Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2026 i Hi-Fi Choice

Sometimes what you’re looking for is right there under your nose staring you in the face. Searching for a theme to sum up this issue – dated Jan 2026, but worked on in late ’25 – it occurred to me that it’s shouting loud and clear on the masthead: Hi-Fi CHOICE. What we’ve been dedicated to doing over the past 12 months, and are determined to continue long into the future, is to present the widest range of affordable choices to enhance your listening pleasure. Whether you’re dedicated to a tried-and-trusted brand or looking for a completely new aural experience, our goal is to discover and test all the incremental technical and stylistic enhancements to the kit you hold dear plus all the fresh arrivals which may set you off…

PRICE: £180 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: KANTOAUDIO.COM CANADIAN AUDIO BRAND Kanto Audio has launched its Obi3 belt-drive turntable, designed to partner a range of the company’s speakers. Combining a built-in phono preamp, Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity and a minimalist design aesthetic, Obi3 signals the beginning of a new Kanto series And comes with an Audio-Technica AT3600L cartridge pre-installed and calibrated, a weighted aluminium platter, wood plinth and aluminium J-shaped tonearm. Pitch control is also on hand and users can choose between 33 and 45rpm speeds. Available in Black, White and Green, the Obi3 measures 400 x 355 x 94mm and has been created to be placed on a desk, shelf or sideboard. Each unit ships with a dustcover, slip mat and 45rpm adapter.…

PRICE: £8,500 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: MOFIELECTRONICS.COM KARMA-AV.CO.UK DISTRIBUTOR KARMA-AV HAS announced the UK availability of MoFi Electronics SourcePoint V10 Master Edition three-way loudspeaker, which is the largest and most powerful in the SourcePoint series. The V10 flagship features a 254mm two-way SourcePoint 10 standmount design with twin 254mm bass drivers and dual rear‑firing 254mm passive radiators to produce a three-way tower speaker, which the company says combines exceptional mid/HF detail and coherence with greater bass response and resolution. Named for its use of five 254mm elements, MoFi explains that: “the V10’s three-way system allows its custom concentric drive unit to focus purely on midrange and treble, so that each part of the spectrum is handled optimally by a dedicated driver, reducing operational stress and preserving clarity from 27Hz to 30kHz.” To…

PRICE: £890-£3,400 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: ADVANCEPARIS.COM/EN DECENTAUDIO.CO.UK FRENCH COMPANY ADVANCE Paris is marking its 30th anniversary with the introduction of APEX, a premium range of amplifiers and audio components. Positioned above the Classic range, APEX comprises four models in a limited-edition Black finish with high-contrast white VU meters: the A8 APEX, A10 APEX, A12 APEX integrated amplifiers and the ACD APEX compact disc player. Each amplifier employs Advance Paris’ signature hybrid valve/transistor topology and introduces upgrades over their Classic predecessors, particularly in the DAC architecture. Enhancements include lower noise power supplies, precision ESS Technology voltage regulators and premium passive components, such as resistors, capacitors and operational amplifiers. The A8 APEX and A10 APEX integrate the high-quality ESS9018 DAC, while the flagship A12 APEX incorporates the top-tier ESS9039 DAC. AP says:…

PRICE: £1,000 PER PAIR AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: FYNEAUDIO.COM SCOTTISH-BASED COMPANY FYNE Audio has announced the launch of its new S-Trax super tweeter, bringing all the benefits of its SuperTrax omnidirectional UHF technology into a more compact, affordable and universally compatible form. Fyne reveals the S-Trax is: “engineered to broaden frequency response far beyond the limits of human hearing while ensuring effortless integration with a wide range of systems. With a simplified enclosure and finish, and fewer esoteric components than its flagship stablemate, S-Trax continues to deliver a greater sense of realism, detail and musical engagement at a more accessible price.” At the heart of the design is an upward-facing 25mm magnesium dome driven by a neodymium magnet system. Unique to Fyne Audio, the tweeter is aligned with a patented Tractrix profile…

