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Arcam unveils rPhono and rPlay
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Feb 22, 2017  |  0 comments
Following on from our review of Arcam's classy rHead headphone amplifer (HFC 420), the company has added to the rSeries with the rPlay and rPhono. The rPlay adds network audio streaming services and internet radio to any system that it's partnered with. Using DTS PlayFi,Apple Airplayand UPnP-enabled music sources, it's compatible with Spotify,Tidal, Qobuz,Deezer andPandora, along with many more, thanks to regular updates. DTS Play-Fisupports hi-reso audio (24/192) from a wired network and enables lossless multi-room wireless audio streaming from the most popular music services and internet radio stations.
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PMC announces UK distribution of AVM
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Feb 21, 2017  |  0 comments
PMC will be using the upcoming Sound & Vision, The Bristol Show, to announce that the high-end electronics brand AVM has been added toits distribution portfolio. Designed and crafted in Germany, AVM has been developing and manufacturing electronic equipment for over 30 years and believes that electronics must relay the purest emotions of recorded music, regardless of genre, dirtectly to the listener. The AVM product lineup spans three ranges: Inspiration, Evolution and Ovation. It consists of pre, power and integrated amplifiers, plus CD players, streamers, CD receivers and all-in-one CD/streamer/amplifiers.
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Revox reel-to-reel tape recorder guide
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Feb 07, 2017  |  0 comments
It’s more than 30 years since the last Revox reel-to-reel tape recorder was made, and this glossy guide documents the Swiss brand’s range from 1949 to 1993. Conceived as a manual for historian audiophiles and fans of the format, it documents all 25 Revox models over 240 pages, illustrated with more than 400 previously unpublished photographs. Available in pocket and full-sized softback and hardbook versions with English and Italian text, prices range from £63 to £136. Click here for more.
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VPI unveils Prime Signature turntable
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Feb 06, 2017  |  0 comments
As the vinyl format continues to attract greater audiences, so does the rise in the number of players available to spin LPs on, with many turntable brands covering all sectors of the market with a range of prices to suit. US-firm VPI Industries is no exception, and covers starter turntable packages as well as mid-priced and more specialist decks to appeal to vinyl newbies and junkies alike. The Prime Signature fits into the growing super deck category, and is the latest model to join the New Jersey firm’s expanding lineup. Its plinth is composed of layers of gloss MDF and machined aluminium partnered with a stainless-steel motor housing – claiming improved resonance damping, owing to its heftier weight over the original Prime motor – corner posts, bearing nut bell and arm board.
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Q Acoustics' new flagship Concept 500 loudspeaker
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Feb 05, 2017  |  0 comments
Having recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, Q Acoustics has announced its latest flagship floorstander from its Concept series. The Concept 500 is a new speaker design with a Dual Gelcore construction toall sides, where three layers of MDF are separated by thin layers of gelthat remains as a viscous liquid and turns cabinet vibration into heat. The floorstander utilises refined versions of its existing 28mm fabric dome tweeter and 165mm mid/bass drivers, while bass extension is aided by a large bass port at the back. The contemporary style of the Concept 500 keeps some house design features from its award-winning Concept 20 and 40 models (HFC 372 & 404 respectively), but combines this with some new aspects.
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Wilson Audio unleashes Yvette floorstanding loudspeaker
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Feb 03, 2017  |  0 comments
Producing a new loudspeaker every 12 months is no mean feat,but that's precisely what high-end manufacturer Wilson Audio has consistently managed to do over the last five years. And now we're treated to the latest innovation, playfully named Yvette – a three-way design that sits between the entry-level Sabrina and Sasha 2 floorstanders. Described by the company as drawing from traditional Wilson virtues including dynamic resolution and soundstaging, Yvette derives its core technology from its enviable R&D department and is modestly described as the most advanced and musically refined single-enclosure loudspeaker in the company's history. Hand-built in Utah, the three-way floorstander boasts a more compact form factor than what's come before and perhaps more significantly, it's more affordable.
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February issue 420
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Jan 31, 2017  |  0 comments
2017 got off to an exciting start following our annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas’ Consumer Electronics Show last month to witness the latest technology developments and product launches for the year ahead. The massive event attracts trade visitors from across the globe, and you can read all about the hottest new trends and audio highlights coming your way in our CES Show Report. One of the most significant stories at this year’s show was MQA’s announcement that its Masters hi-res content has been added to Tidal’s HiFi music platform. Tidal is the first to offer hi-res audio streaming content, and regular readers will know that its top-tier HiFi subscription offering is our preferred music service of choice after winning our blind listening streaming servicesGroup Testfor two years running, thanks to its consistent CD-quality streams.
