Back in the day (not quite 40 years ago), the first production AE1 standmount employed an ELAC-sourced 25mm alloy dome tweeter married to a 110mm ‘high strength aluminium alloy spun cone’ mounted into a KEF B110 chassis. Fast forward to today and we find the AE1 40th with a 29mm anodised alloy dome with a very similar profile and surround design, ferrofluid damping and rear chamber – custom made for AE. The bass/mid driver is now 125mm (fitted into an ‘international standard’ 5.25in chassis) with a similar, hand-spun – not pressed into shape – straight alloy cone. **Above:**_An early AE1 shot in a rare white finish_ Once again this cone is hard anodised to improve its stiffness and push the inevitable resonances out beyond its passband. Incidentally, while the original AE1 employed a 4th-order crossover to rapidly attenuate its output before breakup, the AE1 40th has a gentler ‘quasi-first order’ filter for improved phase alignment (reduced group delay). Now, a notch filter is used to null out the alloy bass/mid’s breakup [around 7.5kHz, see CSD waterfall in Lab Report]. Also, the new cone’s 35µm thickness brings the total moving mass down to that of the original smaller, but thicker 50µm cone. **Above:**_Review in HFN Jan ’89 alongside the AE2 and AE4_ A new constrained-layer cabinet features panels made of two HDF layers with a bitumen filling, in place of the old MDF cabinet that was internally damped with 0.5 litres of mineral-loaded latex. As a result, the internal air volume has increased from 7 to 7.5 litres. **PM**

_While audio engineers strive to improve sound quality through objective test and measurement, there’s work to be done into what gives music its ‘goosebump’ factor, says Barry Willis_ Those who pay attention to the field have been amazed and encouraged by advancements in audio design – not merely in improvements in playback gear, but in the capture, storage, transmission, and retrieval of recordings. It’s astounding how far we have come since the early days of primitive radio and shellac records. All of this is due to engineers working fanatically to extract the last few drops of sonic detail and dynamics. And therein lurks a problem. Engineers push technical limits, but their focus on technical perfection – if such a thing is even possible – can ignore the fact that music is an emotional art form. Like their scientific cousins, engineers tend toward emotional detachment as a professional necessity. Objectivity comes first. **Mood music** Many advancements in audio have been the result of anecdotal evidence – improvements noted by designers and their colleagues, including technical experts and music industry professionals. Ordinary music lovers have been left out of the development cycle. This is a huge obstacle for any further advancement in audio reproduction, because it ignores human emotional response in favour of technical specifications. Emotional response to music has been studied by researchers such as cognitive scientist Daniel Levitin, whose book _This Is Your Brain On Music_ has sold millions of copies. A McGill University professor, fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a musician, record producer, and former governing board member of the Grammy Awards, Levitin is probably the foremost expert on the subject, now psychiatrist/neuroscientist Oliver Sacks has passed. But it’s safe to say that musicians, songwriters, and composers also have plenty of innate organic knowledge about music and emotional response. How else do they know that certain chords and melodies evoke joy while others do the opposite? How do they know that one bassline sounds mournful while another makes us want to get up and dance? To my knowledge there’s been scant research about emotional effects induced by the various audio technologies that are perpetual topics of argument among audiophiles – sample/bit rates, amplifier topologies, loudspeaker design, etc. **Listen and learn** One small study was conducted years ago by physiologist Scott McPhee and J. Craig Oxford, the founder of Nashville-based speaker marque High Emotion Audio. Oxford also worked closely with filmmaker Michael Rossato-Bennett [pictured above], whose award-winning 2014 documentary _Alive Inside_ explored the value of music therapy for dementia patients. McPhee’s study tracked physiological markers among listeners hearing two different sets of loudspeakers – basically trying to quantify the ‘goosebump effect’ – and convinced Oxford that much of what we assume about audio is wrong. Technical testing of a loudspeaker will reveal much about its decay time, for example, but nothing about how that speaker affects listeners. Oxford asserts that attack speed triggers the brain’s limbic system and the fight-or-flight phenomenon. This is an evolutionary development to aid survival, as is the way our hearing is most sensitive around 3kHz, so we can be alerted by a mother’s voice or a snapping twig. What the audio and music industries need most for the next great leap forward isn’t another listening panel of ‘golden ears’ or agreement on a new twist in signal processing. We need largescale, peer-reviewed, double-blind, corroborated studies quantifying emotional effects on listeners. Ask test subjects not which technology sounds better, but which one feels better.

**The Art Of HiFi** Volume 06: Guitars (44.1-352.8kHz/24-bit, WAV; DSD64-512) www.psaudio.com/products; Octave Records 0054 Releases from Octave Records provide the opportunity to compare not just SACD with CD, but also eight ‘grades’ of downloads. The latter will prove the most intriguing as we’ve long been able to pit CD against SACD or other 5in discs such as Blu-Spec or SHM-CD. At the risk of annoying Octave’s boss, Paul McGowan, I definitely prefer the label’s physical discs to the streams. Furthermore, I do all my listening of both formats through his DirectStream DAC MK2 [_HFN_ Jun ’23] and matching SACD transport, so this release, in all its forms, was auditioned through the company’s own hardware. This latest in the series is another useful tool for system setup and evaluation, its ten excellent tracks employing a variety of guitars to tune into: laptop steel, pedal steel, acoustic and electric bass, 12-string, nylon strings, resonator and more. The sound? Spectacular. **KK** **Sound Quality: 90%** **Lab Report** As we’ve seen before [_HFN_ Jun, Oct ’22; Aug ’24], there’s a ~6dB reduction in peak level between the 352.8kHz LPCM and DSD128 [black] files. Most DACs will favour the latter even though dynamic range is essentially unaltered. **PM** **Louis Sclavis & Benjamin Moussay** Unfolding (88.2kHz/24-bit, WAV) www.ecmrecords.com; ECM 2831 Clarinettist Sclavis and pianist Moussay have worked together as part of ensembles, but this album – recorded last year in Studios La Buissonne, Pernes-les-Fontaines, France – is their first release as a duo. With all the tracks written by the two musicians, it’s bound to be unfamiliar ground. However, the combination of exceptional recorded sound and musicianship proves they are able to swing from the delicate and wistful, as in the reflective 'Loma del Tanto', to the lyrical 'A Garden In Isphan', where simple piano figures reflect and underpin the clarinet as it soars somewhere up above. There are no big tunes here, and nothing to have the listener breaking out in a sweat, but this album has a relaxed, charming and captivating appeal. One to put on for a quiet evening or late afternoon’s listening, where its delicate performances and fine transcription will delight. **AE** **Sound Quality: 85%** **Lab Report** Although this is a genuine 88.2kHz ECM digital download, with peaks from –0.5dB to –3.0dB and dynamic range just a little below average, the noise floor remains contaminated with multiple spurious peaks >10kHz [black spectrum]. **PM** **Egberto Gismonti** Sol Do Meio Dia (96kHz/24-bit, WAV) www.ecmrecords.com; ECM 1116 The relatively low catalogue number is a reminder that this is from ECM’s extensive archive, in fact recorded getting on for 50 years ago. However, it’s a tribute to the quality of the analogue original, and ECM’s transfer to high resolution digital, that the release is both crisp and detailed, and able to deliver really punchy dynamics. Brazilian guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Gismonti – just in his 30s when this was recorded, and now well on his way towards his ninth decade – was joined here by an all-star cast for this distinctly Latin flavoured set. As well as regular percussion partner Naná Vasconcelos, we have Ralph Towner on 12-string, Collin Walcott on tabla and even Jan Garbarek on soprano sax. This is a real 'ECM who’s who', but the feel here is of a relaxed, exuberant and atmospheric set of tracks ideal for hot days – or even autumnal remembrance thereof. **AE** **Sound Quality: 85%** **Lab Report** Another clean 96kHz digital copy of an analogue recording from the ECM vaults – this from Talent Studio, Oslo in 1977 – _Sol Do Meio Dia_ is necessarily ‘limited’ by the original tape bandwidth but the dynamic range is still fantastic. **PM** **Beans On Toast** The Toothpaste And The Tube (96kHz/24-bit, WAV) https://beansontoastmusic.com; BOT Music n/a cat no I’m not quite sure how high concept is the idea of releasing one album a year on your birthday, but that’s what Essex-based Beans On Toast – aka Jay McAllister – has done for some time, this December 2023 release being his 16th. Self-released, and with a title referencing that adage about something being hard to unsay once said, the album manages to cover a lot of musical ground, opening with a classic singalong track about being on the road called – well – 'Back Out On The Road'. Along the way the album tackles big issues such as the climate crisis, the seeming inevitability of war and conflict, and the AI revolution. However, there’s just as much here about the value of family life and having a good local pub. It’s all so ‘British’ and delivered with an easy catchiness that my listening notes contained the line 'a rather more good-time Billy Bragg?'. **AE** **Sound Quality: 80%** **Lab Report** Every track here is normalised to a very high –0.01dB and dynamic range is below average. Clean instrumental tracks are included [black] at 44.1kHz but with the vocals mixed in, upsampling to 96kHz brings added digital artefacts. **PM** **Ron LeGault Quintet** _Charlie Brown Goes To The Nutcracker_ (44.1-352.8kHz/24-bit, WAV; DSD64-512) www.psaudio.com/products; Octave Records 0044 If you’re familiar with the myriad Charlie Brown soundtracks issued over the years, whenever the much-loved Peanuts character makes it to the screen, you’ll know that light jazz is the order of the day. The late Vince Guaraldi, having recorded a number of audiophile-grade classics, is the inspiration for this terrific release. Half the compositions here “performed at the Hotel St Julien for 10 years” are his, the rest courtesy of Tchaikovsky and two from the quintet itself, while the arrangements are by Legault and the band. Early, perhaps, but the Christmas spirit is beautifully evoked and superbly recorded, the sounds of piano, bass, drums, and trombone, plus Andrew Vogt variously on saxes and flute, being suitably warm. Recorded in DSD256 on the Sonoma system, this delightful seasonal album is also offered on SACD. **KK** **Sound Quality: 80%** **Lab Report** Aside from trk 10 (–3.3dB) and 14 (–1dB) all the 176.4kHz files here are slammed into the 0.0dB digital endstops, while the DSD versions [DSD128; black] range from –2.3dB to –9.3dB. The latter also offers the superior dynamic range. **PM**

**Suede** Antidepressants BMG 964174092; LP: 964174111 The title of Suede’s tenth album appears to revisit Brett Anderson’s fascination with life’s darker moments, which he explored in song when they broke into the early-’90s pre-Britpop scene. But with age comes perspective and the title track addresses the possibilities of simple joy in an over-diagnosed, over-medicated world. With spiky pop tunes allied to rock swagger, Suede sound as fresh and vital as ever, and long-time producer Ed Buller conjures up shadowy sonics illuminated by chiming guitars. The poignant ‘Somewhere Between An Atom And A Star’ comes from a work-in-progress ballet score – who’d have thought that? – and on ‘Life Is Endless, Life Is A Moment’, Anderson sounds particularly impassioned. **MB** **Sound Quality: 90%** **Saint Etienne** International Heavenly HVNLP240CD; LP: HVNLP240 In the early ’90s, Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs formed Saint Etienne as an indie dance band that reflected their love of pop history, particularly songs and soundtracks from the ’60s, and their swansong is a typically vivid mix of current and classic musical styles and production techniques. It was initially intended that the duo would be augmented by guest singers, so it’s fitting that vocalist Sarah Cracknell duets here with Janet Planet from Confidence Man on the sunny, brass-fuelled grooves of ‘Brand New Me’ and Nick Heyward on ‘Dancing Heart’. And as the curtains close on the group with ‘The Last Time’, the song’s lyrics are more wry than valedictory. **MB** **Sound Quality: 85%** **Prolapse** I Wonder When They’re Going To Destroy Your Face Tapete TR595CD; LP: TR595LP The Leicester-based indie band may have been silent for 26 years, but little has changed since they were a favourite of John Peel. Their dual vocalists’ unique relationship remains intact. Mick Derrick rants like a punter about to be roughly ejected at closing time, in stark contrast to Linda Steelyard’s cool tunefulness, and they bicker, cajole and sing across each other. The musicians still play with a single-mindedness that lands somewhere between The Fall and Stereolab, and on the single ‘On The Quarter Days’, the ensemble achieves a desperate intensity as they struggle to establish meaning in a world where ‘nothing is worth anything’. **MB** **Sound Quality: 80%** **Sydney Minsky Sargeant** Lunga Domino WIGCD560; LP: WIGLP560X Minsky Sargeant last appeared in these pages three years ago [_HFN_ Oct ’22] as the main man behind Working Men’s Club’s _Fear Fear_ , an unsettling blast of pop-tinged neo-industrial funk. His first solo album is very different. A brief introduction of processed harp and birdsong segues into ‘For Your Hand’, its romantic sentiments straight out of folk song, and the acoustic guitar picking and spartan piano comes across like Nick Drake. Bolstered by overdubbed harmonies, MS’s doleful baritone and strong melodic sense transfers convincingly into this format and elsewhere; subtle use of electric guitar, drums, synths and electronic effects contributing to a striking stylistic hybrid. **MB** **Sound Quality: 80%**

Although long ago settled by the declaration ‘We agree to disagree’, the tubes-vs-transistors (or if you prefer ‘valves-vs-solid-state’) debate continues to keep us busy. Grown-ups use both, the deliberately argumentative choose sides, and there are ample products to support or counter either stance. Grimm Audio, though a maker of not just solid-state gear but with a reputation for digital hardware, has given us in the PW1 ‘Phono Wizard’ (£4695) a chameleon of a product that will both delight and confound music lovers who are still fascinated by hi-fi’s greatest dichotomy. **Analogue magic** As a valve-biased (pun intended) listener, I pitted the PW1 against both like-priced and much-less-costly phono stages, three all-valve and two solid-state. Exploiting this in assessing the PW1 was a given, because Grimm Audio all but proposed the shoot-out when explaining why a company known for a streamer is suddenly addressing the Vinyl Revival. In order for this to help you to understand the PW1’s raison d’être, I will quote co-founder Peter van Willenswaard’s stated rationale: ‘Even in these days of high-performance digital audio playback systems it is hard to imagine a future without LPs. There’s just something magical to it.’ Note the word ‘magical’, calling to mind the works of a certain pair of famous brothers who share the company’s name. The brand continues, ‘Grimm Audio has spent a lifetime designing and improving phono preamps, both in solid state and with tubes’. Grimm’s casus belli? ‘For the PW1 “Phono Wizard”, Peter managed to develop a solid-state phono preamplifier that matches his best tube-based designs.’ Before deciding whether or not Grimm Audio has found the ideal device to settle the dispute between the two technologies, it deserves kudos for producing a phono stage that’s simply so sensible. Firstly, it’s designed to sit next to one’s record deck, the dimensions of 100x100x250mm (whd) enabling it to look at home next to almost any turntable with a rectangular plinth. **Above:**_Inside the PW1 showing its internal copper screening with PSU transformer [top right], PSU regulation [top PCB turned side on here] and RIAA, gain and loading PCB [bottom]_ Next, Grimm came up with a neat solution for providing access to the gain and loading settings. These are via banks of DIP switches on the underside, protected by a sliding cover held in place by two knurled screws that are opened and closed by hand. Grimm supplies a little black plastic ‘toothpick’ to flip the DIP switches, switching between +37dB gain for moving-magnet and another +20dB/+30dB for moving-coil, with an optional further +10dB to be added at the output. MCs are offered 33ohm-1kohm loading while the high treble response of MMs (at 47kohm) are ‘tweakable’ with 47-220pF of parallel capacitance. **Two’s company** The PW1 is also able to accept two turntables or a deck with two arms via its RCA phono sockets, selectable by one of the aforementioned switches. One input is specifically for MM and the other for MC, so you can’t really run MCs into both unless one is high output [see boxout], but the genuinely comprehensive bank of switches can set pretty much any gain and loading value your cartridge requires. Using two completely different turntables, I tried both MM and MC cartridges of low-to-medium output (including London Deccas with their slightly odd behaviour) and was delighted to hear how the PW1 absolutely lapped up an Ortofon MC X40. Matching the various cartridges resulted in fine-tuning almost as authoritative and precise as with MoFi’s MasterPhono [_HFN_ Dec ’23] – arguably the champion for this and a strong rival for the PW1. Setup was therefore a breeze, abetted by a choice of either single-ended RCA or balanced XLR outputs. As with the debate which fuels this device, of tube sound versus solid-state, the balanced/single-ended contretemps will also forever rage, and so the PW1 allows the sceptical to try both. **A proper fairy tale** Like all sensibly designed hi-fi (PM succinctly calling the Grimm Audio PW1 ‘the first phono preamplifier designed for “hi-fi realists”’) this will be making music in minutes, cartridge adjustments notwithstanding. The manufacturer is categorically of the long burning-in school, and recommends leaving the phono stage on for 24 hours before settling in with a stack of LPs to savour. But while I did hear improvements in focus and bottom-end control and extension, it wasn’t of such a magnitude that you can’t enjoy the PW1 while exploiting the running-in time – and this period affords the user the opportunity to tweak the adjustments. Again, so conveniently sized and shaped is the PW1 that you simply turn it on its side, or upside down, to access the settings. Precise MM/MC matching rewards the fastidious listener with far greater improvement than any extended running-in period. The sound of the PW1 is so inviting – instantly exhibiting more in common with valves than transistors to these ears – that I found myself experiencing the ultimate in hi-fi litmus tests: realising I had been listening for four hours or more without a pause. Even my desire for a ‘comfort break’ couldn’t wrest me away from the PW1! **Warm welcome** It started with three mono LPs, which showed the PW1 to deliver a rock-solid central image but with incredible front-to-back depth. They comprised the Miles Davis 55 [Craft CR00691] box set which contains the Prestige recordings from June through November of 1955, leading up to the debut of the Quintet. Here was peak Miles accompanied by a variety of sidemen – if you can call them that, each a giant in his own right – including Ray Bryant, ‘Philly Joe’ Jones, Red Garland, Milt Jackson and no less than John Coltrane. Not having to worry about soundstage, stage width, imaging, etc, allowed me to really focus just on the instruments. Miles’ flurries of notes during the more hyperactive moments, doing to his trumpet what decades later the fastest axemen would to a guitar, provided me with a taste of the PW1’s attack and speed. His slower, bluesier moods showcased the dynamic contrasts, and this phono stage has the range to go from near-silent to jump-from-your-seat bursts without any constraints. **Above:**_DIP switches are hidden under an ‘unlock to slide’ screening plate on the PW1’s base. Selections include MM or MC, +10dB output gain, MM cap loading and MC impedance/cap loading, plus +20dB or +30dB additional MC input gain_ What threw me off-balance, however, were the warmth and ‘bloom’ to the overall sound. Here my prejudice was exposed – I was expecting solid-state hygiene, but instead I heard sonic textures and richness in keeping with the all-valve 1950s equipment in the recording studio. If anything, I would have guessed that there were no transistors in this phono preamp, a consequence (perhaps!) of Grimm pursuing the virtues of valves in a solid-state design. I was convinced of a low-level whoosh, which vanished once the music began, also heard via my EAT E-Glo 2 _HFN_ Feb ’25], despite both models enjoying similarly wide S/N ratios [[see PM's Lab Report]. I hasten to add that it neither mattered nor detracted from the listening experience, because I recognised it was simply part of the ‘recipe’ which made this sound more like tubes than trannies. **Setting the stage** As for the second irresistible set, Santana’s _Lotus_ [Mobile Fidelity MFSL 3-540], it too contained three LPs. Recorded live in Japan, the concert covers a multitude of the band’s styles, but fans know that two instruments in particular define Santana: slithery electric guitar and Latin-flavoured percussion. It was a solo of the latter, on the track ‘Kyoto’, which reasserted the solid-state side of the PW1. Within a cavernous soundstage, the drums filling it from left-to-right, each instrument had its own space, and the ‘feel’, if that’s the right word, changed from the warm ’n’ fuzzy nature of the Davis recordings to something more detailed and visceral. I was beginning to wonder if the PW1 was deliberately designed to be schizophrenic, or more sonically versatile than adhering to one technology or the other? While not keeping score, it looked like the sound was proving to be more valve-like than solid-state, despite no glassware within. I will never forget Bob Carver telling me over 30 years ago that he could make any solid-state amp sound like tubes, while EAR’s Tim de Paravicini proved it with his first-ever Yoshino amplifiers. And yet hearing it from the PW1 was still unsettling. **Above:**_Gold-plated RCA inputs for MM and MCs, with earth post, sit below single-ended (RCA) and balanced (XLR) equalised outputs_ What tipped it over to the tube side for me was Donovan’s _The Hurdy Gurdy Man_ [Impex IMP6055], which I had played days before with the Ortofon MC X40 and through other phono stages. It was all about that distinctive voice, in some ways sharing the same with John Coltrane’s playing in the Miles Davis 55 performances – not musically, that is, but for hearing so many subtleties. Irrespective of the cartridges, Grimm Audio’s debut phono amplifier is magnificent. **Hi-Fi News Verdict** Grimm by name, not by nature! For those running two cartridges or decks, the PW1’s flexibility is invaluable, but that’s not its main virtue... that’ll be the more-ish way it reminds some of us why we prefer LPs to everything else. This is a fantastic phono stage, both transistor-quiet and valve-warm without sacrificing the virtues of either. Circa £4k is a hotly contested sector, but the PW1 will prove tough to beat. **Sound Quality: 88%**

