Hi-Fi Choice

Designed to appeal to vinyl enthusiasts owning multiple cartridges, turntables or tonearms, Cyrus’new Phono Signature preamplifier boasts four inputs engineered to accurately match the exact specification of the cartridge. Adjustment is, therefore, provided for MC cartridges in gain, resistance and capacitance, facilitating up to 160 possible combinations. The Phono Signature also includes a high-capacity and very low-noise DC power supply that enables the preamp to provide, what Cyrus refers to as “an extremely wide dynamic range”. It’s claimed that performance is much improved thanks to the inclusion of a RIAA passive de-emphasis filter – which uses metallised polyester capacitors – and an optional external PSX-R2 power supply that provides regulated DC power for the signal amplification.

Introducing PRYMA, the new luxury headphone engineered by Sonus faber. The PRYMA 01 is a circumaural, closed-back design with 40mm drivers featuring Mylar diaphragms, neodymium magnets and oversized voice coils. The removable cable is 1. 3m with gold-plated connectors.

Many readers will be familiar with Tannoy's Mercury series of loudspeakers, and it's very likely that early incarnations of the Scottish-based brand's entry-level series will have been part of a setup that kickstarted one or two hi-fi habits in the first place. The Tannoy brand is so synonymous with loudspeakers thatits name is even featured in the dictionary, and here it unveils the latest incarnation in a long line of Mercury series models. As the name suggests, the Mercury 7 is the seventh generation of the company’s entry-level range, and Tannoy claims the latest series brings a fresh new style that stands out from the crowd. There's a new wood-grain effect finish, in a choice of walnut, light oak or black oak, and behind the removable speaker grilles the drivers have visible mounting bolts and the Tannoy logo is neatly integrated within the tweeter surround.

Welcome to the February 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. . . 

 As a fellow audio enthusiast, you will already know that listening to music is an art, one that gives a tremendous amount of pleasure – especially when the tunes in question are played back at the highest quality available.