PRICE: £1,250-£3,800 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: BANG-OLUFSEN.COM BANG & OLUFSEN has announced the arrival of The Centennial Collection, a special edition release reimagining three of its more popular products: the Beoplay H100, Beosound A5 and Beosound A9 5th Gen. The Danish company reveals: “The collection celebrates defining decades of Bang & Olufsen’s history. From the checkered grille patterns of early radios to the vibrant colour palette of the Seventies in Century Red, Chestnut Brown and Century Blue, each detail carries the spirit of its time. The brushed aluminium surfaces perfected in the Eighties reflect the raw beauty of the brand’s signature material, while the refined leather accents and precision-turned dials speak to the design codes of the last decade. Each product in the collection is finished with the B&O Est. 1925…

PRICE: £270 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: CLEARAUDIO.DE GERMAN COMPANY CLEARAUDIO has launched its Mini Toolkit: a compact collection of precision tools designed for the setup, maintenance and care of high-end turntables and vinyl records. Housed in a robust metal case, the Mini Toolkit has been created to help with such tasks as the precise installation and alignment of cartridges to the fine adjustment of tonearms and cleaning of records. Clearaudio adds: “The Mini Toolkit gives you everything you need to optimise performance, but also extend the lifespan of your turntable and records. Precise setup prevents tracking errors and wear, while regular maintenance ensures long-term reliability and sonic excellence.” The Clearaudio Mini Toolkit includes a Cartridge Alignment Protractor for accurate cartridge setup and optimal tracking and channel balance, a Smart Weight Watcher…

Considering KEF’s interest in home cinema audio, it’s a surprise that the XIO is its first soundbar – rival brands have been selling these living room-friendly, one-box solutions for well over a decade. Sporting a premium construction, it tucks 12 drive units, Class D amplification and DSP inside an aluminium enclosure that’s then tastefully wrapped in fabric. The Black finish beloved by the soundbar market is offered, alongside a rather swish Silver-Grey. Of those 12 drivers, four are 50 x 180mm ‘racetrack’ bass units with the pleated P-Flex surround design also found on KEF’s KC subwoofers. They are arranged in force-cancelling pairs (two facing the front, two the back), while at either end are side-firing 50mm full-range drivers. The other six (three front-firing, three up-firing) are KEF’s new Uni-Q MX,…

BASED ON THE principles of the company’s Charleston loudspeaker cable, but with changes that make it available at a much lower price, this marks the introduction of the loudspeaker cable to Black Rhodium’s Operetta Collection. The cable employs high-current conductor wires to deliver an excellent bass response coupled with good instrument imaging. These are twisted together to reduce intermodulation effects resulting from high-frequency noise interference. The conductors are also screened over the whole length of the cable to reduce distortion resulting from external magnetic fields and high-frequency noise interference. The cable is sheathed in a black braid to minimise the effects of external vibration. Operetta is terminated with Graham Nalty’s GN1 high-quality loudspeaker banana plugs. These have a straight-line contact pin, as opposed to the circumferential connection of other designs,…

CD BMG BACK IN THE bad old days, there was a saying about never washing your dirty linen in public. Lily Allen could have done with heeding a little of that. As I’m sure you know, she split up with celebrity husband, Stranger Things’ David Harbour, when she discovered he cheated on her and she sought therapy to get over it. That’s all this album’s about. In minute detail. Word by word. What the heck any of that has got to do with us is anyone’s guess. Listening in on her phone calls, eavesdropping on her conversations with the other woman, witnessing her reluctantly try a dating app in revenge is sad and not a little embarrassing in all honesty. Another ancient truism is there’s nothing more dull than being ear-bashed…

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PRICE: £170 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB:: MAJORITY.CO.UK MAJORITY HAS INTRODUCED its new Folio Turntable featuring Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, USB playback and recording to play digital files or convert vinyl to MP3, built-in stereo speakers and an Audio-Technica AT3600L movingmagnet cartridge. There are RCA and AUX connections for use with external speakers or amplifiers, plus pitch and rpm controls for 45, 33 and 78rpm records. The Folio’s body is made from plywood and it features an adjustable counterweight on the tonearm, a diecast metal platter and it comes with a premium rubber mat.…

