We typically consider the music of our formative years to be ‘the best of all time’, so too do we look back with similar affection at the hi-fi separates that tempted us in that same period. Looking back, hi-fi ’s boom years loosely corresponded with the span of The Beatles’ career, levelling off during the 1970s-1990s. So when our US columnist, Barry Willis, cites 1980s hi-fi as his vintage ‘sweet spot’ [see p113] there’ll be fans in equal number rooting for hardware from every other era.

We’ll have one of the largest displays of pristine vintage audio assembled at our UK Hi-Fi Show Live in Sept, so if you want to revisit those cherished memories, grab a fast-track ticket (https:// hifi showlive2022.eventbrite. co.uk) and avoid the queues!

Welcome, audiophiles, enthusiasts, music fans and lovers of all things luxury to our annual Yearbook. The festive season has certainly arrived early this year as Hi-Fi News & Record Review celebrates the hardware that inspired our senses and the music that stirred our souls throughout 2024.

In the November issue of HiFi News:

Vinyl & Record reviews, including:

Vinyl Release: Steve Sutherland hears the 180g reissue of Terrapin Station by The Grateful Dead, an album disowned by the band yet certified Gold within ten years of its release, p82

Music Reviews: Our selection of audiophile LPs and hi-res downloads reviewed by our specialists alongside the latest rock, jazz and classical albums, p94


Definitive Product Reviews including:

Naim Uniti Nova Power Ed. Latest iteration of flagship streamer amp promises double the muscle as Class A/B makes way for Class D, p48

Monitor Audio Studio 89. An orgy of gold and high gloss as company combines its latest driver tech with looks inspired by the ’80s, p64

Vintage Review. We hear the Sony D-421SP ‘Sports’  CD player from 1993, a portable said to work under water. But why? p120


News & Opinion including:

Showblog: Audiojumble. Reel-to-reel riches and used vinyl treasures, but where are all the Radford amps? Ken Kessler reports from this year’s event in Tonbridge, p26

Top 20 Multichannel Discs. Brand-new SACD, DVD and Blu-ray discs offering a mix of DTS and Dolby formats... Ken Kessler brings you his Top 20 surround sound picks, p32

And so much more!!!

In the October issue of Hi-Fi News:

EISA Awards:
Across no fewer than 21 pages, Hi-Fi News reveals the very best products as voted for by EISA’s 56 specialist technology magazines/websites from nearly 30 different countries, see p81.

Definitive Product Reviews:
Nicknamed the ‘Streamliner’, Hegel’s H400 combines a powerful amp with comprehensive network audio platform, see p48. With the popular Chinook tube phono stage as its inspiration, the new Oasis is both more flexible and user-friendly, first review, see p64

Music: 
Proto-punk Pink Flag (p108) from Wire is this month’s Vinyl Icon, while Steve Sutherland switches channels to Television’s Marquee Moon, as the album is now re-released on 180g LP (p106)

Plus News,Opinion and so much more!

In the September issue of H-Fi News:

DEFINITIVE PRODUCT REVIEWS:
Familiar two-chassis enclosure conceals an evolved, and more flexible, MM/MC phono preamp from Lehmannaudio, p70

Traditional Class A/B amplifi cation meets a new streaming platform in Rotel’s RAS-5000 integrated. Full technical review, p50

MUSIC: 
The debut of Hollywood punk belles, The Go-Go’s, is this month’s Vinyl Icon (p84), while Jackson Browne’s For Everyman, re-released on 180g LP (p82), waves the flag for an alt. Cali dream 

PLUS News, opinion and so much more!


Definitve Product Reviews:
Switchmode power supplies and a novel FET output stage pack a punch in Chord’s compact Ultima Integrated. Full review, p64
A compact box houses WiiM’s astonishing Pro Plus network-attached streamer/ preamp. An audiophile bargain? See p72...

Vinyl & Record reviews:
Violent Femmes’ 1983 debut album is our Vinyl Icon (p82), while Steve Sutherland revisits an unsung folk-psych classic as Linda Perhacs’ Parallelograms is re-released on 180g LP (p80)

Vintage Reviews:
How do yesterday’s classics measure up today? We hear Technics’ SB-F3 compact speaker, released in 1987, p120
From The Vault. It’s HFN Jan ’98 and Paul Miller has Genesis Technologies’ Digital Lens in his lab – a jitter buster that delivers, p126

Plus News, Opinion and so much more!

