Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2021 i Hi-Fi Choice

PRICE: £130-£3,500 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: TECHNICS.COM IT LOOKS LIKELY to be a busy end of the year for Technics, which is launching a number of new products in the coming weeks. First up is the SU-G700M2 integrated amplifier, which builds upon the platform of its predecessor – the SU-G700. Featuring advanced technologies trickled down from Technics’ Reference SU-R1000 (HFC 480) the SU-G700M2 inherits the JENO (Jitter Elimination and Noise-Shaping Optimisation) Engine and LAPC (Load Adaptive Phase Calibration) that’s intended to allow optimal matching to any loudspeaker you care to partner it with. The company explains that the new integrated comes with: “improved sound image and dynamic power, combining low distortion and high transparency with energetic drive, improved soundstage and precise focus of voices and instruments without sharpness”. In addition, there’s…

PRICE: £650-£1,100 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: QACOUSTICS.CO.UK Q ACOUSTICS HAS introduced the newest models in its series of Concept stereo and home cinema loudspeakers, the collection comprising the Concept 30 standmount, Concept 50 floorstander and Concept 90 centre channel. Taking acoustic and design cues from the flagship Concept 300 and 500 (HFC 476/426), while also introducing new innovations, the company says the new speakers are geared towards: “designing the quietest cabinet possible. Unaffected by internal and external resonances, they deliver focused stereo imaging, accurate audio and an extended holographic soundstage to emulate a live performance in the home”. With this in mind, the range has been designed using Gelcore cabinet construction to reduce higher frequency cabinet noise, Point-2-Point (P2P) internal bracing to stiffen the cabinet to minimise lower frequency vibrations (not…

Altair’s G2.1 costs a wee bit more than its Aries G2.1 (HFC 469) ‘Wireless Streaming Transporter’ – £4,600 plays £4,200 – and yet this model, designated a ‘Digital Audio Streamer’, is a far more comprehensive product. It comes complete with onboard DAC, a preamp that allows it to drive a power amplifier or a pair of active speakers directly, and there are even analogue inputs – a line-level and moving-magnet phono – to further reinforce that role as a complete system hub. If you choose to do so, you can go even further with the option of an internal hard drive to allow the Altair G2.1 to function as a network music store as well as accessing external storage. Specifying it with a 2TB SSD installed adds £400 to the…

There have been products wearing the DacMagic badge in the Cambridge Audio range for a quarter of a century now, and the 200M is the latest addition to the family. It is one of the more conventional DACs in the group, offering four digital inputs: USB, Bluetooth and the choice of either optical and coaxial or two of each (both connections are fitted for inputs 1 and 2, but only one can be selected at once). Sample rate is extremely good, handling PCM up to 24-bit/768kHz and DSD512. This is the first Cambridge Audio device to support MQA as well. The only real gap in the specification involves the Bluetooth implementation – with neither aptX HD or AAC supported. The 200M is built around a pair of ESS ES9028Q2M DACs…

Not only is the MX-DAC the most affordable such device from Musical Fidelity, it is also the oldest participant here. The specification reflects this as it’s very much ‘just’ a digital-to-analogue converter rather than a sort of digital Swiss army knife. It’s the only exclusively line-level device in the group and offers no headphone functionality or Bluetooth, let alone streaming or other such niceties. The sample rate handling is also the most limited here as it supports PCM to 32-bit/192kHz and DSD to 128. Before we grab any pitchforks, though, it’s perhaps worth reiterating that this is still more than sufficient to replay the vast majority of commercially available music without any need to downsample or otherwise alter what you’re hearing. The upside to the focus on being a converter…

THIS SEXTET DIVIDES into two very distinct groups. In the first, the MX-DAC, DacMagic 200M and N15D are capable products in very different ways but come with some caveats. The Cambridge DAC is well-specified, well-made and operates as a very good headphone amp. It never truly delivers the level of emotional engagement some others here do, however. The Musical Fidelity by contrast has that emotive quotient in spades, but the price and absence of features leave it in fifth place. The Novafidelity is brilliantly specified, but the lack of other digital inputs and the periodically rather forward sound are issues that you will need to take into account. Above this trio, the other three DACs exhibit qualities that put them into podium spots. Pro-Ject’s Pre Box S2 Digital combines a…

