Hi-Fi Choice - Yearbook 2022

En este asunto

Our 2022 Yearbook issue is now on sale. It's our annual, collectable resume of all the top kit that has passed through our pages over the last 12 months. You’ll find a vivid mix of gear from the start-up and affordable to the dream lottery win- exotic, all of which has been
tested so that you can buy with complete confidence.

Acoustic Energy AE109²

Acoustic Energy’s smallest floor stander has received a full reworking, but does the new design add up to fun squared?

5 mins

Acoustic Energy AE320

Two or so years ago, the hi-fi press was waxing lyrical about Acoustic Energy’s (then) new top-end 500 series. The 509 was a good floor stander, but its cost has gone up and that has left a gap in the mid-price market into which the AE320 steps.

2 mins

Bowers & Wilkins 804 D4

The smallest floor stander in the company’s illustrious flagship range steps up to the plate and impresses in so many ways

6 mins

Ophidian Voodoo

There are small loudspeakers, tall speakers and speakers like the Voodoo which just make you stop and stare...

5 mins

Acoustic Energy AE100²

One key design aim for the AE100² was to make it sensitive, and O reasonably the quoted 87dB shows that this has just about been achieved.

3 mins

Black Rhodium Twist Classic

Hi-Fi Choice the low-cost twin flex supplied with a starter music system, the Twist Classic is a two-core twisted pair employing 0.75mm2 tinned copper conductors insulated with a 1.2mm silicone rubber dielectric.

1 min

Q Acoustics Concept 50

Acoustics didn’t exactly rush into the 1,0002,000 speaker segment, but when the Concept 30 did break cover it more than met expectations.

2 mins

System Audio saxo 40

A two-way floor-stander, the saxo 40’s stated aim is: big sound without big speakers”. The result is by far the most diminutive tower speaker that’s ever graced our listening room.

2 mins

Triangle Antal 40th Anniversary Edition

As part of its 40th Birthday celebrations, Triangle has upgraded its iconic Antal floor-stander. Time to crash the party...

4 mins

Wharfedale Diamond 12.3

For this 12th-generation Diamond makeover, Peter Comeau (parent company IAG's design director) handed the reins to freelance 'gun for hire' Karl-Heinz Fink, boss of Fink team and consultant to Tannoy, Mission, Q Acoustics and Naim among others. So, a clean sheet, a fresh pair of ears and a new set of design sensibilities.

2 mins

AVID HiFi Reference Four

While most speakers do very nicely with variations on the wooden box theme, the Reference Four opts for all-alloy cabinets, with panels up to 15mm-thick, sitting on six 'risers' attached to a thick alloy baseplate. Hence why each of these relatively compact speakers weighs a hefty 25kg.

2 mins

Bowers & Wilkins 805 D4

The smallest addition to the 800 Series has some refinements not seen before at this level. Time to judge the results

5 mins

ELAC Concentro S 503

This standmount's beguiling design makes it appear far slimmer than it really is. The S 503 comes in at £6,500 for the glossy black or white versions, while the glorious varnished walnut cabinet pictured here will set you back an additional £500.

2 mins

Fyne Audio F500SP

A relative of the standard F500 HFC 457), the F500SP is absolutely not the same speaker made in a different place. The characteristics are the same, though.

2 mins

JBL L52 Classic

JBL's re-released Classic ♫ series channels the design language of its Seventies models and the L52 brings all the principles of the series down to a size where they'll fit into most spaces.

2 mins

Neat Acoustics Majistra

Neat Acoustics' Majistra is one of very few isobaric speakers you can buy using a novel approach to getting more bass out of a cabinet than its internal volume would suggest. Then there's the true ribbon tweeter, which is virtually unique when used together with the aforementioned isobaric driver complement.

3 mins

Q Acoustics Concept 30

Q Acoustics bridges the gap between its affordable and premium ranges - borrowing from both. But does life really begin at 30?

