Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2025 i Hi-Fi Choice

PRICE: £89-£250 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: PROJECT-AUDIO.COM/EN HENLEYAUDIO.CO.UK THERE’S LOTS GOING on over at Pro-Ject with the announcement of the Head Box E micro-sized headphone amp and E1.2 fully manual turntable, both distributed by Henley Audio. About the Head Box E (above), the company says: “Weighing just 390g, the Head Box E may lay claim to being one of the most effective pound-for-pound hi-fi upgrades around. In today’s world of under powered music sources – think phones and laptops – adding the Head Box E to a source + wired headphones setup can result in a real uplift in audio performance and overall enjoyment.” With a claimed power output of 665mW (0.665W) into 32ohm, it can drive wired headphones and integrate into traditional two-channel setups, including CD or vinyl. Pro-Ject adds:…

PRICE: £11,000-£13,000 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: QUAD-HIFI.CO.UK QUAD HAS IMPROVED one of its most famous electrostatic loudspeaker designs to create the ESL 2812X and ESL 2912X. The UK company doesn’t update the ESL often – there have only been five generations since the original ESL, later known as the ESL 57, launched in 1957. A sixth QUAD ESL generation is now ready to launch in the form of the ESL 2812X and ESL 2912X, introducing upgrades to the electrostatic panels and operational electronics, together with redesigned, UK-built audio transformers and a new ‘stealth’ aesthetic. Quad explains: “Since the ground breaking ESL 63, the electrostatic panels that handle the higher audio frequencies have been uniquely configured with a ‘concentric ring’ electrode design. Rather than allowing all sections of the diaphragm to move…

PRICE: £700 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: MUSICALFIDELITY.COM HENLEYAUDIO.CO.UK INTRODUCED AT THE Bristol Hi-Fi Show and now tweaked and ready to go, Musical Fidelity has finally launched its B1xi integrated amplifier. Seeking to continue the B1 legacy from the Nineties, it’s equipped with modern connectivity, but has no ambition to be a streamer as the company considers that, as digital technologies continue to evolve so rapidly: “there is still a place for reliable, great sounding, separate amplifiers in a hi-fi system”. The amp is fully discrete transistor-based Class A/B, claiming 60W/8ohm, 100W/4ohm and 140W/2ohm power output. Features include a low-noise design for best THD and signal integrity at low as well as high levels, a high quality motor-driven analogue potentiometer, pre out for bi-amping or active subwoofer connection, MM phono stage, separate digital…

PRICE: £115-£290 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: CROSLEYONLINE.CO.UK CROSLEY HAS UNVEILED two new products – the C65 Record Player with speakers (right) and Miles Record Player (above). The C65 is a belt-drive turntable that delivers a claimed 50W stereo sound via its bookshelf speakers, powered by a pre-mounted moving-magnet Audio-Technica ATN3600L cartridge, which can also be upgraded over time. A switchable amp means users can add the C65 system to their existing or future hi-fi system or powered/active speakers and it features Bluetooth 5.1 streaming. The C65 boasts a full-size steel platter, aluminium tonearm with cue lever, adjustable pitch control, belt-drive DC motor and resonance dampening feet. It accommodates both 33 and 45rpm records, and includes a 45-adaptor, slip-mat, dust cover, cartridge alignment protractor and spare NP5 stylus. The Crosley C65 is…

HURRY OFFER CLOSES 31ST DECEMBER 2025 PRINT + DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION 13 issues delivered to you before the shops Free P&P Great savings on the shop price Digital access to the mag on multiple devices Access online archive dating back to Sep 2011 PRINT SUBSCRIPTION All issues delivered to you before the shops Free P&P Great savings on the shop price Never miss an issue SAVE 75% ON YOUR DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION* IN EVERY ISSUE: Reviews of all the latest turntables, amplifiers, loudspeakers, DACs, CD players, streamers and hi-fi accessories. Plus: group tests, music reviews, opinions, news and all your hi-fi woes answered TERMS & CONDITIONS: Offer ends 31st December 2025. *This digital discount is only available when you subscribe to the ‘Print + Digital’ package. You still get a great discount on…

