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

Totally tubular • AUDIO RESEARCH’S STRIPPED-DOWN REF AMP

Mola Mola Kula • MAKUA AND TAMBAQUI BLENDED INTO AMP

HI - FI NEWS’ NUGGETS

Little devil • IFIAUDIO’S IDSD DIABLO HEADPHONE AMP

High-Definition Imaging • NEW HDI LOUDSPEAKER SERIES FROM JBL ROLLS OUT THE STYLE

Piega deals its Ace • SWISS BRAND’S MOST AFFORDABLE ALL-ALLOY SPEAKERS

DAC’s magic! • CAMBRIDGE AUDIO’S FLAGSHIP DAC WITH MQA SUPPORT

HI-FI NEWS? JUST ASK

Here comes the fun • From brand new albums to curated box sets, there’s no shortage of big and brilliant releases coming your way in 2021. Steve Sutherland sorts the reality from the rumour

Strange inspirations • Johnny Black uncovers the unlikely beginnings of celebrated songs

INVENTIVELY INSPIRED

VAC Master Preamplifier/Signature 200iQ • Steeped in valve lore, this iconic tube brand extends the ‘voicing’ of its products right down to the choice of passive components and hand-wiring. We test a stack of VAC!

TAP DANCING

KEVIN HAYES

VAC MASTER PREAMP/SIG. 200IQ

VPI Prime 21+ • A 2021 refresh of VPI’s most popular turntable also sees a ‘plus’ option with bespoke moving-coil from Audio-Technica and RCA tonearm cable sourced from Nordost

PRINTING HI-FI

VPI PRIME 21+

JBL 4349 • Styled after its classic 1970s studio monitors, but equipped with patented 21st century horn and compression driver technology, the 4349 is a not-so-compact fun factory

HORN HERITAGE

JBL 4349

PS Audio Stellar Strata • Dubbed PS Audio’s ‘finest all-in-one music component’, the Strata combines network streaming, USB and other digital audio inputs with a ‘Gain Cell’ pre and ICEpower amp

FIRE AND ICE

PS AUDIO STELLAR STRATA

Denon DL-A110 • Still in production since 1964, and instantly recognisable to audiophiles across the globe, Denon’s classic DL-103 moving-coil pick-up gets the Anniversary treatment

HALF CENTURY AND COUNTING

DENON DL-A110

Hegel V10 • For a brand that once suggested it was never going to produce a phono stage, the vinyl revival has proved an irresistible force. So is Hegel’s V10 firing on all cylinders?

MAKING HEADROOM

HEGEL V10

PrimaLuna EVO 300 • For the inveterate enthusiast, PrimaLuna continues its tradition of user-tweakable amplifiers with the EVO 300, an ode to tube traditions – but with modern surprises

TRIODE ON THE SIDE

PRIMALUNA EVO 300

Ferrum Hypsos • A novel technical exercise looking for a solution or an innovation that’s in the vanguard of an entirely new breed of hi-fiaccessory? We test the sophisticated Hypsos DC supply

FERRUM HYPSOS

iFiAudio NEO iDSD • Launched with a typically dazzling array of acronyms, the NEO iDSD is nonetheless a more focused DAC/pre/headphone amp, equipped with the latest ‘hi-res’ Bluetooth

IFI’S EDGE

IFIAUDIO NEO IDSD

Richard Strauss Der Rosenkavalier • A sensuously beautiful tribute to old Vienna, to the waltz and a fast-vanishing age of elegance. Peter Quantrill explores the opera’s background and suggests recordings

ESSENTIAL RECORDINGS

Guns N’ Roses Greatest Hits •...