5 mins

Rogers LS3/5A SE

Rogers has done the unthinkable - taken a deep breath and improved the iconic LS3/5A. Time to check in with the Special Edition

5 mins

Simaudio MOON Voice 22

MOON might be just a brand name, but it looks kind of cool spread out in capitals across the bottom of an otherwise nondescript, if distinctly chunky, two-way, rear-ported. standmount speaker.

2 mins

System Audio Legend 7.2 Silverback

There is a limbo-land, somewhere between traditional audiophilia and custom install’s convenient disappearing act where on-wall speakers live in quiet solitude.

3 mins

AirPulse A80

KEY TO THE A80’s neat melding of approaches rests with the power and sophistication of its 16-core XMOS XU216 digital signal processor, which uses XMOS xCore200 architecture.

1 min

Eclipse TD307MK3

NEW FOR THE MK3 is a 65mm full-range fibre-glass driver, said to benefit from greater responsiveness, fewer vibrational artefacts, a wider dynamic range and lower noise floor.

1 min

Bowers & Wilkins Formation Duo

Although passive speakers make up about 80 percent of B&W’s business, there’s no doubt that it places much importance on its newer concepts such as the Formation Duo. Effectively the company’s best wireless offering, it’s a platform upon which future products may be based.

2 mins

Cabasse Pearl Akoya

Easily one of the most striking wireless speaker designs going, this has a retro-futuristic sense of glamour to it. Cabasse would argue that form follows function; its rivals’ boxy fibreboard cabinets being far from ideal sonically.

2 mins

Q Acoustics Q Active 200

Balanced Mode Radiators are not a gimmick; they’re the result of decades of research and a spin-off from military research stretching back many decades.

2 mins

DALI Katch G2

DALI’s original Katch was a hit from the moment it went on sale. The company combined its driver know-how with a piece of industrial design that was a cut above the rest

3 mins

Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2

Cambridge Audio’s TT V2 is best seen as a considered revision of the original Alva TT (HFC 453) rather than a wholesale change. It is a direct-drive design with electronic speed control allowing 33 and 45rpm to be selected via buttons on the plinth.

3 mins

Edwards Audio TT4 Carbon

Edwards Audio is the brainchild of Kevin Edwards of Talk Electronics. His range of vinyl spinners is proudly designed and made in the UK.

1 min

Pro-Ject Debut PRO

Dubbed the most audiophile’ Debut turntable yet, this deck/ arm/cartridge solution takes over from last year’s popular Debut Carbon with a host of new useful refinements

6 mins

Rega Planar 3

There will be some reading this for whom the Rega Planar 3 was the first ‘proper’ turntable they owned. Launched in 1978, it hit the sweet spot between high-end decks and budget ones perfectly.

2 mins

Roksan Attessa

This British brand came to the fore in the midEighties, gaining critical acclaim for its high-end Xerxes turntable. Things have changed since then for Roksan, and it now makes affordable designs too.

2 mins

SME Model 60/Series VA

As the successor to SME’s Model 30 flagship, the latest Model 60 contains a heady mix of old and new technologies. The two-tier chassis, now with elegant curves, is made from aluminium alloy and sits on four height-adjustable feet that are decoupled from the main, lower chassis by an internal multi-point isolation system.

3 mins

Vertere SG-1

In its Clear finish, seen here, the SG-1 retails for £16,000, while £18,250 pays for Black, Pearlescent, or Champagne. All are elegant, the two levels of 30mm-thick cast acrylic for top and bottom strata of the plinth, with a 15mm intermediate level of acrylic, creating a futuristic see-through look.

3 mins

iFi Audio ZEN Phono

THE JUNIOR IFI'S spec seems to belong to something with a far plumper price tag. Take the ability to generate up to 72dB of gain for lowoutput MC carts. Helpfully, this sits beside a 48dB setting to accommodate high-output MCs as well as a setting for MMs.

1 min

Cambridge Audio Alva Duo

IT DOESN'T GET much more straight-ahead than Cambridge Audio's Duo. As well as impressive build quality and an uptown aesthetic, its metal facia is a model of functional simplicity: two small flush buttons to flip between MM and MC, a volume knob and 6.3mm socket for the headphone amp.