To call the Clarity 4.2 ‘petite’ is no understatement, as this second loudspeaker to be introduced by Radiant Acoustics boldly puts the ‘book’ back into ‘bookshelf’. Moreover, the cabinet, just 260mm high and 164mm wide, still manages to host a full four drive units. This Danish company only surfaced a year ago and won’t yet be a hi-fi household name, but it’s clearly not your run-of-the-mill debutante. The Clarity 4.2 (and the similar, but larger, Clarity 6.2 introduced in 2024) arguably represent a high point of an exceptionally prolific career in the hi-fi business. The hype meter might appear in danger of overheating – there’s no denying that Radiant Acoustics seems to be very skilled at marketing – but if your company is founded by Peter Lyngdorf then you do have a tale to tell. After all, Lyngdorf started the HiFi Klubben retail chain in his native Denmark, founded DALI, owned NAD and Gryphon for a while, and created Lyngdorf, along the way convincing legendary piano maker Steinway to lend its name to luxurious speakers and electronics. **Come together** Crucially, there are two names missing from that list. One is Nordic Hi-Fi which, among other things, is responsible for the inexpensive Argon Audio products and now Radiant Acoustics. The second is Purifi, the audio OEM from engineers Bruno Putzeys and Lars Risbo, which is financed by Lyngdorf. Many elements of this life story are distilled into the Clarity speakers, including Purifi’s Ushindi driver technology [see boxout]. Lyngdorf also openly admits that Radiant Acoustics’ hybrid retail and online sales model is a response to direct-sales competitors. **Above:**_A modified version of Purifi’s 4in/100mm Ushindi bass/mid unit crosses over to a custom AMT tweeter at 2.3kHz. The baffle is 12mm-thick alloy mounted on a 15mm-thick MDF cabinet_ The Clarity 4.2s are undeniably small, but their cube-like proportions make them less delicate looking than similar minuscule loudspeakers, such as the slender Magnat Signature Edelstein [_HFN_ Apr ’24] or ELAC’s Elegant BS 312.2. Build quality appears superb while the braced, 15mm-thick MDF cabinet walls and internal Basotect foam damping all contribute to the 4.2’s relatively inert but hefty 5.6kg cabinet weight. You’ll do a double-take when first lifting these speakers from the box! **Black beauty** Three distinct colourways are offered, two of which are fitted with a matt black baffle milled from a single piece of aluminium. A broad chamfer on the side makes for a neat transition to the rear, while the different colours each exude a different look and feel. For example, the satin black Clarity 4.2 has a distinctly ‘pro’ air about it, while the walnut veneer edition is more retro styled. The white Clarity 4.2 is the most modern, as the baffle is also painted white, in a stylish contrast with the speaker’s all-black drivers. The three 100mm Ushindi bass/mid units are equally striking, though only the main driver has a motor assembly, the side-mounted pair being ABRs. These are costlier, but superior, alternatives to conventional reflex port loading. The proprietary ‘NeutralSurround’ of each Purifi driver looks chaotic, not unlike a 3D model of a geological feature found in a museum exhibit, but it’s all part of the smarts behind this innovative driver. The complementary waveguided AMT tweeter is a custom design, built for Radiant Acoustics by next-door neighbour DALI. Some loudspeaker designers are now moving away from traditional, exposed cable binding posts – these being a potential weak point if speakers are shipped through mass carriers – and that’s the case here. Only cables with banana plugs can be used with the Clarity 4.2’s sockets. These are a single set, feeding into a crossover network claimed by Radiant Acoustics to be ‘as simple as possible, as complex as needed’. **Turn it up** As noted by PM [see Lab Report], the Clarity 4.2s require an amp with a good amount of ‘juice’. During my audition period I connected the speakers to various amplifiers, and most of them needed a more extravagant twist of the volume knob than would usually be the case. It’s also worth taking time over the 4.2’s positioning. The limited vertical dispersion of the AMT tweeters means you should ensure the boxes are sited at ear height, and some playing around with toe-in will probably be required to balance treble heat against clarity. Radiant Acoustics says that the speaker is engineered for use in a ‘Scandinavian-style’ room with limited damping. My own room has some acoustic treatment to remove rear reflections from windows, and that certainly had an impact. Installing these speakers closer to a wall is less of an issue, which makes them suited to parking on AV furniture below a TV, perhaps in combination with an HDMI ARC-equipped amplifier. If this results in the tweeter being too low, consider tilting the speakers slightly backwards. Radiant Acoustics’ own stands – priced €798 and weighing 22kg without optional sand filling – feature an adjustable plinth to tilt the speaker back by up to four degrees. The company also says it’s considering providing a desktop stand that does the same job. The 4.2’s side-facing radiators do need free air, though, so jamming them between your Penguin Classic book collection isn’t a good idea. Sonically, these speakers are attention-grabbing on a few fronts. First there’s the bass extension, which caused some major cognitive dissonance the first time I played Massive Attack’s ‘Angel’ [_Mezzanine_ ; Virgin WBRCD4] or ‘Limit To Your Love’ from James Blake’s self-titled album [Atlas Recordings ATLAS02CD]. During the latter, which is often used at hi-fi shows to demonstrate a system’s low-end, the clear and distinct nature of the pulsating bass note was very impressive. I’ve heard this track many times, and on some speakers these notes don’t throb, but often abruptly ‘switch’ on and off. The Clarity 4.2’s bass was smooth, detailed and deliciously integrated into the whole, without any suppression of the vocals. **Forward thinking** While this bass performance is remarkable considering the speakers’ size, the Clarity 4.2’s have a certain ‘quiet’ aspect to them. Some might translate this as ‘dry’, which could apply if the speakers are not toed-in sufficiently, but it’s more the result of a precise and relatively even reproduction that makes some music feel very close and intimate. This tendency for exact reproduction was most notable on jazz albums that had been recorded in smaller spaces, or with minimal instrumentation, such as those found on _Forward_ by The Swell Season [Masterkey Sounds MASTSS01], streamed in CD quality through Qobuz. Glen Hansard’s voice on ‘Stuck In Reverse’ was nicely embedded in the music, effectively conveying the raw energy of his outbursts. And with ‘Pretty Stories’, sung by Markéta Irglová, the Clarity 4.2s proved adept at portraying vocals with a light touch. **Above:**_Connection is via a single set of chunky 4mm sockets, so your cables will have to be terminated in bananas. Neither is bi-wiring/bi-amping supported_ Once again, this song sounded far larger than the physical size of the Clarity 4.2s would suggest, enveloping me with its delicate singing and piano. This ability to create a large soundstage was also present with ‘Measurements’ on the minimalistic James Blake album, which has backing vocals appearing from various depths and positions, all of which Radiant Acoustics’ speakers managed to portray. **Electric shock** I did some of my listening with a TDAI-3400 integrated amplifier [_HFN_ Aug ’18] from Lyngdorf. Considering the behind-the-scenes link between Lyngdorf and Radiant, it might not come as a surprise that this digital amp offers a speaker profile for the Clarity 6.2 – the only non-Lyngdorf loudspeaker in the list. The current firmware, however, didn’t support the Clarity 4.2. This presumably will follow later. In the meantime, I used the ‘standard stereo’ setting. It’s a bit predictable to bandy the word ‘clarity’ around when describing a speaker brandishing exactly that name. But it’s apt, as coherence and distortion-free listening was on offer when playing _Electric War_ [Easy Eye Sound EES-041], a collaboration between the band Little Barrie and multi-instrumentalist Malcolm Catto. This time I had the Clarity 4.2s fronting a more complex system, with an Eversolo DMP-A8 [_HFN_ May ’24] driving a Hegel D50/Raven DAC [_HFN_ May ’25] connected to a Röst amplifier [_HFN_ Jul ’17] from the same brand. And they slotted in easily, offering all the nuances of the percussion during ‘Creaky’ below fat pedal-driven psychedelic guitar and strings. Painting a complete but also consistent picture, they delivered a sense of resolution I normally don’t expect from a smaller speaker. The requirement of a relatively powerful amp can’t be ignored, more so as this speaker really comes to life if you turn up the volume. Still, the Hegel Röst wasn’t grasping for breath when I reached a volume level which exposed the subtleties of ‘From Jewish Life: II. Supplication’ on Edgar Moreau’s _Transmission_ [Erato; 96kHz/24-bit download]. This is a beautiful, mournful track, with Moreau’s cello appearing full-bodied against a symphonic backdrop, and it was very easy to forget it was all coming from these little boxes… **Hi-Fi News Verdict** Far from minuscule when it comes to sonics, the Clarity 4.2s are small speakers that wed solid stereo imaging and insightful detail with eye-opening bass, effortlessly challenging some floorstanders. Take care with positioning, and partner with a beefy amp, and this miniature will fill the room with a glorious sound. It’s a great little speaker – and a persuasive demonstration of Purifi’s driver technology. **Sound Quality: 88%**

Swooping down into iFi Audio’s ever-expanding line-up, the £1699 iDSD Valkyrie stakes its claim as the new flagship portable. The brand typically excels at offering oodles of functionality at very reasonable prices, although the £3749 iCAN Phantom desktop headphone amp [_HFN_ Sep ’23] shows it also has form when it comes to high-end head-fi. Nevertheless, and despite boasting a lot of familiar iFi Audio features and technologies, the iDSD Valkyrie is a very different beast – not least because it boasts a gargantuan 20,000mAh battery for extended mobile use. The name, of course, references the Nordic warrior maidens that brought slain combatants to Valhalla, boldly suggesting this DAC/amp will transport you to listening heaven. The quad DAC architecture and powerful amplification stage, plus extensive connectivity (including Bluetooth, analogue inputs and balanced outputs) might just get you there. **Pressing issues** The slab-like iDSD Valkyrie looks very striking with its gold-coloured, low-profile metal chassis. Previous iDSD models, such as the red metallic iDSD Diablo 2 [_HFN_ Feb ’24] or the sleek iDSD Gryphon [_HFN_ Aug ’22], paved the way for the design of this DAC/amp, and the beautiful casework reflects its not inconsequential price tag. Typical of iFi Audio, few buttons are visible, although by differentiating between short and long presses more functionality is unlocked. The large button on the right of the front panel, for example, is used for selecting inputs. Hold it longer though, and you engage the K2HD filter, developed with JVCKENWOOD. Similarly, tapping the adjacent button cycles through six digital filters [see PM's Lab Report] while pressing it longer selects DSD upsampling. It’s an effective control scheme once you get to grips with it, although the hunt for the handy IEMatch function when using sensitive in-ears might take a bit longer (hint: it’s located on the bottom). **Above:**_Colour display [top] reveals input/output, volume setting, sample rate, audio mode, digital filter, K2 processing mode and more. The balanced 4.4mm and single-ended 3.5mm headphone outs [left] are boosted in ‘Turbo’ and ‘Nitro’ modes_ In the broad groove of the Valkyrie’s top surface, there’s what appears to be a large, black info screen – however, the section of this that is actually used is more like the size of a postage stamp. That said, it’s sufficient for the information a DAC needs to display, and is perfectly legible. You might wonder what the waterdrop icon stands for – this indicates the amp is operating at a ‘Normal’ gain level. If you select the two higher gain modes to drive challenging headphones, you’ll see a campfire icon or a lightning bolt – Turbo and Nitro modes, respectively [see boxout]. Apt choices, as the unit does indeed get a bit toasty when driven hard. **Box clever** Being generous with accessories is another iFi Audio tradition, but the Valkyrie goes for gold with its gorgeous wooden presentation case, complete with Nordic-themed carving. This feels rather luxurious, even considering the price point, and it’s not just for show. Within the wooden box is a high-quality soft carrying case, which holds an array of cables. Handy, as the iFi Audio unit fulfils a lot of different scenarios, working with various digital sources but also usable as a preamplifier in addition to the obvious headphone amplifier role. **Above:**_The source of the Valkyrie’s power – four 5000mAh Li-polymer batteries in place with iFi’s ‘Nexis’ Wi-Fi/app control module [centre] and Qualcomm’s flagship QCC518x chipset for ‘aptX Lossless’ BT processing [lower right]_ Whatever the set-up, the requisite cabling is included, as is an iPowerX power supply which plugs into a USB-C input. When travelling or lounging in the garden, the built-in battery frees you from a power outlet for a claimed 18 hours – although this will depend on the headphones and volume level selected. **Bits ’n’ Bluetooth** iFi Audio has a long-term relationship with so-called multibit DACs, going all the way back to the Philips TDA1541A. The iDSD Valkyrie features four ‘Advanced Segment’ DACs, from Burr-Brown, in what it describes as a ‘hybrid’ multibit configuration, with the analogue output stage separated on a dedicated board. There’s a lot of technology in this compact unit, and it’s quite remarkable how much the designers managed to pack in. This includes Bluetooth, letting you use the Valkyrie wirelessly – at least for the source connection. iFi Audio is often in the vanguard when it comes to rolling out new Bluetooth codecs, and that’s the case here too. The Valkyrie is one of the first DAC/amps to support aptX Lossless, which aims to deliver CD-quality lossless audio over Bluetooth. **As good as gold** Hooking up the iDSD Valkyrie to my iMac and connecting an Austrian Audio ‘The Composer’ headphone via the balanced 4.4mm Pentaconn output, I first opted for typical at-the-desk listening. Out of the box, the amp had a pleasant, slightly warm tuning that sounded smooth and cohesive, as well as a purposeful, potent delivery – it built up an intense wall of thumping bass with the likes of Massive Attack’s ‘Mezzanine’ [_Mezzanine_ ; Circa WBRCD4]. iFi Audio’s analogue – not digital – XBass II and XPresence functions permit effective tweaking of the overall sound character, if you want to take this route. XBass II rendered Massive Attack’s ‘Angel’ with a more resounding low end, for example, and it was beneficial with some brightly mastered 1980s pop tunes. The Valkyrie turned out to be an excellent match for the rather analytical The Composer. At the same time, it doesn’t invest too heavily in midrange warmth, making it equally suitable for ‘darker’ headphones such as the HD 650 from Sennheiser or Sony’s somewhat bass-heavy MDR-Z1R. In fact, its sound was both consistent and reliable when combined with a wide range of cans, from an ‘easy driver’ like the Meze POET **[see boxout]** to a trickier Beyerdynamic DT 1990. When switching iFi Audio’s amp on, it slowly raises the volume to the last-used level. If you have swapped out a difficult-to-drive headphone for a more sensitive pair of cans or in-ears, this gives you the opportunity to adjust the volume knob before it reaches ear-splitting levels. Ideally the Valkyrie would also do this when you change devices without switching off the unit, but kudos to iFi Audio for including a safety feature sadly lacking on a lot of headphone amplifiers. **Poetic performance** Driving Meze’s POET, the Valkyrie accentuated the smoothness of Marvin Gaye’s seminal ‘What’s Going On’, from the album of the same name [Tamla; 192kHz/24-bit], and delivered the track’s layers of background chatter at just the right level to underscore the main vocals. **Above:**_The Valkyrie includes 3.5mm and balanced (4.4mm) sockets that act as both line ins and outs in DAC/preamp mode, alongside another 3.5mm socket plus RCAs as line outs. S/PDIF (optical and coaxial) is accommodated via a third 3.5mm socket [left] while two USB-C ports serve digital audio in and battery charging, respectively_ After experimentation, I stuck to listening with DSD upsampling engaged. iFi Audio describes this function as ‘professional-grade remastering’, which rather overvalues its impact, but it does deliver some audible improvements. With Gaye’s album it didn’t really matter if the PCM audio was uplifted to DSD512 or DSD1024, but both sounded that bit more velvety and lush than the native stream. Part of the attraction of a feature-rich DAC like the iDSD Valkyrie is that you can effortlessly play around with upsampling and filters, and just let your ears decide what sounds best. Putting the device to use as a DAC/preamplifier in a main audio system, I connected it to Primare’s compact I15 integrated [_HFN_ Oct ’18], giving this analogue-only amp a ‘digital’ upgrade. Playing the London Philharmonic Orchestra/Andrew Gourlay _Parsifal Suite_ [Orchid Classics; 96kHz/24-bit], the airy presentation of the rather ominous ‘Transformation Music’ was impressive, with ringing bells resounding naturally off into the distance. The quality of the Valkyrie’s DAC stage, its crisp detail and immersive, large-scale presentation, pulled me into the track. **Cutting the cable** I’ve been intrigued by the potential of aptX Lossless since the codec was announced two years ago, but since then the uptake has been slow and support spotty. There are devices out there that claim compatibility, but still lack the requisite firmware update. Using the Valkyrie with a Creative BT-W6 dongle plugged into a MacBook Air let me confirm it lives up to the promise of the new codec. Playing ‘Birds/While We Wait’ from Dominique Fils-Aimé’s _Live At The Montreal International Jazz Festival_ [Ensoul download; CD res.], there was no reason to fault this wireless input. The live, spatial character of the track was all there, placing the backing voices to the rear and sending Fils-Aimé’s main vocal deep into the acoustic. Cutting the cord didn’t lead to a compromised sound, with none of the typical shortcomings associated with lossy Bluetooth – tinny guitars, artificially edged cymbals – rearing their heads. Reaching Valhalla, apparently, no longer requires you to first grapple with a cable. **Hi-Fi News Verdict** iFi Audio’s iDSD Valkyrie offers everything – and then some – for high-quality listening with just about any headphone just about anywhere. A rich sound together with the tuneability offered by its ‘XBass II’ and ‘XPresence’ modes and upsampling options makes it spectacularly versatile – a boon to headphone collectors who like to swap their cans or in-ears as the mood takes them. And all this achieved with not a little style! **Sound Quality: 88%**

You might be forgiven for thinking – bearing in mind the product name – that the Unico CD Uno from Italy’s Unison Research is ‘just’ a CD player. Yet on its website the Italian manufacturer gives it the title of ‘hybrid DAC with CD transport’, while legends on the player itself read ‘Valve CD Player’ and ‘Digital Sound Processor’. So, yes, this is a CD player with a little more to it than some rivals, including a switchable tube/hybrid output stage, USB DAC, and even built-in Bluetooth streaming. With all this, and the heavyweight build, its £2700 asking price seems far from unrealistic. Unison Research is no stranger to valve technology and sells a wide range of tube-equipped pre, power, phono, and integrated amplifiers, including the new Triode 25 Black Edition [_HFN_ Jul ’25]. Meanwhile, amplifiers in its Unico series combine tube inputs with transistor power amp stages. It’s also in this range, which the company says ‘merges design and sound quality’, that you’ll find two valve-toting CD players – the CD Uno auditioned here and the step-up CD Due [_HFN_ May ’16]. That both units have been in production for close to a decade shouldn’t surprise, as Unison Research isn’t a brand noted for its product ‘churn’. **Triode tactics** Apart from the large model names inscribed across their three-panel fascias, the CD Due and CD Uno appear identical when viewed front on – after all, they do use the same 450x130x380mm (whd) aluminium casework in matt black or silver colourways. It’s a different story around the back, though, where this more affordable player strips away the inputs and outputs. Gone are the CD Due’s balanced XLR analogue outs, and the digital stage has been trimmed to optical and USB-B ins, plus a coaxial output, versus the full slate (including an AES/EBU input on XLR and three output options) of the pricier machine. File handling is the same, but with the USB connection supporting PCM to 384kHz/32-bit, and DSD to DSD128. Inside, the CD Uno follows the Due’s template by shielding its tray-loading CD mechanism under a metal cover, and separating digital and analogue circuits. Both players use the tried-and-tested ESS ES9018K2M DAC, with switchable tube and solid-state output options. Yet while the CD Due has separate tube and transistor stages, each driving the player’s output, the CD Uno may be switched between a simpler, single 12AU7/ECC82 triode stage and a solid-state (op-amp) stage that both feed the same discrete transistor output. So while the maximum level, and source impedance, vary dramatically between the CD Due’s tube and op-amp options, they are almost precisely matched in the CD Uno, enabling useful tube/op-amp A/B comparisons [see PM's Lab Report]. **Remote rules** Further sound seasoning is available through the CD Uno’s choice of ‘fast linear phase’, ‘slow linear phase’ and ‘fast minimum phase’ digital filters from the ESS DAC. Switching between tube and op-amp options, or changing digital filters, has to be done through Unison Research’s RC3 system remote, as the CD Uno’s front-panel controls only cover stop/eject, play/pause and track search/skip. Changing from CD to one of the digital sources, including an internal Bluetooth receiver, also requires the IR remote, as does switching the absolute phase of the output. The remote’s numerical keys enable direct track access, and the ‘Repeat’ button also instigates a shuffle mode. **Above:**_PSU and transport mech are separately screened [top left] while XMOS-based USB and ESS Sabre ES9018K2M-based DAC PCB [right] is joined by analogue stage [lower left] with switchable ECC82 tube/op-amp output modes_ With its minimal connections and simple controls, the CD Uno is straightforward to setup and use. The black-and-white OLED display, while small, is well-contrasted and its main elements (track number/time with CD, sample-rate with digital inputs) are visible from across a room. Smaller fonts at the top of the display show selected source and digital filter, plus ‘OPT’ if the tube output has been bypassed, correlating to the button on the remote. Nevertheless, it would surely be more logical and helpful for the display to declare ‘TUBE’ when the triode stage is in use... That said, when the CD Uno is first powered on (the power switch is located on the right-hand side of the chassis), a 30-second ‘tube warm up’ countdown is shown on the display. In use, I found CD playback to be faultless, and quickly adjusted to using the remote control to find desired tracks. The CD Uno’s digital inputs did throw up some operational quirks, though. On one occasion after playing through Bluetooth I had to switch the device off and then on again in order to return to CD. Similarly, I experienced some ‘freezes’ when playing from Roon over USB, although the DAC stage otherwise worked as advertised in its support for hi-res files. **Character counts** With the CD Uno in its default tube output mode it’s immediately clear that it has something of a characterful sound. Some CD players and DACs catch the ear with their clarity, balance and transparency while the CD Uno presents your music in a more loose-limbed manner, combining a slight softening of sharp edges with a vibrancy and energy. It’s enjoyable to listen to, but far from the last word in neutrality. During A/B comparisons with a Hegel Viking [_HFN_ Sep ’23], using that player’s unbalanced RCA output rather than XLRs, the shiny indie pop of George Ezra’s ‘Don’t Matter Now’ [_Staying At Tamara’s_ ; Sony Music 88985459782] acquired a more upbeat presentation through the CD Uno. This wasn’t only a question of tonality and detail, but also soundstaging, as Unison Research’s player gave a forward push to the track. Ezra’s vocals and blasts of trumpet leapt from my B&W 705 S3 Signature speakers [_HFN_ Aug ’24]. This exuberant nature shone through in the CD Uno’s punchy delivery of the drums and bass guitar on Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Catcher In The Rye’ [_Chinese Democracy_ ; Geffen/Black Frog 0602517906075]. In this Queen-meets-Elton John epic, songwriter Axl Rose throws together piano, strings, multi-tracked vocals and wailing guitar solos, but underneath it all is a tight, crisply recorded rhythm section brought to life here with superb snap and heft. Bass weight and richness is one of the CD Uno’s strong suits, and this plays a part in the appealing overall nature of its sound. **Above:**_Back to basics with single-ended RCA outputs, a coaxial digital output and digital inputs for optical (to 96kHz, DSD64 DoP) and USB-B (384kHz, DSD128) sources_ Slotting in the second disc on the 2CD Thin Lizzy _Greatest Hits_ compilation [Universal Music TV; 9849627], the fast blues-rock of ‘The Rocker’, followed by the all-out assault of the live version of ‘Are You Ready’, had me cranking the volume on Primare’s partnering PRE35/A35.2 pre/power amps [_HFN_ Dec ’19]. There was no sterility in evidence, just a free-flowing presentation of a band firing on all cylinders, made all the more listenable by the somewhat smoothed treble handling of the CD Uno. **Great western** Ennio Morricone’s soundtrack for Sergio Leone’s _Once Upon A Time In The West_ [_The Very Best Of Ennio Morricone_ ; Music Club MCCD056] is arguably the composer’s masterwork. I’m not going to suggest any magical affinity between this Italian CD player and the Italian-born composer, only that the Unico CD Uno’s sound was a fine fit for the movie’s ‘Main Theme’. First with its long string notes and dreamy harpsichord, then the rich, wordless vocals of Italian soprano Edda Dell’Orso, this was superb stuff, sounding both lush and musical. Of course, it’s Morricone’s ‘Man With A Harmonica’, later to be sampled by both The Orb and Beats International, which sticks in the memory. When the titular instrument sent out its eerie, haunting call, this Unison Research player elicited goosebumps, the discordant notes having just the right edginess while appearing in the stereo spread as if from thin air. **State of play** PM gives his verdict on the player’s digital filters in his [Lab Report]; my own take is that differences between them are hard to discern, whether with CD or higher sample rate material. Much more impactful is that option to bypass the CD Uno’s triode stage, which can be done on the fly. This can have a very tangible effect, although it is somewhat dependent on the content. The piano, bass and organ that begins Morricone and Joan Baez’s ‘Here’s To You’ on the _Very Best Of…_ CD sounded cleaner with the player in its solid-state guise. There was a loss of harmonic colour, the track becoming a little cooler and flatter as a result. It’s therefore a useful tuning tool, although listening over the CD Uno’s USB connection to Kate Bush’s synth-heavy ‘Hounds Of Love’, from the album of the same name [_Fish People_ ; 44.1kHz/24-bit], the subjective difference between the two options was less obvious. I can easily imagine owners sticking with the tube output for all listening, both for the sake of convenience and to extract the kind of performance Unison Research’s ‘Valve CD Player’ branding suggests. Making use of the CD Uno’s perfectly serviceable Bluetooth input, C. W. McCall’s ‘Convoy’ [_Greatest Hits_ , Island/Mercury; CD res download] showcased the same smoothness and sweetness in its strings and bass guitar as the CD Duo provided from disc, while Judas Priest’s ‘The Ripper’ [_Sad Wings Of Destiny_ , Repertoire Records; CD res download] offered driving energy and a forthright rendition of Rob Halford’s vocals. So, despite the varied inputs and tweaks on offer here, the inherent sound signature of Unison Research’s player never drifts far from the tree. **Hi-Fi News Verdict** User-switchable tube output, USB DAC, built-in Bluetooth… Unison Research’s CD Uno is perhaps as idiosyncratic as a CD player gets. Yet this is all part of its charm, as is its engaging performance that infuses a little lushness and glow into digital sources. Those looking for a fresh take on their CD collection can settle here, their listening fun aided by comprehensive playback controls and the CD Uno’s sound ‘tweaks’. **Sound Quality: 84%**