Q Acoustics recently launched its Q Active range of speakers, packed with wi-fi, voice control and other zeitgeist-surfing digital features. The speakers are pretty expensive, though, starting at £1,500 for the entry-level Active 200, so the company has produced a more affordable alternative in the shape of the M20, which comes in at barely one quarter of the price. It is designed with a focus on versatility, the company describing it as a general-purpose system for: “music, movies and gaming”. That versatility begins with the compact design of the twin speakers, which are small enough to sit easily on a bookshelf, on either side of a TV or even on a desk alongside a computer. The build quality doesn’t reveal any obvious indications of compromise, with smart, matte-black cabinets, smoothly…

Want a truism you can stake the house on? ‘Nothing’s perfect’ fits the bill. For some designers of hi-fi equipment, it’s a comforting backstop: you gave it your very best shot, it’s great but, of course, nothing’s perfect. Will try to do better next time, whenever that might be. For Tom Evans it’s an irritation he just can’t stop scratching. These might be challenging economic times for small, specialist operations, but the iterative process that inches ever forwards towards the unreachable destination never ends. Which is why the £5,000 phono preamp that until recently went by Groove + SRX Mk 2 is now Groove + SRX Mk 2.5. Though this hasn’t been the subject of a global advertising campaign, there is a small sticker on the underside of the main…

CD PLAYERS Audiolab 6000CDT PRICE: £380 REVIEWED: HFC 447 The 6000CDT is exceptional at revealing what’s on your discs to deliver a great big soundstage with plenty of detail inside. It can dig down deep into the mix to eke out the different musical strands while dynamically and rhythmically it’s hard to beat at the price. In short, it’s a super, highly affordable audiophile CD transport. Métronome Technologie Le Player 2S PRICE: £5,100 REVIEWED: HFC 449 As good as the sweet treble and rich bass are, what really impresses here is how when fed weaker CDs and impoverished MP3s the delivery remains unflappable and composed as layers of detail are locked into sharp focus. Cambridge Audio AXC35 PRICE: £300 REVIEWED: HFC 454 Something of a budget marvel, you’ll have to…

PRICE: £3,490-£4,990 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: KOGAUDIO.COM GERMAN HI-FI SPECIALIST T+A has unveiled its latest compact high-end Series 200, which consists of the MP 200 multi-source player, DAC 200 digital-to-analogue converter/preamp and A 200 output stage. Reminiscent of its iconic M-systems of the Nineties T+A explains: “The series was developed with the goal of closing the gulf between high-grade specialised separates and a combined system for relaxed listening”. The digital-to-analogue converter is compatible with music files up to 768kHz PCM and DSD1024 and features amplifier sections utilising Class A and HV technology. T+A says the result is that: “the DAC 200 is the perfect choice for customers using active loudspeakers as well as audiophile converter enthusiasts”. Using the company’s Modular High-End Architecture, the MP 200 operates as a universal player, delivering…

PRICE: £130 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: NADELECTRONICS.COM CANADIAN COMPANY NAD is adding to its range in the just-add-speakers category with the launch of the new C 700 BluOS streaming amplifier. The housing is made from solid aluminium with a smooth glass front panel and 5in high-definition colour display that shows artwork, track status and system settings. Inside of this is a HybridDigital UcD amplifier and BluOS-enabled network streamer and the company claims that: “using the intuitive BluOS app, the ability to cue music from a digital library or stream from internet radio and online services like Spotify, Amazon Music HD, Tidal and Qobuz couldn’t be easier”. NAD also notes that the UcD amplifier design is: “renowned for ultra-low noise and distortion through the entire frequency range, regardless of the loudspeaker load”.…

DAC GROUP TEST THE CORE FUNCTIONALITY that all these digital-to-analogue converters share before any of their other features is taken into account includes a USB audio in and an RCA output. As such, the competitive testing sees them hooked up using these connections, taking a USB feed over an AudioQuest Carbon USB cable (USB-B for five of the six DACs and USB-C for the Matrix) from a Roon Nucleus (HFC 435) and outputting via Chord Company Shawline RCA-RCA (HFC 412) to a Chord Electronics CPM 2800MkII powering a pair of Kudos Titan 505 standmount speakers (HFC 451). Each DAC is connected to an IsoTek Evo3 Corvus mains block (HFC 431) and placed on a Quadraspire QAVX rack (HFC 395). Levels are then set by measuring the voltage at the speaker…

