Hi Fi News February 2022

If 2021 provided us a little more ‘positivity’ than the annus horribilis that was 2020 then, by this circumspect scale, the artisans who press our vinyl will surely be popping more than a few corks in January 2022. The first week of the New Year typically sees the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) reporting its statistics on just how, and by how much, we’ve been consuming our music media. Now, I’m writing this before Big Ben once again strikes up its familiar chime, but the runes look very good for sales of the black stuff. By all accounts it seems in excess of five million units (albums) were purchased in the UK throughout 2021, an increase of eight percent on 2020 and the 14th consecutive year of growth since the ‘vinyl…

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…

PS AUDIO REVEALS LONG-AWAITED ‘ASPEN’ FLOORSTANDER Comprising two sections in a modular design to ease both transportation and setup, PS Audio’s £28,000 Aspen FR30 floorstander measures over 1.5m high and weighs 104.5kg – yet the Colorado-based manufacturer still describes it as ‘elegantly slim’ and suited to a range of room environments. The driver implementation is three-way, with the top enclosure (which also houses the 400Hz/2.5kHz crossover network) featuring a 300mm planar magnetic midrange and pair of 63mm planar magnetic tweeters, all with Teonex diaphragms and neodymium magnets. The lower cabinet has a quartet of front-firing 250mm aluminium cone woofers and four side-mounted 300mm passive radiators. Sensitivity is rated at a modest 87dB, while the nominal impedance is a suggested 4ohm (3.5ohm minimum). Piano lacquer finish options for the Aspen FR30…

ULTIMATE HEAD-FI DECK FROM ASTELL&KERN The £1999 ACRO CA1000 is a headphone amplifier and digital audio player combined, designed for desktop use but with an 8400mAh rechargeable battery allowing ‘on-the-go’ hi-fi. Internally, an ES9068AS Quad DAC handles 384kHz/32-bit and DSD512 playback, with audio quality finessed by Astell&Kern’s ‘Teraton Alpha’ technology and an adjustable crossfeed mode. Inputs include optical, coaxial, USB and BT v5.0, while headphone outs are included on 3.5/6.35mm unbalanced sockets and 2.5mm/4.4mm balanced connections. Four levels of gain are offered, reaching a claimed 15V output (unloaded). Features include 256GB of internal memory expandable to 1TB via an SD card, a tilting 4.1in touchscreen and volume wheel ‘inspired by space-age exploration vehicles’. Astell&Kern, 01279 501111; www.astellnkern.com…

ATLAS POWER BLOCK Launched to complement Atlas Cables’ Eos screened power cables, the £395 Eos Modular 2.5 is a robust AC mains extension block offering six unfiltered outlets. The high quality, low contact resistance sockets are internally wired with 2.5mm2 copper conductors while the extruded alloy casework provides a further layer of shielding from RF/EMI. The chassis includes a ground terminal for screened interconnects and cables featuring Atlas’s Grun Coherent Earth system. Furthermore, the corners of the case allow for both wall and rack-mounting with options for both spikes and rubber feet. www.atlascables.com MIDNIGHT BLUES Joining its existing Datuk Gloss-finished 700 Series Signature models, B&W has just released a ‘stunning’ Midnight Blue Metallic paint option for the 705 Signature and 702 Signature loudspeakers at £3000 and £5500, respectively. www.bowerswilkins.com…

D’AGOSTINO AMPS GET ‘MXV’ UPGRADES New from D’Agostino are the Momentum S250 MxV stereo power amplifier (£50k) and Momentum M400 MvX monoblock (pictured, £45k each), upgrades on the company’s original S250 and M400 models that feature trickledown technology from its Relentless flagship [HFN Mar ’20]. The enclosure designs remain identical, but both feature wholesale changes to their power supply, input, driver and output stages, including a revised PSU transformer promising a 50% increase in current output. Existing owners can have their model (inc. the S200 and M300) upgraded to MxV (Mass times Velocity) status, with prices starting at £14,500. D’Agostino LLC, Connecticut, USA, 0208 971 3909; www.dagostinoinc.com; www.absolutesounds.com…