Visitors to KEF’s demo suite at the UK Hi-Fi Show Live in 2024 might have been surprised to see its Reference Meta 5 speakers [_HFN_ Jun ’23] accompanied by four subwoofers, stacked in pairs. However, while acoustic thinking has long favoured two subwoofers over one, the idea of four being better than two will be financially prohibitive for many. But for a duet, the KEF model in question – the KC92 – is a very tempting £2499. Offered in gloss white or black, this subwoofer is a fine visual match for the UK brand’s modern-looking speakers. And, in a market dominated by much larger subs, its near-cubic 330x353x361mm (whd) proportions are appealing, as is the modest 20kg lift. Coupled with the smart design, all subtly rounded corners and flush-fit drivers, and the KC92 shouldn’t upset your listening room’s feng shui. **Cone control** Launched in 2024 as the bigger brother to KEF’s ultra-compact KC62 [see boxout], itself priced £1499, the KC92 sits in the one-below-top position of the company’s subwoofer range. Above is the Reference 8b, which arrived alongside the previous generation of KEF’s Reference loudspeakers around a decade ago and is ticketed at £6000. Below it is the affordable, four-model Kube series, where prices range between £599 (for the diminutive Kube 8, with 8in/200mm driver) to £1149 for the Kube 15. KEF’s Kube subwoofers feature a single, front-firing woofer, but the KC92 – like the KC62 and Reference 8b – have a dual-driver, force-cancelling configuration. This is an implementation with which the company is familiar, having launched the first ever force-cancelling loudspeaker over 40 years ago in the shape of the Reference 104/2 [_HFN_ Sep ’84]. The technology is also a feature of its current Blade One Meta [_HFN_ May ’22] and LS60 Wireless [_HFN_ Sep ’22] floorstanders. **Above:**_KEF’s render shows the KC92’s dual opposed ‘force-cancelling’ driver array inside the sealed 330x353x361mm (whd) cabinet. Amp stage, rated at 2x500W, includes Musical Integrity Engine (MIE) DSP_ The KC92’s 228mm/9in woofers are hybrid types, with paper cones skinned with aluminium while being backed by oversized motors with vented voice coils [see KEF’s see-through render, below]. Around each cone, but hidden inside, is what KEF calls its P-Flex surround, with a pleated geometry said to resist deformation caused by pressure changes within the cabinet. Akin to ‘Origami folds’, says KEF, this proprietary surround is deemed an improvement on both a conventional half-roll surround, or a thicker, stiffer, and higher-mass design. **Bass brains** The two woofers are independently driven by a pair of 500W Class D amplifiers, downstream of KEF’s Musical Integrity Engine (MIE) signal processing platform. Also built into the manufacturer’s active speakers [_HFN_ Sep ’22], this custom DSP aims to ‘ensure every component of the subwoofer works in perfect harmony’. One of its proprietary algorithms is Intelligent Bass Extension (iBX), said to maintain ‘deeper and precise’ bass at low listening levels. The sub’s rear panel is busier than most, because KEF has integrated some useful and not all-that-common technologies in the KC92, and because there is no complementary control app (or remote handset). Below the sub’s 40Hz-140Hz (24dB/slope) crossover and volume rotaries, and above its stereo RCA inputs and outputs, is a row of switches handling 0/180o phase and ground lift on/off, plus auto-power and preset EQ options [see p89]. The last of those runs to five settings, the sub’s DSP compensating for the boundary reinforcement of the possible Room, Wall, Corner, Cabinet and Apartment siting positions. Underneath these is a speaker-level input, to be fitted with a supplied terminal block ready for a bare-wire connection. There’s also a bank of four DIP switches for setting the frequency of the KC92’s high-pass filter, between 40Hz and 120Hz. Using the sub’s RCA outputs to loop the filtered signal back to a power amplifier, and described by KEF as a ‘connection for small speakers in a stereo music system’, this enables the user to relieve their speakers/amp of low-frequency duty. Another connection mode, and one that KEF’s R&D engineer Prathmesh Thakkar told _HFN_ was ‘key to some customers’, is to use the optional KW1 wireless system. Priced £199, this includes separate transmitter and receiver units to connect to your preamplifier and the sub, respectively, and operates on either 5.2GHz or 5.8GHz. KEF claims a latency over this wireless link, which samples at 48kHz/24-bit, of <17ms, and a line-of-sight delivery up to 30ft. For multiple subwoofer installations, it also sells the KSK92 Stacking Kit (£200), which makes use of threaded inserts on the rear of the sub to mount up to three units on top of each other. **Above:**_If you favour two subs over one then the KC92’s smart design will not upset your listening room’s feng shui_ The KC92’s power modes include ‘always on’, which is welcome as the sibling KC62 relies on auto signal-sensing to wake from standby. Setup is all manual unless the sub is being used with a pair of KEF’s active speakers, in which case EQ presets, HPF settings, crossover, etc, can be established through the brand’s Connect app. **Pair pressure** Our KC92 pair was setup in the _HFN_ Listening Room with Wilson Audio’s Alexx Vfx loudspeakers and Constellation’s Revelation 2 pre/power amps [_HFN_ Jan ’25], with the stereo pre-out from the preamplifier feeding into the left and right units. Because there were two subwoofers, calibration involved making sure that settings – including the Room EQ preset – were replicated on both boxes (which is where a control app would be useful). Following KEF’s recommendation, each subwoofer was positioned close to its partnering floorstander. Even with two of them, the KC92s appeared a lot more… discreet than bigger units including SVS’s SB17-Ultra R|Evolution [_HFN_ Apr ’25] and Wilson Audio’s Submerge [_HFN_ Sep ’25]. However, in terms of the ability to augment the low-end output of the floorstanders, the pairing – with its quartet of drive units – appeared unfazed. Bass extension, as evidenced by the infrasonic details in Chase & Status’s ‘Murder Music’ [_Rtrn II Jungle_ ; Virgin EMI], or the ominous yet subtle swells in ‘No Dog, No Master’ from Thomas Holkenberg’s score for Zack Snyder’s _Justice League_ [Water Tower Music; 44.1kHz/24-bit], was impressive. **Slam with stealth** Moreover, while the KC92s’ drivers were visibly moving in their surrounds during Holkenberg’s piece, there was no other indication of the subs’ presence. As the orchestral percussion and strings, mixed in with electronic effects, slammed rhythmically, the sound remained consistent and the cabinets subjectively quiet. It was also with authentically deep music such as this that the benefit of the dual subwoofer installation was obvious. Switching one off made no difference to any perception of location (with an initial 40Hz crossover in play there was no directionality), but lessened the feeling of an all-round, even-handed performance. The added low-end presence introduced by the KC92s was, as you’d expect, more apparent with some tracks than others. Listening to The Beach Boys’ ‘Good Vibrations’ [_Smiley Smile_ 2012 remaster, Capitol Records; 192kHz/24-bit], there was only the slightest hint of a more dense, more robust character to the bassline and organs, a stronger canvas beneath the band’s exquisite vocal harmonies. Yet given Ozric Tentacles’ ‘Pteranodon’ [_Jurassic Shift_ ; Dovetail Records DOVE CD 6], the KEF pairing not only latched onto the lumbering bassline but reinforced the feeling of scale. What had sounded wonderfully airy and expansive through the Alexx Vfx speakers on their lonesome now appeared even more three-dimensional, and even further removed from the notion of sound emanating from drivers and cabinets. As the track’s slew of samples and percussion danced around a massively wide stage, it was almost unnerving. **Bloat be gone** Talking Heads’ ‘Psycho Killer’ [_Talking Heads 77_ ; Warner Bros. 96kHz/24-bit] has a very of-an-era sound, with vocalist David Byrne recorded at the back of the room, behind the jangling guitars that frame the central image. Amid this there’s the almost marching band-style drumming and bassline, and the KEF subs really dug into this to give the track its angular rhythm. Another ’Heads track, ‘Burning Down The House’ [_Speaking In Tongues_ ; Warner, 96kHz/24-bit], also proved useful for assessing the crossover selection. Those weaned on home cinema set-ups and THX recommendations will often default to an 80Hz crossover. Setting it at that position, however, with the Wilson Audio speakers, upset the integration, the thumping bassline and drums becoming too dominant. With anything in hi-fi, there’s no hard and fast rule, so experiment. **Above:**_Rotaries for volume and crossover freq. are joined by room position EQ. settings and phase. RCA stereo/LFE in and line outs are complemented by a Euroblock speaker-level input_ The KC92 is tight, clean and dynamic, dispelling any fears of bass bloat. Its DSP works cleverly too, so that deep bass remains apparent even at quiet listening levels. I was taken aback by the extra bounce and heft in Raury’s ‘Devil’s Whisper’ [_All We Need_ , Columbia; 44.1kHz/24-bit] with the system volume dialled low. As I was with Kraftwerk’s ‘Electrocardiogram’ [_3-D: The Catalogue_ , Parlophone; 44.1kHz/24-bit], with its stop-start drum programming. Perhaps the proof of the value of the KC92 (or a pair of them) was hearing Don Henley’s ‘The Boys Of Summer’ [_Building The Perfect Beast_ ; Geffen Records GFLD 19267] with its synth intro and famous guitar riff. There was much more expansion, greater scale, a deeper floor and a grander overall sound with the subs in play. Henley sings ‘I feel it in the air’ and I knew what he meant. To mangle a Darth Vader line, the force-cancelling is strong with this one. **Hi-Fi News Verdict** This KEF subwoofer might lack the slick app control options of some rivals but will win over purist audiophiles with its selection of inputs and settings. Even more appealing is a superb performance of detail, depth and dynamism, all coming from a dual-driver implementation that ensures the cabinet can be kept sleek and discreet. Audition one, but budget for two, as doubling up yields tangible benefits. **Sound Quality: 89%**

**Les Arts Florissants/William Christie** Handel: Belshazzar Harmonia mundi HMX8904127-29 (three discs) With only two high-profile recordings – led by Harnoncourt and Pinnock – _Belshazzar_ has rather fallen through the cracks of the Handelian revival. Yet in 1744 he was at the peak of his powers – and the 80-year-old Christie is enjoying an Indian summer of his own. Anyone who recalls Rosemary Joshua’s _Semele_ from the ’90s will find she has lost none of her articulate brilliance as Nitocris. As her son, the drama’s eponymous king, Allen Clayton is unmatched for heroic lyricism. Choruses such as ‘By slow degrees’ are allotted all their due space in terms of both pulse and acoustic. Indeed the balance struck by Christie between the oratorio’s ceremonial and dramatic elements reaches near Wagnerian heights. **PQ** **Sound Quality: 90%** **Hallé/Thomas Adès** Adès: Aquifer, Dawn, Shanty_; Leith: Cartoon Sun; Marsey: Man With Limp Wrist Hallé CDHLL7567 The Adès sound – of circling tunes and Escherian scales, tangled in a love-hate relationship with music history – may be established by now, but he still rings the changes with the flourish of a showman new in town. _Aquifer_ is a huge Mahlerian Scherzo, as densely packed and fast-flowing as _Dawn_ is spare and open. Oliver Leith’s _Cartoon Sun_ finds three novel ways of capturing extreme brightness in sound, often anchored (like Adès’s music) by tonal chords and pedal points. The eight ‘scenes’ of William Marsey’s _Man With Limp Wrist_ are still more allusive, and charged with oblique, Haydnesque wit. **PQ** **Sound Quality: 85%** **Ensemble Modern, Loadbang, etc** Kendall: Shouting Forever Into The Receiver, etc NMC NMCD285 London born, New York resident, Hannah Kendall (b.1984) seems to write wherever her ear takes her, across notional boundaries of form and scoring. Her titles are more like short stories, giving little away. Each piece here has a back story, often using ‘found’ material such as Biblical verses or gospel hymns, but there’s nothing antique or religious about the result. Slow suspensions yield unexpected life in _Even Sweetness Can Scratch The Throat_. The subterranean elegies of _When Flesh Is Pressed Against The Glass_ surface in the glinting ripples of _Tuxedo: Diving Bell 2_ for harp. The title track is a slow processional underscored by ghostly walkie-talkies. **PQ** **Sound Quality: 85%** **New College Choir, Oxford/Quinney** Mundy: Vox Patris Caelestis, etc Linn CKD775 (downloads to 192kHz/24-bit resolution) On score and on record, William Mundy is rarely encountered outside collections of c.16th-century church music. As both dynamic director and illuminating note-writer, Robert Quinney has the full measure of him, from the decorous imitation of the early _Kyrie_ and soaring piety of _O Lord The Maker_ to the vast, 20m span and mazy polyphony of _Vox Patris Caelestis_. All-male choirs bring a special ring of authenticity to this music, and Quinney favours a gutsy, high-energy sound from his trebles – once known as ‘Continental’ – which draws in the ear rather than keeping it at a liturgical distance. A Victorian church in Oxford makes an acoustically glowing venue. **PQ** **Sound Quality: 80%**

Since launching in 2009, CH Precision, based in Préverenges in Switzerland, has carved itself a niche in hi-fi’s high-end. Moreover, although a product inventory spanning just two ranges, the 10 Series and 1 Series, might suggest some form of boutique minimalism, its design approach shows plenty of modern, technically innovative thinking. How so? The L1 preamplifier and M1.1 power amp on test here both offer user-tuning of their performance via a custom smartphone app… CH Precision was founded by Florian Cossy and Thierry Heeb, who both worked at Goldmund in the 1990s before setting up Anagram Technologies in 2001, a digital audio-focused OEM specialising in D/A conversion and upsampling. Its modules have been used by Talk Electronics [_HFN_ Mar ’08], Soulution [_HFN_ Oct ’11], Cambridge Audio [_HFN_ Aug ’12] and others. By the end of the decade the duo had begun designing their own hardware, and the first CH Precision product, the D1 CD/SACD transport, landed in 2010. **Swoop du jour** That unit has since been replaced by the D1.5 in the manufacturer’s 1 Series of ‘classic components’, where it’s joined by the £49,500 M1.1 power amplifier and £30,000 L1 ‘dual monoaural line-stage’ preamp. Also in the range are the A1.5 power amp (£34,200), the P1 phono stage (£27,200), the I1 integrated (£33,400), and the C1.2 DAC/controller (£31,300). To the latter can be added a T1 10MHz clock, for £22,100, while the series’ X1 external power supply (£15,300) is an option for the DAC, transport and preamps. A similar product selection is offered by the company’s flagship 10 Series, with the expected uptick in pricing. Both the L1 and M1.1 are full-size components, 440mm wide and 440mm deep, and – with their fascias sporting an identical swooping curve – styled to match. The machined aluminium chassis are offered in a natural silver finish, or the new ‘Anthracite’ of our review pair. This can appear to have a blueish tint – similar, in a way, to the ‘flip-flop’ paint finish made famous by TVR cars. **Above:**_Lid-off shot of the M1.1 shows the separate L/R differential inputs with programmable gain [top right] feeding a power amp with six pairs of big, five-pin Motorola devices per side [on each heatsink]. PSU includes 2.4kVA toroidal transformer [centre] and 2x 120,000µF/80V reservoir caps [red, left]_ The amps are designed to be stacked, but this isn’t just a case of placing the 20kg L1 atop the 71kg M1.1 using its pre-fitted feet. Instead, CH Precision’s ‘composite grounding spikes’, which combine hardened titanium tips with long polymer posts, are installed through the feet from above, by removing a cap on the top of the unit to reveal a shaft below. Once the spikes are in place a secondary ‘stacking cover’ can be fitted that’s specifically designed to locate with the spikes fitted to the unit above. **Twist or tap** CH Precision’s preamp is an all-analogue, line-level design, but generously connected with four sets of balanced XLR inputs, plus RCA and BNC pairs, and outputs on XLR (x2), BNC and RCA. Also on the rear panel are a mains input and connection for the outboard X1 PSU, a (firmware) USB port, signal and digital ground posts, and Ethernet – the L1’s network connectivity, like that of its sibling power amp, allows control and setup to be handled via CH Precision’s Control app [see boxout]. The front of the L1 houses an OLED display that switches between a large, colourful volume graphic and a screen showing the selected source and settings. Changes to these can be made through the app or, alternatively, by push/twist operation of the amp’s large rotary control, which also handles volume through a software-driven R-2R ladder network. **Offset and match** One setting only accessible through the front panel is DC offset calibration, which can be assigned to any of the preamp’s inputs. Here, the L1 measures the DC offset of the complete circuit, including connected source and cable, and uses DSP (which we’re told is not in the signal path) to optimise the input to match. Calibrating and ‘offsetting’ any DC present on the L1’s inputs is also important in order to prevent any slight audible ‘clicking’ as the R-2R volume relays are switched on the fly. While the amp includes plenty of peripheral circuitry for its monitoring, calibration and correction facilities, as seen in our lid-off pic, the audio path itself is – to quote PM – ‘both elegant and short’. The R-2R volume control operates in current mode, after a bipolar input buffer, followed by an I-to-V stage. Extra gain is only applied after the volume section if this is selected by the user via the configuration menu. The differential (balanced) preamp output buffer is also unity gain. **Above:**_L1 preamp clearly separates left [top] and right [bottom] line-level inputs on balanced XLR (x4), BNC and RCAs. Ethernet port enables app control, while optional outboard DC PSU connects via multipin socket above IEC mains_ The M1.1 power amp, which has pairs of balanced XLR, RCA and BNC inputs, apes the P1 by mixing its analogue Class AB amplification with digital control and monitoring circuitry, plus network connection. One of the tasks of its ‘digital engine’ is automatic bias adjustment, CH Precision claiming this optimises performance at different operating temperatures (making ‘warm-up’ less important) and input signals. It also governs the M1.1’s user-definable global feedback setting [see boxout]. Separate mains inlets are provided, one for the analogue amplification, the other for the comms and control electronics. **Four in one** Additional claims for the amp include ‘incredibly short’ signal paths and ‘exacting component choices’. This would include the custom-made low-ESR reservoir capacitors downstream of the M1.1’s massive 2.4kVA toroidal transformer, and the bypass capacitors used with the six pairs of bipolar transistors per channel. Power output is (conservatively) rated at 2x200W/8ohm and 2x350W/4ohm [see PM's Lab Report]. CH Precision describes the M1.1 as ‘four amplifiers in one – at least in conceptual terms’. Outside of a standard two-channel power amp, it can be set to monoaural mode, wherein its power supply is devoted to only one of its output stages, or bridged mode, where the two output stages are combined into a single channel. Lastly, ‘bi-amp stereo’ allows a single input to be differently configured (in terms of gain and feedback) for the two outputs. The speaker terminals, from Danish specialist Argento, are chunky affairs with removable stoppers that reveal 4mm sockets. Spade connectors, meanwhile, slot into a groove at the base, to be then tightened for a snug fit. **Sweet streak** If you view the L1 and M1.1 as meticulously engineered high-end components, but with a streak of fun and modernity running through them, this impression will be reinforced during listening. Smooth and sweet are words that can be used to describe elements of their performance, though not to be applied as a catch all. There’s an upbeat, sparkling, dynamic demeanour that makes them sound as contemporary as they look. **Flow factor** In the _HFN_ Listening Room, the L1 was housed on the resident Artesania Audio rack and fed by dCS’s Varèse DAC [_HFN_ Feb ’25] into its balanced XLR input. Cabling, from Transparent, was employed to hook it up to the M1.1. Making use of the network connection on both components meant changing the preamp volume, and the power amp’s global feedback, was easily done via app and smartphone. **Above:**_The L1 preamp [top] and M1.1 power amp both offer user-tuning of their performance via an app_ More time-consuming was the L1’s input calibration routine, but this is a five-minute step worth taking. Playing Avi Kaplan’s ‘The Summit’ single [Sequoia Summit Records; 44.1kHz/24-bit] and switching between ‘calibrated’ and ‘uncalibrated’ XLR inputs, revealed marginal, but clear, improvements: the jingling percussion that flits around the backing singers appeared even better defined, and it all seemed to flow a little more gracefully. **High flyers** As you’d expect from an amplifier of its class, the M1.1 is thrillingly powerful in subjective terms, able to pin you to your seat with a room-filling output and propelling the partnering speakers to dig deep into the low octaves. But where this might be the selling point of any big-ticket separates system, it was the CH Precision amps’ higher-frequency handling that also caught my attention. The L1/M1.1 combo’s upper-band detail and clarity was brilliantly apparent in the picked acoustic guitar and delicate percussion of Fink’s ‘Trouble’s What You’re In’, from _Wheels Turn Beneath My Feet_ [Ninja Tune; Qobuz CD res. download]. The ‘air’ around these elements, as they echoed in the surrounds of Islington’s Union Chapel, was palpable. Mesmerising, even, thanks to the L1/M1.1’s sheer purity and insight. **Above:**_Inside L1 showing linear PSU [right], multiple regulation [top], logic and R-2R volume on separate (L above R) preamp PCBs [lower left]. Threaded tubes in each corner host custom ‘feet’_ In combination with Wilson Audio’s Alexx Vfx speakers, I had reached Goldilocks levels of treble detail – crisp to the point of brilliance, just right. Taylor Swift’s vocals on the polished production of ‘Blank Space’ [_1989 (Taylor’s Version)_ , Republic Records; 48kHz/24-bit] were dispatched with clarity, nuance and no trace of sibilance. Santana’s ‘Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen’, from 1970’s _Abraxas_ [Columbia; 176.4kHz/24-bit], raised the noise floor a little, reminding me that other tracks were showcasing quiet, black backgrounds. But beyond this, its groove-laden funk offered much to admire – the rat-a-tat percussion, the well-rounded, tightly gripped basslines, the transient bite. It was as if the amps had no constraints on them and were giving equal weighting to every element. And that makes for fun listening. **Burning beats** I’ve heard Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble’s ‘Tin Pan Alley…’ [_Couldn’t Stand The Weather_ , Epic; 176.4kHz/24-bit] many times, but rarely has this slow-burning blues track sounded quite so atmospheric as it did here, with the lead guitar licks and rimshots of the opening minutes arriving out of nowhere and resonating into the distance. Later, the deliberately ear-opening transients (‘I heard a pistol shoot!’) came and went in a flash. CH Precision’s global feedback setting is a powerful tool, as the difference between 0% and 100% is instantly obvious in a way that, say, making a filter change on a DAC might not be. Opt for maximum feedback and the minimised distortion combines with a tightening of the lower frequencies to lend a leaner, more compact feel to the sound. Better, in my opinion, to switch the M1.1 to 0% or 10%, as this loosens up the low octaves, pleasantly. Christel Alsos’s ‘If You Knew Me Now’ [_At That Time Of The Night_ , Sony Music; 44.1kHz/24-bit] has a deep, slow rhythm that sounded grander, more organic, with the amp’s feedback setting curtailed. **Above:**_Dual mains inlets feed amplification [left] and control, display and standby electronics [right]. Balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA and BNC) inputs are joined by Argento speaker binding posts (with labelling for bridge mode operation), plus Ethernet and USB (firmware) sockets_ Put this pre/power system in charge of a full orchestral performance and its resolution, dynamism, textural subtlety and unflustered power come to the fore. Richard Strauss’s ‘An Alpine Symphony’, played by the Vienna Philharmonic under André Previn [Telarc CD-08211], begins in measured style with the low brass of I.Nacht, where the amps found layers and detail amid the distant sounds, and maintained their grip as the weight and scale of the orchestra grew. This recording presents a far-off view, so for once the CH amps weren’t impressing me with their forward projection, but the rearward depth of the stage afforded every player space. **Above:**_Partnering alloy remote offers control over standby, volume and input selection – for everything else you need access to the configuration menu_ Once the thunderous timpani and startling brasses of III.Der Anstieg arrived, the immediacy of the system had me dumbfounded. So too, did its portrayal of John Williams’ ‘Theme From Jurassic Park’ [_20th Anniversary Edition_ , Geffen; 192kHz/24-bit], where the quivering of woodwinds and glassy tone of harp strings were beautifully rendered before swells of cello took hold. Pushing the volume high didn’t result in congestion or a hardening of the sound – the presentation was larger, richer and more exciting. **Squawk ’n’ awe** Rarely, in fact, did these amplifiers appear out of their comfort zone. Searching for ‘Breadfan’, from Welsh power trio Budgie, and landing on a thin, muddied live recording [_Live Flight_ ; Qobuz CD res. download], the amps treated it with something close to disdain, giving no attempt to make it listenable. Yet finding the original studio recording on the _Rock Legends_ compilation [SPEC2206] had them blowing away the cobwebs with their lightning-fast attack on the track’s celebrated riffs. And, yes, the central breakdown section still sounded phasey, woozy and completely engrossing. **Hi-Fi News Verdict** Meticulously engineered, and with a build quality to evoke intense feelings of pride of ownership, these CH Precision amplifiers are a knockout. The Swiss marque’s forward-thinking approach gives the listener slick control over both pre and power models, plus welcome fine-tuning of a performance that marries power, drive, resolution and finesse. Say ‘hello’ to high-end hi-fi, 21st century-style. **Sound Quality: 90%**

