LATEST ADDITIONS

Awards 2011
Awards 2011- Network Streamers
Ed Selley  |  Jan 10, 2012  |  0 comments
Best Network Streamer Naim ND5 XS Naim gave us a clear demonstration of its streaming talent with the formidable NDX. What we didn’t expect is that it would take almost everything that makes the NDX great and squeeze it into a product that costs £1,000 less. The ND5 XS has a superlative performance with streamed media and is also a superb internet radio platform. And if that wasn’t enough, the digital inputs and iPod functionality make it a true digital hub.
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Awards 2011
Awards 2011- Supports
Ed Selley  |  Jan 10, 2012  |  0 comments
Best Support Atacama Duo 6 The Duo is an all-new stand from Atacama and combines a smart aesthetic with some clever, real-world design touches. The smaller rear upright is fitted to allow for unobtrusive cable management, while the larger front upright can be mass-loaded. The Duo 6 sounds lively and involving and lends a vibrancy to loudspeakers that is hard not to like. All this, plus the solid build quality and a very reasonable asking price.
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Awards 2011
Awards 2011- Turntables up to £1,000
Ed Selley  |  Jan 10, 2012  |  0 comments
Best Turntable up to £1,000 Rega RP3 For many people, Rega is still synonymous with cost-effective turntables. So when the new RP3 turned up, our expectations were understandably sky high. No problem there though, as the RP3 is capable of bringing pretty much any recording to life, with a sense of openness and pinpoint timing that will embarrass considerably more expensive decks. As if this wasn’t enough, the superb build and handsome lines make this a must- audition product for anyone shopping for a sub-£1,000 turntable.
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Awards 2011
Awards 2011- Turntables over £1,000
Ed Selley  |  Jan 10, 2012  |  0 comments
Best Turntable over £1,000 Michell Engineering Gyro SE The evergreen Gyrodec saw off all-comers in our Blind- Listening Group Test (HFC 345). Although the Michell has been around for decades, the soundness of the design and continuous small improvements mean this is still the turntable to beat. We love the sheer musicality of the Michell, the tuneful and textured bass and the sense of entertainment it brings to all forms of music. We also love the looks and rock-solid build quality.
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Awards 2011
Awards 2011- High end
Ed Selley  |  Jan 10, 2012  |  0 comments
Best of the High End KEF Blade A great high-end product should combine breath-taking performance with technical innovation and ground-breaking design. Out of all the loudspeakers we have tested over the last year, the KEF Blade best embodies these attributes. Based around the earlier Concept Blade, the production model shares the striking lines and incredibly clever ‘Single Apparent Source’ technology that creates an astoundingly cohesive soundstage from the multiple drivers. Details PRICE: £20,000 TYPE: Loudspeaker TELEPHONE: 01622 672261 WEBSITE: kef.
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Awards 2011
Awards 2011- Product of the Year runners up
Ed Selley  |  Jan 10, 2012  |  0 comments
Product of the Year- Runners up Audiolab 8200A The Audiolab is a classic example of a product that delivers so much at the price point, it can be hard to make a convincing case to spend more money. For £730 the 8200A offers plentiful inputs and excellent build. More importantly, it offers a truly sparkling performance. The 8200A never fails to make listening enjoyable, with a fabulous, well-lit midband that gives superb insight into recordings.
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Awards 2011
Awards 2011- Product of the Year Winner
Ed Selley  |  Jan 10, 2012  |  0 comments
Product of the Year Winner Classé CP-800 When Classé delivered the CP-800 to HFC’s offices, hopes were high. Classé boss Dave Nauber had already stated the unit was better with a mobile phone than any CD player and so the challenge was born. Two of our most experienced reviewers confirmed, independently of one another, that they preferred listening to music via the USB input over a variety of expensive, high-end CD players. This ground-breaking preamp will leave its mark in hi-fi history, of that we’re certain.
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Awards 2011
Awards 2011- Amplifiers up to £1,000
Ed Selley  |  Jan 10, 2012  |  1 comments
Best Amplifier up to £1,000 Audiolab 8200A The origins of the 8200A lie in the classic 8000A from the ’80s and ‘90s. We loved the original and its successor proves equally enthralling. The 8200A combines neutrality and accuracy, with enough of a unique character to entertain. The midrange lucidity impressed us, while detail retrieval is simply superb.
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Disc Players
Raysonic CD128S - £1,850
Ed Selley  |  Jan 09, 2012  |  0 comments
Ray of light How many features can you cram onto a CD player? Raysonic's latest appears to have all the bases covered, says Jason Kennedy The CD 128S is a brightly lit and styled-up player and just a glance at the back panel reveals that it has balanced and single-ended outputs, as well as digital in and outputs of all the key varieties. More importantly, it’s a fully balanced machine with a Class A output stage driven by no fewer than four triode valves, all this in a toploading aluminium chassis. It looks like an awful lot of hardware for the money. The question is, does the sound match the appearance? Electric blue Raysonic is a dedicated to valve electronics and has a wide range of amplifiers and a growing portfolio of CD players.
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Turntables, Arms & Cartridges
Clearaudio Performance SE - £2,405
Ed Selley  |  Jan 09, 2012  |  0 comments
Clearaudio Performance SE This turntable’s simplicity belies some refined engineering technology and a performance to match The latest incarnation of the Clearaudio Performance is a more substantial turntable than it looks, thanks to a plinth that’s made from a sandwich of aluminium and HDF. You can’t see the highdensity fi breboard because it is framed by the natural coloured aluminium in the sandwich, but it performs the critical task of damping any resonance that manages to get through the three adjustable feet beneath it. The platter is a 40mm slab of acrylic that sits on a ceramic magnetic bearing, the shaft of which has been polished to an even higher degree than on the original Performance. The magnetic suspension means that the ceramic shaft doesn’t need a ball bearing or thrust pad to take the weight of the platter, which should reduce noise from this critical component quite considerably.
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