HIFICRITIC Volume 13 Number 3 July / August / September 2019

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HIFICRITIC July / August / September 2019

Reviews & Articles Within This Issue
2 Editorial: Bexit Deal Or No Deal
Martin Colloms talks about how will a No Neal Brexit may affect UK high-end audio manufacturers.

4 Stan's Safari No 46
In which Stan Curtis explains how failing hearing is no obstacle to the ability to carry on enjoying music.

6 ATC SCM50 ASL
Martin Colloms spends time with this studio-derived active monitor, and finds much to like in its explicit, powerful sound.

9 ATC'S 'Starter System'
Andrew Everard follows up on Martin's review with a look at a new CD player/amplifier system from ATC, partnered with the enduring SCM7 speakers.

11 Passing Notes 8
Julian Musgrave explains why he's an SACD devotee, extols the virtues of a good subwoofer, and is blindsided by a pair of over-performing DIY speakers.

13 Goldmund Telos 590 Nextgen
This very luxurious integrated amplifier from the Swiss manufacturer has MC admiring its fit and finish – and then enjoying even more the way it plays music.

16 Melco N10 & N100 Digital Music Libraries
New models from the extremes of the Melco digital music range, and a look at the company's innovative new Intelligent Music Library software they use.

HIFICRITIC Volume 13 Number 3 July / August / September 2019

20 Audio Note TT3
This three-motor turntable comes in a choice of three versions, thanks to a range of power supply options. Kevin Fiske reviews it, with further thoughts and opinions from MC and Chris Frankland.

24 Headphone Surprises
Personal audio is big business these days, with just about every company offering a range of headphones. Keith Howard reveals some headphone foibles you're unlikely to read about elsewhere.

29 Chord Hugo TT2 And M Scaler
The revised version of Chord's 'tabletop' DAC is impressive enough, says Andrew Harrison, but add on the company's M Scaler and you unleash a truly world-class converter.

32 Atoll Electronique CD200 Signature, DAC300, IN200 Signature And IN300
Chris Frankland has his interest piqued by this long-established French manufacturer, and gets more than he'd bargained for.

Quiescent Mains Cable Loom
The concept of vibration control in signal-carrying cables is a relatively well understood, but can the same factors affect a system via its mains cable?
Review By Kevin Fiske Of HIFICRITIC
Following my positive reviews in HIFICRITIC of the Quiescent Technologies Peak Speaker Cables (Vol. 12/2) and Peak Interconnect (Vol. 12/3) I was invited by the company to try its more costly Apex Interconnect. However, in my system the Apex sounded too fat in the bass and rather sluggish. I preferred the Peak. Quiescent's Steve Elford suspected my mains loom. Could one of his colleagues bring a selection of Quiescent – formerly Vertex AQ – mains products to try in my system?
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36 Q Acoustic Concept 300
No other standmount speaker looks quite like this, thanks in no small part to the intriguing 'Tensegrity' stands – and MC finds the sound more than matches the style.

40 Nain Supernait 3
Technical Director Steve Sells gives an insight into the way the Salisbury company is thinking about phono stages and more, to introduce an in-depth review of the latest iteration of Naim's flagship integrated.

46 NAD M10
Much more than just a late arrival in the one-box network audio system arena, NAD's sleek contender is a striking addition, thanks to BluOS multi-room capability, an excellent user-interface and a powerful sound.

49 The Integration Game
Andrew Everard compares heavyweight
integrated amplifiers: Hegel's H390, Krell's K-300i and the Mark Levinson N^o 5805. He considers how they challenge established pre/power amp thinking, and arrives at a surprising conclusion.

54 Mytek Digital Manhattan II
Yes, the styling is undeniably glitzy, and the display best read from afar, but Andrew Harrison has no such reservations about the sound of this flexible DAC.

56 Classic Music
Colin Anderson enthuses about the very best of the latest classical releases.

58 Jazz Music
Greg Drygala immerses himself in the flow of some intriguing new sounds.

Synchronicity And Serendipity
Synchronicity and serendipity took this issue of HIFICRITIC and turned it into a de facto celebration and turned it into a de facto celebration...
Article By Andrew Everard Of HIFICRITIC
There's a lot of received wisdom involved in the world of Hi-Fi: things accepted as being facts just because – well, just because they've always been so, and as a result are beyond challenge. It's a nice, cozy way of thinking, taking in all sorts of myths and legends built up over the years, such as 'source first', 'analogue is always best', and 'the more boxes the better'.
---> Read More

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