Eastern Europe is no stranger to high-quality boutique hi-fi brands [_HFN_ Apr ’24, Jun ’24 and Feb ’25] with ‘analogue’ audio a particular favourite. Igor Gligorov’s company, Soulines, is based in Serbia and has graced these pages before, but UK distribution has now been re-established thanks to Sound Fowndations. The timing is spot on, as Soulines has recently released a new turntable, the tt9, loosely described as ‘entry level’ and selling for £3990 with partnering KiVi M3 tonearm. This is currently the only tonearm in the lineup and may be purchased separately for £2090. Soulines’ other turntables are the Kubrick DCX [_HFN_ Jul ’18], which retails for £6490 with the same arm, and the top-of-the-range tt42 – its price yet to be confirmed for the UK. **Material world** Your £3990 buys you a great deal of ‘materials technology’ in the tt9. Its construction is described by Soulines as ‘solid but light’ and its main plinth is made from a mixture of Delrin – or polyoxymethylene (POM), an engineering thermoplastic – and acrylic, to which an aluminium sub-plinth is coupled at three points using rubber/cork washers of different thicknesses and diameters. The overall aim is to both absorb and channel structural resonances, and generally insulate your choice of cartridge from the noisy outside world. The turntable is equipped with an inverted main bearing that has a stainless steel ball atop a stainless steel spindle, with a brass sleeve and Delrin thrust plate. The sub-platter is also Delrin and is securely bonded to the bearing housing. The machined acrylic main platter sits directly on this and weighs 2.5kg. A clamp is supplied, plus a set of cork/rubber mix washers for the centre spindle. These can be placed under the record according to its thickness and how much ‘flattening’ is required from the clamp! **It’s a unipivot, but...** Drive to the platter is from a DC motor with speed selected by a switch. Each speed is adjustable using a small screwdriver to reach one of two trimpots that are located inside the motor controller [see pic, below]. Another appealing touch is the on/off switch on the same housing which, rather than dreary old ‘0’ and ‘1’, is labelled with ‘Stop’ and ‘Play’ symbols. Soulines’ turntable sits on three adjustable inverted cone feet and is supplied with acrylic ‘cups’ into which the conical points locate. These also feature cork/rubber washers on their underside and so help stop the tt9 from sliding when in position. As an added bonus, the deck even comes with a lid. The KiVi M3, which is pre-mounted, is the manufacturer’s first tonearm and one on which a great deal of thought (and sweat and tears) has evidently been expended. It has its own arm mounting base when fitted to the tt9, but this base, plus the arm’s effective length, are compatible with a standard Rega fitting. The bearing yoke and armtube are machined from a single block of Delrin and, while the arm might broadly be termed a unipivot, it’s a little more complex than that. **Above:**_Cast/machined acrylic platter sits on a Delrin sub-platter driven via a belt and DC motor. Fine speed control is offered via two small pin-hole screws [bottom left] while the arm fits onto an alloy outrigger_ Soulines describes the arm as a captive, or ‘false’ unipivot, as the centre pivot on the housing does not sit into a ‘cup’ as might be expected. Instead, the lower bearing features three hardened stainless-steel balls into which the pin locates. Soulines says this makes the arm feel more conventional and, in use, it is certainly steadier than the likes of a Roksan Nima [_HFN_ Jun ’10] or Naim Aro [_HFN_ May ’91]. Also, while the arm wand is made from Delrin, the lower part of the bearing housing is aluminium, which lowers the centre of mass and applies further resonance damping to the already fairly inert arm [see PM's Lab Report]. The alloy headshell is securely bolted through the top of the armtube. Four steel counterweights are supplied, which may be used in combination to balance a range of cartridge weights from 5-15g. Bias is applied by the trusty thread and hanging weight method, while a secure locking collar can be loosened to allow VTA adjustment. An azimuth adjustment counterweight can be rotated to ensure the cartridge’s top is held precisely parallel to the LP surface. Setup of the tt9 is straightforward but the KiVi M3 tonearm is a little more involved as there are a lot of adjustments and some transit brackets and screws to be dealt with. Fortunately, the instructions for both are clear, and go into copious detail about not only what you need to do, but also why you’re doing it. Soulines also offers various turntable accessories – we were supplied with the £1290 ‘u-base’ isolation platform and a set of three bbs (ball bearing swing) feet (£890 for a set of three, or £1150 for four). The u-base is a stainless steel and aluminium design with a mathematically determined selection of holes and damping inserts designed to control vibration. The bbs feet have a multi-layered construction, including ball bearings, for the promise of ‘de-coupling’. Soulines indicates that the bbs feet can be used for turntables, electronics and loudspeakers. **Tweakers’ corner** Initially in standard configuration, fitted with a Clearaudio MC Essence cartridge [_HFN_ Aug ’17] and connected to my regular Yamaha C-5000/M-5000 amplifiers [_HFN_ Aug ’20] and PMC twenty5.24 loudspeakers [_HFN_ May ’17], it was apparent that this is a turntable from an engineer with an excellent grip on the fundamentals of vinyl replay. The tt9 and KiVi M3 pairing offers a beautifully ordered but dynamic presentation that’s seemingly ‘in control’ of everything at all times. **Above:**_The KiVi M3 has a one-piece Delrin yoke/armtube with stabilised unipivot bearing_ I also love the eminent tweakability of Soulines’ design and, after a little experimentation, found that the clamp tightened the bass usefully. However, this initially came with a slight hardening across the midband. Careful selection of a rubber/cork washer under the LP before fitting the clamp not only removed this hardness but also opened up the soundstage a touch, so I resolved to stay with this particular configuration through my listening. **Baby spice** Set like this, the tt9’s performance was one of solidity and realism, locking singers centre-stage and bringing them out into the room by just the right amount. Jazz vocalist Lyn Stanley appeared to be winking cheekily at me as she performed ‘Everybody Loves My Baby’ from her _Tribute To 1924_ LP [A.T. Music ATM3112], and her backing musicians were arranged around her, each in their own space. The tt9 didn’t quite pull off the left-to-right majesty of my reference Michell Gyro SE [_HFN_ May ’99], but it won’t leave you wanting in terms of soundstage scale. In the higher frequencies there is a purity to this turntable’s performance that is joyous. In my experience, conventional unipivot arms bring a sense of air and space to the music, and the KiVi M3’s take on the design maintains this strength in spades. Hi-hats sounded crisp and distinct, and cymbal strikes were firm and clear without any spittiness. Given that it is filled with such elements, _The Horrors’ Primary Colours_ track ‘Sea Within A Sea’ [XL Recordings XLLP 418] was given a spine-tingling level of clarity. The long instrumental intro, with its shimmering percussion above stabs of eerie guitar and two-note bassline, sounded wide open and wonderfully rhythmic through the tt9/KiVi M3 set-up. **Movin’ and groovin’** Talking of rhythm, you need to get the bass ‘right’ to enjoy a foot-tapping presentation. The tt9 is up to the challenge, ensuring The Colorblind James Experience’s ‘Considering A Move To Memphis’, from their 1987 album of the same name [Earring Records SAVE 50], was an absolute riot to listen to. Kick drum beats were taut with plenty of chest-thumping weight, and no sign of outstaying their welcome. The double bass that underpins the track was full and textured, and agreeably warm rather than dry. **Above:**_Captive phono cable exits from under the arm base/outrigger, and note the two stabilising weights either side of the bearing. DC input is via a flying socket [right]_ During my audition period I experimented with both Soulines’ optional bbs feet and the u-base platform. The former have the less dramatic effect, subjectively offering a fraction more depth and focus to the turntable’s low-frequency handling but not really altering the overall balance of the sound. Yes, I appreciated the differences these accessories made, but they were fairly subtle – the impact of the u-base was more of an eye-opener. **All about the base** Here, again, there was a fraction more solidity to the lows, but Soulines’ platform also noticeably increased the depth of the tt9’s soundstage and added a lovely sense of sweetness to the midrange. This made the character of instruments, be they electronic or acoustic, shine through just that little bit more. Consequently, Therese Schroeder-Sheker’s harp on ‘Credo Of Ballymacoda’ [_Windham Hill Sampler ’89_ ; Windham Hill 371082-1] grew in stature, each string pluck gaining in attack and resonance. Isolation bases are unpredictable things, their effect ranging from barely there to ‘can’t go back to living without it’. The addition of the u-base to the tt9 is towards the top of that scale, so if you’re shopping for Soulines’ deck, I would strongly recommend finding the budget for the platform, too. **Hi-Fi News Verdict** Soulines’ tt9 turntable and KiVi M3 tonearm work hand-in-glove to deliver a sound that’s detailed, confident and never less than enjoyable. Both deck and arm are intelligently designed, thoughtfully engineered and beautifully finished. Even better, with a range of both standard and optional ‘tweaks’ available, your tt9 can evolve over time, optimising its performance to your system and room placement. **Sound Quality: 87%**

On recent form, the £13,500 dCS Lina DAC X could almost be considered ‘conventional’. Following on the heels of the Lina headphone amp system [_HFN_ Nov ’22], and the massive – and massively pricey – multibox Varèse player [_HFN_ Feb ’25], complete with separate mono DACs and the option of an SACD/CD transport add-on, the Lina DAC X looks dangerously like any number of models from rival companies, from its proportions to the inclusion of a front-panel rotary volume. At 444x122mm (wh), it’ll slot into most hi-fi racks where it will also make a good visual match with products from other brands thanks to a choice of matt silver or black finishes. Its preamp output, on either unbalanced RCAs or balanced XLRs, brings added flexibility that’s further enhanced by 0.2V, 0.6V, 2V and 6V maximum output options. These are set via the Lina DAC X’s configuration menu, and dCS Mosaic app plus IR remote pictured below]. There’s also access to custom digital filter options – no fewer than six for PCM-based data, and five for DSD [[see PM's Lab Report]. **DAC of all trades** As it stands, the Lina DAC X may be connected into a conventional amplifier system and run at fixed output or hooked straight into a power amp or active loudspeakers, thus creating a top-quality system that’s big on musical ability but small on box-count. But what actually is it? Well, the ‘network-attached DAC’ description almost covers it, but then so does ‘Network player/digital preamp DAC’. With a StreamUnlimited Stream800 platform under the bonnet, it will play music from network storage as well as online services including Qobuz, Spotify, Tidal and Internet radio. It’s also Roon Ready and features a good range of digital inputs including two coaxial and one optical, and two AES/EBU XLRs (able to be paired to handle audio data up to 384kHz). **Down to the wire** There’s also a USB-A port for storage devices and external accessories such as a CD drive, and a USB-B port for direct connection to a computer. Network hookup is wired only via Ethernet, and the unit also has two RJ45 ports for dCS’s Power Link communications, plus inputs for an external word clock. In fact, the only other notable omission beyond Wi-Fi is an HDMI port for TV sound, a facility dCS has chosen to swerve in this purist design given that most TVs/set-top boxes also have an optical digital audio output. On the outside, the Lina DAC X is very ‘dCS’, with its milled from solid aluminium casework, radiused corners, soft-touch finish and glossy display. It’s hand-built at the company’s Cambridgeshire HQ, and uses now-familiar dCS technology, including the celebrated Ring DAC architecture. As PM explains, ‘the dCS Ring DAC combines the pure monotonic conversion of a genuine “single-bit” DAC with the operation of a PWM bitstream-style converter. Proprietary code truncates incoming LPCM data (and converts DSD) into smaller ‘bit words’ which are then mapped across 48 identical current sources that comprise the Ring DAC. This matrix of current source/resistor elements is clearly visible in our inside shot [below] as is the Xilinx processor that handles all the DSP, separate clocks, and balanced analogue output stages’. **Above:**_The PSU, bolted to the base, fits inside a void [right] within the milled alloy case. The 2x48 matrix that comprises the Ring DAC core [centre left] is addressed via a Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA [upper left]. Note also the 48kHz/44.1kHz clocks [adjacent] and fully balanced, mixed op-amp (preamp) output stage [bottom left]_ In addition to this core processing, the Lina DAC X offers DXD and DSD (and DSDx2) upsampling, meaning it’s able to handle audio in PCM formats up to 384kHz/24-bit, and DSD64/128, either as native DSD or via DoP. In addition, it can unpack lossless FLAC, AIFF and MQA, as well as handling uncompressed WAV files. The DAC and upsampling software are potentially upgradable, as dCS has done with previous products, and the same goes for the streaming and control sections, all the circuitry here being arranged around the walls and upper and lower surfaces of the enclosure. This economic use of all three of the chassis’ dimensions is what the company calls its ‘single flex-rigid PCB design’, which was also used in previous Lina products and the flagship Varèse system. This folds the boards up origami-style, both minimising signal path lengths while optimising isolation between the sections of the player/DAC. New here is separation for the power supply, now in its own housing, and of course that rotary control for volume, which is digitally implemented in the Lina DAC X’s Xilinx FPGA. Apple AirPlay capability is also now handled in software, rather than via a separate chip. **The big reveal** From the off, the Lina DAC X impresses with its combination of forceful presentation and subtlety though, as dCS would no doubt hope, it doesn’t quite offer the insight and sheer visceral impact of the full Varèse stack heard in the _HFN_ Listening Room. Playing the Steven Wilson remix of ABC’s _The Lexicon Of Love_ [Neutron/UMC download] found the album sounding finer than ever, ‘The Look Of Love’ fast and tight, with the bass line sounding fabulous and Martin Fry’s vocal vibrant and exciting. Meanwhile, the opening of ‘Poison Arrow’ was punchy and full-blooded. This grip and speed was also heard to good effect with David Bowie’s _Let’s Dance_ [Parlophone 7243 521896 01], with Chic’s Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards much in evidence, for example, in the choppy guitar opening ‘Modern Love’. Here the DAC fully developed Bowie’s switches of register from the intro to the vocal, and the sinuous bass of the title track. What this dCS unit does so well is reveal details other players may overlook, in a manner that makes one wonder quite why they weren’t obvious in the first place. A case in point? That Mick Jagger backing vocal on Carly Simon’s towering ‘You’re So Vain’, from her 1972 _No Secrets_ album [Elektra 960 684-2]. This was immediately revealed by the DAC X, and once noticed it can’t be unheard – the story goes that Jagger demanded so many retakes he drove Simon spare with frustration. To reconsider another overlooked classic, playing Andrew Gold’s ‘Never Let Her Slip Away’, from the _Thank You For Being A Friend_ compilation [Rhino R2 73511], revealed that what some view as a cheesy throwaway track is actually superbly crafted. The rich, clean and detailed dCS sound showed just how well-constructed is the rhythm line running throughout, until the rest of the instrumentation fades to let it peter out at the end of the song. **Pet sounds** It’s all been a bit poppy so far, taking in the likes of the 50th anniversary release of Elton John’s _Honky Chateau_ [Rocket 4596215] – amazing piano sound, the band tight and focused, and the brass on ‘Honky Cat’ sounding rich and ripe. And the performance was so enjoyable that we listened, rapt, all the way through to the harmonies of the Starland Vocal Band’s ‘Afternoon Delight’ from the eponymous album [RCA Victor RS 1074]. The audacious a cappella line near the end was spine-tingling when opened up by the DAC X. **Above:**_The Lina DAC X includes LAN, USB-B and USB-A (DSD128/384kHz), dual-AES (384kHz), 2x coaxial (192kHz) and optical (96kHz) inputs. Analogue outs on XLRs and RCAs are joined by Word Clock inputs for connection to the Lina Master Clock_ Time to get a little more serious, with Nigel Kennedy and Killing Joke singer Jaz Coleman’s 2000 release, _Riders On The Storm – The Doors Concerto_ [Decca 467 350-2]. This combines Kennedy’s violin with a full orchestra and the version of ‘The End’ here, running to the full 11-plus minutes of the original, sounded almost as spacey, weird and threatening, if not as violent. Flicking over to that track, from 1967’s _The Doors_ album [50th anniversary release, Rhino download], saw the dCS Lina DAC X revealing the shifting tone of Jim Morrison’s voice, from weak and mournful to rabid and angry. It was thrilling stuff, even if those of us of a certain age can’t now hear ‘The End’ without imagining the thud of rotor-blades above the jungle! **Vintage vibes** Coming back down to more relaxed music, the Lina DAC X did a fine job with the lush brass harmonies of Count Basie’s ‘April In Paris’, from the 1957 album of the same title [Verve 0602498840184]. It glided through the music while keeping the feet tapping right until Basie calls for ‘One more time’. Yes, the sound is undeniably vintage, but played through this latest dCS DAC it’s entirely about the music, rather than any technical deficiencies in the recording. **Above:**_Alloy remote provides standard input, volume and mute alongside access to the config. menu, digital filters, absolute phase and DXD/DSD upsampling_ This kind of communication with what’s being played is where the Lina DAC X earns its keep, whether it’s the sweep of massed brass or the metronomic drive of a track like the Neil Cowley Trio’s ‘Rooster Was A Witness’ [_The Face Of Mount Molehill_ ; Naim Label CD171]. I was lucky enough to hear the band playing this track live back in the day, and still remember the pounding, unstoppable sound it created, and that’s just what the DAC X delivered here. Cowley hits his piano hard, and each note was clean and attacking, while Rex Horan’s bass and the drums of Evan Jenkins were in perfect lockstep, pushing the track on and on. **Statement sonics** But of course the Lina DAC X can do rich and subtle, too, as was clear with the Dunedin Consort’s recording of Mozart’s _Requiem_ under John Butt [in DSD64 from Linn Records CKD449]. From the powerful opening to the lyricism of the ‘Lacrimosa’, the DAC X offered all the dynamics and definition one could ever want, allowing the music to swell with the brass blaring, and then sink back into hushed tones before becoming a big, rich statement of sorrow. It was emotional, musically enthralling and with superb insight into voices and instruments – but then that’s just what the Lina DAC X does so well. **Hi-Fi News Verdict** The looks may be those of dCS styling made more conventional, but there’s no change in the way the Lina DAC X delivers the music. It satisfies on all the hi-fi criteria, is simple to use, but above all communicates whatever is being played in a manner that’s as much about emotional impact as technical prowess. With the security of firmware updates, this ‘Lina’ will be the X factor for a host of top-flight systems. **Sound Quality: 90%**

Dynaudio’s collection of passive loudspeakers is substantial. You begin with the Emit series and move through its Evoke line, various Contour models [_HFN_ May ’25], and the Heritage and Special Forty one-offs, before you get to the flagship Confidence range [_HFN_ Jan ’25]. On the other hand, active options are more limited, with – until recently – just the three-strong Focus series appealing to cable-cutters. Now, though, the Danish brand has added the Confidence 20A, priced £17,000. You might infer, from the name, that this is ‘just’ an active version of the £9600 Confidence 20, but the Danish brand is at pains to point out there’s more to it than that. Certainly, the ’20A looks visually similar to its passive sibling, but Dynaudio says ‘the only untouched parts are the tweeter and the feet’ plus ‘some screws and the logo’. In effect, it’s an all-new design, and one that’s slightly smaller in all three dimensions to boot. **Focus finale** While an active speaker with onboard DSP and digital connectivity, the Confidence 20A isn’t networked. There’s no streaming provision, wired or wireless, and no companion app for system settings and music playback. These are features of Dynaudio’s Focus series, so we must assume their omission is deliberate – the ’20A, while having ease of use in mind, is aimed at existing audiophiles who want to continue using their high-end source hardware. Dynaudio also proposes the ’20A as the ‘end product’ of Focus owners – if they can be weaned off playing music direct from their smartphones… **Above:**_The 28mm soft dome Esotar 3 tweeter and 180mm NeoTec bass/mid unit are carried over from the passive Confidence 20, the latter driver optimised here in conjunction with the speaker’s newly designed ‘ESDF’ down-facing reflex port_ The speaker is a two-way standmount, quite slim at 206mm wide but tall at 500mm and nearly 400mm deep. The cabinet, like the passive Confidence 20, has curved sides and tapers to the rear, but that model’s blonde, ruby and raven wood colourways aren’t carried over. Instead, there are new High Gloss Space (black) or High Gloss Snow (white) options, both looking strikingly modern and beautifully finished. Choose either and you still get a black front baffle – sculpted from Compex, a hardened foam – to match the loudspeaker’s black driver housings. **Spikes ’n’ smarts** The slender stands, supported by outrigger feet with spikes/pads, are black too. As with the Confidence 20, these aren’t optional because the speakers feature a down-facing port (more on which later). In this instance, though, they also house the Confidence 20A’s amplification/electronics [see boxout] – clever, as it means Dynaudio hasn’t had to compromise on its enclosure design, driver integration or cabinet porting. The manufacturer also says that the aluminium stand, which is vented towards its top, acts as a heatsink for the amplification. Connections, located on the bottom rear of the stand [see pic, below] for discreet, floor-level wiring, are single balanced analogue and AES/EBU digital inputs on XLRs. When using the digital in, a corresponding digital output links the two speakers together. The USB-B port is for service only and doesn’t allow a USB source to feed into the Confidence 20A’s DAC stage. Above these sockets are control knobs for setup and day-to-day ‘tuning’. As these are on both stands it’s possible to make changes to one speaker and not the other – useful, perhaps, in sub-optimal rooms. There’s a ‘Position’ control, with its Free, Corner and Wall options, and a three-position ‘Sound Balance’ control see PM's Lab Report]. Other options are dim/off/on for the illuminated power/status light located on the front of the stand; left/right channel assignment for when a digital source is used; ‘Analogue Sensitivity’ to match source to the speaker’s ADC (the status light flashes red if input clipping occurs); and digital sample rate conversion [[see boxout]. As for the drivers, the tweeter carried over from the Confidence 20 is Dynaudio’s Esotar 3, an evolution of a soft dome some 40 years in the making, and featuring a secondary internal ‘Hexis’ dome plus neodymium magnet. The 180mm NeoTec woofer, with MSP (Magnesium Silicate Polymer) cone and neodymium motor, is specifically optimised for this active iteration. Additional fettling can be found in the loudspeaker’s ‘Exponentially Shaped Dual Flared’ (ESDF) port, which promises to fine-tune airflow, reduce port noise and deliver both a more extended low frequency response and higher maximum SPL than the passive model. **Full-scale fun** The first impression of the Confidence 20As is that, despite their modest dimensions, they don’t lack for performance scale. Their sound is focused and precise, rather than huge and enveloping, but used in the _HFN_ Listening Room with Constellation’s Revelation 2 preamplifier [_HFN_ Jan ’25] and the dCS Varèse DAC [_HFN_ Feb ’25], and placed 3.6m apart, they didn’t feel dwarfed by the 50m2 space. Part of this sense of scale comes from the low-end performance. Set to ‘Free’ positioning and with the Sound Balance control on ‘Neutral’, the Confidence 20As had no trouble digging deep into the bass effects and percussion of ‘Electrified’ by Boris Blank [_Electrified_ , Universal Music; 88.2kHz/24-bit], at times layering a subtle, low swell that – with the 180mm driver in view – came as something of a surprise. Indeed, the bass performance of the ’20A isn’t merely ‘good for a small speaker’, it’s good for a speaker, full-stop, strong not just in the upper basses but also deep down. ‘Rust’, by Black Label Society [_Stronger Than Death_ ; Spitfire Records] contrasts acoustic guitar arpeggios with long, low bass notes, and these oozed from the ’20As with solidity. Koan Sound’s ‘Infinite Funk’ [_Destiny_ EP; OWSLA], moved from the ’70s nostalgia implied by the title of the track – all leading-edge slap bass and Nile Rodgers-style guitar – to full-on nightclub lunacy, as electronic bass surged in and out around staccato rhythms. **Sparkle in the rain** This transient snap is surely indicative of the active design – cabinet and direct-coupled amps and drivers are engineered to work together. And unsurprising, considering the manufacturer claims the DSP and amplification is leveraged from its studio-grade Core speakers, is the 20A’s neutral tonality. On occasion, such as with the synths and guitars of Dire Straits’ ‘So Far Away’ [_Brothers In Arms_ , 2025 remaster, UMG; 44.1kHz/24-bit], I wouldn’t have minded more colour to the sound, the kind of warmth and rosiness that makes listening sessions utterly relaxing. Switching between the Dark, Neutral and Bright settings does not entirely rectify this, but there’s the scope to massage the sound through choice of partnering preamp. **Above:**_DSP and amplification is housed in the stands with controls for sound tuning/settings, plus analogue/digital XLR inputs, digital XLR output, and a USB service port_ This neutral voicing doesn’t come with any over-eagerness in the higher frequencies. Dynaudio’s Esotar 3 tweeter is very well-behaved, always sounding smooth and refined, so that the closely mic’d acoustic guitar on Mathilde Storm’s ‘Cries Like A Baby’ [self-released] had a natural, gentle sparkle. Equally, her vocals cut through the instrumentation with ease, giving insight into every lilt and pause in the breathy delivery. The speakers sounded sublime here: intimate, focused and captivating. Swiss/American avant-garde artist Zeal & Ardor’s ‘Fend You Off’ [_Greif_ ; self-released] also benefited from this eloquent top-end, both in the light-touch rendition of the glockenspiel and a smoothing of the coarse, distorted guitars. True, after the crescendo midway, the staging of this track sounded cluttered and indistinct, but this is reflective of the low-fi vibe of the material. Better, and again showcasing the speakers’ ability to present a meaty sound, were the dramatic soundscapes of the same artist’s ‘Golden Liar’ [_Zeal & Ardor_, MKVA; 44.1kHz/24-bit], where a looped guitar line reverbs into a wide space, joined by floor-toms and ominous chants. Speaking of space, these loudspeakers proved masters of describing the width and depth of recordings. During Billie Eilish’s ‘Ocean Eyes’ [_Don’t Smile At Me_ , Interscope; 44.1kHz/24-bit], the popping electronica framing the central piano and vocal seemed to cocoon me from both sides. Similarly, Hans Theessink’s ‘St. James Infirmary’, recorded live for his 70 Birthday Bash album [_Blue Groove_ ; 96kHz/24-bit], painted a thrilling picture of the bluesman on stage, his baritone vocals resonating in the acoustic. Minor details, such as a tapped guitar body or finger slide, were vividly rendered, as was the enthusiastic audience applause. **Runnin’ Right** Once again, I was convinced by the Confidence 20A’s ability to draw you in with its controlled, accurate demeanour. But what about letting loose? Given Van Halen’s ‘Runnin’ With The Devil’ [_Van Halen_ ; Warner Bros. 192kHz/24-bit], the speakers gave an upbeat, foot-tapping performance worthy of this classic album opener, from the slamming drums and David Lee Roth’s acrobatic vocals to the distinctive ‘brown tone’ of Eddie Van Halen’s guitar. That it all sounded deftly separated, detailed and tight, rather than ragged, is to their credit. **Hi-Fi News Verdict** An active speaker chiefly designed to work with audiophile analogue sources, the Confidence 20A stands apart from its all-singing, all-dancing networked rivals. This would be a concern if the performance didn’t merit the flagship positioning, but Dynaudio’s elegantly styled (and innovatively engineered) speaker offers beautifully judged sonics. Bass is a revelation, and there’s detail and dynamism to spare. **Sound Quality: 88%**

