Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2017 i Hi-Fi Choice

www.hifichoice.co.uk Issue No. 429 November 2017 As if to reinforce my view from last month’s Welcome page that hi-fi is getting smaller, along comes Exposure’s half-width XM Series – built for lovers of music that don’t have the space for full-size components, but still want a musical setup with plenty of punch. It’s an uneasy concept to appreciate for many traditional hi-fi enthusiasts with a penchant for bulging kit racks, but not every music fan wants a setup or can afford the space to accommodate full-size components, and the sleek trio comprising the XM7 preamp and XM9 monoblocks – reviewed on p16 – certainly doesn’t sacrifice sound quality to achieve its much-reduced dimensions. I am constantly impressed by the hi-fi industry’s ability to adapt as we minimise our homes and…

Two new Cala receivers join range PRICE: £2,313-£3,242 AVAILABLE: NOW CONTACT: 024 77220650 WEB: KOGAUDIO.COM T+A HAS ANNOUNCED details of its Cala receiver range, which consists of the Cala SR and Cala CDR. Designed to limit the number of separates in a setup, the new receivers include an integrated amplifier, compatibility with Tidal, Deezer and Qobuz streaming services, UPnP playback of network music servers and USB sticks/hard drives plus FM and DAB+ tuners. Connectivity includes 2x line-level RCAs, a single Toslink and a pair of coaxial inputs, along with preamp, subwoofer and headphone outputs. Bluetooth is on hand for wireless hookup and there’s a MM/MC compatible phono stage for hooking up a turntable. The £2,313 Cala SR boasts 2x 55W power output (into 4ohm), while the £3,242 Cala CDR ups…

FOLLOW US: @HIFICHOICEMAG DALI UK @DALISPEAKERSUK Fill your home with great music with the DALI FAZON SAT http:// www.dali-speakers.com/uk/loudspeakers/fazon/ fazon-sat/ #dalispeakers SHANLING AUDIO @SHANLINGAUDIO Introducing Shanling M3s, more info soon, available October! JBL PROFESSIONAL @THEJBLPRO Go behind-the-scenes to see how we put #VTXA12 through stringent tests to ensure the suspension hardware would excel on the road. IFA_BERLIN @IFA_BERLIN Good morning from sunny Berlin! Second official day of #IFA2017 has just started. Stay tuned for updates TECHNICS @TECHNICS OTTAVA™ f | SC-C70 Premium All-in-One Music System to be on sale from September. https://goo.gl/8iLuPJ SONY ELECTRONICS @SONYELECTRONICS Introducing the all NEW Sony 1000XM2 headphones: Industry leading noise cancellation with hi-res audio #SonyIFA http://bit.ly/2vv4lE5 BOWERS & WILKINS @BOWERSWILKINS How can sound and technology help improve education? We spoke to Lamberto Coccioli of @birmcons…

Exposure Hi-Fi PR DP: What type of buyer is the XM7/ XM9 combo made for? DD: All The XM series – which stands for ‘eXposure Mini’ – is aimed at all hi-fi purchasers who want seriously good sound, but who don’t necessarily have the space to allocate to traditional full-sized separates. How does it differ from full-size Exposure separates? The XM7/XM9 is based quite closely on the 3010s2’s preamplifier section (but without the plug-in discrete phono stage) and 3010s2 mono (but without the large power supply). There were few compromises to the XM7, aside from the inclusion of an IC-based moving-magnet phono stage as per the XM5 integrated amplifier. For ‘serious’ use the XM3 phono stage should be used – audiophiles who want the XM style and packaging yet still…

NOISE-CANCELLING HEADPHONES £170-£260 DETAILS PRODUCT AKG N60NC Wireless ORIGIN Austria/China TYPE Closed-back, on-ear noise-cancelling wireless headphone WEIGHT 199g FEATURES • Quoted battery life: 15 hours • Folding design • 1.2m cable • AptX Bluetooth DISTRIBUTOR AKG UK TELEPHONE 0161 2223325 WEBSITE uk.akg.com We looked at AKG’s N60NC headphone in HFC 418 but, as the name suggests, this updated version refines the design and adds Bluetooth wireless connectivity to the mix as well. That’s the only obvious change, though, as the new N60NC Wireless sticks with the compact and lightweight on-ear design of its predecessor and looks identical, offering the same highquality build and finish. The earpieces are made of soft memory foam that is comfortable to wear for long periods of time. It can be folded flat when not in…

