LATEST ADDITIONS

Audiophile Digital
Audiophile: Digital, November 2023
Ken Kessler  |  Nov 29, 2023
This month, we review: The Eagles, The John Williams Syndicate, Matt Monro and The Art Of Hifi.
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Rock
Rock, November 2023
Mike Barnes  |  Nov 29, 2023
This month we review: Unthank : Osees, Deeper, Explosions In The Sky and Hiss Golden Messenger.
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Jazz
Jazz, November 2023
Steve Harris  |  Nov 29, 2023
This month we review: Nanny Assis, Johnathan Blake, Kurt Elling and Emma Rawicz.
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Classical
Classical, November 2023
Peter Quantrill  |  Nov 29, 2023
This month we review: Cleveland Orchestra/Welser-Möst, Iceland SO/Ollikainen, Helsinki Chamb Ch/Schweckendiek and Elizabeth Atherton, Jess Dandy, Peter Rose, BBC PO/Storgards.
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Hi-Res Downloads
Hi-Res Downloads, November 2023
Andrew Everard  |  Nov 27, 2023
This month we review and test releases from: Simon Callaghan/Sinfonieorchester St Gallen, Gianluigi Trovesi & Stefano Montanari, Justin Kauflin Trio, Morten Georg Gismervik and Karnataka.
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Network Audio Players/ServersPre/Power Amplifiers
Hegel H600 Network-Attached Amp
Review: Jamie Biesemans,  |  Nov 24, 2023
hfnoutstandingBuilt into an enhanced H590 chassis but featuring 'sound tuning' from the P30A/H30A pre/power, Hegel's fully-networked flagship integrated gets off to a flying start

After an extended period of Covid and component shortage-related calm, Oslo-based Hegel has seemingly shifted into overdrive, launching multiple new products in just half a year. First up in 2023 was a major update to its flagship pre/power system in the form of the P30A and H30A [HFN Jun '23], followed by the Viking CD player [HFN Sep '23]. The third act is the launch of the H600, which takes over from Hegel's popular, top-tier H590 integrated streaming amp, and sells for £10,500 in a very dark grey, almost matt black finish.

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From the VaultLoudspeakers
Celestion 300 floorstander
Martin Colloms  |  Nov 21, 2023  |  First Published: Oct 01, 1992
hfnvintageThis slim design offers the traditional benefits of transmission line bass loading yet manages to overcome the drawbacks, says Martin Colloms

New ideas are being introduced at Celestion to bring its upmarket SL series into the 1990s. The first example, designed by Bob Smith, was the 100 [HFN Nov '91] followed now by the 300 reviewed here. This is a £1000 floorstander that aims to bring improved bass extension, power handling and superior dynamics to the genre, while sensitivity remains below average at 84dB/1W. A remarkable aspect of the 300 is its transmission line loading, a first for Celestion, and developed with an unusually authoritative theoretical approach, by the designer Martin Roberts.

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Pre/Power Amplifiers
Krell Illusion II/KSA-i400 Pre/Power Amplifiers
Review: Andrew Everard,  |  Nov 20, 2023
hfnoutstandingDeveloped to celebrate Krell's 40th anniversary, the KSA-i400 combines all the brand's proprietary circuit ideas in one very powerful amplifier. We partner it with the Illusion II

Over time, most hi-fi brands develop an image: ask any audiophile and you'll be told this one is warm, that one is all about rhythm and timing, and another is 'bright and detailed, but I could never live with it'. Of such generalisations, myths are born, and I'd say it's a pretty safe bet that most enthusiasts 'know' what Krell is all about – big, heavy, and massively powerful American amps, with the ability to drive just about any speaker to any level you want, or could imagine.

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Turntables, Arms & Cartridges
Dual CS 5000 Turntable
Review: Adam Smith,  |  Nov 17, 2023
hfnvintageSurprisingly advanced yet appealingly affordable, this semi-automatic flagship deck from 1985 sought to unseat Rega's market-leader. How does it sound today?

Vinyl fans in the early '80s were well catered for when it came to affordable turntables. If your budget was tight, the capable NAD 5120 made a fine starting point. But if you could stretch your funds a little further then there was only one choice: the Dual CS 505 [HFN Feb '13]. First introduced in 1981, it proved to be a robust and reliable performer at its bargain price of £75.

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Turntables, Arms & Cartridges
DS Audio Grand Master EX Cartridge
Review: Ken Kessler,  |  Nov 16, 2023
hfnoutstandingHow to upgrade the 'ultimate' optical pick-up? By fitting the Grand Master with a single-piece diamond cantilever and stylus. We take the GM Extreme for a drive...

It's too easy to presume, just because only one change separates a new model from an earlier one, that assessing it will be a breeze. DS Audio's £18,995 Grand Master Extreme optical cartridge differs from its stablemate solely in its cantilever/stylus assembly. Aside from a different body colour for easier identification, I wrongly imagined that a side-by-side shoot-out with the earlier Grand Master [HFN Feb '21] would suffice, and that a couple of LPs' worth of listening would reveal all. Silly me.

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