The last subwoofer we auditioned from Wilson Audio [_HFN_ Sep ’22] raised eyebrows simply because of its name. ‘LōKē’ was no doubt meant as an homage to the Norse God, and therefore related to the American marque’s earlier Thor’s Hammer unit, but the phrase ‘low-key’ doesn’t exactly call to mind hi-fi excitement. We’re back on firmer ground with the maker’s new Submerge, the name conjuring images of deep, infrasonic bass. This model is a far bigger proposition than the LōKē, so a better match for Wilson Audio’s larger loudspeakers, not just the TuneTot standmounts [_HFN_ Nov ’18] and (relatively) compact Sabrina V and Sasha V [_HFN_ Sep ’23] floorstanders. Pricing, too, is ‘bigger’, the Submerge selling in one of five standard Wilson finishes for £31,998, compared to the LōKē’s £9500. Expensive, yes, but remember that a pair of the company’s larger Alexia V or Alexx V [_HFN_ Jan ’22] floorstanders will set you back from £75,998 and £165,000, respectively. **Wheely big** In typical Wilson Audio fashion, the subwoofer’s standard finishes (Galaxy Grey, GT Silver, Quartz, Carbon and Medio Grigio) can be exchanged for numerous ‘Upgrade’ colours (the most striking options including Fly Yellow, Pur Sang Rouge and Spearmint at +5%), plus eleven different ‘Premium Pearl’ colourways (at +10%). Matching it to your Wilson Audio speakers is clearly part of the thinking here. **Above:**_Close up shot of the sub's analogue pots, which interface with the built-in DSP to handle all aspects of setup and tuning_ Colour coordination might be desired, because the elephant in the room here is that the Submerge – while not quite looking like an actual elephant in your room – is big. The cabinet, which comes out of the packing crate on four wheels to make manoeuvring it into position easy (it weighs 116kg, so you won’t be lifting it), stands around 77cm tall once attached to Wilson Audio’s ‘Acoustic Diode’ spiked feet. Width is 46cm, and depth 63cm. Large and heavy aren’t in themselves unusual for Wilson Audio, but I’ll admit to finding the Submerge’s styling some way off the modern, often angular looks of its loudspeakers. It’s similar in appearance to the LōKē, but significantly scaled up and with rotary control dials along the slanted edge of its top surface. Whatever your take on its aesthetics, there’s no questioning the Submerge’s build quality nor the inert mass of its proprietary ‘X-material’ cabinet, with claims of ‘rigidity, inertness, intrinsic damping and extreme hardness’. The side walls grow in thickness towards the front, where they meet an aluminium baffle with brushed finish, below which is a large, slot port. The baffle can be covered by a supplied grille (again with upgrade colours) that’s surely one of the heftiest of its type. It attaches through four heavyweight studs – presumably magnetic fixings wouldn’t hold its weight, nor perhaps stop it flying off during moments of high-output bass… **Solo slammer** While many other high-end subwoofers feature multiple driver arrays, the Submerge uses a single, front-facing woofer. This is a proprietary 300mm/12in design said to have been ‘specifically optimised for the two bottom octaves of the audible bandwidth,’ and claimed to only move ‘pistonically’ courtesy of its dual-spider suspension and substantial rubber surround (although Wilson Audio makes no claims about its maximum linear excursion). Onboard DSP-driven Class D amplification is rated at 1.6kW [see PM's Lab Report] mounted to an aluminium plate, with heatsinking, that occupies most of the sub’s rear, ‘V-material’, back panel. As for those controls on the Submerge’s top, these are analogue pots – similar in appearance to those on Wilson’s outboard ActivXO active crossover – that interface with the built-in DSP to handle all aspects of setup and tuning. There are no controls around the back. Where the LōKē combined a small LCD display with a click/turn navigation rotary to adjust settings, all that’s here are balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA) input pairs, supporting stereo or mono connection, and 12V triggers. In addition to on, off and auto power modes, and an option to switch on a subtle backlight around the knobs, the Submerge’s controls cover the slope of the low-pass filter (12dB, 24dB or bypass); variable gain (from Min to Max); low-pass filter frequency from 30Hz to 100Hz; an ‘Extreme Low-Frequency Eq’ (ELF) providing a supplementary 10dB cut or boost below 40Hz; and a Delay control claiming some 15msec of adjustment. The LōKē, by contrast, offers both a conventional phase setting and separate delay adjustment. Of course, any Submerge buyer will have the subwoofer installed and optimised by their dealer, with the manual including a Calibration report sheet to be filled out once the setup is complete. **Above:**_Rotary pots, set into a sculpted alloy panel, offer control over gain, low-pass filter slope and frequency, delay, and ELF cut/boost. The grille frame is extremely dense (heavy!)_ **Bass blend** There’s a certain irony in the Submerge’s less-than-subtle physical design, because ‘subtle’ is a word that, so often, summed up its performance when paired with Wilson Audio’s Alexx Vfx floorstanders in the _HFN_ Listening Room. Beginning with the ‘ELF’ control at 0 and a 55Hz (24dB slope) low-pass filter, the subwoofer segued into an extension of the main speakers, providing a low-frequency coup de grâce that, with some material, was hard to put a finger on. Spaces sounded bigger, basslines and orchestral lows more solid, instruments a little more textured, but never to the extent that the Submerge became an unwanted star of the show. Which is as it should be. Careful setup is of course warranted, not only when it comes to placement of the Submerge itself, but with regards to that delay adjustment. During initial listening, using a mix of test tones and bass-centric music, including Bass Mekanik’s ‘Long Way Down’ [_King Of Bass_ ; Qobuz download], it became apparent that the addition of the Submerge was attenuating a particular, albeit narrow, band of the floorstanders’ bass output. Adjusting delay/phase put this right. Kaleida’s ‘Take Me To The River’ [_Think_ EP; Lex Records LEX107EP] is a gorgeous slice of modern pop, with ethereal instrumentation, a playful stereo mix and crystal-clear vocal. It’s also built upon long, deep bass notes to provide weight and stature to the whole shebang. The Submerge/Alexx Vfx system guaranteed the piece sounded spacious, the subwoofer increasing the feeling of scale as much as it solidified the bass. And at no point did it upset the overall balance, so that the almost holographic imaging of the Alexx Vfx floorstanders remained. Marian Hill, another female pop artist, combines her soulful voice with sparse, bubbling synths and percussive clicks on ‘Differently’, from the _Unusual_ album [Republic Records B0028187-02]. The effect of the Submerge was to send those synths further into the room, making the track seem richer, bouncier, and giving even more of a physical, juddering feel to the lowest notes. **Pulse pounder** PM’s Lab Report [see here] finds the Submerge’s ultimate low-end extension falling short of some, perhaps more cinematically minded, rivals. Subjectively, however, it’s more than adequate for music, and comes into its own with tracks deliberately mixed deep. Jóhann Jóhannsson’s soundtrack to the thriller _Sicario_ [Varèse Sarabande 302067-3698] makes liberal use of low-level effects, particularly the continuous foundation to ‘Alejandro’s Song’, which is almost drone-like beneath the vocal chants. The same composer’s soundscapes for sci-fi flick _Arrival_ [Deutsche Grammophon; 48kHz/24-bit] are even more atmospheric, none more so than ‘Rise’, which delivered bass that shook my chest wall. Seeking even more, I found selecting a modest 3dB boost on the ELF control to be beneficial – though I would certainly recommend steering clear of the full 10dB… Diley Simon’s ‘Bass Maniac’ [Qobuz download] does what it says on the tin. Sticking with the instrumental version, the Alexx Vfx/Submerge pairing disgorged the driving, dance rhythms with slam and speed. This is one of the Wilson Audio sub’s greatest strengths: the ‘stop-on-a-dime’ nature of its sound, not necessarily expected from a ported design, avoids the bloat or overhang of ‘lesser’ subwoofers which can make them a turn off to hi-fi traditionalists. **Floor play** A good example of the Submerge’s foundational impact came with the American blues-meets-African blues of Ry Cooder and Ali Farka Toure’s _Talking Timbuktu_ set [World Circuit WCD 040]. On the languid, dreamy ‘Ai Du’, percussion and kick drum were writ large, beneath the sinewy sounds of bows being drawn across strings. Follow-up track, ‘Diaraby’, leapt into life with its guitar riff appearing from a wide, deep space. On the very subtle end of the scale was Derek And The Dominos’ ‘Layla’ [_…And Other Assorted Love Songs_ ; Polydor 0602507274788], a track the speakers seemed to eat for breakfast without need of the Submerge, effortless covering the widely mixed drumming of Jim Gordon and Carl Radle’s bass. Yet here, with A/B comparisons, it was apparent the Submerge was lowering the floor a little, particularly when it came to the resonant piano that kicks off the track’s now famous coda. **Above:**_The milled T6061 aluminium back plate acts as a heatsink for the Submerge’s internal amp, reaching 48oC at idle. Single-ended (RCA) and balanced (XLR) inputs are fitted below_ One question for owners of Wilson Audio’s speakers, to whom this subwoofer is chiefly aimed, is whether it will make them sound better? On this experience, the answer is a firm yes, as the brand has engineered a subwoofer that has the capacity to augment system performance, but take nothing away. The upright bass on Patricia Barber’s ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’ [_Nightclub_ ; Blue Note 7243 5 27290 2 9], the sudden hits of drums, the jazzy piano lines – it all gained an edge in scale and impact, for a more involving experience. But that leaves another question: are you prepared for the Submerge’s size and industrial design? **Hi-Fi News Verdict** Wilson Audio’s latest subwoofer eschews the parametric EQ, app/remote control and larger driver(s) of the high-end, yet still often more affordable, competition, so its appeal outside of the manufacturer’s existing customer base might be limited. Otherwise, the Submerge’s performance – a heady mix of control, speed, subtlety and slam – plus its best-in-class build quality, is worth celebrating. **Sound Quality: 86%**

Many moons ago I learned about the lack of sense in making predictions, as they usually prove wrong. Despite this I’m happy to posit that we are entering two ‘Golden Ages’. The first appears to be that of superb integrated amps appearing in a flood, including the Marantz Model 10 [_HFN_ Jun ’25], D’Agostino’s Pendulum [_HFN_ Jul ’25] and the Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 600.2 [_HFN_ Aug ’25]. But they are all high-end units. By contrast, the Quad 3 has a list price of only £1249, and it blew me away. Which leads me to the second ‘Golden Age’, and that’s Quad’s renaissance. Following cool lifestyle products like the Vena II Play [_HFN_ May ’20] and the S-1 hybrid ‘ribbon’ speaker for a paltry £479 came the reborn 33 preamp/303 power amp [_HFN_ Jan ’25] at an unbelievable £1199 apiece. Here we are, nine months later and the Quad 3 integrated is an even bigger surprise… and another bargain. **A family affair** Clearly, the price alone is enough to make me stand up and perform a jig. But that’s validated by how fully equipped this wonderful device is. The icing on the cake? A look that tickles my penchant for retro styling, and which answers the question no one has asked – what would have happened if a Quad 22 [see boxout] and Quad 33 had a baby? It starts with the dimensions of only 300x101x332mm (whd), a footprint smaller than an LP sleeve. Lift the Quad 3 and it’s clear there’s a lot of engineering in this baby, thanks to internal heatsinking and a toroidal transformer accounting for its 8kg heft [see inside pic, right]. And yet it is deliciously compact and self-contained, sacrificing nothing save for balanced XLR inputs. Working through its facilities, it was a case of surprise after surprise. **Above:**_Chunky transformer [bottom right] services a PSU [top] for Quad’s Class AB power amp [on heatsink]. USB and wireless PCB [lower left] sits above the ES9038Q2M DAC-based line/preamp. MM phono EQ is tucked away [top left]_ While the front panel seems no more feature-laden than its 1950s forebear, and it lacks the 22’s row of push-buttons, the control element is actually as deceptively loaded as the new 33’s equally clever, equally clean fascia. Five rotary controls dominate, the largest being the volume control. This is surrounded by an illuminated arc of orange-coloured dots that can show you where the control is set from across the room. Press it for mute and it flashes. To the right are dials for source, bass, tilt and balance. Those steeped in Quad-lore will recall the tilt control – a ‘see-saw’ that pivots at 700Hz to bring a broad but subtler change in tone than typically offered by higher-Q bass/treble tone settings. Below these controls, where the 22 had buttons, is an orange-lit display that indicates the selected source, and changes to address each function such as balance, tone/tilt, etc. Beneath the fascia’s front edge are a 6.35mm headphone socket (which mutes the speaker output) and an ‘eye’ for the amp’s IR remote. This seemingly minimalist display belies the plethora of features on offer. It provides information for all the Quad 3’s functions, matched in the comprehensively equipped remote control [see pic, below]. This remote will also operate a forthcoming Quad CD transport, so be aware you need to select the ‘A’ button for ‘amplifier’ if the ‘CD’ button has been pressed by accident. Accessible via the menu, with either the remote or the volume control, are bass and tilt controls; a choice of digital filters [see PM's Lab Report]; adjustment of the digital PLL to accommodate wayward digital sources; and selection of MQA Mode (this must be defeated for the digital filters to work properly). Those with a variety of sources will also appreciate the Quad 3’s sensitivity adjustments for level matching its two line and phono inputs, in 1dB increments to ±6dB. **Digital engine** Also menu-based are volume limiting, tone defeat, five levels of display contrast/brightness, configurable auto standby and 12V triggers, turning text on or off, and factory reset. Connections are self-explanatory, but the rear panel [see p53] does have a few extras beyond the basics. Viewed from the back, at far left are RCA sockets for MM phono plus an earthing post, two line-level inputs, and outputs for using the Quad 3 as a preamp. Next are binding posts accepting spade connectors or banana plugs, followed by a centrally mounted Bluetooth aerial. Quad has engineered an ESS DAC-based digital engine into this little amplifier, hence this and other assorted digital inputs – coaxial, Toslink optical, USB-B and HDMI ARC. LPCM files or streams up to 768kHz/32-bit and DSD512 are accommodated via USB. **Above:**_One MM phono and two line inputs are joined by a preamp output and digital ins across S/PDIF (one optical, one coax), asynchronous USB-B and HDMI ARC. Bluetooth 5.1 (aptX HD) is supported alongside pairs of chunky 4mm speaker sockets_ Quad isn’t simply on a nostalgia trip with the 3’s looks and facilities. It is essential that one absorbs the full import of the bass/tilt features, which do hark back to the early years when Quad was the Acoustical Manufacturing Company. Judiciously used, these controls – like the much-derided ‘loudness’ button of yore – have value if you want to listen late at night and you live in a flat, or if you have odd recordings in need of fine-tuning. Warm-up to what I would consider optimal performance took between 15 and 30 minutes if switched on from cold using the rear panel on/off switch. If left in standby overnight, warm-up is near-instantaneous. My smart meter showed hardly any cost penalty, the front panel light switching off after a few moments. **Hat trick?** Few suitable plays on words with or reference to the number ‘3’ spring to mind, other than this is the third product following the 33 and the 303 which Quad has delivered in under 12 months, all of which are sensational. PM confirmed that the Quad 3 certainly isn’t lacking in power, and it proved a beast when driving stacked LS3/5As. Luckily, LS3/5As cannot survive hammering, so wattage wasn’t an issue. Conversely, it drove Wilson Audio’s The WATT/Puppys [_HFN_ Sep ’24] to ear-worrying levels, exhibiting more than enough slam to make me back off the SPLs. Seriously, there was no obvious break-up when pushing it to an insane volume. Why was I playing at settings exceeding my preferred, sane levels? One album in particular was exploiting the utter brilliance of this amplifier, a CD released in 1985 that I fed it because the great Brian Wilson had recently passed away. I had, apropos of mourning him, recalled Papa Doo Run Run’s sublime _California Project_ [Telarc CD-70501], with its selection of note-for-note cover versions of The Beach Boys’ greatest hits. Okay, it’s an overly dramatic album designed to dazzle people at hi-fi shows, much like the same label’s _1812 Overture_ , featuring those notorious cannons. But if anything would tax the limits of this beer-budget integrated amplifier, it would be The WATT/Puppys with their prodigious bass capability, especially the album’s on-steroids take on ‘Good Vibrations’. But no, the extreme bass extension was not compromised nor was the ultimate impact, mass or scale. Wow, does this amplifier sound huge! **That’s the spirit** Turning to vinyl and the magnificent new edition of Norman Greenbaum’s _Spirit In The Sky_ [Craft CR00893], the Quad 3’s MM phono stage proved to be clean, fast and eerily quiet, rich in dynamic contrasts and with plenty of gain. I also tried it with my much loved Ortofon T5 transformers (please put them back in production!) for a taste of moving-coil playback. Quad’s new amplifier handled the assorted textures in the LP’s title track more than admirably, exhibiting genuine high-end grace. And it balanced the heavy fuzz bass, celestial backing vocals and the track’s massive scale with aplomb. **Above:**_Handy remote grants access to the setup menu as well as input, volume, mute, tone and tilt controls. Other buttons cater to Quad’s forthcoming 3CDT transport_ A bonus for the digitally inclined is how well the Bluetooth and USB options worked. The former found an Android smartphone in seconds, the latter sounding absolutely staggering when playing high-res downloads. Bluetooth isn’t my preferred means of listening, but I admit to sitting there for three hours, Willie Nelson followed by Linda Ronstadt and then ZZ Top, all free from grain or edginess. And with 768kHz/32-bit PCM and native DSD512 handling on offer via that USB input, there was no impeding the talents of my PS Audio PerfectWave transport. **Value added** Incontestably, the Quad 3 proved sensational from the first notes it played. As dazzled as I am by the manufacturer’s 33/303 pre/power set-up, which certainly outperforms this new arrival in terms of absolute finesse and slam, I was flabbergasted repeatedly by the Quad 3’s amazing value for money. From any other maker this would cost much more. To sum up for readers past considering entry-level gear, the compact Quad 3 would be ideal as the heart of one’s first music system, or perhaps a second set-up in a study or kitchen. Match it with Quad’s S1 loudspeakers (which it loved), a turntable in the £500-£1000 region, or a similarly-priced CD transport or streamer, and the Quad 3 integrated won’t disappoint. If anything, it will enthral. **Hi-Fi News Verdict** What can I say? Quad’s 3 changes the landscape for integrated amplifiers at this price point. It does everything you could want – for analogue _and_ digital – and it acts like it has twice the power it possesses. It looks fabulous, the build quality is exceptional, and the outlay is exactly the same you’d have paid 60 years ago for a Quad 22/II stereo set-up. Quad doesn’t practice inflation – this amplifier is deflation taken form! **Sound Quality: 89%**

Timed to coincide with its 85th anniversary, Nagaoka is launching the MP-700 as the new flagship model of its longstanding MP series. Sidestepping the usual cartridge question – is it moving-magnet or moving-coil? – by answering ‘moving-permalloy’, this range is already well established. Until recently it topped out with the venerable £799 MP-500 [_HFN_ Jan ’23], which was introduced about fifteen years ago, yet the MP line is even older than that, dating back to 1979 and itself based on earlier cartridges from the company. To this day Nagaoka remains a family concern and one of the largest manufacturers of stylus tips worldwide. It’s not hard to see why the introduction of this cartridge is considered an important milestone. **Legacy looks** This sense of tradition is writ large with the MP-700, as it retains the iconic square MP design and brandishes a gold-coloured Nagaoka inscription on the front. Internally, of course, the mechanism features a series of refinements, but like all other Nagaoka pick-ups, the MP-700 is still completely built by hand in Japan. This is no heavyweight cartridge, coming in at a mere 8g. That’s a slight increase on the MP-500 (7.8g), possibly due to the cartridge frame being made here from rigid ultra-duralumin. Nagaoka further applies a triple-layer finish to the shielded chassis, consisting of nickel plating coated with black tin and a protective insulating layer to top it off. This not only makes the cartridge durable and look the part but is also intended to resist the build-up of a static charge. **Making gains** The MP generator uses a lightweight permalloy element attached to a boron cantilever. This terminates in a nude microridge diamond that should make for a nimble and reactive stylus see boxout], and its responsiveness is further improved by a very soft damper, which is stabilised by a suspension wire as part of the pivot system. This is one of the major improvements in the MP-700, underscoring the promise of rail-like tracking – a claim borne out in [[see PM's Lab Report]. **Above:**_The moving-permalloy’s suspension is designed to centre the boron cantilever when tracking at 1.4g. The microridge stylus is cemented into position_ While moving-permalloy is touted as marrying the best of MM and MC cartridge types, the MP-700 doesn’t come cheap at £1149. At that price it’s competing with entry-level ‘high-end’ MCs, and as moving-coil is habitually seen by audiophiles as the ne plus ultra of cartridge technology, this might be a serious disadvantage. However, MP does have some real upsides – next to sonic performance – that give the Nagaoka pick-up an edge. For one, in terms of loading it essentially mirrors MM behaviour. A required load impedance of 47kohm means you can connect a turntable fitted with this cartridge to virtually all integrated amplifiers with a standard phono input (although, with a device of this quality, investing in a separate phono preamp probably is a wise idea). Another benefit of Nagaoka’s design is that its stylus can be replaced, at a price, with the brand’s JN-P700. That takes away the anxiety lingering in the background when dealing with expensive MC carts, where a moment’s lapse can lead to a catastrophic – and costly – outcome. Like the MP-500, the MP-700 is offered as a standalone cartridge or in a premium ‘H’-package (£1249) pre-mounted on a Nagaoka headshell with SME-style connector. I have no complaints about the presentation of this bundle – it arrives in a neat box, with the cartridge and headshell presented under a transparent plastic dome. This is another trademark of the brand and handy if you want to exchange the MP-700 with another cartridge/headshell when the fancy takes, as you can place the unused cart safely in the see-through box and proudly show it off. However, it’s worth noting that Nagaoka has opted for a hefty headshell design arguably less suited to the tonearms seen on many contemporary turntables. Using a Technics SL-1200GR2 [_HFN_ Sep ’24], with its 9g effective mass tonearm, I elected to install the MP-700 in the lighter Technics headshell instead. This made it a good deal easier to set the 1.4g tracking force, for one, without having to resort to employing extra counterweights. I also needed to unshackle the MP-700 from the bundled headshell when I took the cartridge for a spin in a Pro-Ject X2 B [_HFN_ Sep ’22], this turntable having a typical Pro-Ject carbon tonearm upon which the cartridge is directly fixed. Setting up the MP-700 is not particularly difficult. In common with many Audio-Technica as well as Nagaoka pick-ups, it has non-threaded mounting holes with a convenient opening to the side. Everyone has their preferred technique for securing cartridges, but I find this construction makes connection to the headshell effortless. The fatter pins at the rear of the MP-700 might make attaching them to headshells with thinner cables and lugs a little trickier, but the square shape and design of the chassis otherwise makes for easy alignment. **Most pleasurable** Calling any piece of hi-fi equipment an ‘all-rounder’ might seem something of a copout or, alternatively, a diplomatic way to say ‘jack of all trades, but master of none’. That’s not the case with Nagaoka’s MP-700. This is a very capable cartridge on multiple fronts – equally proficient at extracting complex music from your vinyl as delivering subtle treble detail, and so much more. There’s a rich and detailed low-end performance on offer, as I experienced with the Technics SL-1200GR2 hooked up to Musical Fidelity’s superb M8x Vinyl phono stage [_HFN_ Mar ’25], and with Primare PRE35 and A35.2 amplifiers [_HFN_ Dec ’19] driving a pair of Monitor Audio Gold 300 6G loudspeakers [_HFN_ Oct ’24]. **Above:**_The JN-P700 stylus assembly is held securely in place but the cartridge mounting lugs are open, requiring bolts and nuts. Some users still prefer this to fully enclosed and threaded holes_ In the eyes of many enthusiasts, Technics decks and Nagaoka cartridges go together like strawberries and cream (or sushi and wasabi) but in the case of the MP-700 there is an additional serendipitous connection. Stalwart Matsushita engineer Tetsuya ‘Tony’ Itani [_HFN_ Jun ’18] joined Nagaoka once he retired as Chief Technical Officer at Technics and Panasonic, after a career working on several milestone products [including its debut SL-P10 CD player, _HFN_ Jul ’83 and Oct ’12] and being instrumental in the ‘revival’ of the Technics brand a decade ago. **Tasty tunes** A fulsome low end is not this cartridge’s lone strength, but it is one that was immediately noticeable when I started playing the second song from Billie Eilish’s _Hit Me Hard And Soft_ [Interscope 602465223651]. Despite this track’s evident compression, the detail the MP-700 found in the bass guitar during ‘LUNCH’ transformed it from simple low-frequency sounds to precisely defined notes and slides played on a real instrument. Criticism of the quality of this pressing notwithstanding, at least the MP-700 tracked its grooves impeccably. Nagaoka’s flagship really came into its own with The Horace Silver Quartet’s _Song For My Father_ [Blue Note ST-46548], which remains a perennial Blue Note favourite. Again, there was that rich, weighty foundation to the sound, but here it was joined by superb midrange separation. During the jazz standard title track, with its very recognisable vamp, Carmell Jones’ trumpet and Joe Henderson’s alto-sax sounded beautifully organic and vivid – even when they played in unison. The MP-700’s resolving ability ensured Silver’s nimble background piano playing wasn’t overshadowed, despite it sounding just a bit thin, as recorded. Meanwhile, it didn’t falter with the rapid tempo and percussive flourishes of the same album’s ‘The Natives Are Restless Tonight’, as even the highest notes on the alto-sax sounded smooth, but never stressed. Enjoyable stuff! **Complete picture** One of Nagaoka’s goals for the MP-700 was an improved high frequency performance. As my subjective listening and [see PM's Lab Report] confirms, its engineers can pat themselves on the back. The finessed treble presentation of this cart is especially noticeable in recordings that have a spatial quality, but equally it plays its part in delivering the complete picture of orchestral pieces. After I had swapped out Pro-Ject’s MC9 for the Nagaoka cartridge on the X2 B deck, there was a notable – and rewarding – shift from intense HF detail to a sound that was smoother but still not lacking in resolution. Yes, the MP-700 superbly communicated the attack and fizz of the military band’s drums and brass in ‘Overture’ on Maurice Jarre’s _Lawrence Of Arabia_ soundtrack [The Soundtrack Factory, SF 579412]. But just as impressive was the flowing, sweet character of the strings during ‘Main Title’, as it veered between playful portions and the sweeping romantic movement that calls to mind the windswept desert vistas of David Lean’s epic film. **Above:**_Well spaced and clearly colour-coded cartridge pins make for a secure connection with your headshell leads. The standard of construction and finish is superb, as is the cantilever alignment_ Arguably even more striking was the delicate quality of the flutes and strings in the first Morning movement of Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt-Suite Nr.1, heard here on Deutsche Grammophon’s ‘The Original Source’ recording of the Berliner Philharmoniker/Von Karajan [DG TOS 00289 486 6123]. **Full lilt** As anyone who is familiar with this Grieg suite can attest, Nr.1 starts in a very low-key vein, giving the MP-700 no orchestral fireworks to hide behind. But that doesn’t matter, as its rendition of the lilting melodies and gentle tempo was smooth, detailed and full-bodied – and utterly thrilling in its own way. File this Nagaoka flagship under ‘musical’. **Hi-Fi News Verdict** The MP-700 is an exceptional achievement by the Nagaoka team. An evolution of the widely respected MP-500 has been a long time coming, but it’s certainly been worth the wait. Offering grand dynamics, excellent detail and superb tracking, the MP-700 builds on the brand’s ‘moving-permalloy’ generator, realising a highly versatile cartridge. It’s now the one to beat at this price point. **Sound Quality: 91%**

