Hi-Fi Choice

Hi-Fi Choice is the essential guide to audio excellence in the home. It is a no-nonsense guide to the finest products available, from vinyl and valves, to multi-channel digital audio and high-fidelity video. Hi-Fi Choice sorts the best from the rest with rigorous test processes and a highly experienced team of reviewers.

Welcome • www.hifichoice.com Issue No. 464 July 2020

Celebration time • Limited edition turntable release commemorates Japanese manufacturer’s 55th anniversary

iFi’s iPhono3 Black Label • New solid-state, valve-alike MM/MC phono stage off ering multiple adjustments

Monitor Audio IMS-4 Music Streamer

Mag’s new Little Ribbon System • New high-end, entry-level flat panel

Talk Electronics tonearm duo

Big hitter • Offering large-scale dynamics for medium-level money, Yamaha’s A-S3200 integrated packs a punch. David Price rolls with it

Q&A

Unique group tests • Our Group Tests are supported by rigorous and exhaustive listening tests carried out by experts

High wire act • Cables don’t have to cost a fortune to improve the sound of your system. David Vivian auditions six affordable three-way looms that make a difference

Atlas Cables Element Integra/Element Integra S/PDIF/Element 2.0 £216 • If you’re after an honest, no-frills loom that puts solid engineering before gimmicks, this could be the one

AudioQuest Chicago/Forest/SLiP-DB 14/4 £171 • One of the longest-established names in the business, with a reputation to uphold and pricing to worry the rest

Black Rhodium Opus/Adagio/Twist £206 • If your idea of a cable loom is something that should be heard and not seen, this bijou combo ticks many boxes

Kimber Kable Tonik/DV21/4PR £306 • The 4PR stretches back over 40 years, but that should tell you everything about its success and longevity

Merlin Cables Mozart/Haydn/Albion sp1 £370 • Every cable in this loom is so new that this is probably the first time you’ve ever heard about them

QED Performance Audio 40i/Performance Digital Audio/XT40i £177 • We can’t think of a company that produces better made cables at the price, but what about the sound?

Group test verdict • After a week of playing cable guy, David Vivian is ready to decide which of these loom combinations takes top spot as he reveals the final verdict

Welcome to wonderland • HFC pushes reality to one side, pretends for a moment that money is no object and experiences a taste of sonic enlightenment

Absolute beginner • Rega’s new entry-level amplifier aims to introduce new customers to hi-fiand vinyl replay. Adam Smith gives it the once over

Time for T • The arrival of yet another affordable Pro-Ject turntable might seem like overkill, but Ed Selley has been won over

Talkin’ ‘bout a Revo-lution • A smitten Chris Ward takes this decidedly understated Italian integrated for a test drive and comes back smiling

Pearls of wisdom • Cabasse extends its range of multi-room wireless speakers with this little musical gem. Cliff Joseph gives it a polish

Head boy • Big in China, Topping Audio has now come to the UK. Neville Roberts gives its latest DAC/headphone amplifier a workout

Then there were three • First there was the ONE, then ONE HD and now the ONE Cast brings network streaming to the party. David Vivian is impressed

Power play • Incorporating features seen in its small mains treatment devices, iFi’s PowerStation looks impressively comprehensive says Ed Selley

Turn on • As a famous brand is resurrected to help improve your network audio, Ed Selley is convinced to make the switch

HOME IMPROVEMENT • Daniel Sait talks with Doctor Mathias Johansson, co-founder and CEO of...