Positioned towards the upper end of iFi’s extensive range of digital products, the Neo iDSD is relatively unusual in the company’s roster because it’s not designed with a view to being portable. As one of the more expensive models in the group, it has a usefully comprehensive specification. Four inputs are fitted: one coaxial, one optical, one USB and Bluetooth. The sample rate is extremely good with PCM handled all the way up to 32-bit/768kHz, DSD to 512 and DXDx2 along with MQA support. The Bluetooth input plays nice with absolutely every version of Bluetooth possible into the bargain. It is fully balanced with a Burr-Brown chipset performing decoding and supported by the now traditional selection of high-quality components in the signal path. There’s a choice of RCA and XLR…

As the artist formerly known as Cocktail Audio, Novafidelity has a pretty commendable history when it comes to creating devices that are capable of doing an extraordinary number of different things from a single chassis. The N15D is the entry point of the company’s range and is no exception to this philosophy. As well as the all-important USB input, it can be used as a UPnP streamer with AirPlay and full Roon compatibility. Unique to the group, it also has a bay for a 2.5in hard drive allowing it to be a server too. Around the front, you’ll find a volume control and 6.35mm headphone socket, enabling the Novafidelity to operate as both a headphone amp and a preamp. This is a huge amount of capability for £600, but there…

Leben’s amps and preamps are exclusively line-level only so, in order to provide an in-house option for analogue fans, the RS-30EQ phono stage exists as a standalone external unit that can be connected to a turntable. Like everything else the company makes, it is a valve-based design. The circuit is built around a pair of JAN 12AT7A valves with a single 6X5GT working as a rectifier. The circuit these valves are placed in uses passive EQ rather than an active current feedback design. This can produce very good results, but is sensitive to induced noise. In order to ensure that this is avoided, Leben fits an ‘Orient Core’ transformer placed inside a heavy shield within the casework. In keeping with a number of valve designs, it is only fitted for…

Agrizzled veteran of the all-in-one streaming category, it has been nearly a decade since the original Music Centre hit the market and during this time Elipson has been rather resourceful in augmenting the specification to keep it competitive. Until recently, this had not extended to any form of streaming beyond Bluetooth and the inclusion of Chromecast Audio on some models. The Connect HD changes that. As the name suggests, the Music Centre Connect HD is a combination of the existing Music Centre and Elipson’s Connect streaming software. This allows you to access your existing library, augment it with streaming services (Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify and Deezer are all supported), internet radio and AirPlay. None of the existing functionality of the Music Centre has been shed in adding Connect. It still plays…

As years go, the last few have been pretty good for Mission. Under the International Audio Group umbrella, it has enjoyed a strong run of form with the affordable LX and QX Series of speakers in particular. The LX range was revamped to MkII status last year and now it is the turn of the QX Series. The QX-2 MkII is the larger of two standmounts in a range that also includes three floorstanders plus a centre and sub for AV duties. The basic design remains the same as before, which is not too surprising given how little was amiss with the original. It combines a 38mm ring dome tweeter with a 165mm ‘long fibre composite’ mid/bass driver, in the traditional Mission arrangement of the tweeter being the lower of…

With 85 percent of digital income and 42 percent of overall market share, streaming is now the dominant way to consume music. As a result, Big Brother is analysing your listening habits to produce a profile of who you are in order to tailor the plethora of advertisements and suggestions inflicted upon you from all sorts of unlikely sources. Furthermore, this data is added to the demographic data of millions of other users to build a picture of listeners’ habits based on location, age, gender and so on. For the musicians, this can be a very useful source of information that helps them decide on choices for their albums to maximise sales. For example, a company called ForTunes consists of a team of music and technical enthusiasts who aim to…

