Hi-Fi Choice November 2021

welcome

I must confess I had no idea there was such a thing as upgraditis until I read through this month’s Letters. According to the online Urban Dictionary, it’s a: “terminal condition, the main symptom of which presents as the insatiable desire to upgrade,” an affliction which is obviously prevalent among hi-fi aficionados like our good selves. Indeed, as the Letters pages point out, HFC, with its monthly updates on desirable new kit, could be said to be guilty of feeding that addiction. Driven to investigate further, I discovered that science says that when you buy for positive gain – just for the thrill of it – you get a short burst of euphoria which swiftly dissipates as you chase your next fix, whereas if you buy to address a negative –…

mission control

PRICE: £300-£1,100 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: MISSION.CO.UK BRITISH SPEAKER MANUFACTURER Mission has re-engineered its QX Series – first launched in 2017 – which it claims delivers: “a benchmark ‘step-up’ loudspeaker range, sitting above the entry-level LX MkII Series which launched in 2020”. The new QX MkII Series features five passive models – two standmount speakers and three floorstanders. A new active subwoofer – the QX-12SUB MkII – has also been developed to complement the range. The new MkII models look similar to the original QX Series loudspeakers – the cabinets are the same size, with similar detailing including curved corners and smoothly dished drive units with ‘comb-tooth’ surrounds – but there are external enhancements, including new matt black, matt white and walnut veneer finish options. Redesigned aluminium plates are clamped to both the…

alp yourself!

PRICE: £240-£250 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: LENCO.UK SWISS COMPANY LENCO is celebrating its 75th anniversary with the launch of a brace of new turntables: the L-92WA – a belt-driven model designed to: “ensure the vinyl listening experience is enhanced with no needle dragging,” – and the L-3089, which the company says is particularly suited for professional use and DJs thanks to its pitch control and USB recording. The L-92WA comes with an integrated preamplifier and Audio-Technica AT3600 cartridge pre-installed, so records can be played straight out of the box. There’s a robust aluminium platter to give improved stability, anti-skating to prevent the tonearm from sliding across vinyl and it’s equipped with a strobe light feature that the company says is to see where the needle is without having to ruin the ambience of…

ample assets

PRICE: £2,250 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: EXPOSUREHIFI.COM UK SPECIALIST EXPOSURE has launched its 3510 integrated amplifier, which features trickle-down technology from the flagship 5010 series and replaces the 3010S2D (HFC 397) of the outgoing 3010 series. The new integrated delivers a claimed 110W RMS per channel into 8ohm loads and features six line inputs, with the option to fit an MC or MM phono module or a plug-in DAC. Connections include bi-wiring-compatible speaker outputs, a separate preamplifier out for bi-amping or for use with a separate power amplifier and a headphone output. The AV input offers a choice of fixed or variable gain, allowing configuration as either a regular stereo or fixed gain home cinema input. The company explains: “the 3510’s newly redesigned power amplification section draws on Exposure’s flagship 5010 monoblocks to deliver…

hi ho silver!

PRICE: £575-£1,725 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: MONITORAUDIO.COM MONITOR AUDIO HAS unveiled the seventh generation of its Silver Series loudspeakers, which were first introduced back in 1999. These comprise the Silver 50 7G and Silver 100 7G bookshelf/standmounts; Silver 200 7G, Silver 300 7G and Silver 500 7G floorstanders; and home cinema separates in the shape of the Silver C250 7G centre speaker, Silver FX 7G rears and the Dolby Atmos-enabled Silver AMS 7G. The British company explains that the new generation features a fresh: “contemporary design in a choice of five high-quality finishes, numerous acoustic innovations and a model lineup extensive enough to cater for every music and home cinema requirement.” The choice of finishes in question include: “deeply lustrous high-gloss black lacquer, equally distinctive satin white or a choice of three real-wood…

sound and vision

PRICE: £200 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: WEARFAUNA.COM FAUNA HAS LAUNCHED a range of designer glasses with open-ear sound technology inside. Claiming to be high-end and water-resistant, they boast a two-way sound system and protect the wearer’s eyes from sun or blue light while: “providing a vivid sound when listening to music, audiobooks or watching a movie, with integrated microphones for voice assistants and making phone calls”. The tiny lightweight micro speakers and microphones are integrated into the glasses frame; the audio module in each temple includes a patented MEMS microspeaker, an electrodynamic speaker, a touch-pad, associated electronics and battery. Two microphones are also integrated into the right temple with beam-forming and echo cancelling. The frames remain slim and lightweight, despite all the electronics inside, with glasses weighing just 50g. The range boasts high-quality…