1 min

Pro-Ject Phono Box S3 B

PROVIDING ARGUABLY THE biggest 'wow' moment at this price, the Pro-Ject combines dual mono configuration, discrete circuitry in the gain stage (no op amps here) and both balanced in and outputs.

1 min

MoFi StudioPhono

A LARGELY FEATURELESS, low-profile black box that's rather understated, attractive and very nicely put together with a chassis made from metal. That's a rather perfunctory description.

1 min

Rega Fono MC MK4

THIS IS A component dedicated purely to the MC cause. If you have a moving-magnet cartridge, Rega will happily sell you a Fono MM MK5.

1 min

Simaudio MOON 110LP v2

MOON BY SIMAUDIO'S least costly phono preamp (it produces four) looks and feels anything but low rent. With a meticulously machined bowed facia fronting a compact aluminium chassis, it offers four gain settings up to 66dB and the bank of DIP switches on the underside also provides ample scope for experimenting with resistance and capacitance values.

1 min

Goldring Eroica HX

Usefully comprehensive, Goldring's cartridge range has been fairly long lived, and new arrivals are always worthy of note. The HX replaces the H as the only high-output moving coil in Goldring's range and is part of the more affordable Eroica (Italian for hero) family below the Elite and Ethos lines.

2 mins

Lyra Delos

WITH ITS CHASSIS hewn from a solid 6063 aluminium billet, the Delos is deliberately non-parallel in its shape to minimise sensitivity to external vibrations.

1 min

Hana Umami Red

the Umami Red is a half-covered cartridge; a sort of Lyra with a loose fit coat on. The generator is under a 'shroud' but open to the outside air rather than contained within a body

1 min

MoFi UltraGold

MoFi's first moving-coil offering, the UltraGold's recipe of nude Shibata stylus, boron cantilever, neodymium magnet and PC-OCC wiring could just as easily be used to describe a cartridge costing somewhere in the £5,000 range. And no seasoned audiophile would blink.

3 mins

Ortofon Cadenza Black

AS THE FLAGSHIP model in Ortofon's middle-ranking Cadenza range, the Black sets out to give a taste of the company's latest high-end models without the expense. It's a conventional design with a painted aluminium and stainless steel body, and uses a boron cantilever tipped by a nude Shibata stylus.

1 min

Shelter 901 III

TOP OF SHELTER'S Legendary Line, the 901 III has an old fashioned-looking but beautifully finished anodised aluminium body housing, a hard aluminium-clad boron cantilever and an elliptical diamond stylus.

1 min

Vertere Sabre

PERHAPS THE MOST unusual aspect of the Sabre is that it is a moving-magnet offering, which at the price is fairly rare. Vertere argues that having a cartridge that doesn't require your phono stage to be changed makes the proportional upgrade cost lower.

1 min

Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC Star

SOUNDSMITH'S ZEPHYR MIMC Star uses an ultra-low mass moving-iron stylus and cantilever assembly, claimed to offer the best of both MM and MC designs.

1 min

Cambridge Audio AXA35

Affordable integrated amplifiers have been Cambridge Audio's forte for the best part of 30 years and, while they have also moved upmarket recently, the AXA35 is the latest in an unbroken line of more terrestrial models stretching all the way back to the original A1.

2 mins

Copland CSA70

Copland's range comprises both hybrid and all-valve designs, but for its latest amplifier it has gone exclusively solid state. The CSA70 is its entry-level offering and follows a similar design to the CSA100 (HFC 465) and 150 (HFC 479), but dispenses with the valve preamp stage. As the name suggests, the amp section is good for 70W into 8ohm.

3 mins

Chord Electronics Anni

Desktop hi-fi? Can't say I've dabbled. But, of course, 'desktop' is just another marketing category and not a stipulation. Basically, it means small, which is a much more liberating concept and a description that aptly fits Chord Electronics' new integrated amplifier, Anni.