Given that Michell Engineering is not exactly known for its breakneck pace in launching new models, the announcement of a new product at the beginning of 2025 got many a vinyl fan’s pulse racing. With the wraps now off, Michell marks a return to electronics manufacturing in the form of the new £3500 Apollo phono preamp with its matching Muse power supply. Audio electronics is nothing new for Michell, although its heyday for pre, power and phono amps was back in the 1980s and ’90s. The Delphini was its last phono stage before electronics manufacturing stopped in 2001 when founder, John Michell, fell ill [see boxout]. After this, the Delphini’s designer, Graham Fowler, continued to make the preamplifier for a number of years under his Trichord Research brand. Graham was a major player in most of Michell’s electronic designs and, as is often the case in hi-fi, the situation has now come full circle. How? Because the Apollo and Muse were born of Trichord’s Neo phono stage and CM-PSU pairing, unveiled in 2024 but never put into production. The Apollo and Muse leverage the Neo’s design, but Michell has put its own stamp on the product. **Pick-up partner** There’s a good range of adjustments here to suit a wide selection of cartridge models. Gains of 40dB, 50dB, 60dB, 68dB and 73dB are specified, though these values turn out to be a little understated [see PM's Lab Report]. As a result, Michell claims the Apollo will suit cartridges from standard MMs down to the very lowest output MCs. Resistive load settings of 33, 100, 430, 1k and 47kohm can be dialled up but capacitance is fixed at 100pF, so cannot be tweaked to adjust the high-frequency response of particular moving-magnet cartridges. Changes to all settings are made via the usual infernal DIP switches, but at least Michell supplies a little widget to assist you. Options are screen printed on the Apollo’s base in an ink colour that’s easy to read against the black case paint. Both chassis are beautifully machined, the brass ‘Michell’ badges are a stylish touch, and I was pleased to note that their power LEDs are white and subtle in their illumination – a welcome respite from the brilliant blue lighthouses that still adorn much of today’s electronics. **Above:**_Inside the Muse linear PSU with discrete rectification and regulation, feeding 2x DC supplies to the Apollo_ Connectivity is basic – just two pairs of unbalanced RCAs are provided for the turntable input and equalised line output. An earth terminal is fitted and the only other connector is the 5-pin PSU socket. Specifically, the Muse PSU is a linear design based around an encapsulated toroidal transformer with discrete diodes for rectification, capacitance multiplier circuitry and low-noise regulators to generate a very stable DC feed. The Muse’s ±24V DC output is then passed to the Apollo phono stage, which includes further DC regulation to ensure a low-impedance, very low noise supply for the highest value gain blocks. To aid in this, the PSU and phono stage are encased in full metal enclosures that act like a Faraday cage, providing comprehensive screening. The clamshell cases are machined from solid aluminium and fit securely together with no gaskets to interrupt the metal-on-metal contact. Even the DIP switches underneath (more on this...) have a screw-on metal cover to maintain full enclosure shielding once they have been set. DC power is transferred between the two boxes using a proprietary cable. This uses silver-plated OFC conductors, Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP) insulation, plus aluminium foil and Mylar separators for screening. Michell simply states that the cable is manufactured by a partner in the UK but the mention of ‘High Quality ChorAlloy Plated XLR Connectors’ reveals the supplier – The Chord Company. **Above:**_Inside the Apollo can be found additional regulation [left], switchable loading and gain [top right], and RIAA network [right]_ The Apollo’s passive RIAA eq network is sandwiched between multiple gain blocks. All capacitors are individually measured and paired to achieve the best channel matching, and carefully applied feedback in each stage ensures stability, consistency and low noise. The IC op-amps are THAT Corporation 1512 and Texas Instruments Burr-Brown OPA1656 types – both optimised for audio use. **Put it in neutral** With the Apollo and Muse pairing connected to my regular Yamaha C-5000/ M-5000 amplifiers [_HFN_ Aug ’20] and fed by a Michell Gyro SE [_HFN_ May ’99], SME 309 tonearm [_HFN_ Aug ’89], and both Clearaudio MC Essence [_HFN_ Aug ’17] and Ortofon 2M Black [_HFN_ Mar ’11] cartridges, I soon discovered these units are very worthy of the Michell name – and a fine partner for the company’s vinyl spinners. What I loved about the Apollo from the start is that it is a fundamentally neutral performer. We’ve all heard phono stages that lend some of their own character to the music and while, very often, this isn’t any less enjoyable, I’d still always choose one that sounds like it’s neither adding nor taking away. The Apollo really scores here – it’s the proverbial window onto the music and the source. For the same reasons, my choice of Ortofon MM and Clearaudio MC cartridges is driven by their individual balance of qualities, ones that I greatly appreciate. The Apollo amp did nothing to deflect from this, but was also very effective at highlighting the essential differences between the two cartridges. The 2M Black offers a little extra sparkle while the MC Essence wafts some extra warmth and richness across the midband. Not every phono stage will reveal these character traits, but the Apollo didn’t miss a thing. The unit lets your chosen cartridge shine, whatever its sonic temperament. **Home sweet home** Its flat low-frequency response also pays dividends in deep bass performance, though it will also let any record warp or arm/cartridge subsonics escape into your amp and speakers. I detected no sonic issues, though I’ll admit to seeing the bass drivers of my loudspeakers getting something of a workout when spinning less than perfectly flat pressings. **Above:**_A single MM/MC input and equalised output are offered on RCAs while the external Muse PSU [right] connects via a 5-pin socket and screened umbilical_ The upside is obvious, though – lots of lovely bass and plenty of detail and impact. The bassline on ‘I’ll Take You Home’, from The Silvertones’ _Silver Bullets_ LP [Trojan Records 538389851], romped along heartily, driving the track forward with weight and gusto. Each note was rich, rounded and beautifully separated from its neighbours. If you like music with propulsive rhythms then you need to audition the Apollo – I can’t think of much else that comes close at the price. Fortunately the Apollo is not a one-trick pony, so if you’re not into Jamaican harmonic reggae it’s good to know it’ll also beguile with more relaxed material. Hans Theessink’s _Live At Jazzland_ album [Sommelier du Son SDS 0016-1] is a very different prospect, being the man himself recorded live with his acoustic guitar in Vienna’s Jazzland venue, while benefitting from precious little accompaniment. However, as the sleeve notes point out, Theessink is a ‘foot tapper’ and this was clear to hear through the Michell phono stage. Tracks such as the slide-guitar-heavy ‘Minibelle’ were underpinned by a subtle yet solid beat, with everything seeming perfectly timed. **Painting a picture** Another notable aspect of the Apollo’s rendition of Theessink’s set was the sense of atmosphere and space in the recording. Again, the phono stage wasn’t performing sonic somersaults by throwing things far and wide. The impression was that I was seeing a brilliantly accurate ‘picture’ of the venue – nothing more, nothing less. Consequently, the baritoned bluesman appeared positioned within an authentic three-dimensional space, whereas a more modern recording, like ‘People Do Bad Things’ from The Ting Tings’ _Home_ album [Wonderful Records WRLP01], sounded clean and pleasingly detailed, but rather flat and two-dimensional in depth perspective. This is how this pressing sounds, though, so the Apollo was not attempting to gild the lily. **Above:**_Separate L/R DIP switches enable user-selectable loading (33, 100, 430 and 1kohm for MC and 47kohm for MM) alongside 40dB, 50dB (MM) and 60dB, 68dB and 73dB (MC) gain options_ Give it something a little more polished to work with and the Apollo’s performance blossoms. ‘Magic Smile’, from Rosie Vela’s 1986 _Zazu_ album [A&M records AMA5016], filled the space between and around my loudspeakers, skipping along with an intoxicating delicacy and lightness even as Jimmy Haslip’s bassline drove it along with precision and rock-solid timing. Donald Fagen’s synthesisers were rounded, warm and precise. **Message received** Here’s the thing: during my audition of the Apollo I didn’t find one LP that came even close to unsettling its even-handed performance. This phono amp has an uncanny knack of finding the beauty buried in the murky depths of poor recordings, while affecting an ease in capturing absolutely everything to be found in higher-quality pressings. Seldom have I heard the soft but insistent electronic percussion effects in Lanterns on the Lake’s ‘Lungs Quicken’ [_Gracious Tide, Take Me Home_ ; Bella Union BELLAV300] remain quite so prominent. Usually they are something that you hear and then tend to gloss over, but the Apollo refused to let this happen. It will have you rapt, relishing every detail within a recording, while never relaxing its grip on the overall musical message. **Hi-Fi News Verdict** The Apollo phono stage and Muse PSU mark a welcome return to electronics design for Michell. Exquisitely engineered, this pairing is a fitting partner for the company’s turntables and turns in a captivating performance by taking your chosen cartridge and making sure that its character shines through. Don’t let the Apollo’s compact dimensions and elegant casework fool you – this is one heavyweight performer. **Sound Quality: 89%**

Is Technics trying to recreate its phonographic glory days of the 1970s? Back then, its catalogues were filled with 10-15 different models, while the arrival of the new £2799 SL-1300G turntable takes the current tally to seven across DJ, Grand Class, Premium Class and Reference Class ranges, plus the odd limited edition. So, the modern day Technics brand is inching closer! The SL-1300G is positioned in the middle of the Grand Class line, above the £1800 SL-1200GR2 [_HFN_ Sep ’24] and below the £4000 SL-1200G with which it, and the flagship SP-10R, share the same coreless, dual-rotor direct-drive motor. The SL-1300G also incorporates a similar alloy top-plate and BMC chassis structure to the SP-10R (though that top model is not equipped with Technics’ new Delta-Sigma motor drive technology) and is fitted with the same S-shaped, alloy tonearm as the SL-1200GR2. Missing on this new model, however, are all the DJ appendages, including the pop-up stylus illumination lamp, the pitch slider and platter strobe markings. No loss to the audiophile... **Better by design** Working your way through Technics’ comprehensive catalogue makes more sense if you separate the company’s models into ‘DJ’ and ‘domestic’ styles. There has always been a clear progression from the SL-1200Mk7 to the SL-1200GR2 and SL-1200G in the former category, while the domestic models now have the same ascendency from the SL-100C, to the SL-1500C, the SL-1300G and the SL-1000R. Nevertheless, Technics typically approaches the release of each deck on the basis of achieving incremental, marginal gains. In this instance, it’s Technics’ 4th generation direct-drive motor electronics, debuted in the SL-1200GR2, that gives the ’1300G its edge. The technology behind this proprietary Delta-Sigma/PWM motor controller can be traced back to Panasonic’s JENO Engine (Jitter Elimination and Noise-Shaping Optimisation) digital amplification we described in our review of the SE-R1 power amp [_HFN_ Feb ’15]. **Above:**_Cast alloy platter has a brass disc bolted on top and then damped by a rubber mat. The coreless direct-drive DC motor was debuted in the original SL-1200G model but is powered by a new digital PWM amplifier in the SL-1300G_ The Delta-Sigma Drive is a digital feedback system that monitors and corrects the platter’s speed via a PWM DAC and amplifier. Technics has taken care to remove the ultrasonic (switching) noise just as it filters both high- and low-frequency noise from its innovative, multi-stage switch mode power supply. Technics claims all this ‘reduces minor rotational inaccuracies and minute vibrations to improve sound image localisation’. Obviously, high torque is a given but the SL-1300G has flexibility here, as three different torque levels can be user-selected by a button beneath the platter. The deck is delivered factory-set to the highest torque and speeds of 33.3rpm, 45rpm and 78rpm are available. **Bold as brass** The new multi-part platter comprises a cast alloy main section with a rubber layer beneath and 2mm-thick brass top plate above. During production, every platter is individually dynamically balanced for optimal rotational stability and is physically bolted to the top of the motor/rotor so that no slippage can occur. A rubber mat is supplied as a final damping layer and an ‘interface’ between the vinyl LP and the platter’s brass surface. The alloy-tubed tonearm is a traditional S-shaped design and comprises high-precision gimbal bearings contained in a sturdy bearing housing. Tracking force is applied via a calibrated counterweight [see PM's Lab Report] and bias by a spring using a rotary dial. The VTA adjustment ring offers a useful 6mm arm height adjustment range, and the manual gives recommended VTA scale settings for a range of physical cartridge heights. The deck’s plinth consists of a die-cast aluminium upper section on top of a Technics BMC (Bulk Moulding Compound) base, with new support ribs between motor and tonearm mount. The feet feature silicone rubber damping and are adjustable for levelling. The whole thing feels sturdy and very well made, with the only slight hiccup being the tonearm’s cueing device – although well damped, the lever feels flimsy and it’s occasionally reluctant to stay in the ‘up’ position. The deck is available in both black and silver but, unusually, the black version is not given the expected ‘SL-1310G’ moniker. Finally, a special mention must go to the packaging, which is a work of art. It even folds into a nifty setup stand for the deck, supporting it at the rear to aid the user’s grappling with mains and signal sockets, which are tucked underneath. **Maximum impact** Switching between Ortofon Cadenza Black and Clearaudio MC Essence [_HFN_ Aug ’17] pick-ups was very easy thanks to the SL-1300G’s detachable headshell. In both cases, with my usual Yamaha C-5000/M-5000 amplifiers [_HFN_ Aug ’20] in tow, the SL-1300G extracted the best from both with its inherently neutral and rock-solid (pitch stable) performance. Anyone clinging to the fanciful notion that Technics’ modern direct-drives are simply warmed-over versions of the old SL1200Mk2 need to ready themselves to be proved very wrong. The SL-1300G is a delight across the board. Now free of the motor cogging that bedevilled early direct-drive designs, it offers an insight and clarity rarely encountered with belt-driven decks. The soundstage isn’t emphatically wide, but the turntable still serves up a ‘big’ presentation as a result of the separation it offers throughout the frequency range. **Focus group** Performers, whether vocal or instrumental, were beautifully delineated and easy to focus on. However, the SL-1300G also pulled these parts together into a satisfying whole. This is a neat trick, because it allows you to listen into a particular aspect or sit back and enjoy the overall performance – and it’s surprising how few turntables are able to pull this off convincingly. As a result, Kari Bremnes’ voice on the slow and contemplative verses of ‘Zarepta’ [_You’d Have To Be Here_ ; Indigo 2929-1] had a husky intimacy and an exquisite sense of focus in front of the backing instruments. Then, when Nils Petter Molvaer’s trumpet joined in, it seemed to hover right in front of me. This sense of palpable realism was something I last encountered on a turntable with a price tag ten times that of the SL-1300G. **Right you are** Although most noticeable in its open, clear treble, the purity offered by the SL-1300G extends throughout the frequency range. Its midrange delivery is rich and clean and makes things sound eminently ‘right’. Be it the unerringly vivid plucks of the guitar strings backing Siobhan Miller on ‘The Ramblin’ Rover’ from her _Strata_ album [Songprint Recordings SPR001LP], or the sublimely judged weight of the piano key strikes made by Laufey on the live version of ‘Valentine’ [AWAL Recordings LAULPOOV4], Technics’ turntable brought an immediacy and presence to everything. And of course, the SL-1300G utilises direct-drive technology so it would be reasonable to expect its low-frequency handling to be in the top drawer. Once again, the deck easily surpasses expectations, its bass performance sounding little short of breathtaking at times. And it doesn’t do this through any false sense of artifice, or by appearing to turn the lows up to 11. **Above:**_RCA output sockets and a knurled ground connection are fitted under the rear of the SL-1300G’s chassis. These are a little fiddly to access..._ Yes, if there is deep bass to be heard – acoustic or electronic – then this Technics turntable will let you know, but its trump card is the level of precision, texture and speed that it confers on the low octaves. The chunky synthesised bass notes that propel the choruses of Chappell Roan’s ‘Pink Pony Club’ [_The Rise & Fall Of A Midwest Princess_; Island Records 00602465983333] simply arrived, pounded my ears and then departed. There was no hint of bloat, overhang or hesitancy from the SL-1300G, just properly controlled notes with a rich vein of warmth running through them. **Ace of clubs** Experimenting with the different torque settings on the motor revealed subtle but audible changes. The lower settings made the deck’s performance a little cosier and, dare I say it, more ‘belt-drive’ sounding. Yet I found they also had a limiting effect on sheer clarity, introducing a slight blurring to the leading edges of notes – enough to convince me that the factory-set maximum setting is the one to go for. It was in this set-up that Technics’ SL-1300G proved ready to recreate your favourite nightclub if you want it to. The original mix of ‘Drifting Away’ by Lange featuring Skye [Virgin VCRT101] – on 12in single of course – punched riotously from my loudspeakers and turned my corner of Hampshire into a little bit of Ibiza for ten minutes or so. It was energetic, dynamic, and thrilling. If you’re going to do this, though, please remember that moving-coil cartridges really don’t take kindly to back-cueing... **Hi-Fi News Verdict** The SL-1300G is a very fine addition to Technics’ turntable portfolio. It offers exceptional sound quality wrapped up in a slick package that’s both superbly made and a joy to use. Compared to the SL-1200G/GR2 models, the SL-1300G’s stripped-down feature set makes it less appealing to budding DJs but, for audiophiles, the results speak for themselves. Horses for courses then, but we know which runner we’re backing! **Sound Quality: 91%**