In the July issue of Hi-Fi News:

Product Reviews:
Pro-Ject’s flagship moving-coil, the Pick it MC9, is another component in the brand’s drive towards fully balanced vinyl playback [p66]

Styled to match NAD’s other Masters series separates, the M66 is a fully-fl edged streaming DAC... with Dirac [p58]

Music:
George Benson’s Grammy award-winning Breezin’ is our Vinyl Icon (p84), while Steve Sutherland asks ‘landmark or landfill?’ as The Rolling Stones’ Satanic Majesties is re-released on 180g (p82)

Plus News, opinion and so much more!

In the June issue of Hi-Fi News:

Clearaudio’s decade-old turntable classic gains a ‘Signature’ speed control upgrade. Our exclusive review gets into the groove on p66. 

Dethonray Listening M1 - Compact headphone amp/USB DAC from China hopes to carve a niche in the private-listening space with a circuit boasting flagship digital chips. (p54)

Music: The sci-fi -tinged, synth pop classic, Tubeway Army’s Replicas is our Vinyl Icon (p82), while Steve Sutherland chases perfection as Jellyfish’s Spilt Milk flows in on 180g (p80)

And so much more!

In the may issue of HiFi News

Definitive product reviews

PS Audio’s new AirLens streamer includes an I2S/HDMI link to the partnering DirectStream DAC MK2. See p48

Generation Z – Luxman’s L-509Z integrated amplifier, see p52

Silver coils and tickled-up magnets distinguish the new SE version of Goldring’s flagship Ethos MC. Our exclusive review gets into the groove on p56


Vinyl & Record Reviews

Passion through a cinematic lens, ABC’s The Lexicon Of Love is our Vinyl Icon (p82), while Steve Sutherland goes transcendental as Kate Bush’s The Sensual World reappears on 180g (p80)

Vinyl Icon: ABC burst out of the Steel City with a shimmering sound that seduced a generation of ’80s pop fans. Mike Barnes looks at the making of their debut album, The Lexicon Of Love (p84)


Vintage

Vintage Review: The Philips AH585 from 1979 was a third-generation Motional Feedback speaker designed to bring enthusiasts with more traditional tastes into the MBR fold. How will it sound today? (p120)


The Vault: It’s HFN Jul ’91 and Ken Kessler is assessing Apogee’s Centaurus Major and Minor hybrid speakers. Ribbons to be cheerful? (p126)

Plus News & Opinion, and so much more!

The April edition of H-Fi News is now available

Vinyl & Record Reviews:
Classical Companion - Peter Quantrill takes a fresh look at Bruckner’s Symphony No 7 as he recommends key recordings, p78

Vinyl Release - Ready for a barrel full of rockin’ beats? Steve Sutherland uncorks Black Grape’s It’s Great When You’re Straight... Yeah on 180g vinyl, p80

Vinyl Icon - Mike Barnes shines a torch into the gloom of a 1981 Goth offering as he traces the story behind the recording of The Cure’s LP Faith, p82

Product Reviews:
T+A’s PSD 3100 - HV sees the first outing of the brand’s ‘Gen 3’ streaming platform, p54. Magnat’s compact Signature Edelstein shows that big sounds can come from small packages. See p62. Leema Acoustics Neutron/Graviton - Fresh from the Principality comes a flagship-inspired pre/power combo, keenly priced and the fi st products in the Welsh brand’s Quantum range, p70

Music:
From the British barons of Gothic rock, The Cure’s Faith is our Vinyl Icon (p82), while Steve Sutherland seeks out his looking glass as Black Grape’s It’s Great When… reappears on 180g (p80)

And so much more!

In the March issue of HiFi News:

Product Reviews: 
Able to trace its lineage back to 1949, Quad’s Revela 1 ribbon tweeter has evolved! See p58 
Not to scale, and Canor’s KT88-equipped Virtus I2 integrated amplifier lights up the music on p62.
A speaker to please the pennywise – the Sonus faber Lumina V Amator, see p70

Music: 
Vinyl Release: Packed with hits, it was ’90s Big Beat at its peak... Steve Sutherland revisits Fatboy Slim’s You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby on 180g vinyl (p80)
Our Vinyl Icon is a soprano on a mission, launching herself with Joan Baez Vol. 1 (p82), while Steve Sutherland launches the first DJ astronaut as Fatboy Slim’s second LP returns on 180g (p82)

And so much more!