2 mins

Cyrus ¡9-XR

Back in HFC 473, Cyrus' i7-XR put in a fine showing and now it's the turn of the larger 19-XR. Four RCA line inputs and a moving-magnet phono stage are fitted, along with a pre and line out.

2 mins

Exposure 3510

Specs-wise the 3510 could have been plucked from the pages of the 1980 Hi-Fi Choice Yearbook although obviously key areas have evolved and improved over the decades. The conservative factory power rating is quoted as 110W into 8ohm loads and it provides line inputs labelled Aux/ Phono, CD, Aux 2, AV with fixed gain for switchable home theatre bypass, a tape in/out loop and two preamp outs - the latter useful for subwoofers or connecting other power amplifiers.

2 mins

HiFi Rose RA180

Whatever industrial design eccentricities HiFi Rose might embrace, the brand is all about offering a multitude of features and functions. However, with its £5,500 price tag, the RA180 also marks a significant move upmarket for the company.

2 mins

Melody Action Ultra

Well-established in Australia and Asia, Melody sells an extensive range to suit all pockets and now has its sights on Europe. The Action Ultra presents a high-value proposition for audiophiles who want to sample thermionic valves without breaking the bank.

2 mins

NAD C 700

As the most affordable of NAD's streaming amp family, at its core the C 700 is a combination of the A company's UCD Class D amp technology - which creates a switching amplifier from discrete analogue sections rather than a single chip amp - and the BluOS streaming front end that underpins many NAD and Bluesound components.

2 mins

Pro-Ject MaiA S3

As the name suggests, the MaiA S3 is the third generation of Pro-Ject's compact integrated amplifier (the original being tested back in HFC 390) and, while some of the details have changed, the premise is the same as before; an affordable integrated, optimised to work with the company's turntable range but also able to handle other inputs that you might have without struggling

2 mins

Rotel RA-1592MKII

LIKE A GREAT many integrateds, this is most of the way to being an all-in-one system. It has a single XLR input supported by three RCAs and a moving-magnet phono stage.

1 min

Roksan Attessa Streaming Amplifier

Bluesound devices. Like other BluOS devices, sample rate handling

1 min

Yamaha R-S202D

A ‘full-width’ design, this Yamaha integrated is closely related to the AS-201 HFC 386) stereo amplifier, but where that is a conventional line-only device, the R-S202D augments the specification.

2 mins

Rega Saturn MK3/Elicit MK5

As Rega’s first amplifier to augment analogue inputs with digital ones, the Elicit MKS comes equipped with one optical and one coaxial input offering support for PCM up to 24-bit/192kHz. Decoding comes via an unspecified Wolfson DAC.

5 mins

NAD M23

NAD's latest power amp to feature Purifi Eigentakt Class D technology, when used in stereo the M23's rated power is quoted at 200W/8ohm - making it good for all but the most demanding of loudspeakers.

2 mins

XTZ Edge A2-400

Sometimes, a logical area of development in one product category is slightly undermined by other areas not necessarily producing the kit to make use of them.

3 mins

Aurender N200

As supplied, the Aurender N200 has no storage capacity aside from the 240GB NVMe SSD used for caching music for playback. Instead, two slots on the rear take 2.5in HDDs or SSDs, installed by the user to suit their needs.

2 mins

iFi Audio ZEN Stream

As part of its ongoing mission to create a digital device for every eventuality, iFi Audio has developed some interesting solutions built around its decoding platform.

2 mins

Orchard Audio PecanPi Streamer

Hi-fi can be a maze of competing ecosystems with the capacity to confuse and coerce as much as connect on a bespoke level. But one that seems to be hitting the sweet spot with increasing real-world relevance is the low-cost, no-frills, function-first, high-performance, multi-tasking, software-flexible, plug-and-play little black (or silver) box. And Orchard Audio's PecanPi Streamer appears to be exactly that.

