LATEST ADDITIONS

Review: Andrew Everard, | Jul 21, 2024 | First Published: Jul 20, 2024

Hailing from the shores of Lake Constance in Germany, Violectric offers a wide range of headphone and combined DAC/headphone preamps. We dip our toes into its waters...

The Violectric name may be new to you, as it was to me, but behind the brand is a company getting on for four decades in business, principally in the pro audio field, where it operates under the rather unusual moniker of Lake People – inspired by the company’s location in the Lake Constance region of Germany. Like many an audio brand from that country, the company designs and manufactures its products in-house, and is proud of the ‘Made in Germany’ label.

Network Audio Players/Servers Outboard DACs Pre/Power Amplifiers

Eversolo DMP-A8

Review: Jamie Biesemans, | Jul 20, 2024

If ever the phrase ‘all-singing, all-dancing...’ could be applied to an audio streamer then Eversolo’s flagship model is the promise given form. The DMP-A8 should take a bow...

Search online and you’ll discover a groundswell of cheap DACs and streamers playing to every (hardware) whim, making it easy to overlook Eversolo’s efforts. But the company, which is the dedicated audio department of Shenzhen-based Zidoo, known for its EISA Award-winning Neo S media player, follows a different, more quality-focused strategy, as the affordable Z8 DAC and DMP-A6 have so far proved.

Pre/Power Amplifiers

Rotel Michi P5 S2

Review: Mark Craven, | Jul 18, 2024

After a period of uncertainty, Rotel’s destiny is firmly back in its own hands with new distribution partners in the EU, US and now the UK, courtesy of SME-owner Cadence

The resurrection of Rotel’s Michi series, previously delighting audiophiles in the 1990s, was a hi-fi highlight of 2019. The Japanese manufacturer again created a strand of components (stereo and mono power amps, a preamp and two integrated models) with a focus on both high-end performance and aesthetics, even going so far as to drop the Rotel name from the branding. Then, in 2023, it announced it was revisiting three models in the lineup, making changes inside rather than out.

Turntables, Arms & Cartridges

EAT C-Dur

Review: Ken Kessler, | Jul 18, 2024

Every product range has its sweet spot and the combination of EAT’s C-Dur deck with C-Note tonearm and optional Jo No5 moving-coil pick-up makes it the ‘plum’ choice

Just below the mid-price point of European Audio Team’s (EAT) nine-model range, the C-Dur belt-drive deck looks likely to identify a new price/ performance benchmark. We have been flooded with decks at the £10,000-£12,000 mark to designate entry to the scary high-end, and companies such as MoFi, Thorens and Pro-Ject have numerous models from £500-£3000, but something was needed in between from, say, £3000 and £5000. At £3500 with arm, EAT’s C-Dur – German for C major – fits the bill.

Turntables, Arms & Cartridges

Goldring Ethos SE

Review: Adam Smith, | Jul 18, 2024

The Ethos MC has waved the flag for UK pick-up brand Goldring for over five years, and now the design has been given the ‘SE treatment’ with silver wiring and more...

Everyone loves a special edition because, unlike a limited edition, it’s usually the forerunner of trickledown into the standard range. The hi-fi industry is a fertile ground for such bounty and the latest manufacturer to come up with a tempting morsel is Goldring, its new Ethos SE moving-coil taking its place at the top of the range, priced at £1299. Historically, while this is a big ticket for Goldring it is still rather more affordable than many a premium pick-up from the artisan suppliers based outside of the UK.

Integrated Amplifiers

Luxman L-509Z

Review: Ken Kessler, | Jul 08, 2024

Taking its cues from the industrial design and Darlington topology of the L-509X, the latest L-509Z variant demonstrates how subtle revisions can exert a big sonic impact

At first glance, since they look like twins, you might wonder what Luxman has done to the L-509X integrated amplifier [HFN Jan ’18] to justify the Z suffix. The pesky price increase from £8500 to £10,999 reflects six years of inflation and recent world turbulence, but don’t be fooled by nearly identical looks. The devil is in the details.

Network Audio Players/Servers

PS Audio AirLens

Mark Craven, | Jul 08, 2024

For a company that's embraced the digital, online world (founder Paul McGowan is well known for his regular YouTube videos), it’s a little odd that PS Audio hasn’t completely thrown itself into networked audio playback. Its AirLens streamer, newly launched at £1995, is its only networked product – unless you count the Bluetooth-equipped Sprout integrated amplifier, or its earlier Stellar Strata integrated [HFN Mar '21], now superseded by the (non-networked) Stellar Strata MK2.

Inside the Studio

The Hideout, Nevada

Steve Sutherland | Jul 05, 2024

We've had guys calling literally from gaol. They’re getting out the next day and they’re booking their time because, let’s face it, they’ve had plenty of time to write their lyrics…’ We’re listening in to Kevin Churko who, apart from chewing the fat about The Hideout recording studio in Las Vegas, which he just happens to own, also has a bit of a personal history behind him.

Investigation

Top 20 Concept Albums

HiFiNews | Jul 05, 2024

Any ambitious artist needs to challenge themselves sometimes, and there’s nothing like a concept album to set the bar high. Why release a collection of a dozen or so unrelated ditties when you could link them all together into a grand statement, an epic tale or a shaggy dog story in song?

News

Hit the road with the M23

HiFiNews | Jun 26, 2024

Chinese portable/desktop audio brand Fiio, winner of an EISA Award for its M11 Pro digital audio player, has launched a new top-of-the-range model incorporating AKM’s AK4191EQ dual-chip DAC for playback of 384kHz PCM, DSD256, and MQA files...

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