NOISE-CANCELLING HEADPHONES £170-£260 DETAILS PRODUCT Denon AH-GC20 ORIGIN Japan/China TYPE Closed-back, overear noise-cancelling wireless headphone WEIGHT 255g FEATURES • Quoted battery life: 20 hours • Folding design • 1.3m cable • AptX Bluetooth DISTRIBUTOR Denon UK TELEPHONE 02890 279830 WEBSITE denon.co.uk As the most affordable noise-cancelling headphone in the group, the AH-GC20 launched around a year ago with a retail price of £250. So why the price tumble on what looks to be a remarkably smart and versatile travelling companion? The ‘GC’ stands for ‘globe cruiser’, and the headphone offers a sturdy, comfortable design that’s well suited to life on the road. The large over-ear cups are padded with soft memory foam, and the adjustable headband grips just firmly enough to hold them in place without ever feeling tight or…

NOISE-CANCELLING HEADPHONES £170-£260 IF YOU’RE ON a bit of a budget then Denon’s AH-GC20 provides a good level of noise cancellation at the price. It can’t quite match the clarity and precision of its rivals in passive mode, but when it comes to wireless and noise cancelling operation it comfortably earns its keep. Libratone’s noise cancelling copes well with both aircraft cabin noise and the more varied sounds that you might come across while out and about. Its sound quality isn’t quite so refined, though, and it struggles with more densely layered music while the small earpieces leak some noise. Sennheiser’s PXC 480 is a good all-round option, with effective noise cancellation and a precise delivery that suits gentler classical and acoustic sounds, although rock and pop tracks could really…

DETAILS PRODUCT Spendor A2 ORIGIN UK TYPE 2-way floorstanding loudspeaker WEIGHT 12kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 150 x 756 x 250mm FEATURES • 1x 22mm dome tweeter • 1x 150mm EP77 mid/bass unit • Quoted sensitivity: 85dB/1W/1m (8ohm) DISTRIBUTOR Spendor Audio Systems Ltd. TELEPHONE 01323 843474 WEBSITE spendoraudio.com There’s something rather reassuring about Spendor loudspeakers. Rather like a good pair of shoes that is comfortable yet rugged, the brand makes utilitarian-looking speakers to do the job you bought them for. They’re not exactly fashionable yet have timeless style that ages better than most. They don’t sound showy, yet you really take to them over time. It’s a clever approach – because by choosing not to fight it out in the fray, you rise above it. This is, in my view, why the…

Vice president Emotiva Audio Corporation DV: The notion of affordable highend suggests that high-end is a mindset rather than a price point. But can it ever be as good as un-affordable high-end? WS: High-end to us represents anything outside of the norm of what people may purchase at a non-enthusiast level. For example, for many in the market for wrist watches, the high-end is a $200 Seiko, but for the enthusiast it’s a $20,000 Vacheron Constantin. Yes, we strive to make our components sound like ones costing several times more, therefore, we believe that Emotiva competes well with what may be construed as ‘un-affordable’ high-end. Is part of the secret to being able to achieve a high performance-toprice ratio doing away with manufacturing inhouse? Not necessarily... we manufacture many components…

ROTEL RCD-1572 £845 DETAILS PRODUCT Rotel RCD-1572 ORIGIN Japan TYPE Compact disc player WEIGHT 6.7kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 431 x 104 x 320mm FEATURES ? Outputs: 1x coaxial digital; RCA phono; balanced XLR ? Wolfson WM8740 DAC DISTRIBUTOR Rotel Europe TELEPHONE 01903 221710 WEBSITE rotel.com Compact disc sales might have a distinct touch of the sniffles right now, but reports of the format’s demise are surely premature. Even if the decline holds true (never rule out a boxset-driven resurgence), there is an awful lot of polycarbonate discs in the world on which an awful lot of music is stored and, irrespective of how popular streaming and downloads may be, that’s an enormous legacy to add to vinyl’s, supporting the persistence of physical media. Far from hi-fi manufacturers turning their backs on…

