Issue April 2015 - Hi-Fi Choice (2024)

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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.

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In this issueWelcomewww.hifichoice.co.uk Issue No. 396 April 2015 As hi-fifans it‘s probably true to say that many of us have enjoyed building up our music collections on various physical media formats over the years, and I’m sure the majority will continue adding to their library in this way for as long as possible. But there is a new kid on the block, offering new-fangled ways of accessing music that come with a mind-boggling array of choices, with millions of tracks instantaneously available, streamed via a respectable high-speed broadband service direct to PCs, tablets, MP3 players and hi-fisystems. Streaming is a real growth area, with nearly 15 billion songs accessed last year alone from the ever-growing choice of digital services like Deezer and Spotify, to name just two. It accounts for a significant…1 min

In this issueRevolution XTPRICE: £599-£1,299 AVAILABLE: NOW CONTACT: 01236 420199 WEB: TANNOY.COM THE FIRST SPEAKER to utilise the company’s new Dual Concentric driver with Omnimagnet motor and Torus Ogive Waveguide, Tannoy’s Revolution XT cabinets are based on its successful Revolution trapezoid design. Both low and high frequency drive units use a single shared magnet and a donut-shaped (Torus) diaphragm with a bullet-shaped (Ogive) phase plug to ensure exceptional time alignment and coherence. The result, so Tannoy claims, is improved phase coherence and accuracy of production, greater dynamic headroom and outstanding dispersion characteristics for superior imaging. The range consists of the XT6 standmount (so called due to its 6in driver), XT6F floorstander (also with 6in drivers) and XT8F (with, you guessed it, 8in drivers). Prices are £599, £999 and £1,299 respectively and the speakers…1 min

In this issueNEW OPPO HA-2 HEADPHONE AMPHaving made a name for itself in the AV world, Oppo has become a bit of a mover and shaker in the audiophile sphere of late, too. With astonishing headphones and the superb HA-1 headphone amplifier/DAC (HFC 390), it has impressed many. And now, the HA-2 is available. A portable headphone amp/DAC it’s designed to enhance music on the move. Stylish and sophisticated, it boasts a Sabre32 Reference DAC and supports PCM audio up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD audio up to 12MHz (DSD256 or DSD4x). It has a rechargeable battery, along with a brace of USB inputs (one for Apple products and one for Android) and a 3.5mm input for other devices. It’s available now for £259 and will be on test in next month’s issue. OPPODIGITAL.CO.UK…1 min

In this issueQ Acoustics 3000 seriesPRICE: £140-£650 AVAILABLE: NOW CONTACT: 01279 501111 WEB: QACOUSTICS.CO.UK Taking its extremely successful Concept speakers (the Concept 20 standmount was tested in HFC 372) as a starting point, Q Acoustics unveiled it new 3000 Series at the Bristol Hi-FiShow. Borrowing innovations in cabinet design and construction from the aforementioned speaker range, the new 3000 Series boasts additional advancements including new ultra-low resonance dual-layer front and top panels, ‘pivotal’ internal bracing and ‘minimal’ rear-mounted terminal plates. The result, so Q Acoustics claims, is a stronger cabinet with reduced distortion so that the speaker’s drive units can perform at their very best. Speaking of drive units, the 3000 features a new ‘two-in-one’ concentric ring dome tweeter, which aims to combine the benefits of ‘ring radiator’ and ‘dome’ type high frequency drivers to…1 min

In this issueArcam delivers mega ampPRICE: £3,750 AVAILABLE: NOW WEB: ARCAM.CO.UK REDEFINING HIGH-END MUSIC performance and value is a mighty claim, but Arcam reckons that the FMJ A49 might just have what it takes to tick all the boxes. Boasting 200W per channel into 8ohm loads (400W into 4ohm), the US-produced amplifier was designed with a ‘money no object’ remit. The A49 utilises Arcam’s Class G amplification, running in full Class A for the first 100W and then switching to Class AB for anything more (up to 400W). It is built on a massive, robust chassis and is fully balanced throughout, providing the lowest distortion and noise floor combined with the highest power ever from an Arcam amp – the company claims. It boasts high-performance MM/MC phono stages, a preamplifier output, balanced XLR preamplifier inputs…1 min

Issue April 2015 - Hi-Fi Choice (2024)

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