In the February issue of Hi Fi News:

Product review: Now with v2.0 firmware supporting digital volume and extra filters, dCS’s Lina DAC is ready for the big league [see p64]

Product review: Musical Fidelity’s 480mm-wide, 22kg Nu-Vista Vinyl 2 phono stage struts its vinyl-loving stuff – exclusively – on p60

Vintage Review: We hear the Denon DCD-600 from 1987, a disc player with a novel take on using a mono DAC for stereo CD (p120)

Music: Scritti Politti’s Cupid & Psyche 85 mixes politics, philosophy and pop in our Vinyl Icon (p82), while Steve Sutherland dishes the dirt as Frank Zappa’s Over-Nite Sensation is re-released on 180g LP (p80)

News: Accordo Goldberg standmount is reworked, Luxman announces fully balanced preamp, new network amp from Rotel, Sonus faber unveils ‘Amator’ editions of Lumina speakers (p22)

And so much more!

In the January issue of Hi-Fi News:

There’s nothing fishy about Mola Mola’s disarmingly compact Lupe MM/MC phono stage, complete with a full catch of features [see p68]

PS Audio’s Stellar USB DAC, now with a ‘go faster’ gold stripe, proves that minimalism still has momentum – in-depth review on p60

Music: Cpt. Beefheart’s radioactive debut Safe As Milk is our Vinyl Icon (p82), while Steve Sutherland says ‘it’s complicated’ as Joni Mitchell’s Ladies Of The Canyon is re-released on LP (p80)

And so much more!

 the December issue of HiFi News:

Part of Absolute Sounds’ Ten collection of artisan products, is the Trafomatic Rhapsody 300B tube amp as glorious-sounding as it looks? See p56

Denon’s disc players and amplifiers have long needed a partnering network-attached streamer. And here it is, on p74

In Music this moth: No second album syndrome for this month’s Vinyl Icon, Pet Shop Boys’ Actually (p82), while Steve Sutherland soaks up Sly And The Family Stone’s Anthology, re-released on 180g LP (p80)

Ans so much more…..

Welcome, audiophiles, enthusiasts, music fans and lovers of all things luxury to our annual Yearbook. So, while the weather and world news reports are never short of gloom, it’s reassuring to know there’s absolutely no shortage of global goodwill when it comes to audio goodies, as Hi-Fi News & Record Review celebrates the hardware that inspired our senses and the music that stirred and sustained our souls throughout 2023. Pour yourself a glass of what you fancy, sit back, and savour our annual festival of the most vivacious vinyl-playing hardware, massive monoblocks, tube integrateds and networkconnected Class D divas. We’ve
some delicious digital players, DACs, and loudspeakers of every size and stripe. While leafing through the jewels of high-end audio featured in this bumper 180-page collection, I hope you’ll also be tempted to seek out some new sounds from our choice of heavyweight LPs, CDs and ‘virtual’ digital media. Hi-fi is, after all, our window on the world of music. We’ll also pause and reflect
on the innovations that drive the evolution of our shared passion and look back at some vintage audio heroes to remind us of hi-fi ’s impressive pedigree. We’ve been there from the beginning of course... Launched in 1956, Hi-Fi News is the world’s oldest specialist ‘hi-fi ’ magazine, even pre-dating the stereo revolution itself! It’s fair to say we are woven into the very fabric of the high-quality audio scene, having explored and catalogued every step in hi-fi ’s journey for the last 67 years. We’ve stood the test of time as the audiophile’s reference – every month, we independently research, lab test and audition the newest high-end hi-fi from established brands as well as the new kids on audio’s block. So if you want to read the first in-depth tests of the world’s fi nest hi-fi then why not join us on the adventure. Who knows – next month you may discover that once-in-a-lifetime upgrade you’ve always dreamed of!

In the November issue of HiFi News:

As the new generation 2.2 of Auralic’s network-attached Vega streamer/DAC is launched, we get the first sample. See p60.

Copland rarely replaces its tube amps, so when a new model arrives, we’re all ears! Turn to p56 and discover the 50W, CTA407.

Music: Dr Feelgood buck the prevailing fashion with its mono ...Jetty, our Vinyl Icon (p82), while Steve Sutherland passes himself off as Lock, Stock... cast as the soundtrack is re-released on LP (p80). Plus: They were the sets that shaped a subculture – we bring you our Top 20 Goth albums... (p32)

And much more!

