Home  Hi-Fi Audio Reviews  Audiophile Shows Partner Mags  News       

 

Enjoy the Music.com

HIFICRITIC

HIFICRITIC     October / November / December 2020

 

HIFICRITIC Volume 14 Number 4 October / November / December 2020

 

Reviews & Articles Within This Issue
2 HIFICRITIC's Reviews And Articles Within This Issue Many great reviews and think pieces for your reading pleasure.
Editorial By Martin Colloms, Editor-In-Chief

 

4 Peter Qvortrup 
Marking his 70th birthday, and with more than 40 years in the hi-fi industry, the founder of Audio Note looks back – and forward. How does he thinks the industry has changed? 'Oh, definitely for the worse,' he says, but he sees a bright future, provided we're prepared to learn the lessons of the past, and stick to what we know best.

 

8 Stan's Safari 
Stan's taking a break from the minutiae of hi-fi design – he's been working on electronic systems to detect virus but has had time to think about the emotional connection between music and the way it's played. And it's not good new for those investing heavily in streaming systems!

 

10 CH Precision P1, L1, X1, And A1.5 
In this issue's feature review, Martin Colloms gets to grips with all-analogue audio electronics from Swiss manufacturer CH precision, taking in a modular, expandable phono stage, which would eventually run to four boxes for a full, dual-mono set-up, and a pre/power amplifier built with a similar view to long-term system growth.

 

22 Behind The Brand: Florian Cossy 
The CH Precision founder explains his design philosophy, and the company's background and history, and offers a listening tip.

 

25 Howard On Feedback 
Once seen as the magic bullet of amplifier design, feedback is now a hotly-contested subject among designers. Keith Howard investigates and explains.

 

31 Metamaterial Absorption Technology 
It's the 'secret ingredient o the latest generation of KEF's LS50 speakers, but what is it, how does it work, and could it be about to revolutionize speaker design?

 

29 Brothers In Arms? 
The latest high-end offerings from stablemates Denon and Marantz may initially appear to have similarities, but look closer at the Denon Anniversary 110 player and amplifier, and the new-look Marantz 30 Series, and it's clear differing design priorities are involved.

 

HIFICRITIC Volume 14 Number 4 October / November / December 2020

 

39 Totem Acoustic Skylight 
As the name suggests, this is a lighter version of the Canadian company's Sky speaker, but Chris Frankland finds its far from being a lightweight.

 

42 Spendor Classic 4/5 
The latest addition to Spendor's Classic line is 'like a 3/5, but better,' says Ed Selley. But the story's not that simple: with its decidedly retro looks, this is a cohesive, refined design that's also a whole lot of fun.

 

Sennheiser HD 800 S Open Back Stereo Headphones Review

44 Sennheiser HD 800 S Open Back Headphones Review
This classic headphone design is its manufacturer's flagship open-back moving coil design, and has become established as a reference design thanks to its neutrality and accuracy. Keith Howard takes a long listen, and suggests a little tweak to improve it!

 

47 Stax SR-L700 Mk2 / SRM-50 
'Never meet your heroes,' they say – but Jon Honeyball has always hankered after a pair of Stax 'earspeakers'. Now he has pair, and their partnering DAC / energizer, will it be a case of a dream finally coming true?

 

49 Colloms On Cables 
Martin gets together a range of cables, both interconnect and loudspeaker, and puts them through their paces in a variety of systems. With brands including The Chord Company, Kimber Kable, QED, Townshend and Vertere, there's something here for every system, and at prices from just a few pounds per meter to 'How much???'

 

55 Kudos Titan 505 
Chris Kelly finds all the heavy lifting of setting up these substantial standmount speakers is worthwhile – they take a while to come on song, but finally reveal themselves to be really rather special.

 

58 Grateful Dead 1970 
50 years on, Mark Prendergast examines the explosion of creative energy behind Workingman's Dead and American Beauty.

 

60 The Music
Andrew Mellor reviews the latest classical releases, plus new jazz and more on DSD.

 

64 Soundstage 
As we hit our 60th issue, a look back at how it all began – in 2007.

 

 

 

Subscribe!

Click here to subscribe to HIFICRITIC

 

 

Previous Issues

2020
January / March   April / June   July / September   October / December

 

2019
January / March   April / June   July / September   October / December

 

2018
January / March   April / June   July / September  October / December

 

2017
January / March   April / June  July / September  October / December

 

2016
January / March   April / June   July / September  October / December

 

2015
January / March    April / June     July / September   October / December

 

2014
January / March     April / June    July / September   October / December

 

2013
January / March     April / June     July / September    October / December

 

2012
January / March     April / June     July / September     October / December

 

2011
January / March     April / June     July / September     October / December

 

2010
January / March     April / June     July / September     October / December

 

2009
January / March     April / June     July / September     October / December

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     
 

Quick Links


Premium Audio Review Magazine
High-End Audiophile Equipment Reviews

 

Equipment Review Archives
Turntables, Cartridges, Etc
Digital Source
Do It Yourself (DIY)
Preamplifiers
Amplifiers
Cables, Wires, Etc
Loudspeakers/ Monitors
Headphones, IEMs, Tweaks, Etc
Superior Audio Gear Reviews

 

 


Show Reports
HIGH END Munich 2024
AXPONA 2024 Show Report
Montreal Audiofest 2024 Report

Southwest Audio Fest 2024
Florida Intl. Audio Expo 2024
Capital Audiofest 2023 Report
Toronto Audiofest 2023 Report
UK Audio Show 2023 Report
Pacific Audio Fest 2023 Report
T.H.E. Show 2023 Report
Australian Hi-Fi Show 2023 Report
...More Show Reports

 

Videos
Our Featured Videos

 


Industry & Music News

High-Performance Audio & Music News

 

Partner Print Magazines
audioXpress
Australian Hi-Fi Magazine
hi-fi+ Magazine
Sound Practices
VALVE Magazine

 

For The Press & Industry
About Us
Press Releases
Official Site Graphics

 

 

 

     

Home   |   Hi-Fi Audio Reviews   |   News   |   Press Releases   |   About Us   |   Contact Us

 

All contents copyright©  1995 - 2024  Enjoy the Music.com®
May not be copied or reproduced without permission.  All rights reserved.