PRICE: £2,500 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: EXPOSUREHIFI.COM EXPOSURE CLAIMS ITS new DAC: “takes the digital signal from your music sources and transforms it into true hi-fi sound: cleaner, more dynamic and infinitely more musical than built-in solutions”. With support for hi-res PCM and DSD formats, the Exposure DAC features seven S/PDIF inputs supporting sample rates up to 192kHz PCM, plus USB up to 32-bit/768kHz and DSD256, so users can connect virtually any digital source. Outputs include RCA (2.1V fixed or up to 4.8V variable) and XLR (4.2V fixed or up to 9.4V variable). There’s also a 99-step digital volume control so the DAC can connect directly to a power amplifier, eliminating the need for a separate preamp. Users can choose variable output for flexible volume control or fixed output for a…

PRICE: £10,000 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: ARENDALSOUND.COM ARENDAL SOUND IS celebrating its first decade with the launch of the 1528 Tower 8 Limited 10th Anniversary Edition speakers, a strictly limited release comprising of 25 pairs made from piano-lacquered rosewood with 12 layers of piano lacquer plus a satin-black front baffle, satin-black waveguide assembly, bass driver trim rings and base bars. The speakers come with Puck Pro feet as an upgrade to the standard-edition’s Puck Plus feet. Each of the 50 speakers in the 25 limited-edition pairs is individually numbered, featuring a chrome-plated stainless steel rear plaque with laser-etched serial and signature from CEO, Jan Ove Lassesen. They also come with a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Arendal Sound’s Chief Technical Officer, Thomas Gunvaldsen. To add to the exclusivity, the company says…

RECORD STORE DAY UK’s Black Friday drop takes place on Friday 28 November at participating independent shops from 8am and the list has just been announced. So, here’s a cherry-picked preview of some of the goodies to look out for. Among the double vinyl LPs on offer are: Alice Cooper, Welcome To My Nightmare Live From The Forum 17/6/75 (Rhino) BB King, Broadcasting The Blues: Live From Germany and Sweden (Time Traveler Recordings) Bad Brains, Live At The Bayou (Time Traveler Recordings) The Beat, The Beat At The Beeb (Rhino) Creed, Live In San Antonio (14/11/1999) (Concord) Deee-Lite, The Very Best Of Deee-Lite (Rhino) The Doors, Live In Copenhagen (Rhino/Atlantic) Dr. Dre, Compton (A Soundtrack by Dr. Dre Instrumental Edition) (Ume/Interscope) Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots: Live At The Zoo Amphitheatre, Oklahoma City (30 August, 2024) (Warner Records) Johnny Thunders & Wayne Kramer, Gang War (Jungle) Miles Davis, Live At…

Some audio products have names where their origin point is entirely obvious; you don’t need to be terribly invested in a company to know that the use of ‘Ultima’ or ‘Titan’ is down to them being range toppers. Arendal is a company where such designations can require a bit more explanation. Each commemorates a significant date in the history of the Norwegian town of Arendal. In this case 1961 was the year the nearby Tromøy Bridge was completed, connecting the island of Tromøy to the mainland near Arendal; not the most obvious thing, but now you know. The 1961 range is almost entirely built around two drivers. The first is a 28mm soft dome tweeter, which is closely related (but not identical as the magnet is different) to the one…

It hasn’t taken a very long time for Eversolo, the audio division of Zidoo, to carve out a decent niche in streaming. Content to leave the most affordable tiers to companies such as WiiM, it has released streamers that combine impressive engineering with a software front end that covers off pretty much all potential use cases. The recently reviewed DMP-A6 Gen2 (HFC 531) is essentially viceless and one of the best devices of its kind under a grand. At first glance, this makes the newly arrived T8 transport look somewhat superfluous. All Eversolo streamers are equipped with digital outputs, including USB, which allows them to send every sample rate they can process to an outboard DAC. As this is all the T8 is designed to do, it’s easy to ask…

