Hi-Fi Choice September 2021
Hi-Fi Choice is the essential guide to audio excellence in the home. It is a no-nonsense guide to the finest products available, from vinyl and valves, to multi-channel digital audio and high-fidelity video. Hi-Fi Choice sorts the best from the rest with rigorous test processes and a highly experienced team of reviewers.
in this issue
welcome
“Spending a grand on something a few centimetres long, a few grams in weight and that, by the simple expedient of how it works, will eventually wear out, is something that needs a little mental fortitude to do.” That’s a quote from Ed Selley’s Group Test, which pits half a dozen high-end phono cartridges against one another to discover – if you are minded to shell out on the grooviest ‘cart’ your money can buy – what’s your very best bet? Quite apart from having to get over the ‘never mind the quality, feel the width’ mindset of handing over a four-figure sum for something so small, your choice is also likely to depend on the type of vinyl you prefer spinning on your platter. Some believe that nothing south of 180g…
may the fourth be with you
PRICE: £5,100 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: HENLEYAUDIO.CO.UK INDIANAPOLIS-BASED KLIPSCH IS relaunching a new version of its Forte speaker, one of its best-selling of all time. The Forte IV is a member of the Heritage series, the original Forte having made its debut in 1985. The company ceased production of the model in 1996, reintroduced a third iteration in 2017 and now here’s the 2021 model, which features: “updated cosmetics and the latest advancements in acoustic engineering, while maintaining the elegant design and powerful performance.” The Klipsch Forte IV hosts a three-way design utilising a 305mm bass driver and a new K-702 midrange compression driver mated to a modified proprietary Tractrix horn with patented Mumps technology. It also comes with a new wide-dispersion high-frequency phase plug to ensure the last octave matches the coverage…
get the blues
PRICE: £230 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: RUARKAUDIO.COM RUARK AUDIO IS releasing a 1,000 copy limited edition R1 Mk4 colourway for Summer 2021, in the shape of the Beach Hut Blue radio. With an enclosure creating an acoustically inert housing for Ruark’s Class A-B amplifier with adaptive equalisation and NS+ driver, the company claims the BHB provides: “a highly listenable sound at all volume levels.” It features an OLED display to show time and programme information, which automatically adjusts to suit light levels. It receives both digital and analogue transmissions and FM parameters can be set to suit both US and Japanese requirements. The R1 also supports most languages and its real-time clock, time and date are kept live when power is disconnected or when transmitted data is not available. Other features include a…
this much is true
PRICE: £120 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: SENNHEISER.COM SENNHEISER HAS RELEASED its new CX True Wireless earphones featuring its proprietary TrueResponse transducer designed and manufactured at the company’s headquarters in Germany. Developed for Sennheiser’s premium earphones, the company claims: “this bespoke acoustic system delivers high-fidelity stereo sound with deep basses, natural mids and clear, detailed treble.” The Sennheiser Smart Control App and built-in EQ allow for custom tailoring of the listening experience and it’s compatible with Bluetooth 5.2 with SBC, AAC and aptX audio codec support. The CX offers a claimed nine hours of battery life with up to 27 hours available when charging on-the-go with the supplied case. Ear adapters are provided in four sizes and the earphones are IPX4-rated splash resistant. The CX True Wireless features a touch interface which, via a firmware update,…
all fired up!
PRICE: £550 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: PRIMARE.NET A revised version of its NP5 Prisma network player, Sweden’s Primare has unveiled the NP5 Prisma MK2. Development of the new model was necessitated primarily by a fire at the AKM factory, causing long-term disruption of the supply of the critical re-clocking chip that’s at the heart of the NP5 Prisma and allowed for the selection of output sampling frequencies. In order to continue to make the model available, Primare has sourced a readily available chip and redesigned the circuit to maintain the performance of the original NP5 Prisma, while allowing for MQA pass-through – something that was not possible with the original chipset. All features and functionality remain the same, with Spotify HiFi and Tidal Connect expected to join the list of connection and control features…
stonehenged!
PRICE: £1,600 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: NAIMAUDIO.COM NAIM AUDIO, BASED in Salisbury, Wiltshire, has released its first ever turntable in its 50-year history. Named the Solstice, it comes partnered with a next-generation version of the iconic Naim Aro tonearm, an Equinox MC cartridge, Solstice Series phono stage, power supply and bespoke accessory set. A special-edition package, limited to just 500 units, the Naim Solstice Turntable NVS TT comes equipped with a magnetic bearing supporting a high-mass aluminium platter, with a self-calibrating motor drive system. The tonearm boasts improved materials including tungsten and carbon-fibre with an all-new, no-compromise bias, arm height and azimuth adjustment. The Naim Equinox MC Cartridge features a microline stylus shape – designed to be closer to the original cutting lathe head to enable the retrieval of accurate high-frequency information – and a…