A wish fulfilled? I have already admitted in an ‘Off The Leash’ column [_HFN_ May ’24] that, among the products I’ve never owned, I ‘lusted after’ an AirTight amplifier. So this review was accompanied by more than the usual sense of expectation, this legendary amplifier already relaunched last year as the 2024 Edition, but now officially called the ATM-1e (£8295). This is the third incarnation of the artisanal Japanese brand’s cornerstone stereo ‘power amp’, though as it’s equipped with separate left-and-right gain controls, it’s best described as a very minimalist integrated model. All ATM-1 versions [see boxout] have possessed this crucial feature, lifting them above the level of a basic power amplifier and allowing the purist to use a fixed output source without an intermediate preamplifier. Also, while the new ATM-1e might have lost the option of running two signal inputs, that’s not necessarily a deal-breaker even if the buyer plans to eschew a separate, active preamplifier. As a workaround for multiple sources in such situations, I maintain a couple of Akai DS-5 passive tape deck selectors which up the input count by four. More appropriately for this review, I also fired up the now-legendary AirTight ATL-10A Line Controller, the company’s passive preamp with remote volume control. Note to AirTight: please bring it back! **Tube tuning** One other feature separates the ATM-1e from many basic stereo amplifiers, and that’s the fine-tune tube bias facility. A rotary on the front panel selects each EL34, the ‘off’ position being the operational mode for playback, and each tube is accompanied by a set screw that the user adjusts while monitoring the new ‘edgewise’ meter. The correct operating area is clearly marked, and you simply dial in the bias until the needle rests within it. Yutaka Miura, AirTight’s MD, told _HFN_ that while the new model ‘has a visual appearance reminiscent of the original ATM-1’, it’s a complete redesign aiming for ‘the best combination of circuit, construction, parts selection, and sonic performance. The ATM-1 and ATM-1s were developed by Mr. Ishiguro and my father, Atsushi Miura [AirTight’s co-founders] while the ATM-1e was developed by Kiyoshi Hamada, Yoshihiro Hayashiguchi and myself’. For the new amp Tamura output transformers were specified and are terminated on the rear in two sets of 4mm cable binding posts, labelled ‘High’ and ‘Low’ for nominal 8ohm and 4ohm loads, respectively. When upgrading the ATM-1s to become the ATM-1e, the team pursued an improved signal-to-noise ratio, wider bandwidth, a higher damping factor, easier-to-adjust tube bias, and greater reliability. But it remains a classic Leak-Mullard type push-pull/ultralinear amplifier and inspired, in part, by the original Marantz Model 9. It’s also a reminder that the EL34 was once the industry’s go-to valve, before the rash of KT90, ’100, ’120, ’150s, etc, took over. **Gentle giant** Unsurprisingly, the ATM-1e shares the same 2x35W power rating from its pairs of EL34s as many classic tube amps – arguably the ‘sweet spot’ for valve amplifiers. However, because clipping is gentle rather than abrupt, the latter a characteristic of many solid-state amps, the ATM-1e sounds louder than you’d expect, as a blast through my Wilson Audio The WATT/Puppys [_HFN_ Sep ’24] clearly demonstrated. Although many amplifiers were fitted with EL34s in the past, Miura-san says there are ‘surprisingly few’ high-end products currently using them. ‘We think this has something to do with the fact that EL34 push-pull amplifiers were once so common and thought to be “nothing special” for a while. We feel that the EL34 has excellent characteristics that build a solid sound structure with “penetrating power”.’ **Above:**_Fine bias adjustment for the EL34 tubes [top right], and metering [mid right], seen alongside copper-plated boards with meticulous point-to-point wiring. L/R ‘attenuators’ are actually high-quality ALPs volume pots [top left]_ This affinity for the EL34 is the basis of the development concept for the ATM-1e as ‘redefining the EL34 push-pull amplifier in the AirTight style’, a process begun in 2015. Says Miura-san, ‘The world of audio has changed significantly since 2006 when the ATM-1s was launched. AirTight’s traditional policy was “enjoying music” so we felt the need to redefine the EL34 as we aimed for a wide soundfield and a full-bodied, dignified sound with the new edition’. Exquisite construction and finish are qualities that render me enamoured of AirTight. The chassis structure here is a monocoque type, while the power supply section features substantial choke regulation. The circuit board is fashioned on a copper plate [see p68], and the company hand-builds each amplifier, as I witnessed when visiting its facility in Osaka [_HFN_ Aug ’13]. Although the ATM-1e is sufficiently compact at 365x225x305mm (whd), it still weighs a chunky 21.5kg, reflecting the substantial nature of the unit – even if that sounds rather like tyre-kicking. **Tighten up** So self-explanatory is the ATM-1e that you can have it up and running without ever looking at the owner’s manual. Aside from adjusting the two volume controls (which also allow you to fine-tune the balance if needed), and periodically checking the bias, there’s nothing else to do other than connect speakers to the multi-way binding posts and insert the signal cables into the RCA sockets. Note that AirTight will change the phono sockets to (unbalanced) XLRs and the 8ohm speaker terminals can be configured for 16ohm loudspeaker loads. There is one caveat to remember, also noted by PM: while the ATM-1e warms up relatively quickly and has no extended switch-on mute period à la Audio Research and others, it needs a solid half-hour to really sing. I can’t say my ears are so sensitive as to have detected the increase in level of 0.3dB measured by PM [see PM's Lab Report], but I could hear improvements in every parameter, the amplifier ‘opening up’ as it settled down. I seem to recall this as a typical characteristic of the EL34 tube, so AirTight is blameless of making you wait. **Old meets new** Having recently spent time with a few vintage amps employing EL34s, purely by coincidence, I was primed for a blast from the past rather than a sonic affinity with amps running beefier KT120s or KT150s. Would this wonderful amp, its forebear born at the exact midpoint in hi-fi history, remind me of the Dynaco Stereo 70 or perhaps my beloved Radfords? The answer is ‘Yes’… and ‘No’, because AirTight has delivered what it promised, which is a method of respecting the classic sound of the ‘Golden Age’ while also managing the expectations of today. Despite starting out with The Beatles’ remastered mono LPs for a whiff of the era when EL34s ruled, I was soon enlightened by the realisation that this was no exercise in mere nostalgia. Yes, the sound ‘bloomed’ in a way necessary to reconstruct the sensation when mono Beatles LPs were first played in 1963-1968 (at least, for those with hi-fi systems and not Dansettes). But this discernible ‘warmth’ is no play on words vis-à-vis valves. The ATM-1e sounds positively human. On ‘You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away’ from _Help_ [Parlophone PMC1255], John Lennon’s voice emerged richer than what might be expected of, say, hyper-clinical solid-state amps. It was utterly grain-free yet equally the vocals were so convincingly textured that it almost sounded like a different – and indeed better – recording or pressing than what I was conditioned to hear after a lifetime of owning an original LP. **Bassey bass** In contrast to Lennon’s voice, the absolute clarity of Shirley Bassey’s pipes was rendered just as vividly, even though there were no laryngeal textures per se to reproduce. What distracted me from Bassey’s singing, however, were the massive orchestral arrangements. The remastered James Bond theme _Diamonds Are Forever_ in the _Dame Shirley Bassey – The Singer_ CD set [Strawberry Records QCR3JAM31] showed how deep and wide was the soundstage Miura-san and his team had hoped to construct. **Above:**_Single stereo (RCA) inputs are joined by 4mm speaker terminals with 8ohm (High) and 4ohm (Low) taps_ Within this soundstage, and for that matter within the mono central image of The Beatles’ tracks, were low-level details retrieved so comprehensively and with such easy discernibility that I could have sworn I was hearing nuances which had previously escaped me. This attested to a transparency which wouldn’t shame a high-power solid-state amplifier of impeccable pedigree. As valve-like as the ATM-1e is in its virtues, it does not pander to the peccadillos of the past, endearing though they are to tube devotees. **Bang the drum** Ultimately, what convinced me that the AirTight ATM-1e is more than the sum of its parts was monumental bass from an all-but-forgotten demo-worthy CD, Clannad’s 1989 compilation _Pastpresent_ [BMG PD74074]. Naturally, the gorgeous vocals showed off the ATM-1e’s super-sweet, sibilance-free top-end. But I was not prepared for the room-filling mass of the opening of ‘White Fool’, almost Kodō-like in its grandeur. Then I remembered: AirTight is Japanese. Who better to deal with the drums of giants? **Hi-Fi News Verdict** AirTight’s ATM-1e ticks every box defining a stereo tube power amplifier of true usability and practicality, with a price reflected in superb perceived value. If there truly is a category for ‘entry-level high-end’, this fits the bill. It’s an artisanal amp offering exceptional musicality, more than sufficient power and – if this matters to you as it does to me – shameless pride of ownership. Pride may be a sin, but if so, then sin on, sinners. **Sound Quality: 89%**

_There’s much more to Boulez than the abrasive provocateur, says Peter Quantrill, as he picks out highlights from a life’s work driven by an ambition to fuse poetry and music_ There were a lot of angry young men (and women) after the Second World War. Think (in cultural terms) of Vladimir and Estragon, waiting for Godot, and Lucky’s climactic outburst of babble; of Francis Bacon, and his anguished Crucifixion figures; of Rossellini’s _Rome, Open City_. Pop offered three minutes of escapism. Meanwhile Pierre Boulez [pictured top left with pianist Roger Woodward] and his fellow students at the Paris Conservatoire were finding their feet in a new and desolate world. Boulez was angry about more than the war. He had escaped the family home in Montbrison, near Lyon, and his engineer father’s wish for his son to follow in his footsteps. ‘Our parents were strong’, Boulez later said of himself and his sister, ‘but finally we were stronger’. You don’t need the help of Dr. Freud to see that he was in the mood to slay some demons. He behaved ‘like a flayed lion’, recalled his teacher at the Conservatoire, Olivier Messiaen. **Creative fury** None of which would amount to much if Boulez, like Beckett and Bacon, had not the technique as well as the imagination to pour his creative fury into forms which shook and split, but contained such strength of expression. Boulez might have lacked the phenomenal keyboard agility of his fellow student Yvonne Loriod, but he could play all right, and he had by then inhaled the poetry of Charles Baudelaire and Stéphane Mallarmé, the symbolists and surrealists. **Above:**_Sleeve of Warner Music’s box set of Pierre Boulez’s recordings for French classical label Erato, from 1966-1992_ Their oblique, comic-tragic take on the world seems to have lit the fire in Boulez’s mind, of a music which could translate their images and ideas into sound. He called it ‘Organised Delirium’. This fire was then further fanned by witnessing the elderly Antonin Artaud, inventor of the ‘Theatre of Cruelty’, deliver one of his trademark, spittle-flecked rants against the world. **Fired up** The immediate product of this delirium was Boulez’s _Second Piano Sonata_ (1947-8), which became a byword for uncompromising modernism, especially once Maurizio Pollini had applied his diamond-tipped pianism to it for Deutsche Grammophon in 1976. And if the violence of the Sonata feels like a _ne plus ultra_ of complexity, so it was for Boulez – just as Strauss had to write _Elektra_ and then move on. It’s true that in Schoenberg and Stravinsky, Boulez found and then rejected new father figures, just as he charmed and befriended John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen and then estranged himself from them. He had no shortage of provocative things to say, such as the infamous call to burn down all the opera houses (before conducting _Wozzeck_ at the Paris Opera and Wagner’s _Ring_ at Bayreuth). Composers say this kind of thing. Beethoven and Brahms weren’t exactly pussycats. For every note they select, they reject a hundred others. In fact, the first decade of Boulez’s career, leading up to _Le Marteau Sans Maître_ in 1955, was his most productive. And in the cantata _Le Visage Nuptial_ of 1946-7 he had already demonstrated a Debussyan ear for poetry and its sensual translation into sound. Even earlier, in 1945, he had written the _12 Notations_ for piano which compiled musical ideas and influences like diary entries, and to which he would return for the rest of his life, not just in elaborating five of them on an orchestral canvas. **Above:**_Pianist Tamara Stefanovich recorded Boulez’s Second Sonata for Pentatone’s Organised Delirium, released in 2025_ It doesn’t make sense to listen to _Le Visage_ or _Le Marteau_ without engaging with the texts by René Char, just as a full experience of _Winterreise_ requires sitting down with Wilhelm Müller’s poetry. Both Schubert and Boulez have their sights set on more than mere illustration. The mood, the form, the feeling of the text in the moment and the retrospective reflection on its themes, all find their place in the music. Perfecting that fusion of word and sound and idea is what drove Boulez to revise _Pli Selon Pli_ , his ‘Portrait of Mallarmé’, over the course of 40 years, and also what makes it his enduring masterpiece. **Looking back** Listeners new to Pierre Boulez, or nervous of modernism, may find a backwards path easier to follow. Start with _Sur Incises_ (1996-8), and its bewitching stream of consciousness flowing across 40 minutes and an ensemble of pianos, harps, vibraphones and steel drums. Then move back to _Explosante-Fixe..._ , completed in 1993, and its shimmering, flute-led textures which simultaneously capture and expand a moment of pure sensuality like a Debussy Prélude or a Seurat canvas. Also try _Anthèmes II_ from 1995, and its electroacoustic expansion and multiplication of a single violin line dancing across and around the entire soundstage. Go back a little farther, to the 1980s, for _Répons_ – another immersive large-ensemble work – and for another spatially realised solo instrumental piece, _Dialogue de L’Ombre Double_ for solo clarinet. Themes begin to reveal themselves: not just musical ones, though Boulez certainly wrote with more and more concern for melody through his life, but rhetorical ones, such as trills, which become not mere decoration but the very substance of the music as they do in late Beethoven. All the while, he is conjuring visions of space, seeking to make music that fills the air around the listener and envelops them in clouds of sensation like the images of a poem. **Above:**_Original cover of DG’s 13CD collection of Boulez compositions, recently reissued as The Composer_ As for themes beyond the music, in reworking his compositions Boulez is not just rewriting earlier versions of himself, but layering acts of tribute to the memory of others dear to him. _Explosante-Fixe..._ began life as _Mémoriale_ , composed after the death of Stravinsky in 1971, and the final version ends with the whole of the early work. Yet the piece also encodes his tribute to the late flautist of Ensemble Intercontemporain, Lawrence Beauregard, and earlier still, his tender memory of a young flautist he admired from afar while staying in a Scottish castle. **Memory music** Just as with Mallarmé, in _Pli Selon Pli_ , Boulez gathers up his memories and feelings like a casket of ashes, and creates a musical tombeau in the tradition of French composers from Marin Marais to Maurice Ravel. He does this most touchingly of all, I think, in the _Rituel_ (1975) he wrote in memory of his friend and colleague Bruno Maderna. Boulez had taken the fugue of Beethoven’s _Hammerklavier_ Sonata as a model for the finale of the Second Sonata, and the Funeral March of Beethoven’s _Eroica_ surely lies behind the steady tread and grave accumulation of feeling in the _Rituel_. No doubt too exalted a comparison for some, but Boulez, in both his conducting and his music, has trained my ear and taught me how to listen, no less than Bach and Bruckner and Beethoven. **Essential Recordings** **Pli Selon Pli** Deutsche Grammophon 4713442 A definitive recording of Boulez’s masterpiece, with ‘his’ Ensemble Intercontemporain and soprano Christine Schäfer. **Rituel in Memoriam Maderna, Mahler 9** Hänssler 93098 (2CD) Michael Gielen shrewdly pairs Boulez’s most immediately affecting work in the context of Mahler’s symphonic farewell to life. **‘Organised Delirium’ – Piano Sonata 2, etc** Pentatone PTC5187358 Tamara Stefanovich is superb in the Second Sonata as the curtain-raiser to sonatas by Bartók, Shostakovich, Scarlatti, et al. **Pierre Boulez – The Composer** Deutsche Grammophon 4847513 (13CD) One for the converts – (almost) all of Boulez’s music, in modern composer-authorised accounts, lovingly curated and documented. **Complete Erato Recordings** Warner Classics 2564 619048-5 (14CD) A compact survey of Boulez the composer and interpreter, featuring an earlier version of Pli, plus Carter, Stravinsky, and more. **Yvonne Loriod – Complete Vega Albums** Decca 4817069 (13CD) A musical partner to Boulez from their student days, capturing the exhilarating spirit of the Domaine Musical and Paris in the ’50s.

Two years ago, when Musical Fidelity relaunched its Nu-Vista hardware line with the four-box PRE/PAS amplifier system [_HFN_ Mar ’23], owner Heinz Lichtenegger – whose Audio Tuning company had acquired the brand in 2018 – confirmed plans for two sibling integrated amplifiers. The first of those, the 800.2, surfaced a few months later [_HFN_ Aug ’23]. Now, perhaps belatedly, comes the turn of what Lichtenegger told us would be the ‘lower-power’ Nu-Vista 600.2. And yes, this amplifier’s claimed 2x160W/8ohm output puts it some way behind the 330W/8ohm rating of both the 800.2 and Nu-Vista PAS [see PM's Lab Report]. But only the most power-hungry audiophile would consider the 600.2 a lightweight, its beefy stature emphasised by its size and mass. Tipping the scales at 36kg, it’s just 5kg less hefty than its bigger integrated brother, and measures the same 483x187x510mm (whd). In other words, this isn’t quite a ‘mini me’ version. **Tube tactics** Viewed front on, the 600.2, with chunky aluminium chassis offered in black or silver, appears identical to the 800.2. It also shares the same key technologies, chief among these being the nuvistor valves in its Class A line/preamp stage. Introduced by RCA in 1959 and claiming performance and reliability improvements over glass vacuum tubes, these compact metal-bodied devices are now ‘almost extinct’, says MF. Fortunately, it has a plan [see boxout]. **Above:**_Built as two mono amps, with two transformers and PSUs [left], into a single chassis, the 600.2 has one pair of 6S51N nuvistors [right] and two complementary pairs of Sanken output transistors per channel [top and bottom]_ Just as the 800.2 was an upgrade on the Nu-Vista 800 [_HFN_ Nov ’14], the 600.2 reimagines the previous 600 – only here the changes are more comprehensive and bring it far closer to its costlier stablemates. Refinements are down to the component level, including higher quality polypropylene capacitors and the use of input-switching relays in place of the older model’s IC-routing. More importantly, the Class AB power stage – like that of the 800.2 and PAS – now leverages Musical Fidelity’s Titan architecture [_HFN_ May ’10], where each transistor (four per channel, in this instance) has a corresponding ‘high current’ bulk supply capacitor. This, says the company, ‘allows more immediate access to stored energy’ aided by a ‘much lower impedance path’. Additionally, the 600.2 features a completely revised and streamlined PCB layout, including a shielded tray for the preamp circuitry to improve noise isolation. And while the amplifier utilises pairs of toroidal transformers in its fully balanced, dual-mono design, a switch-mode PSU is now only employed to boot the unit out of standby mode. **Balanced bliss** With space now saved inside, MF has been able to bolster the 600.2’s connectivity. There are two balanced XLR line inputs, rather than the 800.2’s single option, ensuring the 600.2 is instantly compatible with the range’s Nu-Vista DAC [_HFN_ Mar ’24] and Nu-Vista Vinyl 2 [_HFN_ Feb ’24] phono preamp. A variable balanced XLR output has also been added, filling out a back panel that offers RCA line ins and fixed/variable outs, plus twin sets of speaker terminals for bi-wired set-ups. Around the front, the amp carries the Nu-Vista series’ new, larger display, with light and dark modes, each with a VU meter option. Either side are rotaries, one for source selection, the other for adjusting the 600.2’s laser-trimmed volume control, which progresses from an indicated –95.dB to +7.0dB in claimed 0.5dB steps. Musical Fidelity’s remote [pictured below] matches the amp by being both big and weighty, and its controls are sensibly spaced and cover off (nearly) all functions – missing is a ‘Lighting Mode’ key to correspond to the one on the 600.2’s front panel. This means you’ll need to go to the amp to choose if you want the panel to enter screensaver mode, or the four 6S51N nuvistor valves, visible through a grille in the top plate, to be illuminated (orange during ‘warm-up’, blue at ‘full thermal equilibrium’, red when the amp is muted). Speaking of which, I’m not a fan of the way the mute function works, as once activated the amplifier can’t be unmuted by a tap on the volume up or down keys – you must remember to hit the Mute button again. But this is a trifling inconvenience, and otherwise the 600.2 is easy to set up and use. Spikes and flat feet are supplied, and there are even four small adhesive pads to be added to the bottom of the handset, should you not want to mark your listening room coffee table… **Above:**_The Nu-Vista 600.2 has six line inputs (four on RCAs and two balanced sets on XLRs), plus fixed (RCA) and variable outs (on both RCAs and XLRs). Pairs of very substantial loudspeaker cable/4mm binding posts support bi-wiring_ **Velvet vibes** For those tempted by Musical Fidelity’s 800.2 but unable to stretch to the price, the 600.2 is more than just a consolation prize. The performance traits of the premium model are mostly replicated here, thanks to a combination of smoothness and weight that gives its big, musical pictures a lush, velvety edge. It’s a nicely detailed sound too, drawing the listener in with a fluent midrange and rugged lower octaves that ensure the amp’s inherent power is never forgotten. That said, it doesn’t appear quite as light on its feet as the 800.2, but neither does it come across as sluggish. ‘All Secrets Known’, from Alice In Chains’ _Black Gives Way To Blue_ [Parlophone 50999 308266 2 5], is a good system challenger, being a dense, multi-tracked piece full of distorted guitars, thundering drums, and the band’s usual vocal harmonies. The 600.2 really digs into the production, building a soundstage full of fat, well-defined textures that fully revealed the low-end potential of my B&W 705 S3 Signature standmounts [_HFN_ Aug ’24]. It sounded powerful yet clean, and with the impression that the amp had more to give, rather than being under strain. **Monkee business** The album’s title track is less dense, with Elton John’s guest appearance on piano accompanied by strummed acoustic guitar and gentle bass. As a eulogy to the band’s former lead singer Layne Staley, it’s a song of heartfelt emotion, and the 600.2’s rendition brought that to the fore. There was naturalness to instrumental and vocal tones, and authenticity to minor dynamic flourishes that made for an involving listen. Used with a Hegel Viking CD player [_HFN_ Sep ’23] and Matrix Audio Element X2 Pure DAC [_HFN_ Dec ’23], the 600.2’s presentation of fine treble detail wasn’t emphatic, as shown by the cymbals and hi-hats on The Monkees’ ‘Last Train To Clarksville’ [_Greatest Hits_ ; Rhino, 192kHz/24-bit]. Yet Davy Jones’ chatty intro and vocals to ‘Daydream Believer’ were crisp and succinct, and by avoiding any explicit HF sharpness, the 600.2 gave the ringing guitar of Robert Plant’s ‘If I Were A Carpenter’ [_Fate Of Nations_ 2009 remaster; Es Peranza] download a flowing, relaxed feel. Musical Fidelity talks of its Nu-Vista amps being ‘calm and smooth’ by design, and that’s very evident here. **Burst mode** Of a completely different ilk is Lady Gaga’s ‘Disease’ _Mayhem_ , [Interscope; 44.1kHz/24-bit], with its electronically sculpted beats and processed effects. This let the amplifier show its more playful side, particularly in the staccato, bouncy verse where it brought such power and punch to every element that the track sounded ready to burst. Where before I’d been focusing on midrange tones and feel, now I was enjoying the amp’s exuberance and controlled, driving bass. **Above:**_Solid alloy remote offers control over input, volume, mute and display brightness_ This side to the 600.2 makes it a good fit for the riffs and rhythm sections of rock music. Carlos Santana’s slickly produced cover of The Stones’ ‘Can’t You Hear Me Knocking’ [_The Greatest Guitar Classics…_ ; Arista 88697772332] sounded lively and impactful, those VU meters jumping along to the widespread drum track and wah-wah guitar licks. Similarly ear-opening was ‘Black Sabbath’, from the eponymous album [BMG/Sanctuary 2730324]. The 600.2 confidently placed the tom-tom drums behind Ozzy Osbourne’s vocal, giving each its own distinct texture and position. The steely tone of Tony Iommi’s guitar, as he lay down that famous ‘Devil’s tritone’ riff, was spine-tingling. What comes to mind when listening to MF’s newest integrated amp is the old ‘iron fist in a velvet glove’ trope. It’s not as powerful as the 800.2, but for those with less than cavernous rooms or moderately obliging loudspeakers, what it provides in wattage is surely enough – and it comes allied to a sound offering easy warmth and fluidity. Playing Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony _Gewandhaus Orchestra/Andris Nelsons_ [DG; 192kHz/24-bit] was as much about the delicate touch brought to strings and woodwind as the massed power of the brass. Make no mistake: this all-analogue amp has all-round appeal. **Hi-Fi News Verdict** By undercutting the Nu-Vista 800.2 by some £3000, while leveraging the same technologies and offering more connections, this amplifier will find plenty of admirers. The 600.2 gives ground in terms of power, but is still more than gutsy and maintains the series’ sonic signature. Soundstages, ostensibly shaped by those nuvistor tubes, are big, rich and satisfying, making every listening session a joy. **Sound Quality: 89%**