Cambridge’s Melomania range of earbuds has always offered decent sound quality, although the chunky design is more of an acquired taste. Last year the British company launched the M100 with its noticeably more compact design, and now it has gone ‘full-Apple’ with its A100 buds, which adopt the familiar slimline design of its AirPods, albeit at a far more competitive price. Available in Black or White, the A100 follows the Apple style pretty closely, with a compact oval earpiece and a slim stem hanging down. But while the style may be Apple, the audio hardware is all Cambridge, as the A100 uses 10mm neodymium drivers similar to those of the M100, and Class AB amplification rather than the Class D used in many less expensive earbuds. The A100 is also…

Fosi Audio is a Chinese company that’s been going for less than a decade, with a range of products that appear to offer great value for money. The ZP3 is its sub-£200 preamp with XLR in and outputs, switchable filtering plus remote volume control. What’s not to like? The finish is industrial, the casing is basic and gives a sense that you’re dealing with a prototype. The action of the volume control knob is poor and there’s no visual way of telling what the setting is. But let’s not forget that price tag. The ZP3 has a welter of inputs: two pairs of RCA phono line-ins, plus a pair of XLR ins, RCA phono and XLR outs alongside an RCA sub out. The front fascia features the main volume control,…

UNFORTUNATELY, A LOT of mains-born noise can find its way into the audio chain. Apart from the clicks and pops caused by the switching on and off of electrical equipment, such as refrigerators and washing machines, there is also a noise ‘mush’ that comes from other devices which can inject a more sophisticated type of interference into your precious sound system. Switched-mode power supplies can generate high-frequency noise, which is injected back into the ring main. Some PC networking products work by injecting a digital signal into your house mains wiring to transmit computer data from one room to another. The Noise-Trap is intended to remove the majority of this noise from your mains source. Unlike other filters that use series noise filtering, the Noise-Trap employs multiple shunt/parallel filters across…

Located in the centre of Shrewsbury, Listen Audio celebrated its fifth anniversary back in June. Co-owner Deborah explains how she and her husband Steve have made the store very much a family affair… HFC: What was it that first made you want to open your own hi-fi shop? DS: During his teenage years, Steve developed a passion for hi-fi. He worked hard at his education, qualified as an accountant and was able to buy a system that he wanted. As his career progressed, he got a job as an accountant at Bowers & Wilkins and his favourite perk was being able to borrow stock from their ‘loudspeaker library’. Steve always said that when he retired he would have a hi-fi shop so that he could enjoy listening to music on…

I could have you killed!” These are the first words he says to me. I don’t know why. We’ve never met before. I’ve never written about him. There’s no bad blood that I’m aware of. I’ve arrived at the hotel after a gig at the Manchester Apollo to do the interview, made my way up to his room and knocked on the door as instructed by the record company person. And here he is now, Phil Lynott, grinning and a little sloshed. “I know people,” he continues. “I could have you killed.” Uh, ok… He beckons me in, closes the door behind me, slumps into a chair and casually enquires whether I have any drugs on me, any speed or coke that he can share. I’ve got to admit, he doesn’t…

SILENT ANGEL BREMEN SL1 PLUS Sound Design Distribution has introduced Silent Angel’s Bremen SL1 Plus network music player to the UK, building on the success of the previous B1 and B2 models. The player promises exceptional media processing, sound quality and compatibility, combining affordability with seamless streaming and decoding for wider access to immersive listening experiences. Sounds great! Find out how it fares in the November issue… ALSO: REVIEWS SVS SB-5000 subwoofer, Musical Fidelity B1xi integrated amplifier, Heybrook HB1 loudspeaker, Sony WH-1000XM6 wireless headphones, Marantz MODEL M1 2.1-channel streaming amplifier, Grado Signature S950 headphones and more… FEATURES Music Reviews, Reasons To Be Cheerful, our comprehensive Buyer’s Guide and sharp-as-nails Opinions pieces, Company Confidential, the Flashback interview, Audiofile news on all the latest product launches and all your hi-fi queries answered by…

