LATEST ADDITIONS

Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 09, 2018  |  0 comments
Network music streaming continues to be a convenient way for many of us to listen to music at home, and its appeal is clear to see. With access to millions of digital files at the tap of a touchscreen and CD-quality sound or better on offer from hi-res subscription services like Qobuz Sublime or Tidal Master, streaming is a remarkably slick way of playing music and this month’s Group Testlooks at six low-cost network audio navigators to get you started. Despite streaming being a thoroughly modern way to listen to music, physical formats continue to play on in many systems, with vinyl being by far the most popular for readers to get their music listening kicks, judging by the number of votes that it received in our recent twitter poll asking: “What is your favourite music format?”. It seems that we’re a diverse bunch when it comes to ways to listen, but for those looking for something that combines both worlds, check out Yamaha’s MusicCast Vinyl 500.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 08, 2018  |  0 comments
Looking at the latest CXN network streamer/digital preamp/DAC, nothing has changed cosmetically from the original and between us and the barcode label on the carton, no one else will have a clue that this is the updated version. In matters of hiding your brighter light under the same bushel, the CXN V2, with its enhanced usability and slicker streaming properties, looks very Cambridge Audio and pretty much foolproof.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 08, 2018  |  0 comments
To mark the fact it has been trading for 10 years, Audeze has revised one of its longest-running products. The original LCD2 has been around for some time and continues as before but is now joined by the Classic, which adds some refinements to the design alongside a more affordable price tag.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 08, 2018  |  0 comments
With its ‘Smart Line’ portfolio Sonoro’s aim is to provide a range of loudspeaker systems suitable for use in different rooms around the home, and the Meisterstück – ‘masterpiece’ – is the top of the range model, designed to form the centre piece of your main music system.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 08, 2018  |  0 comments
For those that like a solid silver tonearm cable, the Silver Melody 1. 5 is screened and fitted with a quality carbon fibre-finished connector as standard or with a 90° connector as an alternative option. At the amplifier end it is terminated with KLEI Absolute Silver Harmony RCA plugs (HFC 391), which have a solid silver earth connection and a thick silver plating on the signal pin.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 08, 2018  |  0 comments
Made from 3 x 14 AWG high-purity multi-strand copper conductors with a parallel conductor layout, the Shawline has PVC internal and external insulation along with a high mechanical damping factor. Surrounding the conductors is a dual-layer high-frequency braid and foil combination shield. The cable is finished off with an elegant grey high-density vibration-damping outer jacket. The supply end is terminated with a 13A UK mains plug fitted with a 13A fuse and a 13 or 16A IEC plug at the other end.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 08, 2018  |  0 comments
Reluctant to share details about the materials used in its cables, one thing Tellurium Q can share with us about the Black Waveform is that it is developed from the previous Waveform range of cables, with improved shielding and what it calls “other interesting developments” designed to aid its digital signal carrying capabilities. It can be supplied with BNC or RCA connectors at either one or both ends. Sound quality Using my PrimaLuna ProLogue Eight Mk. 2 CD player as a source and my Cambridge Audio Stream Magic 6 V2 (HFC 393) acting as an external DAC, I position the interconnect between the corresponding coaxial digital connections.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 08, 2018  |  0 comments
Measuring only 127 x 32 x 89mm (WxHxD), the Magni 3 is designed for use with a wide range of dynamic headphones, including in-ear and planar magnetic designs. Its power output claims to deliver up to 2000mW RMS continuous into 32ohm, with both channels driven. Eschewing low-cost op-amps, the high-speed, DC-coupled, current-feedback design with switchable gain instead opts to use discrete components and bipolar semiconductors throughout.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 08, 2018  |  0 comments
We’ve seen several audio interconnects from cable newcomer True Signal Audio Cables, but this is the Hertfordshire-based company’s flagship design. It uses a three-core silver stranded coaxial cable that employs an ePTFE (expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene) dielectric designed to secure the phase stability of the signal over a wide temperature range. As with the company’s other cables, it has a directional signal flow, which is indicated by arrows that are printed on the heatshrink fitted over the RCA phonos. The two silver-plated shields consist of a helical foil and a woven braid and are terminated in high-quality RCA phono plugs, but XLR connectors are also available.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Oct 08, 2018  |  0 comments
Once you have paid careful attention to your mains supply, interconnect cables and equipment support, it is all too easy to overlook one of the biggest influences in the audio chain – the listening room itself. There are a variety of different issues to consider, ranging from reverberations, rattles and other unwanted sounds that can influence the performance of your room. Spurious noises are relatively easy to identify and deal with, but when it comes to room parameters, it’s helpful to have some specialised equipment to identify problems so they can be addressed effectively. Room parameters include the natural peaks and troughs in sound caused by the room’s Eigentones or standing waves or how it responds to resonances and impulses.

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