LATEST ADDITIONS

Loudspeakers
ATC SCM100SE Loudspeaker
Review: Andrew Everard,  |  Jun 28, 2019
hfncommendedThe Special Edition version of these big active ATCs is not exactly a great beauty, but its sound is highly revealing

Well they're not exactly what you'd call pretty… The imposing ATC floorstanders you see here may be a 'Special Edition' model, selling for just over £36,000 in this active version, but in the piano black and nickel/gold inlay finish of the review pair they have a look best described as 'purposeful'.

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Turntables, Arms & CartridgesVintage
Technics SL-10 turntable
Review: Tim Jarman,  |  Jun 28, 2019
hfnvintageParallel tracking, optical position sensing and all in a slick package no larger than an LP sleeve. It dazzled in its day, but how does this '70s direct-drive deck sound now?

There is an argument which says that to recover maximum information from any recording the playback system should be as similar as possible to the arrangement with which it was made. For example, a tape deck identical to the one used in the studio should replay the original master tapes with the highest achievable accuracy.

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Headphones
PSB M4U 8 Headphones
Review and Lab: Keith Howard  |  Jun 26, 2019
hfncommendedA development of the earlier M4U 2, this new design adds Bluetooth and internal battery charging while listening, via micro USB. How do the improvements stack up?

Although it received a lukewarm review in these pages [HFN Dec '13], the M4U 2 – predecessor to the M4U 8 we're looking at here and still available – proved to be a success for PSB, garnering plaudits and awards along the way. The M4U 8 looks very similar and it would be easy to suppose that it's just an M4U 2 with wireless capability in the form of Bluetooth and NFC (near-field communication) bolted on. In fact it's a bit more than that, principally because its onboard DSP capability allows it, in active mode, to deliver a more precise adherence to PSB's RoomFeel target frequency response.

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Hi-Res Downloads
Hi-Res Downloads, April 2019
Reviews: Hi-Fi News Team,  |  Jun 24, 2019
This month we review and test releases from: Thomas Søndergård/BBC Now, Johan Versk, Lars Danielsson & Paolo Fresu, Sir Roland Hanna and Emma Johnson & Friends
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Integrated Amplifiers
Emotiva BasX TA-100 Amplifier/DAC
Review: Andrew Everard,  |  Jun 21, 2019
hfnoutstandingBudget hi-fi, from the USA: Emotiva's BasX TA-100 isn't quite what at first it seems – however, given what it does, it's hard not to conclude that it's something of a bargain

Well, this is rather confusing: look up the Emotiva BasX TA-100, which sells in the UK through Karma Audio Visual for £519, on its US-based manufacturer's website, and you'll find it appears under 'Preamps'. In fact Emotiva has a stack of preamps, and even more power amps, in its unusually extensive catalogue.

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From the Vault
Chicago, Chicago . . .
John Atkinson  |  Jun 21, 2019  |  First Published: Sep 01, 1980
John Atkinson reports on the 1980 summer Consumer Electronics Show

Thought highly of by many, the Canadian 'Oracle' turntable is winning a reputation as perhaps the first design to supersede the performance of Linn's respected Sondek. Beautifully engineered, the rigid laminated subchassis arm mount is hung from three springs, which can be adjusted from above.

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Audiophile Vinyl
Audiophile: Vinyl, April 2019
Ken Kessler  |  Jun 20, 2019
This month we review: Marvin Gaye, Gene Clark, The Remains, and Johnny 'Guitar' Watson
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Audiophile Digital
Audiophile: Digital, April 2019
Ken Kessler  |  Jun 20, 2019
This month, we review: John Lennon, The Debutantes, Art Garfunkel and Jethro Tull
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Rock
Rock, April 2019
Johnny Black  |  Jun 20, 2019
This month we review: Jon Amor, Delicate Steve, Crows and Nick Waterhouse
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Jazz
Jazz, April 2019
Steve Harris  |  Jun 20, 2019
This month we review: Karin Krog & Georgie Fame, Jeff Ballard, Randy Brecker & NDR Bigband and Christian Mcbride
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