2 mins

Primare NP5 Prisma MK2

If you own a recent Primare amp incorporating its modular Prisma streaming system, you’re good to go and can stop reading now. If you own a Primare amp without on board streaming – or an old standalone Primare network player – you can buy the Prisma platform in the form of the NP5 MK2 you see here for half price.

2 mins

Primare NP5 Prisma MK2

If you own a recent Primare amp incorporating its modular Prisma streaming system, you're good to go and can stop reading now. If you own a Primare amp without on board streaming or an old standalone Primare network player - you can buy the Prisma platform in the form of the NP5 MK2 you see here for half price. If you don't own any Primare kit but fancy a well-featured streaming transport that won't break the bank even at full price (£550), read on.

2 mins

Deezer Premium

One of the longest-running services and one of only two to have competed in all of our Group Tests, Deezer is unchanged from last year – apart from switching the name of its HiFi option to Premium. Though other lossy tiers remain, this is the second most expensive service on a per-month basis we have looked at, which is awkward as it’s also the most limited.

3 mins

Qobuz Studio Premier

One of the earliest services to offer lossless content, Qobuz was equally prompt out the blocks with hi-rescontent too. As a result, it’s possibly the streaming service that’s changed the least over the last few years.

3 mins

Tidal HiFi Plus

Tidal has made some significant adjustments since we tested it in 2021. The fundamentals of its premium HiFi Plus tier are unchanged. It’s still £19.99 a month, making Tidal the most expensive service (there’s no annual sub either), but a lossless HiFi tier has been added for £9.99 a month. Hi-res is exclusively encoded with MQA – the only service to do so. The library seems to have some content other services don’t.

3 mins

iFi Audio GO bar

IFI AUDIO’S GO bar is built around a Cirrus Logic chip, combined with a 16-core XMOS micro controller. Sample rate handling is PCM to 384kHz, DSD to 256 together with DXD and MQA. This is available to both 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs, for balanced operation.

1 min

Cayin RU6

UNLIKE MANY RIVALS, the output of the RU6 is generated by two precision resistors to convert a digital binary number into an analogue output signal proportional to the value of the digital number. It’s fairly uncommon, especially in a form factor as compact as this, given there are 96 resistors in it.

1 min

iFi Audio ZEN One Signature

IFi’s ZEN range has been a hit and its response has been to push the platform in new directions. The ZEN One Signature is a departure from what’s come before in that rather than concentrating on one role, it broadens its focus.

2 mins

NuPrime Hi-mDAC

FAIRLY NEW IN the UK, NuPrime's Hi-mDAC is the smallest and simplest converter it makes. Its decoding architecture is centred around a Cirrus Logic CS43131 DAC. Given that it lists similar (identical) adjustable filter options and the same 384kHz PCM and DSD256 handling as iFi's GO bar (p109), we can postulate that it's the same chip

1 min

Pro-Ject DAC Box E mobile

WITH AN ALMOST total absence of frills and fripparies, the focus of the DAC Box E mobile is on use with iOS and Android devices on the move and the design is optimised for this. The Pro-Ject is PCM only with sample rates supported up to 32-bit/192kHz.

1 min

Astell&Kern A&norma SR25 MkII

When I reviewed the original A&norma SR25 (HFC 465), I couldn’t name a single thing that needed improving, let alone fixing. I ended the review with the thought that, at a reasonable £650, A&K’s entry-level model was probably as much quality portable digital audio player anyone would ever need.

2 mins

Dethonray Prelude DTR1+

Portable audio players have settled into a niche role after having been squeezed by smartphones and portable DACs for more serious use. The Prelude DTR1+ is built by Dethonray; a China-based company that produces a small range of electronics and earphones.

2 mins

Chord Electronics Mojo 2

Undergoing a thorough overhaul, the new Mojo – virtually the same dinky form factor, more coloured orbs (dinkier than before) – kicks off with some unique tech.