ALBUM OF THE MONTH Courtney Barnett Things Take Time, Take Time CD Marathon Artists SINCE BUSTING OUT of Melbourne’s indie scene onto the international stage, Barnett has boldly reimagined the over-worked tropes of traditional alt-rock for the 21st century through a gay feminist prism to become Australia’s hottest export since a cold tin of Foster’s. Delivering her smart, sardonic lyrics full of post-millennial anxiety in deliciously deadpan style, her 2015 full-length debut Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit earned her a Grammy nomination as best new artist. The follow-up 2018’s Tell Me How You Really Feel was every bit as impressive, full of highly personal songs etched with universal observations for the social media age. But by the time she had spent two years promoting that record…

MAINS TRANSFORMERS ARE designed to operate from an AC supply only. Unfortunately, by the time the electricity reaches our houses, it can acquire all sorts of nasty noise, including a DC offset caused by a non-symmetrical AC sine wave. The mains supply should be symmetrical around zero volts, which it is when it leaves the power station. However, by the time it reaches us, the positive half-cycle may not be the same amplitude as the negative half-cycle, resulting in a DC component being present. For most electrical appliances, this isn’t a problem as the DC offset is small, so why is it a problem for hi-fi? Mains transformers are coils of wire that are wrapped around a core material. When AC mains passes through the primary coil in the transformer,…

PRICE: £1,100-£1,400 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: THORENS.COM THORENS HAS LAUNCHED a couple of new turntables in the shape of the TD 1500 and TD 403 DD. The belt-driven TD 1500 features a sub-chassis that decouples the turntable and tonearm shelf from the motor and frame using three conical springs, which can be easily adjusted from above through corresponding holes in the platter so that it doesn’t have to be removed. The platter weighs in at 1.4kg and is 22mm thick, made of cast aluminium with a ground edge turning it in a Delrin trust bearing for smooth running. The speed of the DC motor is electronically monitored by an incremental encoder and any deviations are automatically corrected. The turntable has XLR outputs in addition to a pair of RCA jacks, enabling…

PRICE: £8,800 EACH AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: AUDIOZENAUDIO.COM OVER IN ITALY, Audiozen has been having fun creating a pair of complimentary monophonic amplifiers: the Yin and Yang, named after the ancient Chinese philosophical proposition of opposites. The Yin stands for black, darkness and negativity; the Yang for white, brightness and positivity and together they serve to power a single stereo system. Designed to illustrate the concept, the pair of solid-state power amplifiers have two toroidal power transformers each, for a total claimed power of more than 800VA per amplifier and more than 130V of voltage on power devices. The pair of oversized transformers is optimally assisted in its task by two rectifier bridges (with metal body) of more than 20 Amperes and by four filter capacitors for a total of 43000μF…

PRICE: £180 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: AUDIOPRO.COM/RICHERSOUNDS.COM Swedish company Audio Pro has updated its portable Addon T3 Bluetooth speaker, resulting in the Addon T3+, which the company says has an: “enhanced sonic character achieved by fine-tuning DSP settings, optimising the bass and redesigning the bass port”. Boasting a claimed battery time of up to 30 hours at mid volume and 12 hours at full whack, the speaker comes in a choice of black, white or grey finishes with a limited edition RAW model sporting a rough surface allowing the naked natural wooden material to be seen.…

PRICE: £5,350 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: ORTOFON.COM/HENLEYAUDIO.CO.UK DANISH COMPANY ORTOFON has launched the MC Verismo, a new high-end, moving-coil cartridge to join its Exclusive Series. Named after the post-Romantic operatic genre, the cart features a Selective Laser Melting (SLM) titanium housing, the company’s flagship Replicant 100 diamond stylus (boasting: “a thin and light shape, with an impressively long and narrow contact surface, making it as close as possible to an original record cutting stylus as possible”), a solid diamond cantilever, Neodymium magnet-based generator system for reduced size and weight, Aucurum coils of gold-plated 6NX oxygen-free copper and a Field Stabilising Element (FSE) in the magnet system and Wide Range Damping (WRD). The top of the cartridge body is ridged with three contact points, which allows for optimal coupling to the tonearm.…