PRICE: £300-£1,000 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: MONITORAUDIO.COM MONITOR AUDIO HAS launched its new five-strong Bronze Series 7G range of speakers for two-channel stereo and multichannel home cinema setups, comprising the flagship Bronze 300 7G floorstander, compact Bronze 50 bookshelf, Bronze Centre Channel, Dolby Atmos Enabled speaker and, for the first time, a Bronze On-Wall speaker. The range features 152mm Ceramic-Coated Aluminium Magnesium (C-CAM) bass, mid/bass driver and all-new Ceramic-Coated Aluminium Magnesium (C-CAM) Gold Dome tweeter. The company says: “The C-CAM bass and mid/bass drivers combine a lightweight yet rigid cone material with powerful motor systems to deliver deep, punchy and accurate bass. A larger voice coil and improved magnet design reduce distortion and improve sensitivity for lifelike midrange performance.” The cabinets feature real-wood and plywood front baffles and come in a…

PRICE: £220-£710 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: FIIO.COM THERE’S LOTS OF activity over at FiiO with three new products being launched: the QX13 flagship pocket DAC, SP5 active speaker system and K15 desktop DAC and headphone amplifier. The QX13 (pictured above) can fully decode MQA music files and is compatible with studio master formats such as DSD512 and 32-bit/768kHz. It has a 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm headphone socket and extra-large 1.99in hardened IPS display. The flagship ESS SABRE PRO ES9027PRO DAC chip features a fully differential audio architecture design with eight channels setup in parallel and is paired with a brace of ultra-low-noise ES9312 regulators for precise output matching on each channel. The custom Desktop Mode also allows extra power to be drawn from powered USB devices such as laptops, while the…

PRICE: £300 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: KEF.COM BRITISH COMPANIES NOTHING and KEF have announced the launch of Headphone (1), the first collaborative product between the two popular brands. Headphone (1) is Nothing’s first over-ear audio product and the debut device created through its partnership with KEF under the ‘Sound by KEF’ initiative. The companies explain that: “the sound of Headphone (1) is acoustically engineered using KEF’s advanced tuning tools and deep acoustic knowledge to reproduce music as the artist intended… The result is immersive audio that feels detailed, lifelike and true across every genre. A custom-built 40mm dynamic driver delivers rich, natural sound with deep bass, detailed mids and crisp treble across all modes, including ANC, Transparency, and Spatial Audio. With on-device spatialisation and built-in head tracking, Headphone (1) transforms any…

PRICE: £230 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: ORIGINLIVE.COM UK COMPANY ORIGIN Live has announced the launch of the Gravity Two, the complete ground-up redesign of its Gravity One record weight. Compatible with all turntables, OL claims: “the Gravity Two delivers superior bass extension, instrument separation and enriched tonality and clarity in the midband, all while maintaining an ultra-low mass of just 70g”. Key features include an innovative outer cover where optimal damping is achieved with a specially selected anti-resonant polymer with structural ridges to enhance the rigidity of the casework and advanced internal construction – which means the tuned assembly absorbs vibrational energy pumped into the record by the stylus by dissipating it through the vibrational interference of lightweight metallic parts with precision-cut profiles, combined with layers of wood, composites and polymers.…

Some products are so innovative in what they do that they create a template that rival designs can’t help but adhere to. Audiolab’s M-DAC is a perfect case in point. It was one of the very first affordable DACs to combine a USB input supported by conventional electrical digital ins that possesses the means to be a pre and headphone amplifier. No less importantly, it was one of the first products to switch to ESS for its decoding and the effectiveness of the implementation was a key element in the take-up with other companies. So successful was the M-DAC’s spec, the basic premise of the D7 remains largely unchanged. It combines digital inputs with a volume control and headphone amp to become a serviceable digital preamp as well as a…

Invented in 1948 by Ortofon in Denmark, the world’s first moving-coil cartridge was called the Mono-A. It was replaced in 1958 by the ‘Stereo Pick-Up’ or SPU, which appeared just months after the first stereo microgroove LPs hit the shops. Its famously warm sound formed the basis of many serious early systems. Fast forward to 2025, and Robert Gudmandsen’s iconic design lives on in the shape of the SPU GTX E. The original was conceived as a pro-audio, broadcast solution, complete with an integral headshell. The original SPU’s headshell was made of Bakelite, but now it’s stronger, lighter glass-fibre reinforced plastic. This unusual cartridge comes with a built-in Lundahl step-up transformer, so there’s no need for a purpose-built high-gain MC phono stage. This makes the SPU an unusually heavy cartridge…

