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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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Opinion
Online radio
Barry Fox  |  Jun 02, 2025  |  First Published: May 01, 2025
Technology developments and copyright concerns have left the world of online radio in a monster mess, says Barry Fox. Is a standalone Internet radio tuner the answer to his problems?
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Opinion
A visit to MSB
Barry Willis  |  Jun 02, 2025  |  First Published: May 01, 2025
Hi-fi manufacturer MSB has a boutique offering of high-end DACs and power amplifiers, all designed, assembled and evaluated at its California HQ. Barry Willis went behind the scenes
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Classical Companion
Gershwin Rhapsody In Blue
Peter Quantrill  |  Jun 02, 2025  |  First Published: May 01, 2025
In this genre-melting, career-defining piece, the composer hoped to capture America’s ‘pep’ and ‘metropolitan madness’. Peter Quantrill surveys a century of recordings
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Loudspeakers
Rockport Technologies Orion loudspeaker
Review: Mark Craven,  |  Jun 02, 2025  |  First Published: May 01, 2025
hfnoutstandingLeveraging its 30 years of innovative speaker design, the Orion features Rockport’s ‘next generation’ cabinet

Named after the Maine town where it started in 1984, although now based down the coast in South Thomaston, Rockport Technologies has been known by audiophiles since the 1990s as a manufacturer of high-end – and heavyweight – loudspeakers. The Orion floorstander tested here is no exception, weighing 163kg per piece and selling for £165,000. Suffice to say, it’s a far cry from the early sub/sat systems of chief designer Andy Payor...

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Classical
Classical, May 2025
Peter Quantrill  |  Jun 01, 2025  |  First Published: May 01, 2025

This month we review: Jonathan Aasgaard, Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Hamburg CHS & State PO/Nagano, Quartetto di Cremona

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Jazz
Jazz, May 2025
Steve Harris  |  Jun 01, 2025  |  First Published: May 01, 2025

This month we review: Artemis, Glebe, Julia Hülsmann Quartet, and Oz Noy

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