AN UPGRADE TO its Clearway Digital RCA cable, the Tuned ARAY RCA now features Chord Company’s Tuned ARAY technology in its design. The cable has the correct 75ohm characteristic impedance to avoid reflections of the signal that would result if an analogue RCA cable was used as a digital interconnect. In addition, the interconnect features high-quality 75ohm silver-plated OFC conductors, a PTFE dielectric with high-density braid and a damping dual-layer outer jacket. The RCA cable is terminated with Chord Company’s ChorAlloy plated connectors and connector pins. This plating technique is intended to overcome negative intermodulation effects at high frequencies that can be produced by standard silver-plating materials. The available cable lengths start at 0.5m, with custom lengths available on special order. As an alternative to the RCA terminations, the Clearway…

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SACD LSO Live THE FIFTH IS Williams’ most popular symphony and, for many, his greatest work. After the violent Fourth Symphony, the Fifth surprised listeners. Premiered in 1943 during the dark days of World War II, its lofty spiritual purity spoke of a better world to come. With Williams aged 70, it even seemed valedictory – the composer’s swan song – but there were four more symphonies to come. An enigmatic, terse, uncompromising Ninth was completed in 1958, VW’s 85th year. Much under valued, like his quietly profound Pastoral Symphony, the Ninth is a work that doesn’t give up its secrets easily. Pappano’s strong clear direction produces keen dramatic performances, aided by crisp incisive playing from the LSO. Barbican hall live recordings suffer some of the dryness and limited spatial depth associated…

It’s easy to take for granted that every decent-sized town seems to have an independent music retailer. But that wasn’t the case when Maria Harris – owner and founder of Tallbird Records – began hatching her plan. Maria moved from London to Chesterfield in 2006: “I was eager for a new challenge – having been a stay-at-home mum for 13 years – and Chesterfield had no record shops left following the closure of the last remaining indie – Hudsons, as featured in Graham Jones’ film Last Shop Standing – and HMV.” The counter culture is in her blood. “I’d been dreaming of owning a record shop for years, having always harked back to my days of working in one myself as the most fun I’d ever had working.” Maria worked…

Jim Reid turns to his older brother William and enquires: “How come so few pop stars have died of AIDS?” William thinks for a moment, then mutters: “Uh… what about Klaus Nomi?” We’re talking about rock ’n’ roll. Or the myth, anyway. We’re discussing why, if rock ’n’ roll or whatever you want to call it, is so risqué and so rebellious, founded on an orgy of sex and drugs, if it’s so cool to flaunt your addictions, how come there isn’t a heapload of anti-social rebel corpses sacrificed on the altar of AIDS, the only sexually transmitted disease ever to kill for certain? “Well,” says Jim, “I saw Johnny Thunders once and he’s one of the healthiest-looking guys I’ve ever met. I thought: ‘Who’s that healthy-looking young chap in…

1 HEART STRINGS Oasis have teamed up with The Guitarwrist to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust with a range of guitar string bracelets, earrings and rings for sale. The pieces are made with strings from guitars played by Noel Gallagher and Gem Archer on the first half of their ‘Oasis Live ’25’ tour. The items are priced between £120 and £275, with a pair of ‘Melody’ guitar string earrings the cheapest for sale. The most expensive is a sterling silver ring, while there are five bracelets priced in between. The Guitarwrist makes bespoke bracelets, rings, necklaces and earrings from used guitar strings and plectrums, with 100 percent of the profits going to the artist’s chosen charity. Among the other artists The Guitarwrist has worked with are Coldplay, Iron Maiden and…