2 mins

Ferrum ERCO

Combining elements of Ferrum’s all-analogue OOR headphone amp, the ERCO can be upgraded with the Hypsos power supply, making it a complete ‘just-add computer-and-headphones’ solution for desktop audio, including a USB input and onboard DAC.

2 mins

iFi Audio GO blu

A portable DAC that uses Bluetooth to connect wired headphones to a wireless audio source might seem like an odd idea. After all, if you want the convenience of wireless music the obvious solution is a set of Bluetooth headphones. There is, however, some method to the apparent madness behind iFi's GO blu.

2 mins

Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2

Available in grey, blue or black, B&W describes the Px7 S2 as its: “best active noise-cancelling wireless headphone yet” – at least until the Px8 arrives on the scene, stepping the price right up to £500. Though it looks very similar to previous incarnations, the Px7 S2 is a major upgrade that includes improvements both inside and out. B&W states that the earpieces are slimmer, slightly lighter and padded with memory foam for extra comfort.

2 mins

Mark Levinson N°5909

Mark Levinson is an unashamedly luxury brand and its No5909 makes no compromises whatsoever, offering “luxury listening on the go”, with hi-res audio support, impressive battery, active noise cancellation (ANC) and a number of versatile connectivity features.

2 mins

Philips Fidelio L3

Philips refers to the L3 as “accessible high-end”, an approach that extends to the choice of materials and build quality as well as sound that’s rich and refined, tuned as much by ear as measurement by the Fidelio team. Assets include a decent battery life of 38 hours, which falls to a still generous 32 hours if you keep the ANC switched on while 15 minutes plugged in gets you a handy six hours of playback. Forget to power down when you take them off and the L3s will do it for you after a few minutes.

2 mins

Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless

A welcome price cut isn’t the only change from the Momentum 3 Wireless (HFC 486) with the Momentum 4 sporting a sleek, new design – available in black or white – with noticeably slimmer earpieces making it feel lighter and less bulky than its predecessor. I won’t miss the sharp-edged folding hinges of previous models, which have now been replaced by a rotating hinge that allows you to fold the earpieces flat when you want to put the headphone in the hard-shell carrying case.

2 mins

Astell&Kern AK UW100

Astell&Kern has a number of wired in-ears and headphones, but it has resolutely avoided the compromises of Bluetooth... until now. The AK UW100 marks the company’s debut in the true wireless stereo category and, with a price of just £250, it’s also one of its most affordable to date.

2 mins

Audio-Technica ATH-CKS50TW

Audio-Technica’s ATHCKS50TW is a generously priced earbud, but it provides a really good combination of useful features and attractive sound quality. It might be a little on the chunky side, but A-T says it’s designed to fi t very securely in the ear and there are four sizes of ear-tips included. I manage to get a good fi t, but some users may still prefer earbuds with a more compact design.

2 mins

Philips Fidelio T1

Available in either black or white, the T1 sits at the top of the Fidelio range, but it provides attractive sound quality, along with noise cancellation and other useful features. The design may not suit everyone as the earbuds are rather large, with an extended oval shape that projects forward quite noticeably from the ear.

2 mins

Technics EAH-AZ60

It has to be said that the Technics' EAH-AZ60 doesn't make a great first impression. The £200 price tag is tempting, but the charging case that holds the earbuds feels rather light and flimsy compared with most of its rivals. And, upon downloading the Technics Audio Connect app, you're presented with pages of irritating terms and conditions and some rather confusing instructions.

2 mins

Atlas Cables Element Achromat

Sporting an elegant pearlescent white outer sheath, the Element Achromat certainly looks quite fetching. The term ‘achromatic’ literally means without colour, which fittingly enough is also Atlas Cables’ sonic design goal.

2 mins

Chord Company Clearway

I ’ve tried out a number of Chord cables over the years and they never fail to impress. The Clearway is no exception and features the company’s proprietary ARAY conductor geometry, which has been developed from its Sarum Tuned ARAY geometry. This has been designed so that the cable carries high levels of detail and dynamic information plus signals with real musical coherence. Every Clearway interconnect is constructed and tested at Chord’s UK facility.

