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AVTech Media Awards
AVTech Awards 2016/2017
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 28, 2016  |  0 comments
Welcome to the AVTech Awards for 2016/17, where once again the UK’s trio of premium AV magazine brands – Hi-Fi Choice, Home Cinema Choice and Hi-Fi News & Record Review – come together to celebrate the very best hardware you can buy. Collectively we test and review more hi-fi, TV and home theatre equipment than any other organisation in the UK, with hundreds of pages of editorial content published every month! Our Awards are informed by this pool of experience, stretching from headphones and portable music players to flagship floorstanding loudspeakers; from 4K TVs to projectors and Ultra HD Blu-ray players; from media streamers, USB DACs and headphone amps to turntables, integrated and pre/power amplifiers and every black box and cable in between. So whether you’re a two-channel music fan or home cinema enthusiast, or someone seeking the best of both worlds, let the AVTech Awards be your guide. .
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News
The Audio Files unveils updated Audio-Technica AT-LP5
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 28, 2016  |  0 comments
It's widely aknowledge thatAudio Technica's AT-LP5 turntable is one of the best around at the price – we gave it 4. 5 stars when we reviewed it back in HFC 405 – but there is always room for improvement, and that's where The Audio Files come in. By marrying the Audio-Technica turntable with a highly respected entry-level tonearm – in the shape of the classic Rega RB202 -it's hope that the result might just be one of the best direct-drive turntables available. Further improvement, meanwhile, is afforded the budget turntable with the inclusion of a custom-made 4mm acrylic arm-board that's been CNC laser cut for perfect geometry and optimum VTA.
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Cables & Accessories
Vifa Oslo
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 28, 2016  |  0 comments
Beneath the tailor-made fabric exterior lies a sophisticated portable speaker designed and built by Danish manufacturer Vifa. If the brand name sounds familiar that’s because it’s been around since 1933 and is perhaps better-known in hi-fi circles for its well-regarded drive units, which have been found in plenty of big-name hi-fi loudspeaker designs over the years. In more recent times the company has embarked on its own line of speakers, and the Oslo is the fourth model to be added to its Nordic range of portable wireless models. It’s an elegant one-piece design with the logo neatly embedded into the top of the solid aluminium handle, while embroidered up and down volume keys on the custom-made fabric cover produced by Danish textile designers Kvadrat give it a style that makes it stand out from the crowd.
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News
REL unveils redesign of Reference Subwoofer line
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 25, 2016  |  0 comments
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, REL has revealed that it will be updating its reference subwoofer line and launching two new models in the shape of the No. 25 and the G1 Mark II. The No. 25 combines a 1,000W amplifier with a lightweight carbon fibre 15in driver produced using a cone material that is stronger than steel, but weighs 70 percent less than a 10in cone from just two years ago.
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News
Musaic unveils MPL for adding music streaming to hi-fi systems
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 24, 2016  |  0 comments
Hot on the heels of its MP5 and MP10 wireless music systems (HFC 407),Musaic has launched its third wireless audio product – the MPL Music Player, which has been designed to stream to any stereo or home cinema system. The MPL has an ESS SABRE DAC built-in while an audio playback ‘engine’ allows uncompressed high-resolution playback for uncompromised sound quality and support of almost any file type including 24-bit Studio Master files. Itconnects to any device with an analogue line-level input or via an S/PDIF or Toslink digital input. It's also fully compatible with the MP5 and MP10 smart speakers and so can be used in a multi-room setup.
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News
dCS unveils new Network Bridge
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 09, 2016  |  0 comments
Cambridge-based dCS introduces its £3,250 Network Bridge that enables high-resolution music file streaming from NAS and connected USB drives, online streaming services as well as AirPlay-connected devices, outputting bit-perfect audio direct to your DAC with support for 24-bit/ 384kHz files plus DSD64 or 128 in native or DoP formats. Streaming service support includes Tidal and Spotify Connect and the Network Bridge is Roon-ready. It also supports the company’s acclaimed auto-clocking system to minimise jitterfor superior sound quality. The control app uses the same interface technology as dCS’ flagship Vivaldi series to manage your entire digital music library.
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News
Pro-Ject unleashes two new Primary turntables
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 08, 2016  |  0 comments
Hi-fi specialist Pro-Ject has introduced two Primary turntables aimed, it says, at customers that want to experience true audio qualityon a budget. With a range of award-winning decks in its continuously expanding lineup, the new Primary turntables’ design takes inspiration from its accomplished Elemental and Essential II models. Like the Essential player, the Primary is a traditional layout with an MDF plinth, platter and felt mat. The plinth is available in matte black, white or red finishes, and a detachable dust cover is included.
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News
Dynaudio revamps Contour series
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 07, 2016  |  0 comments
Danish loudspeaker brand Dynaudio chose The Indulgence Show held in London in October to unveil its new series of Contour models to UK enthusiasts. The four-strong lineup includes the standmount Contour 20 (£3,750) – a two-way configuration with a 28mm soft dome tweeter and 180mm mid/bass driver, whichclaims 86dB sensitivity into 4ohm. The medium-sized floorstanding Contour 30 (£5,750) has the same drivers as its sibling but in a 2. 5-way configuration and claims 87dB sensitivity, while the three-way Contour 60 floorstander (£7,500) has a 150mm midrange and two 240mm bass drivers and quotes 89dB sensitivity.
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News
Naim adds to Uniti family
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 04, 2016  |  0 comments
When Naim launched the original Uniti all-in-one system in 2009, it represented a sea changeto the design philosophy of the Salisbury-based brand. In recent years, Naim has expanded the Uniti range and announced the biggest change so far with the introduction of four all-new models that previewed at the The Indulgence Show held in Hammersmith, London in October. The new lineup comprises the Uniti Atom (£1,600, pictured above) – claiming 2x 40W RMS into 8ohm, Uniti Core server (£1,650), Uniti Star (£2,999) – claiming 2x 70W into 8ohm, and Uniti Nova (£3,800, below) – claiming 2x 80W RMS into 8ohm. All are built around new software and offer streaming support for 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD128 playback.
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News
December 2016 issue
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 02, 2016  |  0 comments
Loudspeakers come in all shapes and sizes, and flicking through the pages of this month’s issue with its numerous models is a testament to this burgeoning sector of the audio market. From traditional floorstanders that range from models so large they block out the sun – step forward DALI’s Opticon 8 – to more elegant and less visually demanding designs, the Group Test starting on page 24 looks at six speakers priced £2,000 and under that tread a more conventional path in philosophy and construction that reaches right back to the dawn of domestic hi-fi itself. Compare these bulky, angular, passive floorstanders to Devialet’s extraordinary Gold Phantom reviewed on page 16, and the suggestion of the possible direction for the evolution of the loudspeaker and, indeed, high-performance hi-fi is small, self-powered, wireless, well-connected, insanely loud and more or less ball-shaped. Whether it turns out to be a trailblazer or a tangent too far, it surely demonstrates the pinnacle of today’s modular music system, one that can grow into a multi-room setup for music around the home.
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