Hi Fi News October 2019

We have a bumper 164-page issue this month as Hi-Fi News, the exclusive UK member of EISA’s Hi-Fi Expert Group, reveals the choicest components, as tested, judged and voted for by the best of the international audio press. EISA (the Expert Imaging and Sound Association) has spread its wings over the last two years to invite and include the cream of hi-fi publishing from outside of its one-time European heartland. Now we – I say ‘we’ wearing my ‘President of EISA’ hat – also count SoundStage! Hi-Fi (Canada), Audio Accessory (Japan), Stereophile (USA), AudioTechnique (Hong Kong) and Australian Hi-Fi among our number, their experienced editorial teams now enriching the wealth of audiophile knowledge that informs the Hi-Fi section of the EISA Awards (p74). EISA also encompasses Expert Groups of magazines and websites…

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’ KEITH HOWARD has written about hi-fi for 40 years, and edited Hi-Fi Answers for nine. KH performs our speaker and headphone lab tests 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 music STEVE SUTHERLAND worked on Melody Maker and then edited NME from…

Twelve years after the introduction of its original NeoClassico series products – the D-N100 CD player and SQ-N100 valve integrated amplifier – Luxman has replaced them with improved versions. The £2500, solid-state D-N150 CD player is actually a CD player/DAC as it includes optical and coaxial S/PDIF and USB digital inputs for its DAC stage, compatible with sampling rates of up to 192kHz. Silver disc spinning is by Luxman’s proprietary CD transport mechanism, derived from its D-380 player. Unbalanced analogue output is provided on a pair of phono sockets – there is no balanced output – with digital output, unusually, on optical S/PDIF only. The £3000 SQ-N150 integrated offers three line-level inputs alongside a phono input that’s switchable for either MM or MC cartridges. Its valve complement comprises two ECC83 triodes…

It’s nine years since Bricasti Design’s M1 DAC arrived in the UK and ruffled the feathers of established high-end DAC manufacturers with its performance and sound quality. Now Bricasti has introduced the Model 3, which aims to have a similar effect but at the lower price point of £5299. With independent linear power supplies for the digital and analogue circuits, the design features two independent conversion channels, a very stable clock claimed to limit jitter to 6psec at 96kHz, a bypassable balanced analogue volume control, and a well-shielded chassis assembled from milled-from-solid aluminium sections. The M3 supports PCM sample rates up to 384kHz via USB (192kHz via S/PDIF and AES/EBU), and DSD64 and DSD128 via DoP (DSD64 via S/PDIF and AES/EBU). An optional £1099 network interface adds Ethernet connectivity (also capable…

IFI POWERSTATION IFi’s PowerStation six-outlet mains block is a mains conditioner with a difference. Whereas conventional conditioners use passive filtering to remove mains interference and are effective only at high frequencies, the PowerStation incorporates the latest version of iFi’s Active Noise Cancellation which – rather as ANC improves noise isolation in headphones – extends the filtering down to low frequencies. Price for the UK version is £499. http://ifi-audio.com CHORD EPIC USB Chord Company’s latest Epic USB cable uses lessons learnt from the development of its Signature Super ARAY USB cable but, at £400, costs half the price. The 1m cable uses silver-plated copper Ohmic connectors and its design pays particular attention to the shielding of the conductors. Demo cables are available from Chord retailers so that you can try before you buy. www.chord.co.uk…

Brinkmann is making just 100 examples of the £13,995 10th Anniversary ‘Final Edition’ version of its Oasis turntable. Like all Oasis models it uses Brinkmann’s proprietary direct-drive motor to rotate the 10kg platter which, together with a precision main bearing, eliminates the ‘cogging’ for which early-generation direct-drive systems were criticised. Although the Final Edition comes with a 10.5in pick-up arm, alternative bases are available for arms of effective lengths down to 9in. Brinkmann Audio GmbH, 01727 865488; www.brinkmann-audio.com, www.symmetry-systems.co.uk…