Alessio Paolizzi, designer at Audiofilia, reveals the music that he uses to develop and demo products Respighi The Pines Of Rome The most famous crescendo in the history of music. With a good speaker it should have dynamic and emotional impact, power and intensity. Saint-Saëns Symphony No.3 in C minor Poco Adagio is a basilar test for a loudspeaker. The organ in this track plays exceptionally low notes, which are very diff icult to correctly reproduce. The O-Zone Percussion Group La Bamba Perfect for spatiality, transients and dynamics. The musicians and the frequencies should be well separated. Stevie Ray Vaughan Tin Pan Alley Perfect for evaluating the speaker's ability to return harmonics. Ray's voice is warm and deep. Soundstage and ambience are incredibly authentic.…

1977 CHIC: EVERYBODY DANCE Chic’s second single after Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah) was a masterpiece of urgency with an inventive, darting bassline and scything, jabbing strings that announced this was no ordinary disco group. Find both their first two singles on the album Chic. 1978 CHIC: LE FREAK A six-minute classic and a slice of pure minimalist disco heaven. If aliens landed from outer space and you wanted to help them to understand why it is that humans dance, this would almost certainly be the record you’d play them. Find it on the album C’est Chic. 1979 SISTER SLEDGE: WE ARE FAMILY Rodgers and Edwards wrote and produced Sister Sledge’s rhapsodic 1979 album, which spawned three massive hits and the unforgettable title track. Rodgers considers the album “pound for pound” the finestever…

STANDMOUNT LOUDSPEAKERS £180-£3,750 Dynaudio Contour 20 PRICE: £3,750 TELEPHONE: 01638 742427 WEB: dynaudio.com REVIEWED: HFC 421 Nothing has been carried over from the previous Contour S series, but cannily Dynaudio’s best tweeter, the 28mm Esotar2- coated fabric soft dome, has been pinched from the Confidence and Evidence highenders. The ‘18W55’ 180mm Finite Element Method (FEM) optimised main driver is brand new, as are the alloy basket, the vented dualferrite magnet system, the spider suspension and the rubber surround. The lightweight aluminium voice coil has a large 30mm centre vent and a 24 percent taller winding, claimed to give 70 percent greater excursion than the voice coil used in previous models. Sound quality One thing that’s immediately impressive is the effortless way the Contour 20 fills larger spaces with real bass authority. It…

DETAILS PRICE £382 TELEPHONE 01420 544140 WEBSITE goldnote.it OUR VERDICT AS ONE OF a small number of companies that makes the full replay chain of components in a system, Gold Note also produces an extensive range of phono cartridges. Its Vasari Red and Gold represent the Italian maker’s entry-level moving-magnet designs and the two models are extremely similar in terms of construction, except that the Gold (reviewed here) has an elliptical stylus in place of the conical one fitted to the Red. In both cartridges, the stylus is affixed to an aluminium cantilever that is a relatively hefty but fairly short unit. The Vasari does without the telescoping mount arrangement of some of its more upmarket models and the magnet is an alnico type with a fairly healthy 4.0mV quoted…

DETAILS PRICE £275 for 1.5m cable TELEPHONE 01279 501111 WEBSITE chord.co.uk OUR VERDICT WHILE IT IS common to consider upgrading speaker cables, the wire that’s fitted to headphones is all too often overlooked. To redress the balance, Chord has added the ShawCan to its popular Shawline range, making this its first headphone cable in its 32-year history. The ShawCan is made from high-quality, silver-plated conductors insulated with a PTFE dielectric. These are screened with a carbon composite that, in addition to blocking out RFI, has been designed to minimise unwanted mechanical noise – an inherent problem with headphone cables. The conductors are enclosed in a black outer jacket that also assists acoustic damping. The cable uses an adapted version of Chord’s Super ARAY conductor geometry, which was originally developed for…

