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Welcome to the May 2016 issue of Hi-Fi Choice – the essential guide to getting the best possible sound from your hi-fi, whether you're buying, tuning or tweaking...



If this month’s cover star is anything to go by, hi-res audio is gaining traction among serious audio fans. Audiolab’s hotly anticipated M-DAC+ sits alongside its original M-DAC model – one of our favourite digital-to-analogue-converters since its launch in 2011 – and adds 32-bit/384kHz PCM format support as well as compatibility with DSD64, 128 and 256 music files. It’s undeniably one of the best specified digital-to-analogue-converters around at the price, but how many of us actually own any DSD content? There seems to be a dearth of DSD files of any form around and I suspect that most of us will continue to play just a few hi-res files via USB and a lot more CD-quality material for a good while yet. The launch is undoubtedly seen as an encouraging sign that greater resolution music files are on the way, but it will remain futureproof for a good time to come. Read our four-page In-depth review starting on page 16.          

Lee Dunkley (Editor, Hi-Fi Choice)

Also in the May issue: 

Ming Da's Dynasty Duet 300 Plus valve integrated amp, VPI's Scout Jr turntable, KEF's EGG music system, Tannoy's Mercury 7.2 standmount speakers, plus Astell&Kern's AK380 DAP and Audeze's LCD-3 headphone make up this month's Beautiful System

Group Test:

Six sub-£350 headphones that combine hi-fi cred and style from B&O, Hifiman, Meze, Oppo, Philips and Sennheiser...