Hailing from Treviso in northeast Italy, Unison Research is a brand with an obvious love of tubes, to the point that you half expect to find a hot bottle or two incorporated in its Malibran and Max loudspeakers. Its CD players, the Unico CD Uno and Due [_HFN_ May ’16], have tube-based output stages, while the solid-state amps in the same series have tube-based inputs. But the company is best known for its all-tube amplifiers, of which there are 15 spread across integrated, pre and power ranges. The Triode 25 Black Edition integrated, selling for £3900 in just the one colourway, is an upgrade of the standard Triode 25 [_HFN_ Jul ’15], which remains on sale for £3400. It’s also positioned above the entry-level Simply Italy (£2300) and Preludio (£3000) integrated models, but below a string of amplifiers ranging from the S6 at £4100 to the flagship Reference Pre/Power system (£51,500). **Black to the future** Established in 1987, Unison Research claims to be ‘the Italian leader in the production of tube amplifiers, and among the top ten in Europe’. Despite these lofty ambitions, it isn’t in the habit of continually refreshing its catalogue – its Reference preamp and monoblocks, for example, have been leading the line for over 15 years. And even this Black Edition (BE) of the Triode 25 outwardly appears very similar to the original, as do BE upgrades of its Simply Italy and S6 models. **Above:**_PSU mains transformer is at the chassis rear [top right] while the output coupling transformers are topside. Input selection is localised [rod and rotary, bottom right] with USB digital PCB mounted edgewise alongside_ Are we just looking at a new paint job? This unit does indeed remove the silver trim of the standard version and gives the wooden fascia a piano black finish. The motorised volume and manual source controls are also now black, and Unison Research has taken the opportunity to tidy up some of the amp’s lettering and graphics. But, of course, this isn’t all: there’s an obvious change around the back, plus refinements under the hood. More power, less distortion – this is what the Triode 25 BE promises thanks to revisions to layout and power management see PM's Lab Report]. This includes the addition of ‘strategically placed’ polypropylene capacitors in the power supply, and a new input selection circuit. Moreover, the claimed output is now 2x50W in pentode mode or 2x30W in triode [[see boxout] versus the 2x45W and 2x25W of the original (all re. 6ohm). Last but not least, the pairs of power tubes, operating in push-pull, are now KT77s, not EL34s. As for the rear panel change, Unison Research’s BE models are ‘digital ready’ out of the box – the DAC module is otherwise offered as an upgrade path on its standard siblings. Tucked away on the righthand side of the Triode 25 BE’s connections are USB-B, optical and coaxial ports, feeding into an ESS ES9018K2M chip and supporting up to 384kHz LPCM and DSD256 over USB. Digital inputs are not especially common on tube integrateds, for a host of different reasons, so they make this particular model a little more ‘integrated’ than many others. **In the mode** Analogue connections are on unbalanced RCAs, with three line inputs and one line output complemented by an unfiltered stereo sub out that the manufacturer says ‘maintains the sound timbre of the amplifier’ into your partnering (active) subwoofer. Next to these is a single set of speaker binding posts – other Unison Research amps have multiple speaker output taps, but not this one. The Triode 25 BE has a tidy footprint, being just 30cm wide, 45cm deep and 20cm high. A black metal grille protects its complement of tubes – the four power tubes, plus two ECC83s in the input/line stage and an ECC82 rectifier – and keeps curious fingers away from the heat and high voltages. This grille is held in place by cap screws, but you’ll want to leave these removed as there are controls on the amp’s top surface for switching between pentode and triode operation, and selecting between ‘High’ (12dB) and ‘Low’ (10dB) negative feedback modes. It’s also here where you can check and fine-tune the output tube bias, aided by a built-in meter. If you subscribe to the notion, espoused in _Jurassic Park_ , that anything that’s heavy is also expensive, then you might initially expect the Triode 25 BE to sell for more than £3900 – it’s surprisingly hefty, given its agreeable size, at 20kg. It also appears well put together, and is something of a pleasure to use, particularly the robust click of each turn of its source controller. A supplied system remote control is littered with buttons [see below], but only two – volume up and down – are relevant here. **Bit of a steal** Considering this amplifier’s price and specification, it’s unlikely to be chosen to power large floorstanders in a large listening room. Yet, whether used with B&W’s 705 S3 Signatures [_HFN_ Aug ’24], or ELAC’s more power-hungry VELA BS 403.2s [_HFN_ Oct ’24], in a more typical 5mx3m space, the Triode 25 BE was not found wanting. Concerns about power are put to one side by a performance that packs a delicious punch, and while this is most notable in pentode mode, the triode operation doesn’t immediately strip it of its energy and excitement. What’s also important, however, is that this amp’s robust delivery goes hand in hand with those sought-after tube amp qualities of warmth, richness and sense of musical ease. If you imagine a cross between Black Sabbath and Lynyrd Skynyrd, you’ll get close to Louisiana-based ‘sludge metal’ band Down, whose album _NOLA_ [EastWest 7559-61830-2] combines pounding drums and slow, deep riffs with tinges of blues and a ‘Southern’ guitar sound. Unison Research’s amp coped with it brilliantly, standout track ‘Lifer’ slamming from the B&W speakers with both an aggressive attitude and lush, warm textures. **Above:**_Three line ins and sub/line outs are single-ended/RCA only, while the 4mm speaker terminals are optimised for a 6ohm nominal load. USB-B, coaxial and optical ports serve a digital card_ It pulled off the same trick with Iron Maiden’s ‘Wasted Years’ [_Somewhere In Time_ ; EMI CDP 7463412], a track that can sound a bit thin due to its glassy production. The Triode 25 BE applied its own finish, while still leaping into the drumming and basslines. By the end of Adrian Smith’s famous guitar solo, I was grinning from ear to ear and beginning to consider the amp’s price a bit of a steal. **Rock and refine** This Triode 25 BE can, for want of a better word, rock, but is even more accomplished at luring you into music of a softer, more refined nature. That feeling of easy communication, of no sense of strain, was apparent from the very start of ‘Moins De Troi’, performed by French vocalist Élodie Frégé and the London Session Orchestra [_Élodie Frégé_ ; Mercury 983 695-3]. Long string notes had a silky, smooth quality, Frégé’s voice was delivered with breathiness and texture, and the bassline that flits in and out was plump and deep. As for the amp’s ‘sound seasoning’ tools, my default setting was pentode – call me a hooligan, but I enjoyed the extra amount of bass drive and slam. Triode operation, however, is arguably a little more balanced and natural, and a better fit for some material. The layered choral harmonies of the Cappella Nova ensemble, performing James Macmillan’s ‘Strathclyde Motets’ [_Who Are These Angels?_ , Linn Records; 192kHz/24-bit], had a hint of fizziness around the edges in pentode mode. Switching to triode, which can be done on the fly, brought welcome extra smoothness. **Hot dog** Equally, running the Triode 25 BE in the mode it’s named after (and with the more open-sounding low feedback option), made it that little bit easier to inspect the fine touch of the Budapest Festival Orchestra, playing Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 under Ivan Fischer [Channel Classics 192kHz/24-bit]. This piece, with its light/dark dynamics and full array of instruments, at first enjoyed delicacy, space and an involving, deep soundstage, before percussion and brass crescendos revealed that there’s sufficient power on tap. **Above:**_Unison’s RC3 system remote only operates the (motorised) volume control on the Triode 25 Black Edition_ Replacing a Hegel Viking CD player [_HFN_ Sep ’23] and Primare PRE35 streamer/DAC [_HFN_ Dec ’19] with a Mac/Roon set-up, and making use of the amp’s own D/A stage, the performance stayed impressive. A cover of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Black Dog’, featuring cellist Troy Everett and guitarist/singer Carmen Vandenberg [Sunset Sound download], maintained the smooth, musical sound, and confidently portrayed the sustained string notes and weight of the piano. More ‘upmarket’ digital stages can extract greater amounts of fine detail, but this ESS-based DAC stage should please anyone. Moreover, such is the Triode 25 BE’s performance, you can leave your music library playing at random, through analogue or digital inputs, and not hear anything disagreeable. Ed Rush and Optical’s ‘City 17’ [_Travel The Galaxy_ ; Virus Recordings VRS007] sounded effortless in the bass, this club-friendly track pushing forward, before The Doors’ ‘Soul Kitchen’ [_The Doors 50th Anniversary Ed._ , Rhino/Elektra; 192kHz/24-bit], with its insouciant keyboard intro, seeped into the room, the sound as sweet as honey. And these are just two tracks from a list of many in my notes – I could listen to this amp for hours. **Hi-Fi News Verdict** A little cracker of an integrated amplifier, this Black Edition refresh of Unison Research’s Triode 25 outperforms its size and price with a captivating, moreish – and, yes, tube-like – sound. The USB DAC is a useful addition, and the choice between pentode and triode modes serves both system matching and personal taste. Add in the compact style, generous connectivity and ease of use, and you’re onto a winner. **Sound Quality: 87%**

While the usual rallying cry of a Hollywood producer is for any movie sequel to be ‘bigger and better’, Piega’s approach for the Gen2 iteration of its Premium 301 loudspeaker is to make it better while also making it _smaller_. And considering the original model, released in 2019, was itself described as a ‘compact loudspeaker with a baffle about the size of an A4 sheet’, this is perhaps something of an achievement. Ticketed from £2500, Piega’s Premium 301 Gen2 is a true miniature, similar in overall size to an LS3/5a [_HFN_ Jun ’25] or System Audio’s Signature 5 [_HFN_ Feb ’25], and smaller than the likes of KEF’s LS50 Meta [_HFN_ Jun ’21]. Some manufacturers have a habit of advertising any compact standmount as a ‘bookshelf’ model, though few fit the bill. Measuring just 310x170x228mm (hwd), the 301 Gen2 could likely squeeze onto a shelf, and Piega also sells a swivelling ‘Ball Joint’ bracket for on-wall installation, making use of the speaker’s modest 6.1kg mass. Meanwhile for a more conventional set-up, you can add the company’s tall, Premium stand. **Ribbon reimagined** Like many of Piega’s loudspeakers going back to 1997 [see boxout], the 301 Gen2’s cabinet is fashioned from extruded aluminium. The Swiss manufacturer suggests this gives it a ‘seamless’ finish though, naturally, the top and bottom plates are clearly separate. Still, the main cabinet body, which curves around to a slim rear, is a single piece, and the overall look, from the pen of designer/architect Stephan Hürlemann, is smart and unobtrusive. Versus the outgoing model, Piega says its new design is ‘slimmer and more visually harmonious’. Finish options are natural aluminium as standard, or black [pictured] or white anodising for a £250 premium. The playful colours of Piega’s step-up Coax series are not offered, and neither does the 301 Gen2 follow their lead by squeezing a three-way driver configuration into its standmount cabinet. The ‘ribbon’ tweeter, actually an isodynamic type, is paired with a conventional bass/mid driver, instead of being coaxially mounted with a planar midrange and backed by a dedicated woofer, _à la_ the Coax 411 [_HFN_ Feb ’25]. **Foil formulation** This HF unit is a key point of difference between the 301 Gen2 and its predecessor. Named ‘RM01-24’, the M standing for Piega’s ‘ribbon specialist’ Mario Ballabio and the R for chief designer Roger Kessler, it’s the result of a development process of ‘more than 30 prototypes’ to improve, says Piega, ‘linearity and reduce distortion’. Specifically, the magnetic suspension around the ultra-thin aluminium foil has been revised to include both rear and front rows, resulting in a configuration that ‘creates strictly orthogonal magnetic field lines’. The driver’s internal damping has also been further optimised. **Above:**_Behind the magnetically-attached grille, Piega has fitted a 140mm FSD (Full Symmetric Drive) bass/mid unit, reflex-loaded via a rear-facing port_ Underneath the new RM01-24 is the Premium 301 Gen2’s 140mm coated alloy bass/mid driver. This FSD (Full Symmetrical Drive) unit sports a revised cone profile and crosses out to the tweeter at around 3.5kHz [see PM's Lab Report]. For those seeking a bigger sound, the Gen2 series’ three-way floorstander, the £5600 Premium 701, partners the same RM01-24 planar tweeter with three 140mm drivers, one devoted to the midrange. But the Premium 501 model, a slim two-way tower with a pair of 120mm midrange units, has not been revamped for this second-generation family. Also note that wireless, active versions of the Premium models, launched in Gen2 guise in 2023, don’t employ the new tweeter. Piega recommends keeping the 301 Gen2’s grilles – which are colour-matched to your cabinet choice – in place. On many of its other loudspeakers this almost goes without saying, as they lock so securely into position that a powerful magnet is required to prise them off, but on this model they are not quite as snug-fitting, making it easy to inspect the drivers behind. Still, there are benefits to leaving them in situ [see PM's Lab Report]. **It's a knockout** For our auditioning, we paired the 301 Gen2s primarily with a Primare A35.2 power amp [_HFN_ Dec ’19] and Rotel Michi P5 S2 preamp [_HFN_ May ’24], but also used them with a WiiM Amp [_HFN_ Nov ’24] for an ultra-compact system. Listening began with the speakers about 10cm from the rear wall, this being Piega’s suggested ‘minimum’ distance and giving a degree of bass extension to make these compact models sound, ostensibly, beefy. It’s an exciting sound, and – should the speakers end up being forced into such a position due to space constraints – not unappealing. However, moving them another 20-30cm away from the wall noticeably evened out the bass response. It is worth fine-tuning the 301 Gen2’s siting – grilles on and toed slightly inward – as they can deliver knockout sonics, up to a certain scale or weight, and typically beyond that of more price-conscious rivals of similar size. The sound is ripe with detail across the audio band without sugar-coating basses or male vocals. There’s air and space around the upper frequencies, and it’s dynamic too, revealing the vigour of orchestral recordings and the driving energy of rock with a realism that belies those diminutive cabinets. Listening to ‘The Fountainhead’, from The Bluetones’ _Expecting To Fly_ [Superior Quality Recordings BLUECD 004], it was easy to become absorbed in the lyrics and layers of acoustic and electric guitar, with the bassline underneath well-balanced without recourse to boundary loading. The Bluetones had a bit of a ‘jangle-pop’ sound, which isn’t the sort of thing you want to feed an overly bright speaker. The 301 Gen2 offered treble zing and sparkle that was always on the right side of fatiguing. The speaker’s bass/mid driver and cabinet tuning combine to deliver basslines and low-end effects with plenty of nuance if not rib-tickling mass. On ‘Tin Pan Alley (AKA The Roughest Place In Town)’ by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble [_Couldn’t Stand The Weather_ , Epic; 176.4kHz/24-bit], Tommy Shannon’s bass playing became a mix of man and instrument, rather than just an indistinct low throb. Bends of strings and the attack of Shannon’s fingers were vividly displayed, as distinct as Vaughan’s blues licks. Elsewhere, the cascading basslines of ‘Think It Over’ [_Dream_ ; Shanachie SH 5827], from soul singer Angie Stone, were equally well defined. **Flack attack** Bigger speakers with bigger bass drivers will typically deliver more low frequency scale and extension, so the 301 Gen2 skated over some of the lowest notes in DC Breaks’ dance track ‘Club Thug’ [_DCXV_ ; Ram Records]. Adding a subwoofer here, in the form of Monitor Audio’s compact Anthra W10 – on hand at the time for review in sister title Hi-Fi Choice – paid dividends. Piega sells its own line of subs, the £2400 PS 101 being an obvious partner for its Premium and Coax models. **Above:**_Bass/mid driver is loaded via a rear-firing reflex port. Minimalist second-order crossover is terminated in a single set of 4mm ‘Piega Multi Connectors II’ sockets_ Otherwise, the 301 Gen2 still beguiles with its mix of poise and delicacy. Roberta Flack’s cover of ‘In A Sentimental Mood’ [_Roberta_ ; Atlantic 7567-82597-2] starts with crisp percussion, followed by forceful, funky hits of keyboard and guitar – the speakers coaxing out the ringing hi-hat, and letting the transients shine for a very dynamic presentation. The rhythm section sounded wonderfully tight, a springboard for Flack’s smooth, soulful vocals and the typically polished 1990s production. **Hell raiser** Conversely, the same artist’s ‘Tryin’ Times’ [_First Take_ , Atlantic/Rhino; 192kHz/24-bit] came across with the qualities of its 1969 recording in full view, with tape hiss and a slightly diffuse feel to the piano. But there was still good separation and depth of field, with the space between the instruments well conveyed. Her classic vocal on ‘The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face’ was given all the power it needed, soaring at times, backed by long, drawn cello notes with admirable texture. The 301 Gen2’s insightful sound also worked wonders with John Williams’ ‘Superman March’. Listening at first to a rendition by the Berlin Philharmonic [_The Berlin Concert_ , Deutsche Grammophon; 192kHz/24-bit], the speakers delivered all the drama and timbral detail of the opening blasts of brass and timpani, and the long decay before the full orchestra takes over. Yet the latter was more noticeable on the same label’s _John Williams Live In Tokyo_ recording with the Saito Kinen Orchestra [_DG_ ; 96kHz/24-bit], where the sweeps of the massed strings sounded smoother. Piega’s speaker is certainly effective at unearthing such minor differences. Missing was the kind of massive soundscape to make these pieces all-encompassing – the 301 Gen2s favouring focus and control. Yet Eminem’s studio-produced ‘Superman’ [_The Eminem Show_ ; Interscope 493 290-2], with its added bass heft and upfront sound, did feel both immersive and largescale, as did the title track from AC/DC’s ‘Highway To Hell’ [Epic EPC 510764 2], with its echo-laden riffs and drums. Seeking warmth and bounce? Then try Dennis Wilson’s ‘Pacific Ocean Blues’ [_Pacific Ocean Blue_ ; Caribou Records 88985368632] – one of the funkiest blues jams ever recorded, and a reminder that Brian wasn’t the only Beach Boy with musical magic in his fingertips. Again, the 301 Gen2 played it straight, avoiding any extra bloom or romance while digging into the various tones and colours. If detail, transparency, and dynamism are on your wish-list, Piega’s compact speaker is made to measure. **Hi-Fi News Verdict** Piega can be commended for not losing sight of its core principles even when targeting small room set-ups, and so the Premium 301 Gen2, with its smart alloy cabinet and planar magnetic driver, is cut from the same cloth as its larger designs. The performance adheres to the Swiss brand’s ‘house sound’ too – detailed, focused and tonally neutral. These are an obvious audition for wherever space is at a premium! **Sound Quality: 86%**

Underestimate the new generation of Chinese hi-fi manufacturers at your peril, because we’ve come a long way from cheap knockoffs of famous products, inexpensive music players and the like. Just as in the electric car industry, where Chinese companies are showing they have the skills and technology to match the very best, so it is in hi-fi, where brands including Eversolo [_HFN_ May ’25] and FiiO – whose latest product, the £829 K17, we have here – are proving they can develop and innovate. Based in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, FiiO has gone from making neat digital music players [see boxout], to offering a staggeringly huge ‘you want it, we probably make it’ audio range, from desktop DACs and amps to a selection of personal cassette players. And then there’s the K17, a flagship DAC/player/preamp/headphone amp of impressive flexibility. **Hi-fi in miniature** Available in either silver or black anodised finishes, the K17 is equally at home beside the computer, feeding headphones and active loudspeakers, as it would be on your hi-fi equipment rack. It offers both analogue and digital inputs, connections for a computer and wired/Wi-Fi networking, plus fixed and variable analogue outputs. There are feeds for both balanced and unbalanced headphones, the former on 4.4mm and four-pin XLR sockets, the latter through a standard 6.35mm connection. Yet all this versatility isn’t the K17’s sole claim to desirability. You see, it may be compact, at just under 24.5cm wide, a bit over 21cm deep and slender at 6.7cm high, but it looks and feels substantial when you unpack it. As is suggested by the outward impression of the solid, high-quality aluminium alloy casework – and the chunky, precise controls that give it a ‘technical’ look and feel – the K17 is no toy. It’s very ‘real hi-fi’ in miniature. Even the packaging plays its part, down to a Quick Start Guide with classy silver cover printing, and an accessories box including mains and USB cables, a remote handset [see below], and a 6.35mm-3.5mm adapter for the unbalanced headphone output. It’s pleasing on the eye, too, with a fascia combining those physical controls with a small display panel. This is a touchscreen type that you can swipe to access the various inputs or dig deep into the K17’s menus. Alternatively, one of the two rotary controls to its right offers twist and tap access for the inputs and menus, the other controlling volume as well as blanking or waking the display at a push. **Above:**_Linear PSUs [top] feed the separate digital [BT/wireless network/USB PCB on top] and analogue boards. The latter includes AKM’s AK4191 upsampler with two AK4499EX DACs (and three clocks) while the headphone amp uses discrete Onsemi transistors_ Beneath the screen are a trio of ‘old school’, but reassuringly solid, selectors for on/standby, another to switch between different pre/line output configurations, and a third to access the K17’s five-step headphone gain. FiiO rates its Super High and Ultra High options, designed for power-hungry cans, at +12dB and +15dB, respectively [see PM's Lab Report]. **Pick a port** All these controls reflect a pretty crammed rear panel, bookended by antennae for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (aptX HD/Adaptive). Optical and coaxial digital in/outs are joined by RCA analogue in/outs, a 4.4mm Pentaconn stereo analogue input, and balanced XLR analogue outs. There are also RS232 and 12V trigger sockets for system integration, plus USB-C (with another on the front panel) and USB-A ports. The K17’s Ethernet port handles control, AirPlay and Roon Ready connectivity, but this isn’t quite the fully-fledged network streamer. It will play music from attached USB storage, or can be played to via AirPlay or as a Roon endpoint, but what the K17 won’t do is directly access network storage or online services – for that you’ll need a proper network player. At the moment, FiiO is backing AirPlay and Roon as streaming solutions, as in its K11 player, yours for just £99, and designed to feed a DAC via USB. The internal construction of the K17 uses individual boards for the various sections of the unit, with a shielded, ‘low-noise’ linear power supply feeding separately regulated rails for the control, digital and analogue circuits. The digital-to-analogue stage is based on AKM technology, using an AK4191 upsampler to feed two AK4499EX DACs while, for the analogue inputs, an ESS ES9821Q ADC is pressed into service. At the heart of the K17 is a high-speed 360MHz DSP chip which allows FiiO’s unit to offer a range of customisation options, including a 31-band parametric equaliser to tailor its sound to your preference. This equaliser is set up using the FiiO Control app, which is not as slick as some more comprehensive rivals, but does what it does clearly and simply. The DSP also handles the amplifier’s output protection to avoid damage to connected components – as PM discovered in his lab testing, the K17 packs plenty of power from its Class AB headphone amp, but also cuts back extremely sharply when it reaches its limits. That needn’t worry any users as experience shows the K17 will drive just about any headphone load with ease. It also functions well as both a DAC and a preamplifier, although for the cleanest sound it proved best to run the headphone outputs and rear XLR output at their maximum settings. **Carrying the cans** With so much capability and flexibility on offer, testing the K17 proved almost as exhausting as it was exhaustive. I used it fed from a Mac mini computer and a Naim network player, connected to USB storage, and employed as a Roon endpoint. Speakers included my resident PMC floorstanders while headphones numbered Bowers & Wilkins’ P9 Signature [_HFN_ Mar ’17] and Oppo’s still-excellent planar magnetic PM-1 [_HFN_ Jul ’14]. And whether with powerful opera passages through ’phones or bringing out the detail of a simple solo piano recording when used purely as a DAC, FiiO’s compact unit delivered quite startling levels of performance, way beyond what might be expected of a product at this price. **Above:**_Digital inputs include wireless and wired LAN for streaming (via Roon, to 384kHz PCM/DSD256), USB-C (to 768kHz PCM/DSD512), optical/coax in/outs and USB-A for local playback (to 384kHz/DSD256). A balanced 4.4mm line input socket is joined by RCA line in/outs and a balanced preamplifier output on XLRs_ Playing the opening of the Gardner/Norwegian National Opera recording of Wagner’s _Der Fliegende Holländer_ [Decca 4870952], the K17 leaned powerfully into the storm-tossed overture, before adopting a lighter touch with the radiant singing once the action got underway. This is a live recording, taken from concert performances at the Oslo Opera House, but it was never lacking in drama or emotion in the hands of FiiO’s DAC/amp. **Family affair** This ability to delve deep into the tonality of instruments and voices, and bring out a near-palpable sense of a performance, was also much in evidence with the recent Sheku Kanneh-Mason recording of cello works by Shostakovich and Britten [Decca 96kHz/24-bit download]. The British cellist takes a romantic approach to Shostakovich’s _Cello Concerto No. 2 in G minor_ , accompanied by the Sinfonia of London under John Wilson, but even more striking are the two cello sonatas. Playing with the accompaniment of his sister Isata, and recorded in the atmospheric ambience of Snape Maltings, Kanneh-Mason conjures a sound of wonderful intimacy, which was deliciously resolved by the K17. But you don’t need only demonstration-quality recordings to hear this FiiO unit doing its thing. With the big, bold sound of Bananarama’s 2024-recorded _Glorious: Live In London_ set [In-Synk 48kHz/24-bit download], the exuberance of the performances and the enthusiasm of the crowd was immediately obvious, and the closing medley of ‘You Spin Me Round’ and ‘Venus’ was joyful. All kinds of content were carried through the K17 during my listening sessions, and one of the more unusual pieces was a BBC Artworks programme on the life and work of audio guru Ray Dolby, presented in binaural sound [available on BBC Sounds at www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002bswq]. Heard through the open and detailed-sounding Oppo PM-1 headphones, it proved as immersive and tactile as it was fascinating. Incidentally, surround sound aficionados can also find it in Dolby Atmos [_www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0l7cz8j_] – if you want to listen to Dolby in Dolby. **Master communicator** With some more live recordings, from Keith Jarrett’s _Bordeaux Concert_ [ECM 2740] to Bill Nelson with his Gentlemen Rocketeers’ _Live At Metropolis Studios, London_ [Salvo SALVOSVX001], the K17 proved more than capable of delivering the atmosphere and scale of the event. At the same time, it easily kept the concentration of the listener, whether clamped into a pair of headphones or sat in front of a pair of speakers. Jarrett’s piano was crisp yet resonant, and so expressive, while Nelson’s guitar stabbed and snarled at one moment, driven on by the bass and drums, then sung and soared as his playing evoked windswept landscapes. **Above:**_While the FiiO Control app provides full control over configuration and playback, this companion remote covers off the basics of input selection, volume, mute and display brightness_ It’s a matter of communication, the K17 making light work of not just driving headphones but controlling them so that even closed-back designs sound light and airy, and open-back models all but disappear. There was never any sense that listening via headphones was any kind of compromise, or playing second fiddle to the experience via loudspeakers. That FiiO’s K17 does all this without digital fakery or obscure processing is all the more impressive. **Value added** Yes, it’s not perfect. That display, while crisp and colourful, is a bit small, so when it comes to delving deep into the settings you have to hope you’re pressing the right virtual button. But at least these things are ‘set and forget’. That minor quibble aside, the K17 is a remarkable piece of hi-fi for the money, and worthy of very, very serious consideration. **Hi-Fi News Verdict** The striking versatility of FiiO’s K17 is impressive. That it does it all for very sensible money (at least in high-end terms) makes it a real stand-out product, whether bought as a well-connected DAC, an excellent headphone amp, or a system hub to feed some active speakers. The term ‘small wonder’ could have been invented for products such as this. From user appeal to price to performance, the FiiO K17 is a triumph. **Sound Quality: 88%**