ONE OF THE problems with a conventional tonearm is that the cartridge follows an arc as it tracks the groove from the outside of an LP to the inside. When an LP is first cut at the studio, the groove is etched using a lathe that is tracked straight across the radius of the record in a linear manner. Ideally, a cartridge should also track the record linearly during playback, but linear tracking tonearms are often expensive. Swing out sister The compromise is to use a pivoting tonearm, but this means the stylus is only perpendicular to the groove at two points along the arc. The Swing Headshell 202A1 addresses the variance at the other parts of the arc by twisting the cartridge as it plays using the force from…

In a UK exclusive, visitors to The Hi-Fi Show Live will get their first chance to hear ELAC’s elegant Adante loudspeaker – the latest brainchild of design supremo Andrew Jones. Is this his best work yet? Come and hear it to decide for yourself! Tickets On Sale Now The I35 Prisma integrated amplifier is the first to use Primare’s new UFPD 2 power system, a refinement of its award-winning UFPD all-analogue Class-D technology. Come hear it at The Hi-Fi Show Live with the ESS Sabreequipped CD35 Prisma CD player and via Primare’s new high fidelity control and connectivity solution. While The Hi-Fi Show Live is packed with aspirational gear, we can always rely on Icon Audio to deliver sumptuous sounds for the audiophile that doesn’t have bottomless pockets. Its high-value,…

NOISE-CANCELLING HEADPHONES £170-£260 DETAILS PRODUCT Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7NC ORIGIN Japan/China TYPE Closed-back, overear noise-cancelling headphone WEIGHT 305g FEATURES • Quoted battery life: 30 hours • 2x 1.2m cables • Storage case DISTRIBUTOR Audio-Technica UK TELEPHONE 0113 2771441 WEBSITE eu.audio-technica.com On some ways, Audio- Technica has taken a resolutely old-fashioned approach to the design of its noise-cancelling headphone. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, since it ensures that the build quality alone stands out from the crowd. The large earpieces sit right over the ears and are padded with soft memory foam that feels comfortable to wear despite the fact that – at 305g – this is by far the heaviest model in the group. The metal sliders on the padded headband feel more than strong enough to cope with being crammed…

NOISE-CANCELLING HEADPHONES £170-£260 DETAILS PRODUCT Libratone Q Adapt On-Ear ORIGIN Denmark/China TYPE Closed-back, on-ear noise-cancelling wireless headphone WEIGHT 200g FEATURES • Quoted battery life: 20 hours • Folding design • 1.3m cable • AptX Bluetooth DISTRIBUTOR Libratone TELEPHONE +45 70266333 WEBSITE libratone.com/uk Perhaps better known for its range of colourful Bluetooth speakers, Danish company Libratone has recently expanded into headphones. With just two models in its current range, the Q Adapt On-Ear is a pretty decent way to kick things off. Available in a variety of colours, it is a compact, on-ear design with padded earpieces that are surprisingly comfortable, and which can be folded flat when not being used. There’s Bluetooth with aptX for wireless connectivity, and a quoted battery life of around 20 hours, but you can also…

DETAILS PRODUCT Sennheiser HDV 820 ORIGIN Germany TYPE Headphone amplifier WEIGHT 2.3kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 224 x 44 x 306mm FEATURES • Balanced Class A design • 32-bit/384kHz and DSD256- capable DAC • Headphone outputs: 1x 6.35mm jack; 1x 3-pin XLR; 1x 4-pin balanced XLR; 2x 4.4mm Pentaconn jacks • Inputs: 1x RCA; 1x XLR; 1x optical; 1x coaxial; 1x USB DISTRIBUTOR Sennheiser UK TELEPHONE 0333 2408185 WEBSITE en-uk.sennheiser.com Idoubt that many people anticipated a growth in the sales of valve-based equipment or the meteoric resurgence of the vinyl format, and now headphone-based setups are following suit and rivalling loudspeakers as the transducer of choice of many serious audio enthusiasts for their listening time. Sennheiser has long been associated with headphones and single handedly recast everyone’s notion of its sonic prowess…

