Hi Fi News

Since its launch in June 1956 - two years before the commercial realisation of stereo - Hi-Fi News & Record Review has been delivering insightful reviews of the key products and technologies that lie behind our shared hobby... the passion of listening to music on the very best equipment available to the enthusiast. Every issue, Hi-Fi News delivers uniquely in-depth reviews of high-end audio equipment, including the best in vinyl replay and iconic vintage gear from the early days of audio. It is essential reading for all music enthusiasts.

Welcome

HI-FI NEWS’ EXPERT LINE UP: THE FINEST MINDS IN AUDIO JOURNALISM BRING THEIR EXPERIENCE TO BEAR ON ALL AREAS OF HI-FI & MUSIC

More Meta • KEF LAUNCHES NEW BLADE AND REFERENCE LOUDSPEAKERS

Ferrum to the fore • RANGE EXPANDS WITH DAC/’PHONE AMP

HI-FI NEWS’ NUGGETS

Ring DAC evolves • DCS PREVIEWS ‘APEX’ TECHNOLOGY UPGRADE

Lend us your EarMen • NEW COMPACT, BATTERY-POWERED DAC/HEADPHONE AMP

High Fives • KLIPSCH SHOWCASES ITS MCLAREN-BRANDED MODEL FIVE

Austria’s A1 Automat • FIRST FULLY-AUTOMATIC TURNTABLE FROM PRO-JECT

HI-FI NEWS? JUST ASK…

Music in the movies • From Hollywood blockbusters to Broadway musicals, the soundtrack as a source of great music can often be overlooked. Ken Kessler brings you his pick, with audiophiles in mind

Under the covers… • Johnny Sharp on the creation of the artwork for Elvis Costello’s 1979 album Armed Forces

CATCHING BUBBLES

COSTELLO’S COVERS

The hi-fi news & Record Review Reader Pledge • Hi-Fi News’ readers can take full confidence in the fact that every product featured on our front cover, throughout the magazine and on our website has been comprehensively reviewed (auditioned, photographed and lab tested) at our facility

Perlisten Audio S7t • New kid on the block, Perlisten Audio, is creating a stir straight out of the gates. We test the flagship floorstander

Marantz Model 40n • While Marantz’s new 40 series shares its industrial design with the Class D Model 30, its core networking and Class A/B amp technology borrows from an earlier generation

Audio Research REF Phono 3SE • Fans of the brand know that when Audio Research adds an ‘SE’ suffix, the changes go beyond the cosmetic. The latest to earn this upgrade is the Reference Phono 3

Melco N10/2-S38 • Computer giant Buffalo’s high-end audio brand, Melco, has an updated two-box flagship with enhancements debuted in the limited-edition N10 anniversary edition

Q Acoustics Concept 50 • Inspired by the flagship Concept 500, Q Acoustics’ ’50 packs a host of trickledown thinking into its slender frame

Sumiko Celebration 40 • Launched to mark Sumiko’s 40th, this latest version of the ‘Celebration’ moving-coil takes its cues from the mkII Pearwood, albeit with Plumwood to invoke a unique hue…

Matrix Audio X-Sabre 3 • The compact but comprehensively-equipped Matrix Audio digital front-ends are distinguished by chipset and features. We look at the flagship ‘headphone-free’ DAC

Chord Mojo 2 • Tiny, solidly made, UK-built and now even more capable, is this compact USB DAC/headphone amp from Chord Electronics still the one to beat below £500?

In-akustik NF-204 Micro Air • Once in the vanguard of the late ’70s hi-fi cable revolution, In-akustik now has a vast catalogue. We test the top Reference/Micro Air interconnect.

Richard Wagner Parsifal • Sacred or secular? Ritual or drama? Peter Quantrill tackles some of the big questions while exploring a sublime but ever-controversial opera on record and film

ESSENTIAL RECORDINGS

Duke Ellington Anatomy Of A Murder • The band leader was an unusual but inspired choice for the soundtrack of Otto Preminger’s courtroom...