Looking to take your low-frequencies seriously deep? With a name like Submerge Wilson Audio’s latest subwoofer conjures up images of the sort of deep, infrasonic bass that would make the Mariana Trench quiver with jealousy. This latest offering is a far bigger proposition than the previous LōKē, so it’s a far better match for Wilson Audio’s larger loudspeakers, not just the TuneTot (HFC 447) standmounts and (relatively) compact Sabrina V and Sasha V (HFC 506) floorstanders. Pricing, too, is ‘bigger’, the Submerge selling in one of five standard Wilson finishes for a far from insubstantial £32,000, compared with the LōKē’s relatively affordable £9,500. Expensive, undoubtedly, but keeping things in context a pair of the company’s larger Alexia V or Alexx V floorstanders will set you back a far more eye-watering…

1 BE WEAR NOW! Oasis and Amazon have teamed up to reissue merch from the band’s 2006 tour of North America, the latest drop in the Amazon X Oasis merch store which was announced earlier this summer and looks back at some of the band’s iconic moments. Already available are t-shirts, long sleeves and jumpers marking the shows at Knebworth in 1996 and their Definitely Maybe and Be Here Now albums. The latest release includes black and navy hoodies, long-sleeves and t-shirts designed to replicate the same artwork seen on US tour merch from nearly 20 years ago. All the goods are available on the Amazon Oasis store. 2 SCANDI SMART HOME TECH Ikea is introducing several new smart products built to work with Matter, the universal smart home standard. The…

PRICE: £9,000 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: LUMINMUSIC.COM SOUNDDESIGNDISTRIBUTION.CO.UK UK DISTRIBUTOR SOUND Design Distribution is bringing LUMIN’s U2X Network Transport to the UK. The U2X incorporates key technologies from LUMIN’s flagship X1 network player including its latest System-on-Chip (SoC) processor, which the company claims: “delivers a significant boost in processing power, enabling enhanced upsampling and sophisticated signal handling for comprehensive file format support up to 32-bit/768kHz and DSD512 from a wide range of digital streaming sources, including Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, KKBOX, TuneIn and AirPlay”. The design topology includes a 10MHz clock for inputs and outputs allowing the U2X to act as a: “master or slave” to synchronise with external devices and, for the first time, a dedicated isolated USB port is available in order to separate the DAC and…

PRICE: £7,000 PER STEREO PAIR AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: ATLASCABLES.COM TO MARK ITS 25th anniversary, Scottish cable specialist Atlas Cables has announced the release of its Arran Transpose Speaker Grun – 25th Anniversary Edition: a limited and highly exclusive version of the company’s OCC copper speaker cable. Only 25 individually numbered pairs will be produced and offered globally on a made-to-order basis. Each cable will be handcrafted in Scotland and tailored to the personal preferences of its owner. AC says: “We chose to celebrate this milestone with our Arran range because it is the physical embodiment of the engineering and material science advances we have made over a quarter of a century. It is the culmination of continual, incremental improvements in product design in our pursuit to create the most consistent audio…

PRICE: £90 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: MAJORITY.CO.UK BRITISH COMPANY MAJORITY has announced the launch of its Naga 80 2.1 Bluetooth Soundbar. Designed for immersive home entertainment, the Naga 80 measures over 800mm wide and, according to Majority, is engineered to deliver full-spectrum sound with greater range, depth and precision. Inside, it features two 57mm full-range drivers, side-firing tweeters and a built-in 57mm subwoofer, projecting up to a claimed 140W of peak power. The Naga 80 supports Bluetooth 5.0, HDMI ARC, optical, 3.5mm AUX and USB inputs alongside a dedicated subwoofer out. Users can switch between EQ modes for music, movies or dialogue, optimising the sound profile in real time. The included IR remote offers control over volume, source and bass settings, while touch-sensitive top buttons provide access on the device. It…

PRICE: £100-£150 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: EDWARDSAUDIO.CO.UK EDWARDS AUDIO HAS unleashed a pair of new phono preamps – the fourth-gen version of its moving-magnet phono stage, the Apprentice MM Mk4 and the INTRO MM. The Mk4 features an upgraded power supply and a non-magnetic aluminium chassis with fixed 47K loading and 42.5dB gain alongside an upgraded internal power supply design now consuming just 1W compared with the 3W of its predecessor. The Apprentice MM Mk4 is housed in a precision-engineered black metal enclosure, complete with 3mm aluminium front panel. The company says: “The Apprentice MM Mk4 shows how thoughtful engineering can deliver real sonic gains without inflating the cost. The Mk4 not only sounds better – it runs cooler and more efficiently, using just a third of the power of its…