MD, Spendor Audio DP: Who is the A2 aimed at? PS: Someone with a small listening space and a modest budget who wants a slim, modern, mini high-performance floorstanding loudspeaker that delivers clear, natural sound with good bass extension when combined with a modestly priced amplifier/streamer. It’s quite likely someone who really enjoys music, but has no desire to become a hi-fi expert. We think it sets new class standards for musical clarity, coherence and balance. It’s one of the smallest, slimmest, serious floorstanding loudspeakers available. Unlike most contemporary rivals it’s extremely easy to position in small rooms. Where are all of the A2’s component parts sourced? We design and manufacture every key component in every Spendor loudspeaker inhouse in the UK. That includes Spendor drivers, cones, cabinets and crossovers…

BLUE MICROPHONES ELLA £675 DETAILS PRODUCT Blue Microphones Ella ORIGIN USA/China TYPE Over-ear, planar magnetic active headphone WEIGHT 481g FEATURES • 50x50mm planar magnetic drivers • Internal amplifier • 1.2m cable with mic and controls for iOS devices; 3m cable DISTRIBUTOR CMS Distribution TELEPHONE 0208 3585858 WEBSITE bluemic.com Compared with conventional headphones with dynamic drivers, models that use planar magnetic drivers are a more specialist proposition. The thin drivers with the voice coil printed directly on the radiating surface are more complicated to produce and generally cost more as a result. Another key consideration is that planar magnetic designs are usually less sensitive than dynamic equivalents and this can make their use with lower-powered sources a problem. Blue Microphones has already shown that it has an understanding of dynamic driver…

YOUR LETTERS & QUESTIONS ANSWERED THIS MONTH ED SELLEY EXPERTISE: REVIEWER In the industry since 1999, Ed’s first record was Boss Drum by The Shamen. He spends his time reviewing and protecting hi-fikit from toddler son Will. NEVILLE ROBERTS EXPERTISE: ENGINEER Neville loves classical baroque and jazz. His wife was forced to marry his transmission line speakers back in the eighties . 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. DAVID PRICE EXPERTISE: REVIEWER DP two-finger typed his first hi-fireview 25 years ago. He’s edited Hi-FiWorld and HFC, and describes himself as an “unreconstructed analogue addict”. CHRIS WARD EXPERTISE: REVIEWER Chris will never forget the sound of his first amp –…

The top-10 classical download albums from highresaudio.com 1 Belcea Quartet & Till Fellner Brahms: String Quartets & Piano Quintet 2 Anna Netrebko Verismo 3 Audiophile Hi-Res System Test 4 Marianne Thorsen & Trondheim Solistene Mozart: Violin Concertos 5 Barbara Hannigan & Reinbert de Leeuw Erik Satie: Socrate 6 Fazil Say Chopin: Nocturnes 7 Frode Haltli, Arditti Quartet & Trondheim Soloists Air - Bent Sørensen & Hans Abrahamsen 8 Orchester der KlangVerwaltung Mozart: Requiem in D Minor 9 Christian Tetzlaff & Lars Vogt Brahms: The Violin Sonatas 10 Ronald Brautigam Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-4 Pasticcio Concertos…

One of the main issues to address in any room are the natural peaks and troughs in sound caused by the room’s Eigentones or standing waves. The main frequencies amplified in rooms are those that have a wavelength that is twice that of the distance between the parallel surfaces of the walls, ceiling and floor. In a rectangular room, there are three main Eigentones, corresponding to the room’s width, height and length. If you take a typical room with a floor-to-ceiling dimension of 2.4m and assume the speed of sound of 330m/s, the Eigentone of this is just under 70Hz, and a room of 5m in length will have an Eigentone at 33Hz. These are very much in the bass region, so you can see why it is such an…