Your October issue of Hi-Fi News has expanded into a bumper 164-page offering where, as the exclusive UK member of EISA’s Hi-Fi Expert Group, we can reveal the cream of the crop, as tested, judged and voted for by the most respected quarters of the international audio press.

HiFi Rose’s range is blossoming with new products, including the class-leading RS130 music library/streaming transport. See p64

Is Hegel’s mighty H600 network-ready flagship the most powerful integrated on the market? Turn to p60 to find out...

And in music this month, John Martyn recovers his mojo on our Vinyl Icon, One World (p108), while Steve Sutherland recounts Fairport Convention’s re-writing of the rulebook as Liege & Lief is re-released on LP (p106)

And so much more…..

In the September issue:
 
The MAT absorber migrates into KEF’s R series as we test the compact R3 Meta standmount

Digital server hardware from software pioneers Volumio – is the Rivo as simple as it looks? Read our full review…

Music: Epic yet spiritual, The Waterboys’ This Is The Sea is this month’s Vinyl Icon, while Steve Sutherland calls out 2013 as a landmark year courtesy of Daft Punk’s RAM, re-released on 180g LP.

And so much more!

In the August issue of Hi-Fi News, our expert line up, the finest minds in audio journalism, bring their experience to bear on all areas of Hi-Fi & music

Rock Solid? The Coralstone Sits At The Apex Of Koetsu’s Platinum Mc Series. See Our Full Review.

From The Land Of The Kiwi And Silver Fern Comes The Antipodes Oladra Network-Attached Music Library

Music: The only way is pop... document, our vinyl icon, proves a successful diversion for R.e.m., while Steve Sutherland turns fan-dad as Big Star’s #1 record arrives on 180g LP.

And so much more!

In the July issue of Hi-Fi News: VPI’s continuing collaboration with Audio- Technica is revealed. Yamaha, king of retro-chic, combines network audio with a powerful integrated amp. We test the R-N2000A. Our Vinyl Icon is Another Music... by punk phenomenon the Buzzcocks, while Steve Sutherland reveals the backstory to glam rockers Hanoi Rocks’ Two Steps... now on 180g LP.
And so much more!

Although this month’s cover is dominated, quite rightly, by Monitor Audio’s remarkable Hyphn loudspeaker [another ‘World Exclusive’ for Hi-Fi News readers], we have another product that wears its technical intrigue on a less flamboyant sleeve. Moreover, just like the Halcro Eclipse Stereo amp featured last month, it reinforces the maxim that sound quality cannot be defi ned by one or two

PLUS: - We lend an ear, and more, to EarMen’s ST-Amp DAC/headphone amp.
- Full test of D’Agostino’s Progression S350 power amp has the power to drive any speakers you might choose. 

In teh June issue Hi-Fi News:

In music this month: Join our roadtrip on Kraftwerk’s Autobahn, our Vinyl Icon (p82), while Steve Sutherland tracks down the cover story of The Ruts’ The Crack, recently re-released on 180g vinyl.

Plus much much more!

In the May issue of Hi-Fi News…

Crafted in celebration of Audio-Technica’s Diamond anniversary, the AT-ART20 blends MC sound quality with MM tracking prowess.

From The Netherlands’ PrimaLuna comes this all-tube MM/MC phono preamp – a glowing
performance,

Released in 1984, Echo & The Bunnymen’s Ocean Rain is our Vinyl Icon, while Steve Sutherland lifts the lid on the Small Faces’ eponymous second album, re-available on 180g vinyl.

And so much more!

In the April issue of H-iFi News:

There’s nothing fishy about the longevity of Manley’s Jumbo Shrimp/Mahi tube pre/power combo. We haul in our nets.

German engineering at its slickest is on show in Lumin’s T3 – the brand’s most accessible network-attached server solution.

A fusion of rock and electronica, New Order’s Low-life is our Vinyl Icon, while Steve Sutherland reveals the fractured relationships behind CSN&Y as Déjà Vu is re-released on 180g vinyl.

And much more!

In the March issue:

Reviews: An in-depth review of ifi Audio’s NEO Stream, a super-flexible digital hub.

Tested: Boulder puts the ‘bold’ into amplification with its 866 integrated, we test it with its digital module.

Music: ‘Only possibly from this planet’, Grace Jones’ ‘Nightclubbing’ is our Vinyl Icon, while Steve Sutherland reveals the ‘guns for hire’ on Steely Dan’s ‘Can’t Buy A Thrill’, on 180g vinyl.

