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News
Hana adds ML and MH M-Series Carts
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 13, 2018  |  0 comments
Known for its mid-priced moving-coil cartridges, Hana has announced a deluxe line with its M-Series moving-coil cartridges. Hailing from Tokyo’s Excel Sound Corporation, the ML and MH cartridges (Low and High output options) are a development of its SL and SH designs that we reviewed in HFC 408, and utilise a Microline nude diamond tip stylus for improved tracking and performance. Both cartridges quote a frequency range of 12Hz to 45kHz with a tracking force of 2g and have threaded fittings built into the top of the cartridge body for ease of mounting. Distributed in the UK by Air Audio Services Ltd.
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News
Astell&Kern announces SP1000M Digital Audio Player
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 12, 2018  |  0 comments
Following the introduction of its £3,299 SP1000 portable music player last year, Astell&Kern has announced a new flagship in the form of the SP1000M priced at £1,999. Another bold industrial design, the body shape uses the company’s distinctive, irregular split planes to give the SP1000M a similar tactile quality to its upmarket sibling.
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News
AVID introduces Ingenium Plug&Play turntable
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 09, 2018  |  0 comments
Following the introduction of its Ingenium turntable design almost half a decade ago (HFC 379), Cambridgeshire-based AVID Hi-Fi has unveiled the Ingenium Plug&Play. Priced at £1,250 and fitted with a tonearm and moving-magnet cartridge, the packaged deck replaces previous Ingenium models and the company says: “Everything on this turntable has been reworked, from the chassis design that now sports AVID’s trademark oversized A emblazoned into the body, to the new inline power switch – now 5A with dual pole switching to allow total power isolation to the motor”. A new bearing hub has been designed with future upgradability in mind, allowing for the supplied MDF platter to be changed to a precision aluminium version to further enhance sound quality and lower the noise floor. Look out for our world-exclusive review next issue and click here for more.
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News
Audiolab unveils 6000 Series and M-DAC Nano
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 08, 2018  |  0 comments
2018 has been a busy year for Audiolab which has seen the hi-fi specialist move into the in-ear headphone market with two M-EAR designs and unveil its £149 M-DAC Nano DAC/headphone amp (below). The company is well regarded for its DACs and traditional components and the arrival of the new 6000 Series shows it hasn't forgotten its roots. The familiar design builds on the highly-regarded 8000 Series with two new full-width components in what it describes as its best value components ever. Priced at £599, the 6000A is a Class AB integrated amplifier rated at 2x 50W into 8ohm that incorporates two optical and two coaxial digital inputs along with three line-level RCA analogue inputs and a moving-magnet phono stage input.
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News
Hi-Fi Show Live – 10-11th November
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 01, 2018  |  0 comments
Discover a wealth of memorable sounds at The Hi-Fi ShowLive2018 10th/11th November 2018 at the Beaumont Estate conference centre, Old Windsor Advance Tickets are on sale now! Buy nowand fast track through The Hi-Fi ShowLivereception, or pay on the day Clickherefor the latest ticket and show info and download the in-depthShow Guideand see thefloor planand explore details of every room. See you there! . . .
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Music
Halloween Soundtracks
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 31, 2018  |  0 comments
Music buyers’ craving for vinyl is insatiable across every genre, but horror movie soundtrack collectors have never been better served. Public-service labels such as One Way Static, Mondo, Waxwork Records, Blackest Rainbow, Silva Screen and Death Waltz continue to raid the movie crypts, emerging into the light with dusty reels of scores from the sixties, seventies and beyond – some forgotten; others legendary; many previously unreleased; increasing numbers seminal. To put the current cream of the crop into context, we need to go back to the beginning…
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News
New issue on sale now!
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 30, 2018  |  0 comments
Like many readers, I am lucky enough to have a well thought-out hi-fi system in my lounge that plays CDs, hi-res files and vinyl for any serious listening while sat in comfort on my sofa. But for background music in the office, kitchen or even the garden, I tend to use smaller music systems to give a musical backdrop to my daily routine. Let’s face it, as the most popular wireless streaming tech out there, several are Bluetooth speaker setups that enable me to play my favourite tunes from a paired device. The short-range wireless transmission standard has long been derided by audiophiles for its poor audio quality, but continuous codec development has enabled significant improvements and many of the latest batch of Bluetooth speakers are capable of great sound.
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News
Sonus faber introduces new Sonetto series
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 19, 2018  |  0 comments
Italian maestro Sonus faber has announced a new loudspeaker collection. Like all its models, the Sonetto range is handcraftedin Vicenza, and the new lineup sits between the company’s existing Venere and Olympica loudspeaker collections. With five models sold as stereo pairs, it includes two standmount and three floorstander designs, plus two home cinema centre speakers and an on-wall model for multi-channel installations. Starting with the Sonetto I (£1,450), the smallest standmount is a two-way configuration ported cabinet measuring 219 x 359 x 305mm (WxHxD) fitted withthe company’s 29mm DAD (Damped Apex Dome) tweeter and a 150mm mid/bass driver that claims 87dB sensitivity and 4ohm nominal impedance.
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News
Focal expands Kanta family
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 18, 2018  |  0 comments
Following the Kanta N°2 floorstander launched last year (HFC 435), French brand Focal has introduced two new stereo models to the range featuring the same bold design – available in eight colour finishes – with flax fibre cone driver tech partnered to its IAL3 27mm beryllium dome tweeter. The £4,499 Kanta N°1 (above) is a two-way design described as being suited to both stand or shelf placement, thanks to a tunable port.
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News
iFi Audio adds Pro iDSD to flagship series
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 17, 2018  |  0 comments
Having played a big part in the low-cost DAC revolution with the likes of its acclaimed xDSD portable DAC/headphone amplifier (HFC 439), iFi Audio has turned its attention to the home and studio market with its latest addition to its flagship audio component series. The Pro iDSD DAC/headphone amp/preamp brings together tried-and-tested techniques combined with cutting-edge, 21st-century technology. A hi-res DAC/preamp, wi-fi streamer and headphone amplifier, it claims an array of sonic tailoring facilities including DSD remastering, which upsamples PCM and DSD files to DSD512 or DSD1024, and a switchable valve/solid-state output stage. Input decoding is handled by an XMOS XU216 X-Core 200 Series processor and the chassis has a comprehensive range of galvanically isolated digital inputs, including USB (Types A and B), S/PDIF (optical/coaxial) and AES-EBU, plus Ethernet and microSDHC card support.
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