LATEST ADDITIONS

Disc PlayersFrom the Vault
Sony SCD-XA333ES multichannel SACD player
Review: Ken Kessler  |  Jun 04, 2025  |  First Published: May 01, 2025
hfnvintageThe latest ES model from the SACD originator is a luxury player at a middle-market price. Ken Kessler samples its sound in stereo and 5.1

You don’t have to be a marketing analyst with a subscription to the Financial Times to understand why SACD might win the format war. Clearly, the SACD crew has delivered more hardware and (most importantly) in the order of ten times more software than DVD-Audio, according to the estimates of music vendors I’ve canvassed. All of which makes the arrival of a high-end SACD player with a mid-range price point something worth considering.

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Pre/Power Amplifiers
Manley Neo-Classic 300B tube power amp
Review: Ken Kessler,  |  Jun 04, 2025  |  First Published: May 01, 2025
hfnoutstandingHere’s a traditional triode tube amplifier with a modern twist as Manley’s evergreen Neo-Classic 300B proves there’s more than enough power to energise your music

Are you the hands-on type who finds most power amps a bit boring because all they have is an on/off switch? Manley Laboratories’ Neo-Classic SE/PP 300B monoblock (£13,699 per pair) is the opposite: it lets you fine-tune the sound by fine-tuning the applied feedback.

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Hi-Res Downloads
Hi-Res Downloads, May 2025
Review: Ken Kessler,  |  Jun 04, 2025  |  First Published: May 01, 2025
This month we review and test releases from: Paul Motian, Minnesota Orchestra/Eiji Oue, Oded Tzur, Mike Casey, and Doug Wamble
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Turntables, Arms & Cartridges
Transrotor Massimo Nero turntable
Review: Adam Smith,  |  Jun 04, 2025  |  First Published: May 01, 2025
hfnoutstandingFor decades a gentleman’s agreement between UK’s Michell Engineering and Germany’s Transrotor ensured they never exported to each other’s country, until now...

Transrotor might be a new name to many, but the company has a long and illustrious history. However, this is the first time that its range of turntables has been officially available on UK shores – and what a range it is! The £4400 Massimo Nero TMD is eight steps up the ladder of an 18-strong selection that starts with the £3000 Max and culminates in the magnificent Metropolis FMD, which will set you back a not inconsiderable £180,000.

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Vinyl Release
Mississippi John Hurt: Today!
Steve Sutherland  |  Jun 03, 2025  |  First Published: May 01, 2025
After a brief career in the 1920s, the master storyteller returned four decades later to record this blues/folk masterpiece. Steve Sutherland hears the 180g reissue

It might well be Jesus. Or perhaps the devil. Or maybe even Father Christmas. But try as I might, I can’t discover any reliable resource which reveals who, in the whole history of popular music, has had the most songs written about them.

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Audiophile Vinyl
Top 20 Psychedelic Albums
Johnny Sharp  |  Jun 03, 2025  |  First Published: May 01, 2025
From the flower power era and the Summer of Love, through ambient house, space rock and more, Johnny Sharp picks out 20 albums that’ll take you to another dimension
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Loudspeakers
Dynaudio Contour 20 BE standmount speaker
Review: Jamie Biesemans,  |  Jun 03, 2025  |  First Published: May 01, 2025
hfnoutstandingForty years young, Dynaudio’s Contour series is raised to a new level in this ‘Black Edition’ standmount, featuring improvements to every component. Welcome to the dark side!

True to form, Dynaudio showed a slew of products at last year’s High End Show in Munich [HFN Jul ’24] – including a new loudspeaker styled by Tokyo’s Keiji Ashizawa Design studio, plus a turntable built by Thorens. Also shown was this Contour 20 Black Edition standmount, now finally in production. This is a range of one – an elegant two-way with no floorstanding partner – but it serves a useful purpose, offering Dynaudio fans an option to bridge the £4500 Contour 20i and the premium £9600 Confidence 20. Okay, at nearly £6000 a pair, it’s not exactly midway in price, but does represent a tempting step up.

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Opinion
The scent of success
Peter Quantrill  |  Jun 02, 2025  |  First Published: May 01, 2025
A big prize for a contemporary composer – from an unexpected source – has Peter Quantrill wondering why we don’t see more cross-pollination and mutual recognition between art forms
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Opinion
Changing technology
Steve Harris  |  Jun 02, 2025  |  First Published: May 01, 2025
From Cecil Rhodes’ plan for an African telegraph line to early MP3 players with memory issues... Steve Harris on how rapid changes in technology can leave new ideas looking like old hat
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Opinion
Room service
Jim Lesurf  |  Jun 02, 2025  |  First Published: May 01, 2025
Even simple DIY acoustic treatments, plus careful positioning of loudspeakers, can have a positive impact on your system’s performance, says Jim Lesurf. You don’t always need an amp upgrade!
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