THESE DAYS THERE are few certainties for the makers of source equipment. Just when things were looking to have settled down into a comfortable ‘post-CD’ state of being, many amplifiers have taken it upon themselves to start assuming some of the duties historically left to devices you would connect to them. The DAC – which was once all but extinct, before staging an impressive resurgence – now looks to be somewhat vulnerable again. After all, why double up on functionality that your amplifier is already doing perfectly well? DAC manufacturers are not taking this lying down. If amplifiers can absorb some of the roles of source equipment, then it stands to reason that the reverse is true. This goes a long way to explaining the functionality of the six models…

As the most affordable member of Matrix Audio’s range of products, the Mini-i Pro 3 goes further than any other device here in blurring the margin of operating as a DAC and something else entirely. Judged as a DAC, it’s competitive with the other devices in the group as you get a USB input (the only one here via a USB-C port), one optical, one coaxial and a Bluetooth receiver that supports everything bar the Huawei-specific HWA format (which the iFi includes). It has the only I2S connection in the group – on an HDMI-type socket – and it’s one of only two DACs here with an IEC mains socket for power. And it’s only getting stated. You also get Ethernet and wireless connection that allows for network audio access…

It seems like a very long time ago that Pro-Ject took its first tentative steps into digital, and from those early experiments the range has grown into a comprehensive and flexible selection of products. The Pre Box S2 Digital is a compact digital-to-analogue converter; easily the smallest in the test. Despite the reduction in metalwork, it doesn’t give much away in specification terms. It has single USB, coaxial and optical inputs and – should USB be the connection you intend to make use of, it’s also possible to power the DAC from this socket too. Should you decide to use the other inputs, a 5V wall-wart plug with USB micro A port comes supplied. As the ‘Pre’ name suggests, the Pro-Ject is also equipped with a volume control that alters…

Bluesound’s extensive range of standalone components, augmented by the growing number that make use of the same BluOS operating system, occupies a key position in the market as its strength in depth is something most rivals can’t get near. The Node is a line-level streamer designed to attach to an existing amplifier. The matching Powernode offers the same front end with an amplifier on board for standalone use. The latest version of the Node is similar to its predecessors. A Texas Instruments PCM 5242 DAC supports PCM to 24-bit/192kHz (as before, the Node will not process DSD although the BluOS operating system can convert it to PCM if you wish). This is made available to a pair of RCA, optical or coaxial outputs for simple connection to a DAC. The…

Everyone loves a list and Rolling Stone’s countdown of the best 500 songs of all time has long been regarded as the daddy of them all. But until recently, it had remained cast in stone since 2004. Back then Billie Eilish, one of the new names on the updated 2021 list, was just three years old. In truth, the new list is not so much a revision as a reboot. More than half the songs – 254 – weren’t on the 2004 list at all, including a third of the new top 100. As such it offers a fascinating insight into changing tastes and trends. In addition to Eilish, among the most recent additions are songs by Lizzo, Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande, Bad Bunny and even Harry Styles. Compiled from…

IT’S PROBABLY NOT the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about upgrades, but the physical contacts within a socket that connect with the 13A mains plug can be a source of noise when the connection is less than perfect. Furthermore, a standard wall socket invariably has mains on/off switches fitted that are in series with the live connection in the plug and are another potential course of noise. Signature dish The Signature is available as a double unit only and should be fitted in place of an existing socket in the standard double wall box. The first thing you will note is the absence of switches as they can raise mains impedance and be a source of noise. Another version is available with an external earth binding post,…

1 TOY KEEPS SWINGING In 2001 David Bowie shelved an entire album amid problems with his record label, but the good news is that you can get it at long last as part of the late singer’s latest reissue campaign. A mix of new songs and re-recordings of lesser-known tracks from 1964-71, Toy was recorded live in the studio shortly after Bowie’s 2000 Glastonbury performance. He planned to surprise release it almost immediately, but EMI/Virgin stalled. “Toy is like a moment in time captured in an amber of joy, fire and energy,” says co-producer Mark Plati of the album, which he recorded alongside Sterling Campbell, Gail Ann Dorsey, Earl Slick, Mike Garson, Holly Palmer, Emm Gryner, Lisa Germano, Gerry Leonard and Cuong Vu. “It’s the sound of people happy to…