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

Light fantastic • NEW DS AUDIO DS-003 ‘OPTICAL’ PICK-UP

Horns of plenty • KLIPSCH FORTE IV WITH REAR 15IN ABR

HI-FI NEWS’ NUGGETS

Roksan refresh • NEXT-GEN ATTESSA SEPARATES ANNOUNCED

Danish trickle-down • DYNAUDIO ANNOUNCES UPDATED EMIT SPEAKER SERIES

Wi-Fi via iFi • IFI AUDIO EXTENDS ZEN PLATFORM WITH WIRELESS STREAMER

Next level Altair • AURALIC’S NETWORK-ATTACHED STREAMER/DAC

HI-FI NEWS? JUST ASK…

Please release me… • Whether it’s’70s folk or landmark’90s electronica, do you have a wishlist of albums you are itching to see re-appear on vinyl? Johnny Sharp on the records ripe for reissue

Under the covers… • Johnny Sharp on the creation of the artwork for Fleetwood Mac’s pivotal late’70s album Rumours

WORTHINGTON’S WORTH

COVER STORIES

The 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

Boulder 1110/1160 • The no-nonsense mountain-inspired aesthetic is unmistakable, but despite the heady pricing this pre/power amp combo is from one of Boulder’s more affordable ranges

CARVED IN STONE

JEFF NELSON

LAB REPORT

JBL HDI-3800 • Promising the ‘iconic JBL sound’ from modern cabinets, we hear the flagship HDI floorstander

AROUND THE HORN

LAB REPORT

Meitner Audio MA3 • If there’s one man synonymous with the ‘custom DAC’ it’s Ed Meitner, who has crafted his own digital tech for 30 years. His latest outboard DAC is a chip off the digital block

TRANSLATING TRANSIENTS

LAB REPORT

Zesto Andros Deluxe II • From California via London comes the shapely form of Zesto’s Andros phono preamp – all tubes and transformers and now, courtesy of an uprated PSU, in ‘Deluxe II’ guise

AUDIO WITH ZESTO

LAB REPORT

Scansonic M20 • The middle model in Scansonic’s trio of M-series loudspeakers is one of the growing breed of ‘compact floorstanders’

RISE OF THE COMPACT

LAB REPORT

BAT VK-3500 • Promising ‘extraordinary power with exquisite tube finesse’ BAT’s new VK-3500 integrated marries the brand’s REX 3 triode preamp with a robust solid-state output

THE BATMEN

LAB REPORT

Simaudio MOON 280D MiND 2 • If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it… but Simaudio’s MOON 280D outboard DAC is certainly enhanced by the addition of the updated MiND 2 streaming module and app

MIND CONTROL

LAB REPORT

Triangle Antal 40th Anniversary • French brand celebrates its Ruby Anniversary with a rose-gold tinted treble and two fabulous cabinet finishes

BIRTHDAY BOYS

LAB REPORT

Pro-Ject Debut PRO • Dubbed the ‘most audiophile’ Debut turntable yet, this deck/arm/cartridge solution takes over from last year’s Debut Carbon model with a host of detail refinements

DURABLE DEBUT

LAB REPORT

Mozart Così fan tutte • A silly farce or a social experiment gone wrong? There are no right answers – though a few wrong ones – to the riddle of this dramma giocoso, says Peter...