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

Wilson SabrinaX • UTAH BRAND’S COMPACT FLOORSTANDER GETS X FACTOR

PST… new SACD spinner • PS AUDIO LAUNCHES PERFECTWAVE SACD TRANSPORT

Marantz’s makeover • COSTUME CHANGE FOR MODEL 30 SACD DISC PLAYER AND AMP

B&W 600 quarter century • ANNIVERSARY EDITION CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF 600 SERIES

Next-generation digital Class D • TECHNICS REFERENCE CLASS SU-R1000 INTEGRATED AMP IS PACKED WITH DIGITAL INNOVATION

Taiwan heavyweights • BOUTIQUE SPEAKER BRAND LU KANG AUDIO LANDS IN UK

HI-FI NEWS' NUGGETS

ZEN goes back to black • IFI AUDIO EXPANDS ZEN RANGE WITH MM/MC PHONO PREAMP

Moonriver Audio 404 • INAUGURAL INTEGRATED FROM NEW SWEDISH BRAND

Rotel’s 11 series tribute • ISHIWATA HONOURED WITH ‘TUNED’ VERSIONS OF 11 SERIES

HI-FI NEWS? JUST ASK…

Hi-Fi @ Home revisited • Steve Harris talks to John Howes, whose system we featured back in 2010. But before we find out what changes he’s made, here’s how things were…

HI-FI @ HOME – CATCHING UP TEN YEARS LATER…

Just for the record… • Steve Sutherland on the vinyl treats arriving on 2020’s Record Store Days

FIVE COOL PAST RELEASES

FIVE ULTRA-RARE DISCS

D’Agostino Progression Integrated • By extreme high-end standards, it’s almost an ‘entry level’ product – so is Dan D’Agostino’s Progression Integrated amplifier the perfect introduction to the brand?

Thorens TD 1601 • One of the oldest and most revered names in vinyl’s history is back, refreshed and under new ownership, and with a deck that mixes modern materials with classic design cues

Audio Analogue AAdac • Part of the Italian company’s stripped-down AA line, which is all about simplicity of design, this compact DAC offers more features than initially meet the eye

Marantz SA-12SE/PM-12SE • This SE version of Marantz’s former ‘Japan only’ SA-12/PM-12 player/amp combo borrows very heavily indeed from the costlier KI Ruby series, but saves £1000 into the bargain

Bricasti M20/M25 • With a rich heritage in the pro audio field, US brand Bricasti is paying closer attention to the high-end consumer market with this new, dual-mono pre/power combination

Klipsch Heresy IV • With a heritage that can be traced back over 60 years, and still now only in its fourth generation, the Heresy is manna from heaven for the nonconformist audiophile

AVID Reference Ruby • Synonymous with top-end turntables for two decades, AVID has extended its ‘Very Interesting Design’ portfolio to include MC pick-ups. Here’s its open-bodied flagship

iFi Audio ZEN CAN • The giants of small-scale audio solutions have just expanded the ZEN range of BT and USB DACs with a beefier, all-analogue ‘drive anything’ headphone amp. A bargain?

BRING ON THE BASS

IFI AUDIO ZEN CAN

Sir Malcolm Sargent Conductor • The most urbane of English podium figures, he delighted audiences as much as he antagonised orchestral players. Christopher Breunig ponders his relevance today

CC Revival Cosmo’s Factory • Packed with tracks that would become staples of rock radio, this 1970 LP from Creedence Clearwater Revival is now released on 180g vinyl. Steve Sutherland listens…

Bob Marley Natty...