LATEST ADDITIONS

Review: Jamie Biesemans,  |  May 06, 2024
hfnoutstandingMore sober than the 'steampunk' styled RA180, and more powerful too, the new RA280 takes HiFi Rose's GaN FET-based Class D architecture into the audiophile zone

HiFi Rose delighted, and in some cases flabbergasted, hi-fi enthusiasts with its RA180 [HFN Jul '22], an amplifier that looked like it had just escaped from the pages of Gibson-Sterling's steampunk classic The Difference Engine. Boasting lots of knobs and dials on the outside, and novel GaN FETs in its Class D power amp on the inside, it was undeniably 'something else'. It was quite an unexpected product from the Seoul-based brand too, as up to that point HiFi Rose was principally known for streamers and DACs with very large touchscreens [HFN Jun '21 and Mar '22].

Peter Quantrill  |  May 03, 2024
The ideal gateway symphony to Bruckner – or an elusive work of secrets and memories? Peter Quantrill slaughters a herd of sacred cows in his survey of the Seventh on record

Let's brush aside the old (but stubborn) complaint that Bruckner composed the same symphony nine times over. For one thing, he wrote 11 symphonies, only the first of which was intended purely as an exercise, and brought the last (numbered as the Ninth) tantalisingly close to completion. For another, each has its own personality, which is shaped by continual experimentation, his time of life, and the confidence and material accumulated by hard graft. Each successive symphony looks back on its predecessors and sets out on a different path.

Review: Jamie Biesemans,  |  May 02, 2024
hfncommendedThese super-compact loudspeakers are simply the tip of the iceberg for Germany's expansive Magnat brand whose ranges encompass the gamut of 'lifestyle' to 'purist'

Bigger is better' seems to be one of those unwritten rules of hi-fi that ensures every audio show is packed with speakers towering high above the audience. Unfortunately, out there in the real world most people don't have the space to wheel in a pair of Wilson Audio Alexx Vs [HFN Jan '22] or Focal Grande Utopias [HFN Dec '18]. So, in an age when tiny houses are proclaimed as the way to go, Magnat's Signature Edelstein might be the speakers that better fit the zeitgeist. But these are not especially low-cost petite models. As 'Edelstein', or gemstone in German, indicates, these particular Magnat boxes – priced at £949 – are positioned as small and luxurious.

Ken Kessler  |  Apr 30, 2024
This month we review: Ben Harper With Charlie Musselwhite, Caravan, Fleetwood Mac and Jackie Deshannon.
Ken Kessler  |  Apr 30, 2024
This month, we review: Otis Taylor, HeKz, Trio Mediæval and We Can Work It Out.
Mike Barnes  |  Apr 29, 2024
This month we review: Ministry, Slift, Yard Act and Anna Calvi.
Steve Harris  |  Apr 29, 2024
This month we review: QOW Trio, Jasper Høiby | Three Elements, Lage Lund and Joel Ross.
Peter Quantrill  |  Apr 29, 2024
This month we review: BBC Nat Orch Wales/Jonathan Berman, Thomas Guthrie, Barokksolistene, Molly Netter, Kate Maroney, Gene Stenger, Dashon Burton, et al and Asasello-Quartett.
Peter Quantrill,  |  Apr 25, 2024
This month we review and test releases from: Carducci Quartet, Ross Pederson, Gustaf Ljunggren/Emil De Waal, Mikyung Sung and Barre Phillips.
Review: Tim Jarman,  |  Apr 23, 2024
hfnvintageRising phoenix-like from the ashes of Deltec Precision Audio in 1992, the 'continuity brand' DPA retained designer Robert Watts' flair for innovation. How does it fare today?

The story of DPA is not uncommon among small and specialised hi-fi manufacturers. Arriving in 1992, it actually represented the second iteration of a company co-founded by Robert Watts (who has since gone on to be digital design consultant at Chord Electronics). And while Deltec Precision Audio, which debuted in 1984 with its CTA80 preamplifier, had ultimately shut up shop in the early '90s, the ideas behind its original models clearly had some merit – it was soon back with Watts onboard, albeit under a slightly different name.

Pages

X