Here's a thought: with today's streaming services offering a seemingly endless choice of genres, artists and styles of music, why would anyone choose to listen to the radio any more? After all, streaming puts you in control, effectively making you the DJ and providing the option of playing as much (or little) Adele, Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran as you choose. And if you don't like a track, you can simply skip to the next one. In comparison, radio is a featureless, choice-free dinosaur and its days are surely numbered. Obviously, this is a rather ill-considered simplification of the many charms that the FM dial offers, but if current research is to be believed it's not that far from the truth as far as younger listeners are concerned. Take for…

Join the club With a passion for the art of recording, the Gear Club podcast is an unmissable listen. Episode 20 focuses on mastering and restoration expert Steve Rosenthal who has worked on everything from The Rolling Stones to Woody Guthrie: bit.ly/2eDU0uB The joy of collecting Whether your preferred format is vinyl, CD, cassette or SACD, it’s probably fair to assume that the average HFC reader loves to collect music. Collectorz.com is the perfect way to catalogue and organise your beloved collection on your PC or smart device. Check out a free version of the app: collectorz.com Destination: Everywhere Regular readers will know that our Destination feature profiles a city and explores the record shops that it offers, but one clever vinyl fan has gone one step further and collated…

EXPOSURE XM7/XM9 £1,236/£1,388 DETAILS PRODUCT Exposure XM7 ORIGIN UK TYPE Preamplifier/DAC WEIGHT 5kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 218 x 89 x 363mm FEATURES • 24-bit/192kHz and DSD64-capable DAC • Analogue inputs: 2x RCA • Digital inputs: 2x optical; 2x BNC; 1x USB digital • Headphone jacks: 1x 6.35mm; 1x 3.5mm • Moving-magnet phono input DISTRIBUTOR Exposure Electronics Ltd. TELEPHONE 01273 423877 WEBSITE exposurehifi.com DETAILS PRODUCT Exposure XM9 ORIGIN UK TYPE Power amplifier WEIGHT 5kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 218 x 89 x 363mm FEATURES • Quoted power output: 2x 80W RMS (8ohm) • 200VA toroidal power transformer • Balanced and unbalanced inputs • Overload protection DISTRIBUTOR Exposure Electronics Ltd. TELEPHONE 01273 423877 WEBSITE exposurehifi.com A propulsive and purposeful sound, aided and abetted by a warm bass Ot’s difficult to believe – but the wretched,…

NOISE-CANCELLING HEADPHONES £170-£260 DETAILS PRODUCT Bose QuietControl 30 ORIGIN US/China TYPE In-ear active noise-cancelling wireless headphone WEIGHT 64g FEATURES • Quoted battery life: 10 hours • Bluetooth wireless • Storage case DISTRIBUTOR Bose UK TELEPHONE 0333 3000112 WEBSITE bose.co.uk Bose has long been a leader in noise-cancellation technology, with its QC range providing large, comfortable over-ear headphones for travellers that just want to sit back on a train or plane and let the miles fly by. The recently launched QuietControl 30 represents something of a change of direction with a small set of in-ear headphones designed for more general use when you’re out and about during the day (see box out). Rather unusually, the two earpieces are connected to a plastic neckband that you wear as you’re walking – or…

NOISE-CANCELLING HEADPHONES £170-£260 DETAILS PRODUCT Sennheiser PXC 480 ORIGIN Germany/China TYPE Closed-back, overear, noise-cancelling headphone WEIGHT 225g FEATURES • Quoted battery life: 50 hours • Folding design • 1.4m cable DISTRIBUTOR Sennheiser UK TELEPHONE 0333 2408185 WEBSITE en-uk.sennheiser.com We were impressed with Sennheiser’s PXC 550 Wireless headphone when we reviewed it earlier this year (HFC 418), although at £330 it was very much at the higher end of the noise-cancelling spectrum. The recently released PXC 480 has a relatively modest range of features and costs considerably less, although it’s still one of the most expensive models here. The design of the headphone will be familiar to Sennheiser followers, with the same large, padded earpieces as its more costly stablemate. These sit over the ears and have the same tapered shape…

