Hi Fi News April 2022

Over 400 new releases have been revealed for Record Store Day on 23rd April, including albums from the likes of Taylor Swift, Alice Cooper, Joni Mitchell, Steve Hackett and even Motörhead. There are two new offerings from the Bowie estate, the Brilliant Adventure and Toy EPs, both on vinyl and CD. This 15th annual RSD is particularly special, not only for the breadth of content slated to arrive, but also because it marks the return of a truly physical retail event following the RSD ‘Drops’ that were imposed by Covid lockdowns. However, while the surge in demand for the black (and, increasingly, brightly coloured) stuff can only signal the potential of new hi-fi enthusiasts on the horizon, might the equally spiralling cost of oil and other raw materials, combined with…

BARRY FOX Investigative journalist supreme, Barry is the first with news of the latest developments in hi-fi and music technologies DAVID PRICE An avid collector of audio treasures, and life-long hi-fi addict, DP lends his ears and experience from analogue to digital KEN KESSLER is a long-serving contributor, luxury goods writer and champion for the renaissance in valves and ‘vintage hi-fi’ MARK CRAVEN Editor of our sister title Home Cinema Choice, Mark’s passion for music extends from stereo to multichannel and Dolby Atmos STEVE HARRIS Former Editor of this very title from 1986 through to 2005. A lifetime in audio and a love of jazz makes Steve a goldmine ANDREW EVERARD has reviewed hi-fi for over 30 years and is still effortlessly enthusiastic about new technology, kit and discovering new…

KEF’s not-quite-flagship Blade floorstander has been revealed as the next model to utilise the Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT) that debuted on its EISA-Award winning LS50 Meta standmount [HFN Jun ’21]. Developed in conjunction with the Acoustic Metamaterials Group, the MAT element of KEF’s 12th-gen Uni-Q driver serves to attenuate rear output for a claimed improvement in coloration and midrange frequency response, and features on the Blade One Meta (£30,000) and Blade Two Meta (£22,500), plus five new Reference Series models. The Blade duo are available in eight colourways – including Racing Red/Grey Arctic [pictured] – that mix five finishes to the curved cabinets with six driver options. As introduced by the 2011 Concept Blade, the speakers partner the coaxial, front-facing Uni-Q array with four side-mounted bass units, arranged in force-cancelling…

Ferrum’s £2395 ERCO (pronounced ‘ertso’) leverages elements of the Polish brand’s Hypsos programmable PSU [HFN Mar ’21, pictured on top] and OOR headphone amp [HFN Dec ’21], and combines them with the digital experience gained during its association with Mytek [HFN Dec ’19]. The new ERCO is a DAC/preamp/headphone amp that employs custom code running on an ARM processor to service its USB-C, coaxial and optical digital inputs, and unpacking MQA files, before conversion via an ES9028Pro DAC. Single-ended (RCA) and balanced (XLR) outs are on the rear, with 6.35mm (SE) and 4.4mm (balanced) headphone sockets adjacent to gain and volume controls on the fascia. Rated power is 1.2W/50ohm (SE). Ferrum/HEM, Pruszków, Poland, 07738 007776; www.ferrum.audio, www.signatureaudiosystems.co.uk…

AL STEWART BOX SET Comprising no fewer than 50 discs, and limited to just 2000 sets in a one-time pressing, The Admiralty Lights is the new career-spanning, definitive collection of Al Stewart’s work. The collection features 21 newly remastered studio albums (including Year Of The Cat), 18 live recordings, three discs from BBC Sessions between 1965-72 plus a further eight discs of demos, outtakes and other rarities from 1964-2008. This massive box set will also include signed posters and prints, a 160-page hardback book and 25-page ‘Collectors’ book. Launch date is June 2022 and price… TBA www.madfishmusic.com REVOLUTION LP12 PSU Priced at £395 and made to order by Mark Sears of VP (via Russ Andrews Accessories), the Revolution PSU is an ‘upgraded power supply’ designed to replace the internal Valhalla…

Precious few audiophile brands have created a truly bespoke, discrete DAC technology, but dCS is a founder member of this rarified ‘club’ with its Ring DAC, launched in 1991. The Ring DAC aims to combine the monotonic conversion of a genuine ‘single-bit’ DAC with the operation of a PWM bitstream-style converter. In a novel twist, dCS’s software randomises the mapping of bits to its array of current sources so that fixed errors, that would otherwise appear as harmonic distortions, are also randomised to manifest as a benign increase in noise. Now dCS has announced a fundamental upgrade – dubbed APEX – to the Ring DAC circuit board and analogue output stage. APEX versions of its Rossini and Vivaldi separates are expected, along with upgrades for existing owners. Data Conversion Systems…