Australian Hi-Fi Magazine November / December 2014

 

   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 via digital download.

 

03 Editor's Lead-In: When is 'Hi-Res' not 'Hi-Res'?
Fresh from paying out on MP3 enhancers, editor Greg Borrowman is now taking the whip to hi-res downloads... and it's not a pretty sight.

6 Audio News
Yamaha RX-A2040 & RX-A3040, Goldmund Apologue Anniversary, Record Doctor V, Signal Projects, Rega Elex-R, Archfix, Knosti, Heos by Denon, Quad Elite CDX, Sony HAP-Z1ES, Linn ExaktAkudorik, B&W CM Series 2, Jandl, DS Audio, Sonus faber Lilium, HFXRipNAS, Bryston BDP-1USB, Myryad Z Series, Alpha Design Labs.

 

Equipment Reviews
26 Krell S-550i Integrated Amplifier
Krell sound, Krell quality, Krell power, and Krell remote, but a distinctly un-Krell-like price.

30 B&W 685 S2 Loudspeakers
Why did these speakers win a 'Best Loudspeaker' award from Sound & Image Magazine for 2014–15?

36 Allnic Audio H-1201 Phono EQ Amplifier
High-end components designed and built by a single person can be quirky, and in the H-1201 you'll find proof of that!

40 Denon DCD-1520AE SACD Player
CD player makers are so worried about streamers that they're loading extra value into their players, making this Denon a real bargain!

80 Krix Neuphonix AE40 Speakers
Krix celebrated its 40th anniversary earlier this year, so they decided to release a new model to celebrate. We listened, we liked...

91 Focal Spirit Pro Headphones
When you label your headphones as being suitable for professional use in studios, you'd better make sure they deliver exactly what professional sound engineers want...

 

Music
96 Rock On
Leonard Cohen has problems, but his new album, Popular Problems, won't be one of them. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of Daniel Lanois' latest, Flesh and the Machine.

98 Super Fidelity
Some audiophiles can't hear binaural recordings, so for some, buying Dr Chesky's Simply Amazing Binaural Sound Show download might be an exercise in faith.

100 Jazz Track
Yo! Says Robert Fonseca, as he unleashes a tumult of African and Cuban percussion on an album that's more hip hop than jazz, but full of melodic clarity, drama and contagious rhythm.

102 Blu-ray Reviews
Love him or hate him, Alice Cooper wrote some great tunes, and they're all now in hi-res. Also in hi-res is some old Marvin Gaye…and the sound's so impressive we wondered what's going on?

 

Esoteric Section
76 Sound Travels
Tom Waters visits an audiophile who has left his loud music and the resultant public disturbances behind him, and now seeks relaxation at the end of his busy day.

80 Krix Neuphonix 40th Anniversary Edition Limited
Only forty pairs of these speakers will ever be built, so there are several types of people who will buy them. 'Which type are you?' wonders reviewer Greg Borrowman.

86 Gryphon Pendragon Loudspeaker System
Danish manufacturer Gryphon designs, under the leadership of Flemming E. Rasmussen, goes from strength to strength. The enormous Pendragon is its strongest statement yet. Edgar Kramer gets to experience Gryphon's new range-topping Pendragon Loudspeaker System and came away with sporting scars that many never diminish!

 

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