Audiophile product manager, Sennheiser NR: What’s the design philosophy behind the HDV 820? MR: The design philosophy of the HDV 820 was inspired by its predecessor, the HDVD 800. For the most part it remained the same, we just tweaked some elements to further improve the sound. We’ve kept a sleek black design to fit with the new HD 800 S headphones as well as future high-end audio solutions we have in the pipeline. We’re sticklers for the detail and if you look carefully in the combo socket 6.35mm/XLR 3 you’ll notice a little Sennheiser logo. What Class of amplifier is on board and why was it chosen? We chose a Class A amplifier as it provided the best sound quality for this headphone system. Each component was carefully selected…

EMOTIVA BASX PT-REVIEWS 100/BASX A-300 £399/£529 DETAILS PRODUCT Emotiva BasX PT-100 ORIGIN USA/China TYPE Preamplifier WEIGHT 4.1kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 432 x 67 x 317mm FEATURES • 24-bit/192kHzcapable DAC • Inputs: 2x RCAs; 1x coaxial digital; 1x optical digital; 1x USB Type-B port • MM/MC phono stage • FM tuner DISTRIBUTOR Karma Audio Visual TELEPHONE 01423 358846 WEBSITE karma-av.co.uk; emotiva.com DETAILS PRODUCT Emotiva BasX A-300 ORIGIN USA/China TYPE Power amplifier WEIGHT 11.4kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 432 x 102 x 394mm FEATURES ? Class A/B output ? Quoted power output: 2x 150W (8ohm) ? RCA inputs DISTRIBUTOR Karma Audio Visual TELEPHONE 01423 358846 WEBSITE karma-av.co.uk; emotiva.com The affordable high-end is a familiar concept to us all by now. Although the term is obvious fodder for lazy marketeers in search of a sexy strapline,…

WHARFEDALE DIAMOND 11.1 £270 DETAILS PRODUCT Wharfedale Diamond 11.1 ORIGIN UK/China TYPE 2-way standmount loudspeaker WEIGHT 6.8kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 194 x 310 x 285mm FEATURES • 25mm textile dome tweeter • 130mm woven Kevlar mid/bass driver • Quoted sensitivity: 87dB/1W/1m (8ohm) DISTRIBUTOR IAG UK TELEPHONE 01480 452561 WEBSITE wharfedale.co.uk Whoever chose the name Diamond for Wharfedale’s modest little bookshelf back in 1981 was a genius. Given its bijou enclosure, titchy main driver, plastic tweeter and beer budget price, it had no business sounding anything like as good as it did. Sonically it sparkled. Suddenly, what had maybe seemed a rather grandiose title for such a plain and unassuming box caught the public’s imagination. Some 36 years and 11 assiduously evolved iterations later, the little speaker has grown and diversified into…

KEF Q350 £530 DETAILS PRODUCT KEF Q350 ORIGIN UK/China TYPE 2-way standmount loudspeaker WEIGHT 7.6kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 210 x 358 x 306mm FEATURES • 25mm Uni-Q aluminium metal dome tweeter with 165mm mid/bass driver • Quoted sensitivity: 87dB/1W/1m (8ohm) DISTRIBUTOR GP Acoustics (UK) Ltd TELEPHONE 01622 672261 WEBSITE kef.com Originally debuting in 1991, the Q Series has now reached its eighth iteration and since the retiring of its entry-level Coda models, now forms the starting point for KEF ownership. The Q350 is the larger of two standmount speakers in the range and joins three floorstanders and a centre speaker in the new lineup. It replaces the Q300 and like the older speaker, makes use of a single 165mm Uni-Q driver. This KEF trademark incorporates the tweeter into the throat of…

94 Mogwai Every Country's Sun 94 Thelonious Monk Criss-Cross 96 Kitty, Daisy & Lewis Superscope ALBUM OF THE MONTH Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith The Kid CD Western Vinyl CLASSICALLY TRAINED AT Berklee College of Music, Smith is fast emerging as the brave new champion of experimental electronica. Fusing dense swirls of synthesised sound with organic elements, she creates a sonic palette of surprising warmth in an immersive and engrossing listening experience, full of elegance, energy, and a thrilling sense of discovery. Her signature instrument is the Buchla Music Easel, which in Smith’s hands has to be the most “human” sounding synth yet, creating emotion-filled sequences of fluid orchestration to underpin her beguiling voice. The Kid boldly sets out its stall as a serious-minded work of cohesive integrity, which demands to be heard…

