Search
Close this search box.

HIFICRITIC Vol 13 No 1

January to March 2019

Download cover, contents and excerpts from this issue below.

£10.00

Postage and packing are added at the checkout. Rates.

Out of stock

About this issue...

Following Paul Messenger’s valedictory editorial the latest issue kicks off with Stan Curtis and his continuing Audio Safari, this time encompassing single driver sounds, even going back 90 years to the Shearer cinema horns.

Naim’s Statement level streamer DAC gets serious attention from enthusiasts Everard, Colloms and Honeyball, exhaustively explored over 5 pages, as was the NDS in its time. A serious challenge to the international High End, this universal ND555 DAC, with PS555DR power supply, is close on £20,000.  The matching UnitiCoreserver has now settled down and was chosen as the source.

Andrew Harrison visits the burgeoning Warsaw Hi Fi Show and is impressed by a vitality and commitment to sound quality and advanced engineering and could easily have filled more than the three pages allocated.

In Passing Notes, Julian Musgrave looks back at some classic CD players and shares audio home improvements where an opened out top floor is becoming an unusually challenging music room.

Putting on his thinking hat Keith Howard wrestles with the problem of explaining Linear Phase, and I think does it really well. While not the biggest issue it remains a neglected factor in sound quality.

Colloms tries a neat floor standing KEFseries, the R5 and was more than pleasantly surprised, finding reference series quality on a smaller scale and at a budget price. The full lab tests confirm accurate and capable design.

The mystery of the little Yamaha NS10, the white coned bookshelf loudspeaker, is revealed by studio man Phil Ward, explaining how it became that iconic and ubiquitous monitor seen on so many studio meter shelves.

Andrew Harrison scrutinises Life Changer Audio’s awkwardly named icOn2, an unusually versatile transformer volume control, with balanced and unbalanced working.

Tube enthusiast Kevin Fiske finally gets his hands on the fabled Thoress PhonoEnhancer equaliser/head amp from Germany, with a delightful outcome.

Vinyl disc enthusiasts can become obsessed with record cleaning, with ultrasonic technology in the ascendant. Kirmuss KA-RC-1 is in Andrew Harrison’s spotlight for this issue, and with promising result.

Chris Frankland gets serious with phono step up transformers, exploring the Puresound T10Ortofon ST7 and AudionoteS4, S5 , S8 and S9 as examples of the technology while interviewing industry designers on design limits and practice.

Martin Colloms reviews the most capable Italian made Sonus Faber Sonetto VIII covering build, sound quality and both acoustic and electrical measurements.

The Pro-Ject Stream Box S2 Ultra gets the once over from Andrew Everard, considering it to be quite a bargain.

Audio Note gets another look in with Kevin Fiske, exploring their high power 211 triode, in particular their anodes, which comprise sintered carbon and the molybdenum alternative. Here Kevin finds that anodes have a sound!

The redoubtable Chris Bryantcovers four fascinating high end cartridges, from LINN  ( KRYSTAL) , Rega(Aphelion), Audio Technica  (AT-ART1000),DS Audio(DS 002), referenced to the highly neutral Lyra Delos.

Julian Musgrave continues his personal quest for loudspeaker excellence returning to his old favourites, the redoubtable ATC SCM50 Active.

We also publish the cumulative 2018 AWARDS LISTING, not including the Jan -Mar 2019 issue reviews.

This issue also has the full index to Volume 12, 2018, comprising Music ReviewsHardware/ EquipmentFeatures and the list of contributors. Six pages of rock/pop, classic and jazz reviews wrap up this great issue.

Download cover and contents for a closer look...

Cover-201903-pdfimg

Cover

Contents-201903-pdfimg

Contents

Download excerpts...

Excerpt-201903-1-Stan's Safari-Comment-pdfimg
STAN DISCUSSES THE ADVANTAGES OF A LOUDSPEAKER WITH A SINGLE FULL RANGE DRIVER
Excerpt-201903-2-Yamaha NS10 Phenomenon Phil Ward-Feature-pdfimg
WHY DO RECORDING ENGINEERS STILL USE THIS OLD MONITOR? ANSWERING THIS QUESTION, FREELANCE SPEAKER DESIGNER PHIL WARD EXAMINES THE CRUCIAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CLOSED-BOX AND REFLEX PORT LOADING
Excerpt-201903-3-Linear phase K Howard-Feature-pdfimg
​KEITH HOWARD EXAMINES THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF PHASE RESPONSE IN LOUDSPEAKERS, REFERRING TO PAST ATTEMPTS AT CONTROL AND CORRECTION, AND PREDICTING THE FUTURE
Excerpt-201903-4-Audio Alchemy by Frankalnd AN transformers-Feature-pdfimg
​CHRIS FRANKLAND INVESTIGATES THE MYSTERIOUS WORLD OF THE STEP-UP DEVICE, LISTENING TO A SELECTION OF M-C TRANSFORMERS AND TALKING TO LEADING DESIGNERS
Excerpt-201903-5-Warsaw Show Harrison-Show-Report-pdfimg
​ANDREW HARRISON HAS CLOSE TIES TO POLAND, PARTLY BECAUSE HIS WIFE IS POLISH. HIS SHOW REPORT THEREFORE INCORPORATES SOME UNUSUAL PERSPECTIVES
Excerpt-201903-6-Sonus Faber Sonetta 7 P1-Review-pdfimg
​MARTIN COLLOMS ASSESSES A HIGH POWER FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER FROM A WELL-ESTABLISHED ITALIAN BRAND

Have a look at Reviews and Features from HIFICRITIC available for download for free

Postage and Packing

Added at the checkout.

Country
Method
First Magazine
Each Additional
UK
UK 2nd class
£1.85
£0.46
USA
International Standard
£5.85
£2.93
Canada
International Standard
£5.70
£2.85
Australia
International Standard
£6.80
£3.40
New Zealand
International Standard
£6.80
£3.40

UK (2nd class)

£1.85 first magazine, £0.45 each additonal

USA (International Standard)

£5.85 first magazine, £2.93 each additional

Canada (International Standard)

£5.70 first magazine, £2.86 each additional

Australia (International Standard)

£6.80 first magazine, £3.40 each additional

New Zealand (International Standard)

£6.80 first magazine, £3.40 each additional

Cookies

This site uses only essential cookies, as explained in the Privacy Policy.