Australian Hi-Fi Magazine March / April 2024

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Australian Hi-Fi Magazine March / April

Since 1969, Australian Hi-Fi has kept audiophiles up to date on all the latest advances in audio technology and the hi-fi components available to enjoy music. All equipment reviews and music reviews are written by professionals who are experts in their respective fields, and are checked for accuracy by experienced sub-editors. Every audio component reviewed in Australian Hi-Fi is also independently tested by a NATA-certified test laboratory, whose test results and graphs are published with each review, together with a detailed technical analysis of those results.

Australian Hi-Fi also maintains a complete database of all Australian and New Zealand distributors of hi-fi equipment, along with updated listings of the brands they distribute. Australian Hi-Fi is published six times a year and on sale at thousands of news agencies throughout Australia and New Zealand, as well as being available in selected audio stores across the country plus International mail and online.

Our Front Cover
A speaker-centric cover featuring one of Australia's most iconic designs, plus Italian works of modern art that offer far more than what meets the eye.

Editor's Lead In: New Hi-Fi Gear Is Pushing The Boundaries
Examining the relationship of hardware and software.
Editorial By Becky Roberts
Each and every year, new features and technologies arrive to push the boundaries of consumer electronics further than the year previous. Very few, however, tend to enrich our daily lives immediately, whether that's because they aren't instantly adopted by the masses or simply aren't useful on such a frequent basis. Thinking about how my listening habits have changed in recent years, I've realized that one fledgling feature has played more of a role in it than any other: Tidal Connect. For the uninitiated, Tidal Connect lets you 'cast' the service's catalogue to compatible audio devices from within the Tidal app, with the songs streamed from the internet instead of locally on your device. As Spotify Connect does for, well, Spotify; AirPlay for Apple Music; and Google Cast for Amazon Music (and others). These technologies let you control your music streaming playback from an app that's familiar to use, meaning you don't have to rely on separate dedicated app(s) developed for specific streaming products.
---> New Hi-Fi Gear Is Pushing The Boundaries.

Equipment Reviews
18 Sonus Faber Duetto Stereo Speaker System
Take a pair of Italian-designed speakers and add amplifiers, streaming and external inputs including HDMI, and hey presto, you have a complete system in two compact boxes! And a fantastic-sounding one, at that.

28 Dellichord FR6 Loudspeakers
Exemplary bass performance from small standmounters is hard to come by, but these Australian designs show it's not impossible. If you demand realistic-sounding bass from compact cabinets, you will want to audition these Dellichords.

54 DS Audio DS 003 Optical Cartridge
Optical technology shows there might be a better way for cartridges to work, and the DS Audio is a great advert for it, delivering a quality of sound that is hard to better with conventional alternatives.

56 Richter Wizard Series 6Plus Loudspeakers
Thanks to the developments made for its Special Edition models, Richter has now taken its Series 6 range to new 'Plus' heights. The latest Wizards are the most magical iterations of the iconic design yet.

Features
6 Audio News
Naim Uniti Nova PE streaming amplifier; Roon Nucleus Titan server; Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X Limited Edition headphones; Electrocompaniet AW 300 M mono power amplifier; Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 earbuds; JBL L42ms all-in-one system; Leak Sandwich 150 & 250 Loudspeakers; Luxman L-509Z integrated amplifier; Shanling CD-T35 CD player; HiFi Rose RA280 integrated amplifier; Brian Eno Turntable II; Cambridge Audio CXN100 streamer; KEF LSX II LT stereo speaker system; Sonus Faber Suprema speaker system; Linn Klimax Solo 800 mono power amplifier; MQA rescue mission.

25 Hi-Fi Primer
While streaming services are arguably the epitome of music-listening convenience today, there's a lot to be said for having your own digital music collection at your fingertips. This handy guide will help you get up and running.

35 Australian Hi-Fi Show 2024 Guide
Australia's greatest hi-fi show is back! Following its inaugural event last autumn, the three-day audio and AV show is returning to Sydney in April, bigger and better than before. We've compiled a sneak preview of what lucky attendees can expect to see and hear.

51 Sound Travels
Few people can claim to have promoted the audio industry in Australia as much as Herald and Weekly Times editor Peter Familari. Our own Peter (Xeni) sits down with the experienced hi-fi reviewer to share his story.

63 History of Portable Audio: Part 4
Not even the Sony Walkman could shield analogue audio from the future, but the key technology that launched the Compact Disc first appeared in a telephone during World War II.

67 Yamaha Interview
Given the acclaim and fanfare that has surrounded Yamaha's YH-5000SE in the past twelve months, you'd understand my desire to pounce upon the rare opportunity to talk to the engineers behind the landmark headphones (and the company's debut — and timely! — high-end headphone amplifier) to shed further light on how they came to fruition.

Music
80 Podcasts for Music Lovers
Are you a melomaniac with a curious mind? Then discover new tunes or deep-dive into the classics with this handful of some of the most creative and informative music podcasts around.

81 Top Picks
Another month, another Neil Young album… though his latest is a little different. Meanwhile, J Masics' fifth album is beautiful stuff, American rockers Blackberry Smoke continue to reinvent their very own musical wheel, and Shed Seven's first in seven years aspires to the bombastic and euphoric with every power chord.

82 Reissues
Nirvana's 30th-anniversary In Utero release spans eight LPs or five CDs, with five bonus tracks and B-sides and, in the vinyl package, two complete shows. It's 20 years for Muse's Absolution, the reissue for which comes with an excellent 40-page book detailing how the album came together.

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