2 mins

Ecosse The Conductor CA1

A particular feature of this cable is the use of a sandwich of two dielectrics employed to insulate the central conductor. These are a high-grade, low-loss polyethylene and an ultra-low-loss, increased-air, gas-foamed polyethylene (FPE).

2 mins

The Missing Link Alaqeia

THIS INTERCONNECT USES The Missing Link's Ultrapure silver-plated oxygen-free copper conductors in a pseudo-balanced construction to offer superior RFI rejection and is insulated with a PTFE dielectric.

1 min

True Colours Industries Python II

MARKETED AS A no-compromise reference-grade speaker cable, the Python II is available as a standard pre-terminated stereo cable and also as a 4-conductor pre-terminated bi-wire.

1 min

Russ Andrews Evolution-300 PowerKord

BUILDING ON THE success of the Evolution-100 PowerKord (HFC 461), the 300 employs twice as many woven conductors.

1 min

A RECORDING TECHNOLOGY SHOWDOWN

What's the best way to record music? Half-soeed mastering? 33 or 45rom? Analogue or digital? Mike Valentine has produced an audiophile recording that allows you to decide for yourself. Neville Roberts attends the session

7 mins

Jack White Fear Of The Dawn

IT’S HARD TO think of any artist who has seized DIY control of the entire production, distribution, promotion and marketing of his music as totally as Jack White.

2 mins

Nilufer Yanya Painless

BORN IN LONDON 26 years ago to an IrishBarbadian mother and a Turkish father, Nilufer Yanya may be the embodiment of modern multi-cultural Britain but she’s built her career in the old-fashioned way.

2 mins

Angel Olsen Big Time

BORN IN ST Louis, Missouri 35 years ago and adopted at birth, Olsen began singing in a punk band in her teens before moving to Chicago, where she became a backing singer for Will Oldham, whose albums as Bonnie Prince Billy have made him pretty much the liege lord of alt-folk.

1 min

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Cool It Down

IT’S MORE THAN 20 years since the Yeah Yeah Yeahs emerged as part of a new millennium resurgence in edgy, post-punk alternative American rock. Formed in New York by singer Karen O, drummer Brian Chase and guitarist/ keyboard player Nick Zinner, the trio’s earliest gigs were supporting the Strokes and White Stripes, which provided them with an audience that was already willing and able when the band eventually released its first album, Fever To Tell in 2003.

2 mins

What's in the box?

When it comes to choosing loudspeakers, there are many designs to pick from. Neville Roberts discusses what different cabinet enclosure types offer

3 mins

DESTINATION: NORTH BERWICK

There’s a record shop making waves on the East Lothian coast, nurturing tomorrow’s DJ talent today. Simon Berkovitch hits the decks and digs the crates

5 mins

Slipped discs

Back in October 2021 we warned you that a potential vinyl shortage was in the offing. Nigel Williamson confirms our darkest fear could be coming true

3 mins

DESTINATION: HACKNEY

Man about town Simon Berkovitch heads to East London in search of vinyl bliss and finds that heaven is a place on Mare Street

4 mins

Yup, vinyl!

As Record Store Day starts to become part of the problem, Steve Sutherland salutes the positive steps being made to solve the current vinyl shortage

3 mins

DESTINATION: OXFORD

Simon Berkovitch, takes a punt on Riverman Records – a haven for classics of all kinds

5 mins

What Apple wants...

As the Cupertino company’s latest plans hint at the development of a next-gen successor to Bluetooth, CliffJoseph finally has hope for its wireless future

3 mins

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Hi-Fi Choice is the essential guide to getting the best possible sound from your hi-fi, whether you're buying, tuning or tweaking... It has a no-nonsense approach to reviewing the finest audio products available, from hi-res streaming and downloads to CD, vinyl and valves. Hi-Fi Choice magazine has been at the forefront of audio equipment reviews and buying advice for 40 years and no other magazine has the same passion for sound that we do!