. I’m fully aware that I’m a bit of an oddball in some respects, although aren’t we all? It’s the format’s ability to record music quickly and easily in very high fidelity and then play it back again in a fuss-free way that never ceases…4 min
