Australian Hi-Fi Magazine March / April 2022

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	High-Performance Audio Reviews Music News, Show Reports, And More! Celebrating 29 Years Of Service To Music Lovers

Australian Hi-Fi Magazine March / April 2022

Since 1969, Australian Hi-Fi Magazine 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 Magazine 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 Magazine 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 Magazine 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.

Editorial
3 Editor's Lead-In
In his last Lead-In as editor of Australian Hi-Fi Magazine, Greg Borrowman once more rails about the miserly amount of money musicians are paid by streaming services, and warns that James Blunt has threatened to release more music on Spotify.

Our Front Cover: Mark Levinson's No. 5105 Turntable is a mystery wrapped in an enigma, because no-one knows who builds it, although the internet is full of (wrong!) answers. Check our full review on page 28.

6 Audio News
Rega Saturn Mk3 CD Player, Jadis I-70 integrated amplifier, Sony 2.1-channel soundbar, M&K Sound V+ Subwoofer Series, Steinway-Lyngdorf Custom Install Speakers, Technics Premium 600 Series, KLH Model Three speakers, Kalista DreamPlayX SACD player, NAD M23 Hybrid Digital Power Amplifier, McIntosh Amplifier Stands, Vertere Sabre MM Cartridge, Cyrus Audio adds BluOS, Chord Mojo 2, iFi Zen One Signature, Kudos Audio Titan 505, updates for three Rotel models and more....

40 Obituary
The man who founded the company that developed the world's first stereo headphones has died, leaving a legacy that no doubt surprised even him, plus a fortune that no doubt surprised his shareholders.

Equipment Reviews
20 Paradigm Founder 40B Loudspeakers
When a reviewer tells you that the speakers he's reviewing are the speakers he'd buy himself, it's time to pay attention! These new Founder 40B bookshelf / standmounts are the first completely new design this Canadian company has built since being re-purchased by its founder.

27 Audio-Technica AKH-CTS50TW In-Ears
Outstanding battery life, great bass, good active noise cancellation, excellent sound quality and more features than you could poke a stick at, and all at a totally affordable price. What more could you want?

28 Mark Levinson No. 5105 Turntable
Mark Levinson's second turntable is nothing at all like its first, which is hardly surprising as they were built by completely different companies, based in a completely different countries. But it's still a winner, and for many reasons....

33 Aurender A30 Music Server
Aurender's flagship is more than just a music server. It's also a Streamer, a CD Ripper and a Headphone amplifier. Indeed there's almost nothing it can't do. But does it follow the 'jack-of-all-trades' paradigm, or is it the exception that proves the rule?

81 Bowers & Wilkins 804 D4 Loudspeakers
In the more than half-century this famous UK speaker firm has been in business, it's built some decidedly weird-looking speakers in the pursuit of sonic perfection. This time around it has achieved perfection without going all left-field. You'll like the looks (and the sound) of these new ones!

88 PS Audio M1200 Stellar Monobloc Power Amp
Reviewer Robert Hargreaves reckons that if you really need more than 1,200 Watts per channel to power your speakers, this duo is the one to buy. But if you don't need quite so much power, he recommends two other similar — equally worthy! — candidates.

96 iFi Audio Zen Can Headphone Amplifier
"Can a reasonably-priced dedicated headphone amplifier deliver the goods?" is a question any audiophile is entitled to ask these days, and in the name of the Zen Can, you already have your answer... so long as you can put up with the weird shape of its case.

And More...
76 Sound Travels
The audiophile who is the subject of this month's Sound Travels likes to meet the people who designed the equipment he intends to purchase before he spends his money. Frequent flyer points anyone?

95 Book Review
A book that celebrates high-end audio? The Art of Sound (A Visual History for Audiophiles) is an absolutely gorgeous tome that might very well be the ideal Christmas (or birthday) gift for your favourite audiophile!

Music
101 Blues
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss really do raise the roof with their aptly titled album on which they re-work twelve country, pop and blues songs for our enjoyment. We also review Curse of Lono's People in Cars, and Black Label Society's best album in a decade.

102 Top Picks
Want some brilliant punk rock? Then you can't go past The Buoys' new album, but if you want gristly jack-up pop guitar, then Tiny Little Houses' Misericorde is what you need to spin. And if filmy and ethereal synths are your desire, then Snail Mail's Valentine will win your heart.

114 Rock On
Brighten, the third solo album by Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell is his best yet, while Southern Rock has a new hero in Thunderbolts, whose debut album We Can Get A Witness is a scorcher. Meanwhile, Joe Bonamassa contemplates his mortality on Time Clocks even though he's on the right side of 50.

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