LATEST ADDITIONS

Audiophile Digital
Audiophile: Digital, February 2022
Ken Kessler  |  Mar 03, 2022
This month, we review: Michael Nesmith, Allman Brothers Band, Help Yourself and Gerry Rafferty.
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Rock
Rock, February 2022
Mike Barnes  |  Mar 03, 2022
This month we review: Robert Plant And Alison Krauss, The Curator, Hedvig Mollestad and Yova.
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Jazz
Jazz, February 2022
Steve Harris  |  Mar 03, 2022
This month we review: Johnathan Blake, Joey Defrancesco, Harvey/O'higgins Project and Hiromi.
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Classical
Classical, February 2022
Peter Quantrill  |  Mar 03, 2022
This month we review: Tonhalle Orch Zürch/Paavo Järvi, Trinity Hall Choir, Cambridge, Et Al/Andrew Arthur, Lilit Grigoryan and Martha Argerich.
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Hi-Res Downloads
Hi-Res Downloads, February 2022
Andrew Everard  |  Feb 28, 2022
This month we review and test releases from: Gidon Nunes Vaz Quartet, Patricia Barber, Jeff Tweedy, Sting and LSO/Marin Alsop.
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Outboard DACs
AudioQuest JitterBug FMJ
Review: Andrew Everard,  |  Feb 28, 2022
hfnedchoiceRevised and refined, and now clad in metal, AudioQuest's USB noise filter is still a compelling upgrade for portable DAC users.

As we described in our review of AudioQuest's original JitterBug [HFN Oct '15], this little serial plug-in is not a re-clocker for digital datastreams, but rather a purely passive device (drawing no power from the USB hub) that provides transformer-isolation and RF filtering of both the 5V USB 'VBUS' and its differential data lines. The promise, according to AQ, goes something like this: 'the dual-discrete noise-dissipation circuits reduce internally generated RF noise for improved streaming audio, [reducing] jitter and packet errors'.

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Turntables, Arms & Cartridges
Thorens TD 202 Turntable Package
Review: Nick Tate,  |  Feb 25, 2022
hfncommendedBudget-conscious vinyl fans wishing to digitise their prized record collections will want to sample this sleek, affordable turntable solution from an illustrious German brand

Like any company that can trace its lineage over one-and-a-quarter centuries, German turntable brand Thorens has had its share of high and, well, not-so-high points. Now under the ownership of ex-ELAC MD Gunter Kürten, the last three years has seen a revolution in the brand's ambitions, with a burgeoning product range to match.

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From the VaultPre/Power Amplifiers
Transistors Versus Tubes
Ken Kessler  |  Feb 24, 2022  |  First Published: Mar 01, 1992
hfnvintageThe irrepressible Antony Michaelson is at it again, with pre and power amps from Michaelson Audio and Musical Fidelity. Ken Kessler listens

Upon my taking delivery of the review samples of Da Vinci, about which I was warned in mid-summer 1991, company founder Antony Michaelson launched into his usual tirade about the high-end, with barrels of venom for American ballbuster amps in particular.

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Integrated Amplifiers
PrimaLuna EVO 300 Hybrid Integrated Amplifier
Review: Ken Kessler,  |  Feb 22, 2022
hfnoutstandingPrimaLuna's tradition of user-tweakable tube amps continues, this time by 'tweaking' its own EVO 300 model with a solid-state output stage. Welcome, PL's first hybrid...

OK, OK, there are those who think 'hybrid' is a dirty word. If your glass is half-empty, it signifies compromise, or – worse – indecisiveness. If you're a cynic, then it's purely a commercial choice. But if your glass is half-full, then it's a convenient solution to various problems. As PrimaLuna has only ever made all-valve amplifiers, the company's first hybrid needs some explaining. More to the point, at £6198, the PrimaLuna EVO 300 Hybrid – clearly related to the all-tube EVO 300 [HFN Mar '21] – is its costliest product.

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Pre/Power AmplifiersVintage
Crimson Elektrik 1200 series Pre/Power Amplifiers
Review: Tim Jarman,  |  Feb 21, 2022
hfnvintageThey're British and they're obscure, but can these pre/power amplifiers lay claim to classic status when it comes to their all-out performance? It's time to find out...

British company Crimson Elektrik started life in the mid 1970s as a manufacturer of ready-built power amplifier modules. Using these, a home constructor could assemble a fairly decent and up-to-date piece of kit, needing only to add a power supply, connections and a cabinet. Complete amps followed in 1979, initially in kit form and later fully assembled. The latter, which were similar to the 1200 series amps seen here, were reviewed in the June '80 issue of HFN.

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