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Elipson Competition
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Dec 23, 2016  |  0 comments
If there has been a theme to 2016 – aside from the loss of some of our most cherished musicians, take a bow David Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen et al – it would have to be the continued rise in popularity of vinyl and the equipment that plays it. The last 12 months have seen the black stuff rise to become the most cherished physical music format of all. As records have once again become a common sight in all record stores and even on some supermarket shelves, so too has the production of turntables risen – providing existing vinyl fans, and both lapsed and newcomers alike with plenty of variety. Suddenly, there’s a real choice of decks available to prospective purchasers from both established hi-fi specialists with a focus on best-quality sound, to more convenience-based models with a raft of features at very attractive prices.
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Yearbook 2016 on sale 29 December
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Dec 22, 2016  |  0 comments
Welcome to the Hi-Fi Choice Yearbook 2016. In putting together this special edition of your favourite hi-fi magazine, it’s clear to see what a landmark year it has been for audio, with a staggering number of high-performance components emerging to feed our passion for quality sound in increasingly innovative ways. But this has also been the year we said goodbye to too many cherished musicians, and you’ll find our tributes to David Bowie and Prince inside this bumper issue. Elsewhere inside this 164-page bumper issue you’ll find our pick of the greatest-sounding audio products to undergo our respected reviewing process in 2016.
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KEF LS50 goes wireless
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Dec 07, 2016  |  0 comments
KEF has opted to mark the occasion of its 55th anniversary with the release of a new, completely active digital and wireless lifestyle audio system in the shape of the LS50 Wireless. Utilising a 24-bit/192kHz digital signal path, allied to a dedicated DAC for each channel, the loudspeaker boasts wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity. The LS50 previously won a recommended badge when it was reviewed back in HFC 384 and the Wireless version boasts the same Uni-Q driver technology, which sees the 25mm tweeter placed in the centre of that distinctive 130mm rose-gold coloured bass/midrange cone. The built-in amplifier claims power output of 230Wper channel in a bi-amp, dual mono configuration, while an advanced time-correcting DSP crossover has been designed to maximise time alignment between the frequencies.
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Pro-Ject unveils new Essential III turntable
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Dec 06, 2016  |  0 comments
Hot on the heels of its Essential II (HFC 376), Pro-Ject has unveiled its follow-up Essential III. Manufactured from high-quality MDF and wrapped in a high-gloss paint finish (in a choice of red, white or black), the design will be familiar to those that know the II – even down to the three anti-vibration feet. The Essential III comes pre-fitted with an 8. 6in aluminium tonearm and Ortofon OM 10 cartridge (the II had the OM 5E).
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Leema Acoustics releases Sirius music server
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Dec 05, 2016  |  0 comments
Fittingly, Leema Acoustics chose the occasion of London’s Indulgence Show held in Hammersmith in mid-October to unveil its new hi-fi grade music server, Sirius. The result of a collaboration with music software specialist Innuos, the latest addition to Leema’s flagship Constellation component range is described as being the high-quality streaming music server system built for “discerning music lovers”. Offering straightforward operation, it’s claimed that Sirius makes backing up CD audio a breeze, with lossless FLAC, WAV, AIFF, ALAC, OGG Vorbis, AAC and MP3 formats available. An asynchronous USB DAC that’s based on a high-end ESS Sabre chip combines with an Xmos USB interface to provide support of 16, 24 and 32 bit-depths from 44.
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Acoustic Energy unveils AE1 Active loudspeaker
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Dec 02, 2016  |  0 comments
The original AE1 appeared when Acoustic Energy was a startup business in 1987. It was widely acclaimed as a benchmark for compact loudspeaker designs, and earned the Gloucestershire-based company recognition around the world. Fast forward 30 years and home speaker systems have changed dramatically, and partly because of this and to celebrate the company's anniversary in 2017, Acoustic Energy's engineers have been hard at work on an active version of its popular original AE1. Designed in response to the changing desires of audio systems at home, the AE1 Active combines the company's traditional craftsmanship along with its Aego active sub/sat system experience with built-in amplification.
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Musaic Competition
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Dec 01, 2016  |  0 comments
Musaic competition winner: Back inHFC416 we gave you the chance to win a Musaic multi-room setup worth £1,269. We’re delighted to reveal that Lynne Thorpe from Portsmouthwas the lucky winner. Congratulations Lynne, we hope that you enjoy your prize. .
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January issue on sale now
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Dec 01, 2016  |  0 comments
Welcome to the January 2017 issue! It may seem a little early to be welcoming in the new year with the first Hi-Fi Choice issue of 2017, but we’re already bursting into next year with exclusive reviews and the hottest news. Speaking of which, breaking news as we go to press with this issue is that Samsung is to acquire Harman International for a cash sum of $18bn. As one of the biggest names in the business, the US firm has its fingers in almost every sector of the audio market through a roll call of big-name brands that includes Harman Kardon, AKG and JBL, along with specialist premium audio brands Infinity and Mark Levinson et al. There had already been rumors circulating that Samsung was looking to buy a specialist audio brand, but it’s understood that Harman’s automotive connections are what ultimately secured the landmark deal as the smart-tech giant looks to move into these sectors.
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