Smartphones have a lot to answer for, and I’m not taking about calls. Responsible for perfecting the art of navigating a busy high street and reducing life, the universe and everything to a digital theatre that sits in the palm of your hand, for millions of young users its built-in streaming capabilities plus a pair of earbuds tidily tucks up the idea of what some older folk still refer to as ‘hi-fi’, too. Yes, vinyl and the notion of a ‘separates system’ sustain a parallel yearning for ‘the old ways’ but it can hardly be a surprise that modern smartphone touchscreen functionality informs the template for the rapid rise of the single do-it-all unit and its tesseract-like gift of folding multiple unseen dimensions into a flattened, just-add-speakers cube that seeks…

Bowers & Wilkins was one of the first to include a ‘smart’ case with its Pi7 (HFC 478) earbuds a few years ago – able to both charge the earbuds and act as a Bluetooth transmitter so you could use them with a wired audio source. Now comes JBL, putting its own twist on the idea with the Tour One M3. Though it’s an over-ear headphone, you also get two choices: the Tour One M3 on its own for £330 or £380 when bought as the Smart Tx, with transmitter, which is on test here. I like the M3 immediately as its padded headband and spacious earpieces fit me very well straight out of the box. The large earpieces house 40mm mica dome drivers, with room for a beefy battery…

ONE OF THE areas of a vinyl setup that’s most sensitive to noise is the tiny signal that comes from the cartridge. This prompted Chord Company to develop its PhonoARAY turntable earthing system. Many such devices operate in parallel to avoid introducing filters into the signal path. However, as many turntables need to be earthed to the phono amplifier or preamp phono stage, a different approach is used with the PhonoARAY where the turntable is earthed to the phono stage or preamp via the device. Inside the surprisingly heavy PhonoARAY is a hand-wound, high-current series filter, which joins both terminals. There is also the company’s ARAY system, which is connected in parallel and provides an effective double virtual earth system for both the turntable and phono stage. Connections come via…

Last year, I was invited by Mike Valentine of the Chasing The Dragon label to attend the 200th anniversary concert of Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 The Choral at the Cadogan Hall in London, performed by The National Symphony Orchestra with the Brighton Festival Chorus and conducted by Rimma Sushanskaya. I wrote about the recording process in HFC 518, but that is only part of the story of how the final release is produced. Whether it’s a vinyl record, CD, tape or digital file, the raw recording needs to go through subsequent processes to create what you purchase, and these processes are called mastering. The mastering for this album was undertaken this year at AIR Studios in London. Mixing The first step in the mastering process is the mix-down. Here, individual channels…

Irecently came across an editorial from a Serbian writer for the music review blog Thoughts Words Action, a site dedicated to punk rock and related subgenres. In his piece he takes issue with gatefold album covers. An iconic feature in the history of physical music media, gatefolds are often celebrated for their aesthetic appeal and availability of extra space for artwork and liner notes. I love them and believe they contribute to the collectability of the album. However, despite their popularity, the blogger feels such covers present practical issues that can detract from the overall user experience and preservation of records. His view is that there are negatives associated with durability and longevity, cost and production, storage challenges and impact on the preservation of the vinyl itself. While he acknowledges…

HI-FI Choice Recommends ESSENTIAL HI-FI YOU’LL WANT TO OWN CD PLAYERS Cambridge Audio AXC35 PRICE: £300 REVIEWED: HFC 454 Something of a budget marvel, you’ll have to work extra hard to get the AXC35 to put a foot wrong. Bass is firm, detailed and blessed with excellent timing; the tonal palette is pleasingly broad and clean; and though the soundstage doesn’t extend much beyond the speakers, there’s great depth perspective. Marantz CD 50n PRICE: £1,600 REVIEWED: HFC 518 Equipped to not only get the most from your CD collection, but also for online streaming and dabbling in downloads, the CD 50n boasts a weighty, well-defined and technically accomplished performance that is enormous fun. Throw in a decent built-in headphone amplifier and you have a great silver disc pinner. Cyrus CDi-XR Phantom Black…