PRICE: £500-£700 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: BLACKRHODIUM.CO.UK BLACK RHODIUM HAS unveiled its Calypso (2025) RCA stereo interconnect, inspired by the company’s Overture RCA stereo interconnect, which our reviewer said was: “an excellent and very well-made high-end interconnect that more than justifies its price tag” (HFC 517). BR reckons the special properties of the Calypso RCA stereo interconnect are: “the attention to detail in reducing as far as possible all the known distortions to music that occur in a music signal”. The design is based on the same design principles as the Overture, but is engineered with cost-effective components to give consumers a cable at a more affordable price. Assembled by hand in several distinct stages at the factory in Derby with each playing an important part in reducing distortion and recreating…

PRICE: £170 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: AUDIO-TECHNICA.COM AUDIO-TECHNICA HAS ANNOUNCED the release of its 2025 limited-edition ATH-M50xENSO headphones. The M50x was first introduced in 2014 and the new ENSO edition returns to its all-black aesthetic while the name “ENSO” is inspired by Japanese paintings, where: “a single brushstroke forms a circle representing the cyclical nature of life. This symbolism reflects both the return to the original sophisticated Black colourway and the ATH-M50x’s iconic circular earcup design.” For the first time, the headphones feature custom engravings on the earcup rings and headband sliders, inspired by sumi ink brush strokes and audio frequency waves. Each pair also carries its own unique serial number, engraved into the matte black finish. The ENSO edition arrives in bespoke packaging, specially created for the limited-edition release. Customers who…

PRICE: £900 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: PSBSPEAKERS.COM CANADIAN COMPANY PSB Speakers has expanded its SubSeries line with the launch of the BP7 powered subwoofer, which features a bipolar driver array, sealed cabinet and 350W Class D amplifier. The company reveals the sub offers: “the output of a full-size subwoofer in a sleek, space-saving form” and explains that the bipolar driver array features two opposing 165mm woven carbon-fibre bass drivers that work in alignment to minimise cabinet vibration and distortion. “This configuration converts amplifier power directly into clean, controlled energy with impressive depth and precision. The 350W Universal Class D (UCD) amplifier provides effortless dynamic range and speed… Its sealed cabinet design eliminates the port noise and resonances often found in vented subwoofers, ensuring smooth, accurate response and consistent performance in virtually…

After a number of years where its new headphones were denoted by a completely new model name, Bowers & Wilkins has settled into a groove with the Px7 – now in its third iteration – and the Px8, which on account of not appearing until the Px7 S2 was launched is a generation behind, with the Px8 S2 a contemporary of the Px7 S3. The Px8 S2 takes the same ‘platform’ (a B&W term) as the Px7 S3, which means you get a suite of Bluetooth up to and including aptX 24/96, SBC and AAC, together with adaptive noise cancelling, a 35-hour battery and the ability to operate as a USB DAC. Spatial audio support is promised, but not yet available and there is a five-band EQ. Gone are the…

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* SCAN TO SUBSCRIBE 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…

With their 26th album, Mad!, released a month or so back, it seems appropriate to discover what music inspires Ron Mael, when it comes to creating Sparks’ masterful clever-clever quirky pop. We’d like to have included Russell, but this page just ain’t big enough for the both of them Donna Summer I Remember Yesterday Casablanca (1977) Ron reveals: “Russell and I were at a period where we were trying to find a different way of doing things, but within the same sensibility of what we are,” says Mael. “And we heard I Feel Love on the radio… it just sounded so amazing to have that kind of cold, electronic background, but with a singer that was really not robotic at all, but very much a singer.” Miles Davis Bitches Brew Columbia…

Blondie Parallel Lines “My favourite album of all time – I could play it a million times and never tire of it – punk-pop perfection and Debbie Harry forever,” says Maria about the huge third studio album from Debbie and co. Talking Heads Remain In Light Simon says: “Talking Heads’ masterpiece is propulsive and atmospheric from start to finish. A foundational record for indie music and modern production techniques.” Wet Leg Wet Leg Maria describes the Isle of Wight band’s debut long player as: “My most played album of the 21st century – droll lyrics, deadpan delivery, dead good tunes. Good times, all the time!” Billie Holiday Songs for Distingué Lovers “Billie Holiday is for me one of the most compelling voices of the 20th century,” explains Simon, before revealing…