And so much more!

Lockdown allowed many music lovers to rediscover the joys of physical media, and the vinyl LP in particular. No longer rushing from place to place, listening ‘on the fly’, more people were enticed by the intricacies of album art and the ritual of slipping a precious platter from its sleeve, savouring the expectant hush that heralds a stylus dropping into the groove. Sales of turntables, arms and cartridges improved but it was vinyl’s overtake of CD that had its foot put firmly on the gas. 2021 saw the gap close but 2022 was the first year since 1987 that LPs outsold CDs. Naturally we’re not the only interested party reporting on this boost to the vinyl resurgence, so it’s important to stress we are talking about sales value and not volume here. Record companies deal in cold, hard dollars…

While we always go the extra mile to ensure your favourite hi-fi magazine is the first to bring you in-depth reviews of the latest high-end gear, neither should we forget that the very best back-to-basics separates often have competitive lifespans that extend beyond a decade. The Nagaoka cartridge and Simaudio integrated amp featured in this issue are perfect examples of long-lived success. 

So while we double-down on Wilson Audio’s new Alexia V – previewed to the general press en masse before being setup by brand ambassador Peter McGrath
in HFN’s listening room for our exclusive review – we’re also getting reacquainted with these two stalwarts of the hi-fi scene.

SME is another brand deservedly famous for the longevity of its products, so new SME turntables are almost guaranteed to send a ripple through the vinyl-loving
community. Naturally, we were delighted to have the very first sample of SME’s Model 12 MK2 on our photographic bench before a press release had even
been written…

CD is now as much a ‘legacy’ format as the venerable LP. Some of our readers may well have owned a Philips CD380 – the star of this month’s Vintage Review, and a great deal of us still get a lot of listening pleasure from the little ’ol silver disc. We regularly get mails from readers who are returning to CD having switched off the ‘streaming experience’. Part of this is surely the lack of ‘ritual’ about playing locally stored downloads or snagging fi les from the cloud, but it’s also a reflection of the fact that so much of the 24-bit potential of ‘modern digital’ goes unrealised.This month’s hi-res album choice is a 16-bit CD file and yet its practical dynamic range is exceptional. There’s life in the old format yet!

In this issue: As two exemplars of the science and art of loudspeaker design, DALI’s KORE and YG Acoustics’ Cairn new models have more in common than you might expect. Our reviews have the inside story on both designs with our in-house lab testing by way of further insight, so dive in and relish the diversity of modern hi-fi design. PS Audio’s top-of-therange monoblock amplifiers (and the last to have been penned by the late Bascom H King) make a fabulous partner for either loudspeaker. See inside for more!

There are occasions, possibly just once in a lifetime, where an event of such momentous, historic importance stops us in our tracks. Wherever we were, whatever we were doing, these are the rare moments that become indelibly imprinted upon our personal and collective memories. For many of us, Thursday the 8th September 2022 will be that day. Early that morning the great and good of the hi-fi industry had begun to arrive at the Ascot Grandstand, home to the UK Hi-Fi Show Live in September, And then, in early evening, the devastating news of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. An extraordinary 70 years of constancy, of service to the nation. It was the end of the second Elizabethan era. Everyone at Hi-Fi News extends their condolences to the Royal Family. The UK Hi-Fi Show Live will return to Ascot in 2023.

Your October issue of Hi-Fi News has expanded into a bumper 172-page offering where, as the exclusive UK member of EISA’s Hi-Fi Expert Group, we can reveal the cream of the crop, as tested, judged and voted for by the most respected quarters of the international audio press.

Naturally, we’re all very excited at the prospect of meeting so many of you again at our own UK Hi-Fi Show Live, hosted at the Ascot Grandstand on Sept 10-11th. You can keep tabs
on the top shows via our ‘Events Diary’ at the end of News pages.

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Since its launch in June 1956 - two years before the commercial realisation of stereo - Hi-fi News & Record Review has been delivering insightful reviews of the key products and technologies that fire the passion of listening to music on the very best equipment available to the enthusiast.  Every issue, we deliver uniquely in-depth analysis and opinion on high-end audio and AV equipment, including the best in vinyl replay and iconic vintage gear from the early days of audio. It is essential reading for anyone passionate about sound.

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Hi-Fi News - September 2022

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