Carbono Around since the eighties, this is the classic buy-selltrade experience, with a massive turnover of stock. Some prices are high, but there’s a vast selection so you’re sure to bag a bargain. carbono.com.pt Louie Louie Supporters of Lisbon Psych Fest, new and used vinyl and CDs on one floor; instruments on the other. We didn’t find its secondhand stock and unfriendly clerk that much of a draw. louielouie.biz Carpet & Snares Located in the Espaço Chiado shopping centre, there’s a wide selection of new electronic dance music from around the world with which to fill your DJ bag in this compact store. carpetandsnares.com Crew Hassan It’s a formula that’s hard to ignore: ping pong tables plus beer plus crate-digging potential equals the best of times in this “cultural co-operative”…

There are a lot of myths and fixes that promise to solve all your listening room ills. Here are some treatments that don’t really cut the sonic mustard. Fitting egg boxes to walls or ceilings The origin of this myth comes from the similarity between the shape of the underside of an egg box and the pyramids and wedges that are fixed to walls of recording studios and anechoic chambers. This leads many people to think that their unused egg cartons would work in a similar fashion. In reality, they don’t. The actual shapes and the material that they are made from are hugely important. Sadly, as an acoustic treatment, egg boxes will only absorb sounds – and they don’t do it particularly well. Hanging rugs on the wall All…

TELLURIUM Q BLACK II £54/m TELEPHONE: 01458 251997 WEBSITE: telluriumq.com TESTED: HFC 425 A well-made slim, flat cable that provides beautifully extended and deep bass along with a fuller and rounder presentation. REL T/9i SUBWOOFER £999 TELEPHONE: 01656 768777 WEBSITE: rel.net TESTED: HFC 421 Sit back in awe as performances grow in stature to show off cathedral-like soundscapes. RUSS ANDREWS RF ZAPPERATOR FOR SPEAKERS £148 PER PAIR TELEPHONE: 01539 797300 WEBSITE: russandrews.com TESTED: HFC 420 Introduces a subtle improvement to the depth and width of the soundstage, while helping the bass along the way. GIK ACOUSTICS GOTHAM N23 5IN QUADRATIC SKYLINE DIFFUSER £360 TELEPHONE: 0207 5588976 WEBSITE: gikacoustics.co.uk TESTED: HFC 427 These diffusers introduce greater depth and tautness to bass while increasing the perceived width of the soundstage.…

e all want more from our home entertainment. Standard TV sound is poor. Standard bundled headphones are rubbish. And that filmsy standard speaker cable? That’s really rubbish. You deserve better – and members of The Clarity Alliance can help you find the right answers. We’re the only independent retailers who are trained to industry-agreed standards to give unparalled levels of product advice to service. Take your time and relaxed to dedicated listening rooms, try a variety of equipment and music audition and study each item, see how it makes you feel. Find the right one and it’s like listening in colour... WHAT WE OFFER...…

MAINS CABLES MOSTLY sit inconspicuously behind your audio equipment, but the Big Orange Ultra3 Powerchord makes a bold statement. This is the entry-level multi-stranded mains cable of the range that’s designed to reject electromagnetic and radiofrequency interference. It’s intended for use with all source components and amplifiers rated at up to 75W RMS per channel. The conductors are made from high-grade ‘rope-lay’ multi-strand Ultra Hi Purity-OFC Monocrystal conductor material and are screened to stop the intrusion of RFIand EMI. The wire ends of the conductors are prepared using Supersolder to maximise the contact area and minimise long-term degradation of the interface between the wire and the connector. Both the screen and earth wires act as a drain for any extraneous interference. In addition, a cotton fibre damping is employed internally…